India-Pakistan relations – in the form of a star-crossed romantic liaison between Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta – has topped the Indian Film Academy Awards.
Steve Montgomery
Steve Montgomery
An Alt Film Guide contributor/editor-at-large, Steve Montgomery says he hates movies but can't stop thinking about them. He also abhors awards season, which helps to explain why most of his Alt Film Guide articles have focused on movie awards from every corner of the planet.
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Paolo Sorrentino’s mafia thriller was the surprise big winner at this year’s Italian Oscars, while a Hollywood superstar was an odd choice for the honorary award.
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Cannes Film Festival winners: Renowned Belgian brothers receive their 2nd Palme d’Or + US performer Tommy Lee Jones is Best Actor for self-directed performance.
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Banned Chinese film – but is it really? – wins Tribeca Film Festival’s top prize, while Russian space drama + El Salvador Civil War tale are Moscow and Seattle faves.
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Stephen Chow’s blockbuster action-comedy has beaten Wong Kar-Wai international hit while strangely failing to top direction and screenplay at Hong Kong Film Awards.
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Muslim father vs European son road movie has topped the Mar del Plata Film Festival, while Emmanuelle Devos and Laura Linney shared Best Actress honors.
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A Jacques Tati-inspired animated feature has been named the Genie Awards’ Best Film - its only win. Roy Dupuis and Pascale Bussières topped the acting categories.
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Hilary Swank Oscar triumph #2: The Million Dollar Baby actress is the 21st century’s first double winner in the Academy Awards’ acting categories.
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Independent Spirit Awards’ winners: Crowd-pleasers and box office hits dominate the so-called ‘indie alternative’ to the mainstream Oscars.
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The winners of the various Guild Awards’: Season’s curious Best Director and Best Film bifurcation continues and thus further complicates this year’s Oscar predictions.
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A Carmen-inspired South African ‘dance movie,’ German anti-Nazi fighters and a Taiwanese watermelon sex tale are Berlin’s top Golden Bear winners.
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An ASC first: The Best Cinematography Award has gone to a French-language World War I drama that unexpectedly beat big-name Hollywood product.
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Is Hollywood anti-Christian? Awards season indicates ‘Not so much’ as controversial and blood-soaked Jesus biopic has been shortlisted in several categories.
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Pedro Almodóvar is snubbed while Alejandro Amenábar’s pro-euthanasia drama The Sea Inside has shattered the Goya Awards’ record.
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Sundance winners include a pregnant Amy Adams and a father-son love triangle reportedly inspired on a Satyajit Ray classic, plus an attack on America’s endless wars.
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The British Academy Awards’ Oscar-focused new submission deadline rules have had unintended and ironically counterproductive consequences.
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Mean Girls quotes have earned Tina Fey an unexpected Writers Guild Awards nomination, while animated + non-English-language movies again bypassed.
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Awards season news: In an ungodly twist of fate, Jesus + Jason + Napoleon have all lost out to Spider-Man, while Kate Winslet has nabbed a surprise win.
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NSFC Awards surprise: A Clint Eastwood melodrama is the unexpectedly mainstream winner of the generally more ‘esoteric’ U.S.-based critics group.
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The Golden Horse Awards’ surprise Best Film is an environmentally conscious Tibet-set ‘Western’ that beat an all-star international hit directed by Wong Kar-Wai.
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Culture clash movies have dominated this year’s European Film Awards, while Pedro Almodóvar was the biggest loser and Liv Ullmann got the longest standing ovation.
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Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: Alexander Payne’s California-set road movie Sideways was the big winner. Imelda Staunton and Liam Neeson topped the acting categories.
Fernando Eimbcke’s feature film debut Duck Season has swept the Mexican Oscars while a Salvadoran Civil War drama scored three wins.
French César shocker: Abdellatif Kechiche’s low-budget Paris banlieue drama featuring a cast of unknowns has beaten two well-regarded international hits.
Gianni Amelio’s acclaimed father-son drama was the Italian film journalists’ top Nastri d’Argento winner. Pedro Almodóvar and veteran Mario Monicelli were also honored.
Best Actress SAG Awards: Boxing-ring star beats stage diva in fierce rematch, while Katharine Hepburn has her first competitive Screen Actors Guild ‘win’ ever.
Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood have performed an unexpected Golden Globes turnabout, while Hilary Swank and Annette Bening have an awards season rematch ‘tie.’
New York Film Critics Awards: Alexander Payne’s California-set road movie Sideways named Best Film. Imelda Staunton and gay noir Bad Education among other winners.
National Board of Review Awards: The J.M. Barrie movie Finding Neverland was named the year’s best release. Annette Bening and Laura Linney were among the other winners.