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Lesbian Drama Best Film at Tribeca + Asian Film Awards

Carice van Houten Rutger Hauer Black Butterflies
Carice van Houten and Rutger Hauer in ‘Black Butterflies’

Carice van Houten & ‘She Monkeys’: Tribeca Film Festival Awards

Ramon Novarro biography Beyond Paradise

Writer-director Lisa Aschan’s feature film debut, the Swedish lesbian drama She Monkeys / Apflickorna, took top honors at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Co-written by Josefine Adolfsson, the Best Narrative Feature winner portrays the complex relationship – and budding romance – between two young equestrian vaulters played by newcomers Mathilda Paradreiser and Linda Molin. Robert De Niro was one of the presenters of the award.

Tribeca’s Best Actress was Carice van Houten for her performance as troubled South African poet Ingrid Jonker in Paula van der Oest’s Black Butterflies. In 1965, 32-year-old Jonker committed suicide by drowning herself in the ocean. Van Houten’s co-star is veteran Rutger Hauer (Turkish Delight, Blade Runner).

Ramadhan ‘Shami’ Bizimana was the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Actor for Kivu Ruhorahoza’s Grey Matter, billed as the first Rwandan feature directed by a Rwandan national living in Rwanda.

Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach, set in one of the poorest communities in Southern California, was the Best Documentary winner.

Carice van Houten movies

Among the Dutch-born Carice van Houten movies released in the last decade are Vincent Bal’s Miss Minoes; Colette Bothof’s Black Swans; Paul Verhoeven’s Black Book; Joram Lürsen’s Love Is All; and Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie, starring Tom Cruise and Kenneth Branagh.

Carice Van Houten’s most recent big-screen efforts include three 2010 releases: Christopher Smith’s horror drama Black Death, supporting Sean Bean and Eddie Redmayne; Miguel Sapochnik’s box office disappointment Repo Men, with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker; and Antoinette Beumer’s comedy-drama The Happy Housewife.

Additionally, van Houten was featured in three episodes of the Dutch television series In therapie, and should next be seen in Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s horror thriller Intruders, co-starring Clive Owen, Daniel Brühl, Pilar López de Ayala, and Kerry Fox.

Carice van Houten, Rutger Hauer Black Butterflies photo: Tribeca Film Festival.

Lesbian drama She Monkeys Tribeca Film Festival
Linda Molin in Lisa Aschan’s ‘She Monkeys’

Lesbian Drama Chosen as Best Film: Tribeca Film Festival Awards

Narrative Competition

Best Narrative Feature: She Monkeys (Apflickorna), directed by Lisa Aschan, written by Josefine Adolfsson and Lisa Aschan (Sweden)

Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Film: Ramadhan ‘Shami’ Bizimana in Grey Matter (Matière Grise), directed and written by Kivu Ruhorahoza (Rwanda, Australia)

Best Actress in a Narrative Feature Film: Carice van Houten in Black Butterflies, directed by Paula van der Oest, written by Greg Latter (Germany, Netherlands, South Africa)

Best Screenplay for a Narrative Feature Film: Jannicke Systad Jabobsen, Turn Me On, Goddammit (Få meg på, for faen) (Norway)

Best Cinematography in a Narrative Feature Film: Luisa Tillinger, Artificial Paradises (Paraisos Artificiales) (Mexico)

New Narrative Director Competition

Best New Narrative Director: Park Jungbum, writer and director of Journals of Musan (Musan Il-gi) (South Korea)

Special Jury Mention: Kivu Ruhorahoza, writer and director of Grey Matter (Matière Grise)

Documentary Competition

Best Documentary Feature: Bombay Beach, directed by Alma Har’el (USA, Israel)

Best Editing in a Documentary Feature: Purcell Carson, Semper Fi: Always Faithful (USA)

Best New Documentary Director: Pablo Croce for Like Water (USA)

Special Jury Mention: Michael Collins, director of Give Up Tomorrow (UK, USA)

Other Tribeca Film Festival Awards

Best Narrative Short: Man and Boy, directed by David Leon and Marcus McSweeney, written by David Leon and Rashid Rasaq (UK)

Special Jury Mention: The Terms, written and directed by Jason LaMotte (UK)

Best Documentary Short: Incident in New Baghdad, written and directed by James Spione (US)

Special Jury Mention: Guru, written and directed by Jonathan VanBallenberghe (USA)

Student Visionary Award: Rooms, written and directed by Joanna Jurewicz (USA)

Special Jury Mention: Eva: Working Title, written and directed by Dor Fadlon (Israel)

Tribeca Film Festival Juries

World Narrative Competition Jury: Souleymane Cissé, Scott Glenn, David Gordon Green, Rula Jebreal, Art Linson, Jason Sudeikis, Dianne Wiest.

Best New Narrative Director Jury: Paul Dano, Atom Egoyan, Zoe Kazan, Anna Kendrick, Rainn Wilson.

World Documentary Competition Jury: Amir Bar-Lev, Michael Cera, RJ Cutler, Abigail Disney, Whoopi Goldberg, Louie Psihoyos, Peter Scarlet.

New Documentary Competition Jury: Margaret Bodde, Jared Cohen, J. D. Heyman, Lauren Hutton, Annie Sundberg.

Best Narrative Short Competition Jury: Nora Ephron, Ceci Kurzman, Denis Leary, Fran Lebowitz, David O. Russell, Paul Schneider and Jimmy Wales.

Best Documentary and Student Short Competition Jury: Ahmed Ahmed, Agnes Gund, Zoe Kravitz, Nicole Lapin, Lisa Shields, Christine Vachon and Patrick Wilson

Linda Molin in Lisa Aschan’s She Monkeys photo: Tribeca Film Festival.

Tribeca NYC Jury: From Whoopi Goldberg to Souleymane Cissé

The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 20-May 1, has announced its jurors. [Full list of Tribeca 2011 jury.] In the internationally eclectic list are found Malian filmmaker Souleymane Cissé, Your Highness’ David Gordon Green, The Tillman Story‘s Amir Bar-Lev, Bullets Over Broadway‘s Dianne Wiest, The Cove‘s Louie Psihoyos, Ghost‘s Whoopi Goldberg, Up in the Air‘s Anna Kendrick, American Gigolo‘s Lauren Hutton, The Sweet Hereafter filmmaker Atom Egoyan, and Sleepless in Seattle‘s Nora Ephron.

Also: Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work‘s Annie Sundberg, Little Miss Sunshine‘s Paul Dano, producer Christine Vachon, Little Children‘s Patrick Wilson, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World‘s Michael Cera, and curiously, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales.

All that talent will be divided among the Tribeca Film Festival’s six competitive categories. The winners will be announced on April 28 at a ceremony hosted by Gideon Yago, which will be streamed live on TribecaFilm.com.

The six Tribeca juries will award a total of $175,000 in cash and prizes. Winners will also receive a piece of original art by “an acclaimed artist” as part of the Tribeca Film Festival Artists Awards program.

2011 Tribeca Film Festival jurors and their respective categories.

World Competition Categories:

The jurors for the 2011 World Narrative Competition are:

  • Souleymane Cissé: Noted Malian director; films include the 1995 Cannes Palme d’Or nominee Waati, 1987 Cannes Jury Prize Winner Brightness and Tell Me Who You Are.
  • Scott Glenn: Actor; films include The Right Stuff, The Silence of the Lambs, The Virgin Suicides, Freedom Writers, The Bourne Ultimatum, W., Secretariat, Sucker Punch and TFF 2011 selection Magic Valley.
  • David Gordon Green: Independent Spirit Award nominated director/producer; films include George Washington, All the Real Girls, Great World of Sound, Pineapple Express, the recently released Your Highness and the upcoming film The Sitter.
  • Rula Jebreal: Journalist, author, screenwriter and actress: books include The Bride from Assuan, Rejected and Miral, which was adapted into a film of the same name.
  • Art Linson: Gotham award winning producer; films include Singles, Fight Club, Lords of Dogtown, Into the Wild, What Just Happened and The Runaways.
  • Jason Sudeikis: Actor. Best known for roles in Going the Distance, Hall Pass and 2011 TFF selection A Good Old Fashioned Orgy. Also a cast member on television’s Saturday Night Live.
  • Dianne Wiest: Oscar, Golden Globe and SAG award winning actress; films include Hannah and Her Sisters, Edward Scissorhands, Bullets Over Broadway, Synecdoche, New York and the upcoming The Odd Life of Timothy Green.

The jurors for the 2011 World Documentary Competition are:

  • Amir Bar-Lev: Documentary filmmaker and producer; films include Fighter, My Kid Could Paint That, The Tillman Story and the upcoming Garcia.
  • Michael Cera: BAFTA and SAG Award nominated actor; films include Superbad, Juno, Youth In Revolt, and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Currently filming The Untitled Mark Webber Project.
  • RJ Cutler: Oscar nominee and Emmy Award winning director/producer; films include The War Room, Thin, and The September Issue.
  • Abigail Disney: Film producer and philanthropist; films include 2008 TFF Best Documentary Winner, Pray the Devil Back to Hell, Children of Invention, Sons of Perdition and the upcoming narrative feature Return.
  • Whoopi Goldberg:Moderator on television’s The View, andactress, comedian, humanitarian with Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Tony and Grammy wins. Recent films include Toy Story 3, For Colored Girls and the upcoming A Little Bit of Heaven.
  • Louie Psihoyos: Oscar and DGA winning director; films include The Cove and the upcoming The Singing Planet.
  • Peter Scarlet: Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, former Artistic Director of TFF and former Director of the Cinematheque Francaise.

Emerging Competition Categories:

The jurors for the 2011 Emerging Narrative Competition are:

  • Paul Dano: Independent Spirit and SAG award nominated actor; films include L.I.E., Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood, the recently released Meek’s Cutoff and the upcoming Another Bulls*t Night in Suck City.
  • Atom Egoyan: Oscar, Golden Palm and Independent Spirit Award nominated director/producer; films include Exotica, The Sweet Hereafter, Felicia’s Journey, Where the Truth Lies, Adoration, and Chloe.
  • Zoe Kazan: TFF 2009 Best Actress winner for The Exploding Girl; other films include Me and Orson Welles, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee, It’s Complicated and the recently released films Happythankyoumoreplease, and Meek’s Cutoff.
  • Anna Kendrick: Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe , SAG, Independent Spirit and Tony award nominated actress; films include Rocket Science, the Twilight series, Up in the Air, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, and the upcoming Live With It.
  • Rainn Wilson: Emmy and SAG Award nominee for television’s The Office; films include Juno, The Rocker, Hesher and the just completed Few Options.

The jurors for the 2011 Emerging Documentary Competition are:

  • Margaret Bodde: Documentary producer and film preservationist; films include No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, Time Piece, Public Speaking and the upcoming Living in the Material World: George Harrison.
  • Jared Cohen: Director of Google Ideas, Adjunct Fellow at the Council for Foreign Relations and Author of One Hundred Days of Silence: America and the Rwanda Genocide, and Children of Jihad: A Young American’s Travels Among the Youth of the Middle East
  • J. D. Heyman: Executive Editor of People and former editor at Us Weekly. Held editorial positions at Cosmopolitan and the New York Daily News. Author of books include Get a Life: A Guide to Jobs, Money and the Real World, and The Singled Out Guide to Dating.
  • Lauren Hutton: Fashion icon, actress, television host and beauty industry pioneer. Film roles include American Gigolo and, more recently, The Joneses. Guest star on television’s Nip/Tuck and host of several shows, including a late-night talk show.
  • Annie Sundberg: IFC and Sundance award nominated director; films include The Trials of Darryl Hunt, The Devil Came on Horseback and Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work.

Short Film Competition Categories:

The jurors for the 2011 Narrative Short Film Competition are:

  • David O. Russell: Oscar, Golden Globe nominee and Independent Spirit Award Winner: films include Spanking the Monkey, Flirting with Disaster, Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, The Fighter and the upcoming Nailed.
  • Nora Ephron: Multiple Oscar, Golden Globe nominated and BAFTA winning writer-director; films include Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally …, Sleepless in Seattle and Julie and Julia.
  • Ceci Kurzman: Founder of Nexus Management Group, whose clients include Shakira, and consultant for the Global Philanthropy Group.
  • Denis Leary: Golden Globe and Emmy nominate actor/writer/producer; work includes Rescue Me, In Search of Ted Demme and the Ice Age films.
  • Fran Lebowitz: Author noted for her social commentary, recently the subject of the HBO documentary Public Speaking, directed by Martin Scorsese.
  • Paul Schneider: Actor and screenwriter; films include The Family Stone, Bright Star, and the upcoming Water for Elephants.
  • Jimmy Wales: Internet entrepreneur and Co-founder of Wikipedia.

The jurors for the 2011 Documentary and Student Short Film Competitions are:

  • Ahmed Ahmed: Comedian and director; noted for his directorial debut Just Like Us, an official selection of the 2010 Tribeca and Doha Tribeca film festivals. Other films include the UAE film City of Life and Iron Man.
  • Agnes Gund: President Emerita of MoMA, noted philanthropist, and collector of modern and contemporary art.
  • Zoe Kravitz: Actress; film roles include The Brave One, Birds of America, The Greatest and the upcoming Beware the Gonzo (a 2010 TFF selection and upcoming release by Tribeca Film), Yelling to the Sky and X:Men: First Class.
  • Nicole Lapin: Anchor of CNBC’s Worldwide Exchange, contributor to Today, Morning Joe, Daily Rundown, and Jansing & Co, as well as the Huffington Post. Former anchor at CNN.
  • Lisa Shields: VP of Communications and Marketing, Council on Foreign Relations.
  • Christine Vachon: Independent Spirit Award winning producer. Films and television projects include Mildred Pierce, Safe, I Shot Andy Warhol, Boys Don’t Cry, Far From Heaven, I’m Not There, and Cairo Time.
  • Patrick Wilson: Golden Globe nominated actor; best known for Little Children, Watchmen, Hard Candy and Angels in America; upcoming films include The Ledge, and Young Adult.

Student Academy Awards

No less than 523 entries from students representing 136 U.S. colleges and universities, in addition to 52 entries from 32 countries (mostly from Europe and the Americas), are in competition for the 2011 Student Academy Awards. An awards presentation ceremony, which will include screenings of the winning films, will be held on Saturday, June 11, at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and SciencesSamuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Better late than never: For the first time since the Student Academy Awards were established in 1972, up to three films may be honored with medals and cash grants in the Foreign Student Film category, just like in the individual U.S. categories. In years past, only the top winner was announced; said winner received a smaller cash grant than the equivalent American winners.

As per the Academy’s press release, the Student Academy Awards were created “to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal awards and corresponding cash grants may be presented in each of four categories: Animation, Narrative, Documentary and Alternative.”

Last February, 2010 Student Academy Award winner Luke Matheny won the Oscar for Live Action Short Film for God of Love. Tanel Toom, the 2010 Honorary Foreign Film winner, was also nominated in the Live Action Short Film category for The Confession, and John Lasseter, a Student Academy Award winner in 1979 and 1980, was nominated for the Adapted screenplay for Toy Story 3.

Since the program’s inception, Student Academy Award winners have gone on to earn 43 Oscar nominations and have won 8 Academy Awards.

A complete list of schools and countries represented in the competition is available at http://www.oscars.org/awards/saa/entrants.html.

The 38th Annual Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 11 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets will be available beginning on May 2. Tickets may be obtained online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

Photo: Todd Wawrychuk / © A.M.P.A.S.

Cannes winner tops Asian Film Awards

Best Film
AFTERSHOCK, China
CONFESSIONS, Japan
LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
PEEPLI LIVE, India
POETRY, South Korea
* UNCLE BOONMEE WHO CAN RECALL HIS PAST LIVES, Thailand

Best Director
FENG Xiaogang, AFTERSHOCK, China
JIANG Wen, LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
* LEE Chang-dong, POETRY, South Korea
MIIKE Takashi, 13 ASSASSINS, Japan
NA Hong-jin, THE YELLOW SEA, South Korea
NAKASHIMA Tetsuya, CONFESSIONS, Japan

Best Actor
CHOW Yun-fat, LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
GE You, SACRIFICE, China
* HA Jung-woo, THE YELLOW SEA, South Korea
Ethan RUAN Jin-Tian, MONGA, Taiwan
YAKUSHO Koji, 13 ASSASSINS, Japan

Best Actress
JEON Do-yeon, THE HOUSEMAID, South Korea
KIKUCHI Rinko, NORWEGIAN WOOD, Japan
MATSU Takako, CONFESSIONS, Japan
* XU Fan, AFTERSHOCK, China
Michelle YEOH, REIGN OF ASSASSINS, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan

Best Newcomer
* Mark CHAO You-Ting, MONGA, Taiwan
Aarif LEE, ECHOES OF RAINBOW, Hong Kong
Omkar Das MANIKPURI, PEEPLI LIVE, India
T.O.P., 71: INTO THE FIRE, South Korea
ZHOU Dongyu, UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE, China

Best Supporting Actor
HUANG Xiaoming, SACRIFICE, China
* Sammo HUNG Kam-po, IP MAN 2, Hong Kong
OKADA Masaki, CONFESSIONS, Japan
RYU Seung-beom, THE UNJUST, South Korea
YU Hae-jin, MOSS, South Korea

Best Supporting Actress
AOI Yu, ABOUT HER BROTHER, Japan
KIMURA Yoshino, CONFESSIONS, Japan
Carina LAU Kar-ling, LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
Shanty PAREDES, MADAME X, Indonesia
* YOON Yeo-jeong, THE HOUSEMAID, South Korea

Best Screenplay
JIANG Wen, LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
PANG Ho-cheung, Heiward MAK, LOVE IN A PUFF, Hong Kong
* LEE Chang-dong, POETRY, South Korea
SU Chao-pin, REIGN OF ASSASSINS, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan
PARK Hoon-jung, THE UNJUST, South Korea

Best Cinematography
LEE Mogae, I SAW THE DEVIL, South Korea
Jake POLLOCK, MONGA, Taiwan
* Mark LEE Ping-Bin, NORWEGIAN WOOD, Japan
Hassan KYDYRALIYEV, THE LIGHT THIEF, Kyrgyzstan
Kenny TSE Chung-to, THE STOOL PIGEON, Hong Kong

Best Production Design
* HAYASHIDA Yuji, 13 ASSASSINS, Japan
James CHOO Sung-pong, DETECTIVE DEE & THE
MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, Hong Kong
Eros EFLIN, MADAME X, Indonesia
HUANG Mei-Ching, CHEN Po-Jen, MONGA, Taiwan
LEE Hwo-kyoung, THE YELLOW SEA, South Korea

Best Music Score
KAZUYOSHI Saito, GOLDEN SLUMBER, Japan
Sandee CHAN, MONGA, Taiwan
* Indian Ocean, PEEPLI LIVE, India
Peter KAM Pui-tat, REIGN OF ASSASSINS, China / Hong Kong / Taiwan
JANG Young-gyu, LEE Byung-hoon, THE YELLOW SEA, South Korea

Best Editing
YAMASHITA Kenji, 13 ASSASSINS, Japan
KOIKE Yoshiyuki, CONFESSIONS, Japan
* NAM Na-young, I SAW THE DEVIL, South Korea
Hemanti SARKAR, PEEPLI LIVE, India
MENG Peicong, UNDER THE HAWTHORN TREE, China

Best Visual Effects
LEE Hyuk, PARK Eui-dong, RYU Hee-jung, 71: INTO THE FIRE, South Korea
* Phil JONES, AFTERSHOCK, China
Phil JONES, DETECTIVE DEE & THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, Hong Kong
YAMAZAKI Takashi, SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO, Japan
PARK Jung-ryul, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, South Korea

Best Costume Design
SAWATAISHI Kazuhiro, 13 ASSASSINS, Japan
Bruce YU Ka-on, DETECTIVE DEE & THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, Hong Kong
* William CHANG Suk-ping, LET THE BULLETS FLY, China
Yen-Khe LUGUERN, NORWEGIAN WOOD, Japan
CHOI Se-yeon, THE HOUSEMAID, South Korea

Outstanding contribution to Asian cinema: Kim Dong-ho

Lifetime achievement: Raymond Chow

Hong Kong Film Awards winners

Best film: Gallants

Best Asian film: Confessions (Japan)

Best director: Tsui Hark, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best actor: Nicholas Tse, The Stool Pigeon

Best actress: Carina Lau, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best supporting actor: Teddy Robin, Gallants

Best supporting actress: Susan Shaw, Gallants

Best new performer: Hanjin Tan, Bruce Lee, My Brother

Best screenplay: Pang Ho-cheung and Heiward Mak, Love in a Puff

Best cinematography: Peter Pau, Confucius

Best film editing: Cheung Ka-fai, Ip Man 2

Best original film score: Teddy Robin and Tommy Wai, Gallants

Best original film song: Here to Stay, music, lyrics and performed by Jun Kung

Best art direction: James Choo, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best costume and make-up design: Bruce Yu, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best action choreography: Sammo Hung, Ip Man 2

Best sound design: Wang Danrong and Zhao Nan, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best visual effects: Lee Yong-gi and Nam Sang-woo, Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame

Best new director: Felix Chong, Once a Gangster

Professional achievement: Willie Chan

Lifetime achievement: Terry Lai

Oscar Date: Next Year’s Ceremony to Remain in Late February

Academy Award statuette OscarOscar 2012 dates announced (image: Academy Award statuettes)

The 2012 Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Tom Sherak has announced. That means the awards season calendar will remain about the same next year.

Last year, there were rumors that the Academy’s Board of Governors was considering moving up the date of the Oscar ceremony to early February or even late January. Whether or not they’re still debating the idea, that move won’t happen in 2012.

The Oscar 2012 ceremony, a.k.a. the 84th Academy Awards night, will once again take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood. In the United States, the Oscarcast will be televised live by ABC. A 90-minute red carpet show will precede the ceremony broadcast.

Scheduled Oscar dates

  • Thursday, December 1, 2011: Official Screen Credits forms due
  • Tuesday, December 27, 2011: Academy Award Nominations ballots mailed
  • Friday, January 13, 2012: Academy Award Nominations polls close 5 p.m. PT
  • Tuesday, January 24, 2012: Academy Award Nominations announced 5:30 a.m. PT, Samuel Goldwyn Theater
  • Wednesday, February 1, 2012: Final Oscar ballots mailed
  • Monday, February 6, 2012: Academy’s Nominees Luncheon
  • Saturday, February 11, 2012: Scientific and Technical Awards presentation
  • Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012: Final Oscar polls close 5 p.m. PT
  • Sunday, Feb. 26, 2012: 84th Academy Awards ceremony

Most recent Oscar winners

Earlier this year, Tom Hooper’s The King Speech was selected as the Best Picture of the year, also earning Oscars for director Hooper, screenwriter David Seidler, and star Colin Firth. The Best Actress winner was Natalie Portman for Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama Black Swan.

Among the other Oscar 2011 winners were Best Supporting Actress Melissa Leo and Best Supporting Actor Christian Bale for David O. Russell’s The Fighter; Best Adapted Screenplay for the David Fincher-directed The Social Network, written by Aaron Sorkin; Best Foreign Language Film for Susanne Bier’s Danish drama In a Better World; and Best Cinematography for Christopher Nolan’s Inception, shot by Wally Pfister.

Academy Awards statuettes image: © A.M.P.A.S.

Give Up Tomorrow Film Michael CollinsMichael Collins’ ‘Give Up Tomorrow’: Documentary exposing The Phillippines’ dysfunctional justice system wins 2011 Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award

‘Give Up Tomorrow’ Film Wins Tribeca Film Festival Audience Award

Newcomer Michael Collins’ documentary Give Up Tomorrow, about a gross – and apparently willful – miscarriage of justice in The Philippines, was named the winner of the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival’s Audience Award earlier this evening at the festival’s wrap-up party at Eye Beam in New York City. Collins will receive a cash prize of $25,000. Additionally, Give Up Tomorrow received a Special Jury Mention in Tribeca’s World Documentary Competition. (Image: Michael Collins’ Give Up Tomorrow.)

As found on the Tribeca Film Festival website, Give Up Tomorrow depicts the plight of culinary student Paco Larrañaga. In 1997, at age 19, Larrañaga was arrested for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of two sisters on the Philippines’ island of Cebu. “Despite demonstrable evidence of his innocence,” the film’s synopsis explains, “including 40 eyewitnesses and photographs placing him hundreds of miles from the scene, Paco’s legal ordeal was only just beginning.”

Upcoming screenings of ‘Give Up Tomorrow’ and other Tribeca winners

Give Up Tomorrow will be screened on Sunday, May 1 (Labor Day in most of the world, but not in the United States), at 12 noon and 9 p.m. at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Also screening that day will be other 2011 Tribeca Film Festival award winners. Among those are Lisa Aschan’s She Monkeys; Alma Har’el’s Bombay Beach; David Leon and Marcus McSweeney’s short film Man and Boy; Journals of Musan, winner of the Best New Narrative Director Award for Park Jungbum; Turn Me On, Goddammit, winner of the Best Screenplay Award for Jannicke Systad Jabobsen; Paula van der Oest’s Black Butterflies, which earned Carice van Houten the Best Actress Award; and Kivu Ruhorahoza’s Grey Matter, starring Best Actor winner Ramadhan ‘Shami’ Bizimana.

Michael Collins’ Give Up Tomorrow movie photo: Tribeca Film Festival.

Jamie Campbell Bower Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Johnny Depp
Jamie Campbell Bower, Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Jamie Campbell Bower Among National Movie Award Winners

The National Movie Awards are a sort of British version of the People’s Choice Awards. This year’s winners included popular favorites Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 as Best Fantasy Film, The King’s Speech as Best Drama (beating out Black Swan, The Social Network, and 127 Hours), and Colin Firth for Performance of the Year. See below the list of National Movie Award winners and nominees.

As you can see, the National Movie Awards actually has quite a bit in common with the Academy Awards. Only the categories are slightly different, e.g., Best Comedy (Paul), One to Watch: Brits Going Global (Jamie Campbell Bower).

In case you’re wondering, Bower plays Gellert Grindelwald in the two Deathly Hallows movies. He also plays Caius in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.

Johnny Depp, for his part, received the Screen Icon Award.

Photo: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (Leah Gallo / DreamWorks).

Best Fantasy
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Gulliver’s Travels
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Tron: Legacy

Best Drama
* The King’s Speech
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Social Network

Best Comedy
* Paul
Due Date
Just Go With It
Little Fockers

Best Animation
* Tangled
Despicable Me
Gnomeo & Juliet
Megamind

Must See Movie of the Summer
* Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Hangover Part II
X-Men: First Class

One to Watch: Brits Going Global
* Jamie Campbell Bower
Henry Cavill
Luke Evans
Andrew Garfield
Tom Hardy
Felicity Jones
Alex Pettyfer
Andrea Riseborough
Ed Westwick

Performance of the Year
* Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)
Rupert Grint (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1)
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1)
Emma Watson (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1)
Jennifer Aniston (Just Go With It)
Ben Barnes (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Nick Frost (Paul)
Simon Pegg (Paul)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Jeff Bridges (Tron: Legacy / True Grit)

Screen Icon – Johnny Depp

Special Recognition – The King’s Speech

Via: flickeringmyth.com.

Photo: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Warner Bros.)

Knifer, Yannis Economides
Yannis Economides’ Knifer.

Yannis Economides’ ‘Knifer’ tops Greek Academy Awards

Now in its second year, the Hellenic Film Academy Awards ceremony was held in Athens on May 4. Veteran filmmaker Michael Cacoyannis (Zorba the Greek, The Trojan Women) received an honorary award, while absentee filmmaker Yannis Economides’ Macherovgaltis / Knifer was the big winner, taking home seven awards including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Knifer tells the story of a man who goes live with his uncle in the outskirts of Athens. Once there, one of his duties is the protection of two purebred dogs.

Syllas Tzoumerkas’ first feature, Homeland, won five awards, including Best Directorial Debut and Best Supporting Actress (Ioanna Tsirigouli). Homeland follows a dysfunctional Greek family living in a dysfunctional country (that’s Greece as well) from the 1970s to the present.

The Best Actress was Ariane Labed for her performance as a young woman attempting to cope with sex, death, and human relationships in Athina Rachel Tsangari’s Attenberg. Labed was also chosen as Best Actress at last year’s Venice Film Festival.

Curiously, the Hellenic Academy chose Attenberg – not Knifer – to represent Greece for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

The Best Actor winner was Argyris Xafis for Sotiris Goritsas’ satire of Greece’s public healthcare system Welcome All Saints. Dimitris Imellos was the Best Supporting Actor for his work in that film.

The 2011 Hellenic Film Awards ceremony was dedicated to actor Thanasis Vengos, who died yesterday. Vengos, who was last year’s honorary award recipient, was 84.

Via ioncinema.com and Screen International

The Time Machine Student Academy Awards
The Time Machine by Mark Kendall.

Student Academy Awards finalists include ‘The Time Machine,’ & ‘The Dust Machine’

Finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2011 Student Academy Awards competition have been announced. They are divided into four categories: Alternative, Animation, Documentary and Narrative. The finalists are the following (listed alphabetically by film title):

Alternative
Bitter, Vlad Korishev, the Art Institute of California, San Francisco
The Dust Machine, Damon Mohl, University of Colorado, Boulder
Unreal City, Bryan Bykowicz, University of Michigan-Dearborn
The Vermeers, Tal S. Shamir, The New School, New York

Animation
The Birds Upstairs, Christopher Jarvis, New York University
Correspondence, Zach Hyer, Pratt Institute, New York
Defective Detective, Avner Geller and Stevie Lewis, Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida
Dragonboy, Bernardo Warman, Academy of Art University, California
The Girl and the Fox, Tyler Kupferer, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia
Heart, Erick Oh, University of California, Los Angeles
The Renter, Jason Carpenter, California Institute of the Arts
Swing, Yen-Ting Kuo, School of Visual Arts, New York
Treasure, Chelsea Bartlett, Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida

Documentary
After, Jeremy Cohen, The New School, New York
Civil Indigent, Nicholas Corrao and David Hafter, University of Florida
Feast & Sacrifice, Clare Major, University of California, Berkeley
Imaginary Circumstances, Anthony Weeks, Stanford University
Shape of the Shapeless, Jayan Cherian, City College of New York
Sin Pais (Without Country), Theo Rigby, Stanford University, California
This is Us: Video Stories from Senegalese Youth, Jeremy Teicher, Dartmouth College
The Time Machine, Mark Kendall, School of Visual Arts, New York
Vera Klement: Blunt Edge, Wonjung Bae, Columbia College Chicago

Narrative
The Candidate, David Karlak, Savannah College of Art and Design, Georgia
Fatakra, Soham Mehta, University of Texas at Austin
Flagpole, Matt Kazman, New York University
High Maintenance, Shawn Wines, Columbia University
Le Jeu des Soldats, Lorne Hiltser, American Film Institute, California
My First Claire, Lou Howe, American Film Institute, California
Snovi, Reshad Kulenovic, Boston University
Thief, Julian Higgins, American Film Institute, California
The Wind Is Blowing on My Street, Saba Riazi, New York University

Student Academy Awards 2011: Awards ceremony in June

(Some) Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members will now watch the films at special screenings and vote for the winners. The potential prizes consist of Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals, in addition to cash grants of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000, respectively.

Additionally, the winning filmmakers will be brought to Los Angeles to take part in industry-related activities and attend the Student Academy Awards ceremony on Saturday, June 11, 2011, at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

Also of note, for the first time up to three films may be honored in the Foreign Student Film category. The finalists are students from the Czech Republic, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.

Student Academy Award winners and the Oscars

Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 43 Oscar nominations, and have won or shared eight awards.

At the 2011 Academy Awards ceremony, 2010 Student Academy Award winner Luke Matheny took home the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film for God of Love. Tanel Toom, another 2010 Student Academy Award winner, was nominated in the same category for The Confession, while 1979 and 1980 Student Academy Award winner John Lasseter was a nominee in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for the Disney-Pixar blockbuster Toy Story 3.

The 2011 Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 11 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets may be obtained online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

The Time Machine image: Mark Kendall.

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