Here’s how studios say they see it: Sure, we really want to hire women directors. But there’s almost no studio movie that isn’t big budget, and we can’t find women who have the experience necessary to handle the really big movies. (Never mind Colin Trevorrow. Or Marc Webb. Or Gareth Edwards. Or Jon Watts.)
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
- 5/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Here’s how studios say they see it: Sure, we really want to hire women directors. But there’s almost no studio movie that isn’t big budget, and we can’t find women who have the experience necessary to handle the really big movies. (Never mind Colin Trevorrow. Or Marc Webb. Or Gareth Edwards. Or Jon Watts.)
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
Of course, that logic is a vicious cycle at best, but here’s a chance to break it. Director Reed Morano’s dazzling execution of the first three episodes of Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” suggests another excellent source for future women directors: top cinematographers.
Read More: 7 Female Genre Filmmakers You Should Get to Know Right Now
Women cinematographers work harder, longer, and have to be gifted and tough in order to keep landing jobs. As a cinematographer, make one mistake and you’re through. Any working cinematographer has more than...
- 5/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
Managing Editor
This year’s Oscar race could make history with two possible best picture nominees directed by women — Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken. If both women are nominated for best director, that would also be a historical moment. But though these accomplishments in the narrative field are possible, more women directors are breaking into the documentary categories. Four of the 15 shortlisted documentaries feature women at the helm: Jennifer Grausman (co-directed with Sam Cullman and Mark Becker) with Art and Craft, Tia Lessin (co-directed with Carl Deal) with Citizen Koch, Laura Poitras with Citizenfour and Rory Kennedy with Last Days in Vietnam. Additionally, three of the eight shortlisted documentary shorts feature female directors: Ellen Goosenberg Kent with Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, Aneta Kopacz with Joanna and Lucy Walker with The Lion’s Mouth Opens. More often than not, women directors tend to...
- 12/16/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
‘Stories We Tell,’ ‘Blackfish’ out of the Oscar 2014 race: Academy’s Documentary Branch ‘anti-female’? (Photo: Sarah Polley [with camera] directing ‘Stories We Tell’) Besides Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, among the other glaring Oscar 2014 absentees were Robert Redford and Golden Globe-winning composer Alex Ebert for All Is Lost; Joel and Ethan Coen’s well-received Inside Llewyn Davis from the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay shortlists; Daniel Brühl and his movie, Ron Howard’s Rush, which was completely shut out; two Weinstein Company releases that were also completely shut out, Lee Daniels’ The Butler and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, and their respective stars Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey, and Michael B. Jordan; Guillermo del Toro-Charlie Hunnam’s Pacific Rim and Marc Forster-Brad Pitt’s World War Z from any of the technical categories; and finally, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell and Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s...
- 1/22/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
- Many would say that at this year's Academy Awards got the documentary film category "right". The "right" doc film won and even the final nominees were worthy mentions. But all this doesn't make the Cinema Eye Honors mission less "important". Now in their second year and with eleven categories, a quirky film such as Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg receives a little bit more acknowledgement before disappearing on shelves, those who edit and photograph doc films have any evening reserved all to themselves and newbies to docu filmmaking world have a shot at getting some cred and mingle with the right crowd. The ceremonies take place on Sunday, we'll be reporting on who the winners are from the categories below. Make sure to check out their newly designed website. Outstanding Achievement In Production Henry Kaiser - Encounters At The End Of The World Simon Chinn - Man On Wire
- 3/24/2009
- IONCINEMA.com
List Source: Variety
Okay, so another year and now it's the final show of the awards season. I don't know why but I'm not that enthuastic about the Oscars this year. Maybe it was last year's underwhelming show or maybe it's because The Dark Knight isn't nominated this year, probably both, but never-the-less the show is done and I want to put up the post of how the show went. Time for the ultimate post-oscar show breakdown...
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Best Motion Picture Of The Year
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
"Milk" (Focus Features)
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
Winner: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)
Best Picture was a major disappointment. Less said about The Dark Knight - the better. For me, Milk is the most deserving of best picture this year. It's issues are more relevant and more original than all films on the list this year.
Okay, so another year and now it's the final show of the awards season. I don't know why but I'm not that enthuastic about the Oscars this year. Maybe it was last year's underwhelming show or maybe it's because The Dark Knight isn't nominated this year, probably both, but never-the-less the show is done and I want to put up the post of how the show went. Time for the ultimate post-oscar show breakdown...
<!--break-->
Best Motion Picture Of The Year
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
"Frost/Nixon" (Universal)
"Milk" (Focus Features)
"The Reader" (The Weinstein Company)
Winner: "Slumdog Millionaire" (Fox Searchlight)
Best Picture was a major disappointment. Less said about The Dark Knight - the better. For me, Milk is the most deserving of best picture this year. It's issues are more relevant and more original than all films on the list this year.
- 2/23/2009
- by admin
Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Slumdog Millionaire" has almost completely swept the Oscars® with awards including Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture and both original song and score music categories. Other notable wins included: - Sean Penn who took home the Best Actor award, his second after 2004's "Mystic River."- Heath Ledger for his astounding performance in Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Dark Knight"- Kate Winslet - Once again for her work in "The Reader" after a two Golden Globe's earned for "Revolutionary Road" and "The Reader"- Penelope Cruz - In Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" comedy As announced, here are the winners (noted in bold) of the 2009 Academy Awards which were announced on Sunday, February 22nd. Performance by an actor in a leading role Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films) Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features) Brad Pitt in...
- 2/23/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Did your favorite movies and stars win? Read on to find out! Performance by an actor in a leading role: Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features) Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight) Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features) Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount) Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax) Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Performance by an actress in a leading role: Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics) Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal) Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics) Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax) Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Performance by an actress in a...
- 2/23/2009
- by TheInsider
- TheInsider.com
Click here for the 2009 Academy Award winners! This year I opted not to break down every category and discuss the merits of each individual nominee. Mostly because it takes a ridiculous amount of time, but also because there doesn’t seem to be as much excitement as in previous years. Maybe it’s the fact that the populist picks of the year (Dark Knight, for example) were snubbed in the major categories and replaced with little seen films like The Reader. Or maybe because many of the categories are foregone conclusions.
Either way, I wanted to post my favorites/predictions and hopefully get some discussion going on what you think will win and why. I’m posting my picks here, but included the full list of nominations below.
Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire - It’s clearly the favorite going into the ballot counting having swept every major awards ceremony leading up to the Oscars.
Either way, I wanted to post my favorites/predictions and hopefully get some discussion going on what you think will win and why. I’m posting my picks here, but included the full list of nominations below.
Best Picture
Slumdog Millionaire - It’s clearly the favorite going into the ballot counting having swept every major awards ceremony leading up to the Oscars.
- 2/21/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Thavisouk Phrasavath And Orady Phrasavath In Director Ellen Kuras' The Betrayal (Nerakhoon). Courtesy Cinema Guild. Leading up to the Oscars on Feb. 24, we will be highlighting the nominated films that have appeared in the magazine or on the Website in the last year. Nick Dawson interviewed The Betrayal director Ellen Kuras for our Director Interviews section of the Website. The Betrayal is nominated for Best Documentary. Since she first came to prominence almost twenty years ago, Ellen Kuras has established herself as one of the most talented directors of photography working today. Film was not Kuras' primary focus when she was younger; the New Jersey native initially attended Brown to study anthropology but became interested in...
- 2/5/2009
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine_Web Exclusives
Thavisouk Phrasavath And Orady Phrasavath In Director Ellen Kuras' The Betrayal (Nerakhoon). Courtesy Cinema Guild. Since she first came to prominence almost twenty years ago, Ellen Kuras has established herself as one of the most talented directors of photography working today. Film was not Kuras' primary focus when she was younger; the New Jersey native initially attended Brown to study anthropology but became interested in photography after taking a class at the nearby Rhode Island School of Design. Though she won a Fulbright Scholarship to go to the esteemed Lodz Film Academy, Kuras instead began working in film, taking numerous below the line jobs that taught her the nuts and bolts of the cinematic process. In 1987, she worked as...
- 1/26/2009
- by Nick Dawson
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
On Thursday morning, January 22, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have unveiled to the world their selection of nominees for the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Announced by Academy president Sid Ganis and Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, the nominations were dominated by "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".
Having been shunned away from any kudos at the 66th Golden Globe Awards, the David Fincher's drama has picked up 13 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson and Best Leading Actor for Brad Pitt. The movie about a man born in his eighties has landed a Best Original Score nomination for composer Alexandre Desplat, and received seven gongs for technical categories as well.
The success of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in collecting multiple nominations was followed by "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Dark Knight...
Having been shunned away from any kudos at the 66th Golden Globe Awards, the David Fincher's drama has picked up 13 nods, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress for Taraji P. Henson and Best Leading Actor for Brad Pitt. The movie about a man born in his eighties has landed a Best Original Score nomination for composer Alexandre Desplat, and received seven gongs for technical categories as well.
The success of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" in collecting multiple nominations was followed by "Slumdog Millionaire", "The Dark Knight...
- 1/23/2009
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has selected the nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony, airing live on ABC February 22, 2009. The awards will be handed out at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Hugh Jackman has been hired to host the Oscars, the first time for the Australian actor, but more importantly the first time since 1989 a comedian hasn’t hosted. The producers (Laurence Mark and Bill Condon) have also made formal statements saying they do not plan to announce the presenters for the awards, hoping the surprise will drive viewership.
The telecast last year was the least watched in the 30-year history of the rating system. The industry had hoped a “Best Picture” nomination for The Dark Knight or Wall-e would help bridge the gap between popular, massive movies and lesser seen art house films. A poll by USA Today and Fandango showed 71% of respondents...
Hugh Jackman has been hired to host the Oscars, the first time for the Australian actor, but more importantly the first time since 1989 a comedian hasn’t hosted. The producers (Laurence Mark and Bill Condon) have also made formal statements saying they do not plan to announce the presenters for the awards, hoping the surprise will drive viewership.
The telecast last year was the least watched in the 30-year history of the rating system. The industry had hoped a “Best Picture” nomination for The Dark Knight or Wall-e would help bridge the gap between popular, massive movies and lesser seen art house films. A poll by USA Today and Fandango showed 71% of respondents...
- 1/22/2009
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
Read my griping and complaining below.
But tally time -- "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" received 13 nominations, and "Milk" got 8! Yay!
Oh, and my lovely "Wall-e" received an Original Screenplay nomination! Woo Hoo!
Read the Complete List by clicking, Read More.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
* Richard Jenkins in .The Visitor. (Overture Films)
* Frank Langella in .Frost/Nixon. (Universal)
* Sean Penn in .Milk. (Focus Features)
* Brad Pitt in .The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Mickey Rourke in .The Wrestler. (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
* Josh Brolin in .Milk. (Focus Features)
* Robert Downey Jr. in .Tropic Thunder. (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in .Doubt. (Miramax)
* Heath Ledger in .The Dark Knight. (Warner Bros.)
* Michael Shannon in .Revolutionary Road. (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by...
But tally time -- "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" received 13 nominations, and "Milk" got 8! Yay!
Oh, and my lovely "Wall-e" received an Original Screenplay nomination! Woo Hoo!
Read the Complete List by clicking, Read More.
Performance by an actor in a leading role
* Richard Jenkins in .The Visitor. (Overture Films)
* Frank Langella in .Frost/Nixon. (Universal)
* Sean Penn in .Milk. (Focus Features)
* Brad Pitt in .The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
* Mickey Rourke in .The Wrestler. (Fox Searchlight)
Performance by an actor in a supporting role
* Josh Brolin in .Milk. (Focus Features)
* Robert Downey Jr. in .Tropic Thunder. (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
* Philip Seymour Hoffman in .Doubt. (Miramax)
* Heath Ledger in .The Dark Knight. (Warner Bros.)
* Michael Shannon in .Revolutionary Road. (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
Performance by...
- 1/22/2009
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards were announced Thursday morning at Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) in Beverly Hills by Sid Ganis and Forest Whitaker. Paramount Pictures' "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" edged ahead of competitors in the number of awards nominated for this years offering of films with a total of thirteen nominations. These included, among others Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress. Other contenders in the Best Picture category included Focus Features’ “Milk,” Universal’s “Frost/Nixon,” the Weinstein Co.’s “The Reader” and Fox Searchlight’s “Slumdog Millionaire.” "Aint nothin' but a thang" - Robert Downey Jr. secured an Oscar® nomination for his hilarious supporting role in Ben Stiller's "Tropic Thunder." As announced by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, here are the nominees: Performance by an actor in a leading role Richard Jenkins...
- 1/22/2009
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Family drama "Rachel Getting Married", border-smuggling saga "Frozen River" and struggling mother tale "Ballast" have shown their domination on the run for the 2009 Spirit Awards. Upon the announcement of the awards' nominees on Tuesday, December 2, it has been revealed that those three films have collected six counts each.
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
From all of the nominations "Rachel", "Frozen" and "Ballast" received, the three will have to go head-to-head for best feature title along with "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler". Their directors, Jonathan Demme, Courtney Hunt and Lance Hammer, will also compete for the best director prize which also lists Ramin Bahrani of "Chop Shop" and Tom McCarthy of "The Visitor" as the competitors.
On the performer categories, it is uncovered that Javier Bardem of "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", Sean Penn of "Milk" and Mickey Rourke of "The Wrestler" are among the contenders for best male lead. Additionally, Anne Hathaway and Michelle Williams have...
- 12/3/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Release Date: Nov. 21
Director: Ellen Kuras
Co-Director: Thavisouk Phrasavath
Writers: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Cinematographer: Ellen Kuras
Studio/Run Time: Pandalino Films, 96 mins.
Ellen Kuras is probably best known as one of the strongest cinematographers to come out of the '90s, due to her work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Summer of Sam and Personal Velocity. Her directorial debut shares little in common with her most of her previous work, though, either in content or form. The Betrayal is a not quite cinema-verite (featuring voice-overs and interviews) documentary that deals with the United States’ extrication from Laos following the Vietnam War’s resolution and its effects on Thavisouk Phrasavath and his family.
Director: Ellen Kuras
Co-Director: Thavisouk Phrasavath
Writers: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
Cinematographer: Ellen Kuras
Studio/Run Time: Pandalino Films, 96 mins.
Ellen Kuras is probably best known as one of the strongest cinematographers to come out of the '90s, due to her work on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Summer of Sam and Personal Velocity. Her directorial debut shares little in common with her most of her previous work, though, either in content or form. The Betrayal is a not quite cinema-verite (featuring voice-overs and interviews) documentary that deals with the United States’ extrication from Laos following the Vietnam War’s resolution and its effects on Thavisouk Phrasavath and his family.
- 12/2/2008
- Pastemagazine.com
By Stephen Saito
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
Jason Bateman and Sandra Oh braved the early call time this morning in Los Angeles to announce this year's nominees for the Spirit Awards. The awards will take place on February 21st, and will be broadcast live and uncut on IFC at 5pm Et/2pm PT. Here are the nominees:
Best Feature
"Ballast"
Producers: Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
"Frozen River"
Producers: Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
"Rachel Getting Married"
Producers: Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
"Wendy and Lucy"
Producers: Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
"The Wrestler"
Producers: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
Best Director
Ramin Bahrani, "Chop Shop"
Jonathan Demme, "Rachel Getting Married"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Thomas McCarthy, "The Visitor"
Best First Feature
"Afterschool"
Director: Antonio Campos
Producers: Sean Durkin, Josh Mond
"Medicine for Melancholy"
Director: Barry Jenkins
Producer: Justin Barber
"Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Director: Christopher Zalla
Producers: Per Melita, Benjamin Odell
"Sleep Dealer"
Director: Alex Rivera
Producer: Anthony Bregman
"Synechdoce, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Sidney Kimmel
John Cassavetes Award (Given to the best feature made for under $500,000)
"In Search of a Midnight Kiss"
Writer/Director: Alex Holdridge
Producers: Seth Caplan and Scoot McNairy
"Prince of Broadway"
Director: Sean Baker
Writers: Sean Baker, Darren Dean
Producer: Darren Dean
"The Signal"
Writer/Directors: David Bruckner, Dan Bush, Jacob Gentry
Producers: Jacob Gentry and Alexander Motiagh
"Take Out"
Writer/Directors/Producers: Sean Baker and Shih-Ching Tsou
"Turn the River"
Writer/Director: Chris Eigeman
Producer: Ami Armstrong
Best First Screenplay
Dustin Lance Black, "Milk"
Lance Hammer, "Ballast"
Courtney Hunt, "Frozen River"
Jonathan Levine, "The Wackness"
Jenny Lumet, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Screenplay
Woody Allen, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, "Sugar"
Charlie Kaufman, "Synecdoche, New York"
Howard A. Rodman, "Savage Grace"
Christopher Zalla, "Sangre de Mi Sangre"
Best Female Lead
Summer Bishil, "Towelhead"
Anne Hathaway, "Rachel Getting Married"
Melissa Leo, "Frozen River"
Tarra Riggs, "Ballast"
Michelle Williams, "Wendy and Lucy"
Best Male Lead
Javier Bardem, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Richard Jenkins, "The Visitor"
Sean Penn, "Milk"
Jeremy Renner, "The Hurt Locker"
Mickey Rourke, "The Wrestler"
Best Supporting Female
Penelope Cruz, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona"
Rosemarie DeWitt, "Rachel Getting Married"
Rosie Perez, "The Take"
Misty Upham, "Frozen River"
Debra Winger, "Rachel Getting Married"
Best Supporting Male
James Franco, "Milk"
Anthony Mackie, "The Hurt Locker"
Charlie McDermott, "Frozen River"
JimMyron Ross, "Ballast"
Haaz Sleiman, "The Visitor"
Best Cinematography
Maryse Alberti, "The Wrestler"
Lol Crowley, "Ballast"
James Laxton, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Harris Savides, "Milk"
Michael Simmonds, "Chop Shop"
Best Documentary
"The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)"
Director: Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
"Encounters at the End of the World"
Director: Werner Herzog
"Man on Wire"
Director: James Marsh
"The Order of Myths"
Director: Margaret Brown
"Up the Yangtze"
Director: Yung Chang
Best Foreign Film
"The Class" (France)
Director: Laurent Cantet
"Gomorrah" (Italy)
Director: Matteo Garrone
"Hunger" (UK/Ireland)
Director: Steve McQueen
"Secret of the Grain" (France)
Director: Abdellatif Kechiche
"Silent Light" (Mexico/France/Netherlands/Germany)
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Robert Altman Award (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
"Synecdoche, New York"
Director: Charlie Kaufman
Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy
Ensemble Cast: Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Dianne Wiest, Michelle Williams
Someone to Watch Award
Barry Jenkins, "Medicine for Melancholy"
Nina Paley, "Sita Sings the Blues"
Lynn Shelton, "My Effortless Brilliance"
Truer Than Fiction Award
Margaret Brown, "The Order of Myths"
Sacha Gervasi, "Anvil! The Story of Anvil"
Darius Marder, "Loot"
Producers Award
Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy, "Treeless Mountain" and "I'll Come Running"
Jason Orans, "Goodbye Solo" and "Year of the Fish"
Heather Rae, "Frozen River" and "Ibid"...
- 12/2/2008
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
With six nominations each, "Ballast," a drama about survival in the Mississippi Delta, "Frozen River," a portrait of two single moms on the Canadian border, and "Rachel Getting Married," the account of a dysfunctional family wedding, led the nominees for Film Independent's Spirit Awards, announced Tuesday morning.
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
All three films were nominated for best feature along "Wendy and Lucy" and "The Wrestler."
Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York," a twisty, M.C. Escher-like film, was singled out as the winner of the group's Robert Altman Award, give to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. Kaufman will share the award with casting director Jeanne McCarthy and his actors Hope Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Catherine Keener, Samantha Morton, Tom Noonan, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, and Michelle Williams when the Spirit Awards are handed out Feb. 21.
"Synecdoche" also figure in the best first feature lineup, along with Antonio Campos' "Afterschool,...
- 12/2/2008
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Twenty-three years in the making, Ellen Kuras' documentary "The Betrayal" is a powerful account of how the American dream became a nightmare for one Laotian family.
Creatively filmed - Kuras is best known as the cinematographer for indie films such as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - the doc revolves around Thavisouk Phrasavath, who was a child in Laos during the Vietnam war.
His father worked for the CIA, which was using Laos as a base for an illegal and secret air war in Southeast Asia.
(You...
Creatively filmed - Kuras is best known as the cinematographer for indie films such as "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" - the doc revolves around Thavisouk Phrasavath, who was a child in Laos during the Vietnam war.
His father worked for the CIA, which was using Laos as a base for an illegal and secret air war in Southeast Asia.
(You...
- 11/21/2008
- by By V.A. MUSETTO
- NYPost.com
Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), cinematographer Ellen Kuras' documentary directorial debut, was recently named to the Academy's short list of potential Best Documentary nominees, and it's certainly deserving. A film over wo decades in the making, its back-story is fairly remarkable. Kuras met her subject, Thavisouk Phrasavath, while looking for a Laotian translator for a film she planned to direct about a family from Laos then living in Rochester, NY, but then became so interested in her potential translator's own refugee story that she turned the camera on him instead. Kuras went on to essentially bec ...
- 11/19/2008
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
Nerakhoon (The Betrayal), cinematographer Ellen Kuras' documentary directorial debut, was recently named to the Academy's short list of potential Best Documentary nominees, and it's certainly deserving. A film over wo decades in the making, its back-story is fairly remarkable. Kuras met her subject, Thavisouk Phrasavath, while looking for a Laotian translator for a film she planned to direct about a family from Laos then living in Rochester, NY, but then became so interested in her potential translator's own refugee story that she turned the camera on him instead. Kuras went on to essentially became a ...
- 11/19/2008
- by Karina Longworth
- Spout
- Folks at Celluloid Dreams have taken the world rights (excluding N.America) to the Sundance/Berlin film festival favorite, the 23-year docu project called Nerakhoon (The Betrayal). The co-directed project by longtime d.p. Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath tells a family’s epic journey from war-torn Laos to the mean streets of New York. Filmed over the course of 23 years, Phrasavath tells his own story of struggling as a young man to survive both the war and the hardships of immigrant life, as well as his mother’s astonishing story of perseverance. A poetic, deeply personal film about the hidden, human face of war’s “collateral damage". During the Vietnam War, the U.S. strategically and clandestinely operated within the neighboring country of Laos. By 1973 a secret air campaign had dropped more bombs on Laos than were used during Wwi and WWII combined. Recruited by the CIA to
- 4/3/2008
- IONCINEMA.com
- New works from documentary filmmaker faves in Alex Gibney (Gonzo: The Life and Times of Hunter Thompson), Margaret Brown (The Order of Myths) and Patrick Creadon (I.O.U.S.A.) and many first time doc filmmakers make up the section in this year's documentary Comp lineup. I don't count many Iraq-war related items listed below, telling us that the doc vague of such films is officially D.O.A. Click on the individual links below for more info on each film (including official sites and trailers). Documentary COMPETITIONAn American Soldier directed and written by Edet Belzberg ("Children Underground"), a look at one of the U.S. Army's all-time top recruiters, Sgt. 1st Class Clay Usie.American Teen directed and written by Nanette Burstein ("On the Ropes"), an irreverent, frank account of four Indiana high school seniors.Bigger, Faster, Stronger directed by Christopher Bell and written by Bell, Alexander Buono and Tamsin Rawady,
- 11/28/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
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