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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Italian Oscars Go to Mafia Thriller + Odd Hollywood Honoree
7 minutes readPaolo 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: Belgian Brothers Receive Palme d’Or #2
8 minutes readCannes 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 (?) Is Top Tribeca Winner
5 minutes readBanned 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 Movie Tops Mar del Plata
3 minutes readMuslim 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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Animated Feature Wins One Genie Award: Best Picture
8 minutes readA 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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Crowd-Pleasing Hits Dominate Independent Spirit Awards
6 minutes readIndependent Spirit Awards: Crowd-pleasers and box office hits dominated the so-called ‘indie alternative’ to the mainstream Oscars.
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Guild Awards: Best Director vs. Best Film Split Continues
7 minutes readGuild Awards: Season’s curious Best Director and Best Film bifurcation continues and further complicates this year’s Oscar predictions.
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Berlin Film Festival winners include a South African musical based on Bizet’s Carmen and a kinky Taiwanese sex tale.
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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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Pro-Euthanasia Drama Breaks Spanish Academy Awards’ Record
8 minutes readAlejandro Amenábar’s pro-euthanasia drama The Sea Inside has shattered the Spanish Academy Awards’ record, as Pedro Almodóvar is snubbed.
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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 Earns Tina Fey Surprising WGA Recognition
7 minutes readMean Girls’ quotes have earned Tina Fey a surprise WGA Award nod, while animated and non-English-language movies again mostly bypassed.
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Critics’ Choice Awards: Spidey Defeats Jesus + Jason
12 minutes readCritics’ Choice Awards: In an ungodly twist of fate, Jesus, Jason, and Napoleon have lost out to Spider-Man. Elsewhere, Kate Winslet 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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New York Film Critics Awards: California Road Movie Tops
6 minutes readNew York Film Critics Awards: Alexander Payne’s California-set road movie Sideways named Best Film. Imelda Staunton among other winners.
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The Golden Horse Awards’ surprise Best Film is an environmentally conscious Tibet-set ‘Western’ that beat a Wong Kar-Wai international hit.
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Culture Clash Movies Rule European Film Awards
11 minutes readEuropean Film Awards: Culture clash movies dominated this year’s EFAs, while Pedro Almodóvar was the biggest loser and Liv Ullmann got the longest ovation.
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J.M. Barrie Movie Tops National Board of Review Awards
9 minutes readMarc Forster’s J.M. Barrie movie Finding Neverland is the National Board of Review Awards’ Best Film. Annette Bening wins Best Actress.
Mexican Oscars: Low-Key Feature Debut Sweeps Ariel Awards
Fernando Eimbcke’s feature film debut Duck Season has swept the Mexican Oscars while a Salvadoran Civil War drama scored three wins.
French César Surprise: Paris Banlieue Drama Named Best Film
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 Father-Son Drama Tops Italian Film Awards
Gianni Amelio’s acclaimed father-son drama was the Italian film journalists’ top Nastri d’Argento winner. Veteran Mario Monicelli was also honored.
Best Actress SAG Award: Boxer Beats Diva in Rematch
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.
Golden Globe Winners: Scorsese + Eastwood Turnabout
Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood have performed an unexpected Golden Globes turnabout, while Hilary Swank and Annette Bening have an awards season rematch ‘tie.’
Critics’ favorites: Alexander Payne’s crowd-pleasing Wine Country movie and Michael Moore’s polemical political documentary are the top titles.
Los Angeles Film Critics Awards: California Road Movie Tops
Los Angeles Film Critics Awards: Set in Southern California, Alexander Payne’s road movie Sideways topped Best Film and four other categories.