2014 Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Feb 27–Mar 6

The Human Rights Watch Film Festival, a co-presentation between Human Rights Watch and TIFF, returns for its 11th year in Toronto with eight films that bravely bear witness to human rights violations in Canada and around the globe, and make an impassioned call for social change through their empowering stories of perseverance, resilience and hope.

Featuring selections from Cambodia, Tanzania, Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, France, the United Kingdom and the USA, the Human Rights Watch Film Festival opens at TIFF Bell Lightbox on February 27 with The Square (2013), director Jehane Noujaim’s (Control Room) thrilling documentary chronicle of activism, unrest and revolution in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, and closes on March 6 with the world premiere of Canadian director Matthew Smiley's hard-hitting documentary Highway of Tears (2013).

Inaugural Location Managers Guild of America Awards – nominations

The Location Managers Guild of America Has announced its nominations for the first ever Location Managers Guild of America Awards. Leading the film nominees were American Hustle, Nebraska and Secret Life of Walter Mitty. Each picked up two nominations. For television, Breaking Bad and Dexter led with three nominations each.

The Location Managers Guild of America is an organization of experienced career professionals in the motion picture, television, commercial and print production industries. The Guild promotes awareness of the goals and achievements of its members to the general public and within the industry through creative, educational, and philanthropic programs. LMGA members are dedicated to the establishment of professional standards of personal conduct and business ethics.

The Canadian Film Fest announces its complete 2014 lineup

The festival kicks off on March 20^th with the Toronto premiere of
Craig Goodwill’s PATCH TOWN

Executive Director of the Canadian Film Fest (CFF), Bern Euler, today announced the lineup for the 8^th edition of the CFF, which will open with Craig Goodwill’s PATCH TOWN and includes Michelle Ouellet’s AFTERPARTY as the Closing Night Film. This year’s festival will present six feature films and 14 short films over its three-day run. The CFF will take place at The Royal in Toronto from March 20-22. For more information, visit www.canfilmfest.ca.

“From dramas, to documentaries and genre films, this year’s lineup represents the diversity of work coming from the Canadian filmmaking community,” said Executive Director, Bern Euler, Canadian Film Festival. “It is an honour to present these films for Toronto audiences to enjoy and celebrate all of the talent in our own backyard.”

Upcoming Oscar presenters announced

Oscar producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron today announced the complete slate of stars who will present Oscars at the ceremony. The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will air on Oscar Sunday, March 2, live on ABC.

The presenters, including several past Oscar winners and nominees, will be:

Canadian Society of Cinematographers presents 57th annual CSC Awards – nominations

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers has announced the nominations for the 57th annual CSC Awards. The nominees for Theatrical Feature were the cinematographers for The Colony, Upside Down and Haunter. The cinematographer for both The Colony and Upside Down was Pierre Gill, who was also nominated in the TV Series category for Copper. Jon Joffin was the cinematographer for Haunter and was also nominated for the TV Drama Ring of Fire.

Other cinematographers with multiple nominations were Jon Castell, Allan Leader, Kirk Neff, Jeremy Benning, Benjamin Lichty and Daniel Grant.

Cinema Audio Society's 50th Annual CAS Awards – winners

It was an out-of-this-world evening for Gravity and the Sound Mixing Team of Production Mixer Chris Munro, CAS; Re-recording Mixers Skip Lievsay, CAS, Niv Adiri and Christopher Benstead; Scoring Mixer Gareth Cousins; ADR Mixers Chris Navarro, CAS and Thomas J. O’Connell; and Foley Mixer Adam Fil Mendez at the 50th Annual CAS Awards. The space drama won Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action.

Taking the top honors in the category of Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated was Frozen and the Sound Mixing Team of Original Dialogue Mixer Gabriel Guy, Re-recording Mixers David E. Fluhr, CAS and Gabriel Guy, Scoring Mixer Casey Stone and Foley Mixer Mary Jo Lang.

16th Costume Designers Guild Awards – winners

The 16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards took place last night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

The three top winners for film were the costume designers for 12 Years a Slave, Blue Jasmine and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. For television, the award winners were the designers for Behind the Candelabra, House of Cards and Downton Abbey.

Amy Adams was the previously announced recipient of the 2014 LACOSTE Spotlight Award. Producer Judd Apatow was also previously announced as the recipient of the Distinguished Collaborator Award, while April Ferry received the Honorary Career Achievement Award for her work in film and television.

ACTRA Awards in Toronto 2014 – winners

The 12th annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto were presented tonight at The Carlu. The gala evening was hosted by Darrell Dennis with live music by Saidah Baba Talibah. The ACTRA Awards in Toronto recognize outstanding performances by ACTRA Toronto members.

"Each year our awards get bigger and better," said David Sparrow, ACTRA Toronto President. "What a great group of outstanding nominees and winners. My hat's off to all of them. Terry McGurrin - a classic cartoon voice, Amanda Brugel a fantastic comedic actor, and Rick Roberts, well, at the rate he's going, I'm expecting him to morph into R.H. Thomson at any moment. And the spectacular stunts of Marco Bianco...I'm so proud of each and every one of them."

Call for submissions: Lindalee Tracey Award

The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and White Pine Pictures has put out a call for submissions for the 2014 Lindalee Tracey Award.

The Lindalee Tracey Award honours an emerging Canadian filmmaker with a passionate point of view, a strong sense of social justice, and joie de vivre.

Lindalee Tracey was an award-winning filmmaker, author, and entertainer, as well as a beloved wife and mother. Through her extensive body of work and indefatigable personality, Lindalee brought great joy to the world. She was passionate about bringing issues of social justice into her work, and championed people who are often ignored, underestimated or forgotten. Equally, she celebrated those who rise above disadvantage.

Lindalee passed away on October 19, 2006, at age 49, after a five-year battle with breast cancer. At the time of her passing, Lindalee’s family, friends and admirers created this award in her honour.

CFC presents An Evening Honouring Chris Tucker

CELEBRATING “BOLD, BLACK, RISK TAKERS”,
AN EVENING HONOURING ACTOR/COMEDIAN CHRIS TUCKER

Part of TD ‘Then & Now’ Series Presented by Clement Virgo Productions and CFC

In celebration of Black History Month, CFC (Canadian Film Centre), Clement Virgo Productions and TD are pleased to present a special evening honouring acclaimed actor/comedian Chris Tucker (Silver Linings Playbook, Rush Hour 1, 2 & 3, Jackie Brown, Fifth Element.)

Tucker is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series. A frequent stand up performer on the HBO series “Def Comedy Jam” in the 1990s, Tucker came to prominence in the 1995 film Friday alongside Ice Cube. He then co-starred and executive produced Money Talks with Charlie Sheen and appeared in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element before beginning work on the commercially successful Rush Hour films. In 2006 he negotiated an unprecedented $25 million salary to appear in Rush Hour 3, which at the time made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood. Tucker is also a humanitarian and spends much of his spare time traveling and working with his foundation. He most recently appeared in the Oscar nominated film Silver Linings Playbook and is currently on a stand-up comedy tour that has received rave reviews all over the world.

2014 Montréal en lumière (Montreal High Lights), Feb 20–Mar 2

MONTRÉAL EN LUMIÈRE, presented by RBC in collaboration with Bell, celebrates its 15th edition this year—and how! With MEL already enjoying a dazzling surge of growth, especially with the return of its outdoor downtown site in the Quartier des Spectacles—MEL crowds have bounded by over 40% to surpass 1,300,000 visits!—our festival has everything required to welcome even more fans this year.

You’ll especially feel all the excitement on the festival’s free outdoor site, an entirely renovated location offering a record number of free activities, building bridges between its diverse programs and offering an unprecedented spotlight and profile to the chefs of Montreal! You’ll also discover top-calibre major free outdoor performances, DJ and VJ sets, the most popular urban slide in the city, the giant winter ferris wheel and impressively mind-blowing lighting effects to name but a few, along with the special grand event on the first Saturday of the festival, as well as all the delicious Gourmet Pit-Stops that allow everyone to kick off the celebration as soon as work or school ends and sustain themselves through another fun night.

32nd annual Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois (RVCQ), Feb 20-Mar 1

February 20 to March 1: Come enjoy your movies!

Québec Cinéma is proud to announce the program for the 32nd annual Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, the single largest event dedicated to Quebec-made films. From February 20 to March 1, more than 300 films from every cinematic genre will be shown, including nearly 100 premieres. There will also be 25 free events where festivalgoers can celebrate Quebec cinema day and night. Featuring actor Antoine Bertrand as spokesperson and more than 400 guest artists and professionals from Quebec and around the world, this year's Rendez-vous, presented by the SAQ in collaboration with Radio-Canada, will be the ultimate cinematic gathering. Come enjoy your movies.

Brit Awards 2014 – winners

The Brit Awards 2014 took place tonight at London's O2 Arena with actor-comedian James Corden hosting for the fifth and final time.

David Bowie took the title of British Male Solo Artist 30 years after winning it for the first time. This time, Bowie won against Jake Bugg, James Blake, John Newman and Tom Odell. Bowie made a comeback in 2013 in releasing his first solo material in a decade.

Arctic Monkeys picked up the biggest award of the Brit Awards 2014 with AM being named British Album of the Year. They were also winners for the category British Group.

2014 Reel Artists Film Festival, Feb 19–23

The Reel Artists Film Festival returns this year with an exciting selection of 19 international feature-length and short documentary films, screening February 19 to 23 at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Presented by the Canadian Art Foundation, RAFF is North America’s only festival of documentaries on visual art and artists.

This year’s festival lineup features films about some of the world’s most compelling visual artists, including the world premieres of the films Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace and Richard Deacon – In Between—both with the artist subjects present and taking part in post-screening discussions.

Michael Landy, one of a very few creators ever named to the position of associate artist of Britain’s National Gallery, will also be doing a live talk following screenings of H2NY and Michael Landy: Saints Alive. The latter film documents how Landy won international acclaim last year for a an exhibition of startling and noisy “junk” sculptures made from that paid homage to art-historical depictions of saints. His appearance in Toronto is a must-see.

Motion Picture Sound Editors present the 61st Golden Reel Awards – winners

The Motion Picture Sound Editors held their 61st annual Golden Reel Awards on Sunday night at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles.

The sound editors for the feature films Gravity, Captain Phillips and The Great Gatsby picked up an award each. For animation, the winners were Frozen and Epic. The documentary winner was the team for Dirty Wars, while both The Grandmaster and The Past were the winners for Foreign Language Feature Film.

EE British Academy Film Awards in 2014 (BAFTA) – winners

At tonight’s EE British Academy Film Awards, 12 Years a Slave was named Best Film with Chiwetel Ejiofor winning Leading Actor. The Awards were hosted by Stephen Fry and held at London’s Royal Opera House.

Gravity won six awards: Outstanding British Film, Original Music, Cinematography, Sound and Special Visual Effects with Alfonso Cuarón winning for Director.

American Hustle won three BAFTA Awards: Original Screenplay for Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell, Make Up & Hair, and Supporting Actress for Jennifer Lawrence.

Production Design and Costume Design were awarded to The Great Gatsby. Leading Actress was presented to Cate Blanchett for playing the title role in Blue Jasmine – her third BAFTA win – and in his feature film debut Barkhad Abdi won Supporting Actor for Captain Phillips.

2014 Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards – winners

The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild tonight announced winners of its Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists awards in 14 categories of film, television, commercials and live theater during the black-tie ceremony at the Paramount Studios Theatre. MAC Cosmetics was the Official Cocktail Reception Sponsor. The awards took place before an audience of more than 500, including guild members, industry executives and press. The Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild's President Sue Cabral-Ebert presided over the awards ceremony with actor/comedian Tom Arnold serving as host.

Johnny Depp received the Guild's Distinguished Artisan Award presented by Oscar-Winning Make-Up Artist Joel Harlow, who is currently nominated for an Academy Award for his artistry in The Lone Ranger and also worked on creating Depp's transformation in The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. Oscar-winner Gail Ryan was presented with the Hair Stylists Lifetime Achievement Award by Benicio Del Toro and Rick Baker presented the Make-Up Artists Lifetime Achievement Award to Oscar-winner Dick Smith who was unable to attend.

64th Berlin International Film Festival awards – winners

The 64th Berlin International Film Festival (or Berlinale) drew to a close with an award ceremony tonight in which they announced the winners of the Golden Bear and Silver Bears. The top prize Golden Bear went to the Chinese film Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice) by Diao Yinan. The film's lead actor Liao Fan also picked up a Silver Bear for Best Actor.

Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The Silver Bear for Best Director went to Richard Linklater for Boyhood. The film Boyhood had also been the winner of the Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas, and the Berliner Morgenpost Readers' Jury Award.

Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley) by Alain Resnais picked up the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize for a feature film that opens new perspectives. Haru Kuroki won the Silver Bear for Best Actress for her work in Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House) by Yoji Yamada. Dietrich Brüggemann and Anna Brüggemann won the Silver Bear for Best Script for writing Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) which Dietrich Brüggemann directed.

Quebec to be guest of honour at the International Film Festival of Guadalajara

The Minister of Culture and Communications Mr. Maka Kotto participated today in a press conference at the consulat général du Mexique à Montréal, where Quebec was announced as the guest of honour at the 29th Festival Internacional de Cine en Guadalajara (FICG). The press conference took place in the presence of Consul General Francisco del Rio, the Chairman of FICG Raúl Padilla López, the Director Feneral of FICG Mr. Iván Trujillo-Bolio, and Quebec Delegate General in Mexico City, Christiane Pelchat.

"Quebec and Mexico have a successful relationship of over thirty years, and culture is a prime area for these exchanges. Quebec's choice as guest of honour of the festival is important because it offers Quebec artisans the opportunity to capture an audience and meet professionals in the Spanish-speaking world's film industry," said Minister Maka Kotto.

4th Annual Guild of Music Supervisors Awards – nominations

The Guild of Music Supervisors announced its fourth annual awards event taking place on Wednesday, February 26, at Mack Sennett Studios in Hollywood. The awards will recognize outstanding Music Supervisors in 14 categories representing Motion Picture, Television, Games, Trailers and Advertising.

“We are honored to celebrate and recognize the work of these important music supervisors at our fourth annual awards event”, noted Guild of Music Supervisors President Maureen Crowe. “Music is an integral part to the success of motion pictures , television programs, films, advertising and games. It helps tell the stories and engages audiences. We look forward to our annual awards event, which places a spotlight on this important craft.”

Motion Pictures Frozen, American Hustle, The Wolf of Wall Street, Gravity, Her, The Great Gatsby, Saving Mr. Banks, Inside Llewyn Davis, are a sampling of films receiving nods. Breaking Bad, Scandal, True Blood, Orange is the New Black, Behind the Candelabra, Girls, American Horror Story, Shameless, Nashville and Boardwalk Empire are included in the television categories.

Visual Effects Society's 12th Annual VES Awards – winners

Gravity is the Big Winner with Six Awards; Frozen Dominates As Winning Animated Film
Game of Thrones and PETA Score Big in the Broadcast and Commercial Categories
Surprise Presenter Sandra Bullock Joins Pharrell Williams, Johnny Knoxville, Patton Oswalt and Overflow Crowd of VFX Artists, Innovators and Industry VIPs

The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s global professional honorary society, held the 12th Annual VES Awards, the prestigious yearly celebration that recognizes outstanding visual effects artistry and innovation in film, animation, television, commercials, video games and special venues. Comedian Patton Oswalt served as host to the more than 1000 guests gathered at the Beverly Hilton to celebrate VFX talent in 24 awards categories. The teams from Gravity, Frozen, Game of Thrones and PETA led the wins in their respective categories, with Gravity taking home six awards, Frozen with four awards, and Games of Thrones and PETA each winning three.

Call for submissions: 2014 Toronto International Film Festival

Submissions for the 39th annual Toronto International Film Festival, running from September 4-14, 2014, are now open.

In order to submit your film, you must register via Withoutabox.com. The festival accepts Canadian works and international submissions including (for the first time) international short films. Short films are considered to be those with a running time of 49 minutes or less, while anything 50 minutes or more is categorized as feature-length.

The deadline for submissions is May 2, 2014. There is, however, a late deadline of May 30, 2014 at a higher submission fee.

26th Annual Scripter Award – winner announced

Screenwriter John Ridley joined family members of nineteenth-century author Solomon Northup to receive the 26th-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award for 12 Years a Slave. Selection committee co-chair Howard Rodman announced the winners at the black-tie event on Saturday, Feb. 8, at USC’s Doheny Memorial Library.

“An excellent library also creates experiences for students that inspire them to seek meaning in their studies, their careers, and their lives.”

“Until I read Solomon’s memoir, I didn’t know what being a writer was all about,” Ridley said in his acceptance speech. “The way that Solomon wrote, the clarity with which he wrote, and more importantly, the strength of his character, what he went through without bitterness, without hate—that really taught me something.”

12 Years a Slave’s Scripter win adds to the growing number of awards for the Fox Searchlight film, including best motion picture in the drama category at last month’s Golden Globes. The film is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

18th Annual Art Directors Guild (ADG) Awards – winners

The Art Directors Guild (ADG) tonight announced winners of its 18th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards, Presented by Kohler, in ten categories of film, television, commercials and music videos during the black-tie ceremony in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The awards took place before an audience of more than 800, including guild members, industry executives and press. ADG Council Chair John Shaffner presided over the awards ceremony with comedian Owen Benjamin serving as host.

64th Annual American Cinema Editors ACE "Eddie" Awards – winners

Captain Phillips (edited by Christopher Rouse, A.C.E.) and American Hustle (edited by Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Crispin Struthers & Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E.) won Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) and Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy/Musical) respectively at the 64th Annual ACE Eddie Awards tonight where trophies were handed out in ten (10) categories of film, television and documentaries.

The black-tie ceremony was held in the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel with over 1,000 in attendance to celebrate the year’s best editing.

Frozen (edited by Jeff Draheim) won Best Edited Animated Feature Film and 20 Feet From Stardom (edited by Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber & Jason Zeldes) won Best Edited Documentary (Feature).

Free screenings of Canada's Top Ten at Phi Centre

February 5 to 13, the Phi Centre celebrates Canadian cinema with the presentation of TIFF: Canada’s Top Ten. Come see the ten best films from the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival as well as two special presentations of the best Canadian shorts of the year.

The screenings start tonight with presentations of the stunning documentary Watermark by Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky, and the thriller Enemy by Denis Villeneuve and starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

All screenings are free. Tickets will be available one hour before each screening at the Phi Centre ticket office. Limit of four per person.

43rd Annual Juno Awards – nominations

At today’s press conference announcing the nominations for THE 2014 JUNO AWARDS, CTV and The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS) revealed the first five chart-topping artists confirmed to perform on CTV’s broadcast, Sunday, March 30 from Winnipeg’s MTS Centre.

Leading the field with six nominations was Montreal's Arcade Fire, with their Haitian-inspired album "Reflektor". Michael Buble and "Stompa" singer Serena Ryder followed closely with five nominations each.

Performers set to light up the JUNO stage include acclaimed platinum-selling musician City and Colour, multi-platinum soul and R&B, singer-songwriter Robin Thicke, platinum-selling hit-maker and multiple JUNO Award winner Serena Ryder, Calgary-born, pop-rock twins Tegan and Sara, and double- platinum selling artists and viral video sensations Walk Off The Earth.

ASIFA-Hollywood's 41st annual Annie Awards – winners

Walt Disney Animation's 'Frozen' took top honors as Best Animated Feature at the 41st Annual Annie Awards held Saturday, February 1 at UCLA's Royce Hall. The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to 'Chipotle Scarecrow' (Chipotle Creative Department, Moonbot Studios); Best Animated Short Subject 'Get A Horse!' (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial 'Despicable Me 2' (Cinemark-Illumination Entertainment/Universal); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children 'Disney Sofia the First' (Disney Television Animation); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children's Audience 'Adventure Time'(Cartoon Network Studios); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production 'Futurama' (20^th Century Fox Television); Best Animated Video Game 'The Last of Us' (Naughty Dog); and Best Student Film 'Wedding Cake' (Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg - Viola Baier, Iris Frisch).

Often a predictor of the annual Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, the Annie Awards honor overall excellence as well as individual achievement in a total of 30 categories ranging from best feature, production design, character animation, and effects animation to storyboarding, writing, music, editing and voice acting.

American Society of Cinematographers 2014 ASC Awards – winners

Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC; Jeremy Benning, CSC; Jonathan Freeman, ASC and Blake McClure earned top honors in the four competitive categories at the 28th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards for Outstanding Achievement. The ceremony was held here tonight at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.

Lubezki won the ASC Award in the feature film competition for Gravity. Benning won the TV movie/miniseries award for Killing Lincoln. Freeman took home top honors in the one-hour episodic television category for Game of Thrones, and McClure was the recipient of the half-hour episodic series award for Drunk History.

2014 Writers Guild Awards – Winners Announced

The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) tonight announced the winners of the 2014 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, videogame, and new media writing at simultaneous ceremonies at the JW Marriott L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles and the Edison Ballroom in New York City.

Three-time Emmy-winning Everybody Loves Raymond actor-comic Brad Garrett hosted the West Coast WGA ceremony, which was executive produced by Cort Casady. Presenters who appeared at the WGAW’s L.A. awards ceremony included Oscar nominee Bruce Dern (Nebraska), two-time Emmy and Golden Globe-winning The Good Wife star Julianna Margulies, Oscar-nominated writer-actress Julie Delpy (Before Midnight), three-time TV Guide Award and People’s Choice Award-winning Castle co-star Stana Katic, Oscar-winner and Emmy-nominated Justified co-star Walton Goggins, SAG Award-nominated actor Dermot Mulroney (August: Osage County), WGA-nominated Parks and Recreation co-star Nick Offerman, True Blood co-star Joe Manganiello, Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actress Amber Tamblyn (Two and a Half Men), three-time SAG Award-nominated Breaking Bad actress Betsy Brandt, Rizzoli & Isles co-star Sasha Alexander, WGA-winning writer and Emmy-nominator actor B.J. Novak (The Office), TV Guide Award-winning actor Jeff Perry (Scandal), and six Daytime Emmy Award-winning Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek.