Jessica Biel & Ari Folman + Laurent Cantet & Andrew Stanton: Oscar Season Images

Jessica Biel.

Actress Jessica Biel at Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards

Pictured above is Jessica Biel, host of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Achievement Awards ceremony, which was held on Feb. 7 in Beverly Hills.

Past Scientific and Technical Awards presenters include the following:

Gregory Peck. Christopher Reeve. Janet Leigh. Angie Dickinson. Lloyd Bridges. Kirk Douglas. Rachel McAdams. Jennifer Garner. Scarlett Johansson. Jessica Alba. Macdonald Carey. Charlize Theron. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jessica Biel photo: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Ed Catmull

Ed Catmull: Gordon E. Sawyer Award

Ed Catmull was handed the 2009 Gordon E. Sawyer Award. A co-founder of Pixar, Catmull was honored by the Academy’s Board of Governors “for his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.”

His film credits in various (visual effects) capacities include Futureworld (1976), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), and Toy Story (1995).

Ed Catmull photo: Michael Yada / © A.M.P.A.S.

Best Foreign Language Film Symposium

Yojiro Takita, director of Departures (Japan); Ari Folman, director of Waltz with Bashir (Israel); Uli Edel, director of The Baader Meinhof Complex (Germany); Laurent Cantet, director of The Class (France); Götz Spielmann, director of Revanche (Austria), and Academy Governor Mark Johnson are pictured above at the Foreign Language Film Award Symposium, held on Feb. 21 in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The nominated films

• In Departures, a failed cellist (Motoki Tomohiro) returns to his hometown, where he takes a job as a ritual mortician. Because of his line of work, he suffers prejudice in a culture where death is taboo.
• The Baader Meinhof Complex features Martina Gedeck and Moritz Bleibtreu as Ulrike Meinhof and Andreas Baader, two leaders of the German far-left terrorist group Red Army Faction, active in the 1960s and 1970s.
• Based on François Bégaudeau’s semi-autobiographical 2006 novel, The Class narrates the experiences of a French language and literature teacher at a high school located in a Parisian suburb populated by ethnic minorities. Bégaudeau himself plays the teacher, here named François Marin.
• Winner of the 2008 National Society of Film Critics’ Best Film Award, the semi-autobiographical Waltz with Bashir focuses on Israel’s disastrous 1982 invasion of Lebanon.
• Revanche revolves around the ill-fated relationship between an Austrian ex-con (Johannes Krisch) and a Ukrainian prostitute (Irina Potapenko).

See below images of the directors of the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nominees at the Academy’s Symposium.

The Directors: Ari Folman, Yojiro Takita

Ari Folman.

Yojiro Takita.

Götz Spielmann.

Laurent Cantet.

Uli Edel.

Keanu Reeves, Marion Cotillard attend Academy ceremony honoring Best Foreign Language Film nominees

Keanu Reeves and Marion Cotillard were among those attending a ceremony honoring the directors whose films are in the running for the 2009 Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category. At a reception held yesterday, Feb. 20, ’09, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, four of the five filmmakers – missing in action: Departures director Yojiro Takita – received certificates of nomination.

Pictured above (click on the link to enlarge the image), from left to right (standing):

• Academy Governor Mark Johnson.
• Actor Keanu Reeves.
• Editor and composer John Ottman.
• Best Actress Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, 2007).
• Academy President Sid Ganis (apparently impressed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s height).
• Cinematographer Matthew Libatique.
• Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose German drama The Lives of Others was the 2006 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar winner.

In the front row are the directors of the nominated films:

• Uli Edel (The Baader Meinhof Complex).
• Laurent Cantet (The Class).
• Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir).
• Götz Spielmann (Revanche).

Keanu Reeves.

Keanu Reeves movies

In the last quarter of a century, Keanu Reeves has been featured in nearly 50 films. Among them are:

• The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008).
  Director: Scott Derrickson.
  Cast: Jennifer Connelly. Kathy Bates. John Cleese. Jaden Smith. Jon Hamm. Kyle Chandler.
• The Matrix (1999).
  Director: Andy and Lana Wachowski.
  Cast: Laurence Fishburne. Carrie-Anne Moss. Hugo Weaving. Gloria Foster. Joe Pantoliano.
• My Own Private Idaho (1991).
  Director: Gus Van Sant.
  Cast: River Phoenix. James Russo. William Richert. Rodney Harvey.

Marion Cotillard.

Marion Cotillard movies

Besides La Vie en Rose, Marion Cotillard has been seen in nearly 40 films in the last 15 years or so. Below are three of them.

• Nine (2009).
  Director: Rob Marshall.
  Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis. Nicole Kidman. Kate Hudson. Sophia Loren. Penélope Cruz. Judi Dench. Fergie. Ricky Tognazzi. Elio Germano.
• A Very Long Engagement / Un long dimanche de fiançailles (2004).
  Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet.
  Cast: Audrey Tautou. Gaspard Ulliel. André Dussollier. Jodie Foster.
• Pretty Things / Les jolies choses (2001).
  Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner.
  Cast: Patrick Bruel. Stomy Bugsy. Titoff. Ophélie Winter.

Uli Edel, Laurent Cantet, Götz Spielmann, Ari Folman, Mark Johnson, Keanu Reeves, and Marion Cotillard photos: Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) website.

Photos of Foreign Language Film Symposium participants Ari Folman, Laurent Cantet, Yojiro Takita, Götz Spielmann, and Uli Edel: Darren Decker / © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar statue spraying

A horror moment from the latest remake of The Mystery of the Wax Museum? Hardly.

The A.M.P.A.S. photo caption reads “Dena D’Angelo, scenic artist, puts the final touches on Oscar statuettes as preparations continue” on Feb. 17, for the 2009 Academy Awards.

Photo: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Giant Oscar statue.

Giant Oscar statue photo: Darren Decker / © A.M.P.A.S.

Feb. 3

Jessica Biel, whose Easy Virtue will hit US screens next May, will host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards on Saturday, February 7, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Among the six awards that Biel will present during the evening is the Gordon E. Sawyer Award, which will be handed to Ed Catmull for “his lifetime of technical contributions and leadership in the field of computer graphics for the motion picture industry.”

Among the previous Scientific and Technical Awards presenters are Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Christopher Reeve, Lloyd Bridges, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Macdonald Carey, Janet Leigh, Angie Dickinson, and, of late, nice-looking young actresses such as Rachel McAdams, Charlize Theron, Jennifer Garner, Scarlett Johansson, and last year’s Jessica Alba.

The Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation is not televised, but filmed excerpts from the event will be shown during the 2009 Oscar ceremony on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center. In the US, the Oscarcast will be televised live by ABC.

Andrew Stanton, Chris Williams: Directors of nominated features attend Academy’s Animated Film Symposium

Kung Fu Panda directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson, animator Tom Sito (Osmosis Jones, Son of the Mask), Bolt directors Chris Williams and Byron Howard, and WALL-E director Andrew Stanton are seen above standing next to a giant Oscar statue at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Animated Film Symposium held on Thursday, Feb. 19, ’09, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Bolt, Kung Fu Panda, and WALL-E are all in the running for the 2009 Academy Award. (Click on the image above to enlarge it.)

The Bolt voice cast includes Miley Cyrus, John Travolta, Chloë Grace Moretz, and veteran Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange). Kung Fu Panda features the voices of Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Jack Black, Lucy Liu, and Dustin Hoffman. WALL-E voice actors include Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Fred Willard, Sigourney Weaver, and Kathy Najimy.

Prestigious animation

Surprisingly missing from the nomination roster was Ari Folman’s acclaimed animated war drama Waltz with Bashir, which was shortlisted in the Best Foreign Language Film category (representing Israel). While WALL-E was voted the Best Film of the year by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Waltz with Bashir was the top choice of the National Society of Film Critics.

Kung Fu Panda was the surprise – and controversial – top winner of the Annie Awards. WALL-E, however, is expected to take home the Best Animated Film Oscar.

See also: “Directors Ari Folman, Laurent Cantet, Yojiro Takita, Götz Spielmann, and Uli Edel at the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Symposium.”

Chris Williams, Byron Howard: ‘Bolt’ directors.

Andrew Stanton: ‘WALL-E’ director.

Mark Osborne, John Stevenson: ‘Kung Fu Panda’ directors.

Tom Sito, Chris Williams, Byron Howard, Mark Osborne, John Stevenson, and Andrew Stanton photos: Richard Harbaugh / © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Art Direction & Film Editing Nominees: American Cinematheque Presentation

The 2009 Academy Award-nominated Production Designers and Set Decorators will take part in a panel discussion about their work in the nominated films on February 21 at 2:30 pm, the eve of the Academy Awards ceremony, at the American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre (6712 Hollywood Boulevard) in Hollywood. Excerpts of each nominated film will precede the discussion, which will be moderated by Art Directors Guild president Tom Walsh.

The 2009 Oscar nominees expected to attend are:

Production Designers: James J. Murakami (Changeling), Donald Graham Burt (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Nathan Crowley (The Dark Knight), Michael Carlin (The Duchess), and Kristi Zea (Revolutionary Road).

Set Decorators: Gary Fettis (Changeling), Victor J. Zolfo (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Peter Lando (The Dark Knight), Rebecca Alleyway (The Duchess) and Debra Schutt (Revolutionary Road).

The Art Directors Guild and Set Decorators of America are presenting this event as part of the American Cinematheque’s Awards Season Seminars. Admission is free. Tickets are available on the day of the panel discussion at the box office only. There will be no online ticketing.

Editors’ Seminar at the Egyptian Theatre

“You saw their names in the opening credits. Then you saw their names in Variety. Now discover how they went from dailies to Oscar-nominated films.”

That’s the American Cinematheque’s call for “Invisible Art, Visible Artists,” an Editors’ Seminar presented by the American Cinema Editors on Saturday, Feb. 21, at 10 am at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The 150-minute program will feature an open discussion with all of this year’s Oscar-nominated editors, subject to availability.

This year’s Oscar nominees in the best editing category are:

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
Milk (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

This is the great thing about Oscar time. Artists, technicians, and craftspeople not named Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt receive quite a bit of publicity they merit but don’t usually get at other times of the year. And this editors’ seminar is a great chance for Angelenos to find out not only how movies are made, but also how (at times) good performances are made as well. Indeed, many a talented editor has been credited with saving – or at least ameliorating – both mediocre films and mediocre actors.

As an aside … I clearly remember my college film editing teacher telling us that after doing editing work (both sound and picture) ourselves – something we had to do for the class – we’d never look at a movie the same way again. How right he was.

Free Admission for “Invisible Art, Visible Artists.” Tickets available on day of seminar only at box office. No online ticketing. Doors open at 9:00 AM. The Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Blvd.