Nicole says "Hi!"DGA and SAG (tonight!) awards just aren't enough prize-giving for one weekend so let's talk two more.
AUSTRALIA via WEST HOLLYWOOD
Have you ever heard of the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Awards? Neither have I. It's okay because they're newborn babes in the awards woods. Apparently they eyed an empty clearing in the great forest of movie awards and voila! (Seriously why are there so few awards shows? Magical unicorns they are.)
The great unsolved mystery of all of these organizations that have been popping up (I'd like to see a study but it does seem like each year brings at least one new organization along with it) is this: how do they get the celebrities to show? Even brand new ventures like this one bring out the stars. When you can convince Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep to attend your inaugural awards maybe there will be a second year for your prizes! Then again the AFI Awards had one televised ceremony (early 2002) and the stars came out for it en masse and there was never a second year of prizes, so we'll see.
Meryl looked gorgeous at the Australian International ceremony held in Beverly Hills AACTA Winners
- Screenplay (tie) The Ides of March (George Clooney, Grant Henslove and Beau Willimon) and Margin Call (JC Chandor). A rare occurence: Midnight in Paris losing a screenplay nomination.
- Director Michel Hazanavicius The Artist
- Actor Jean Dujardin The Artist
- Actress Meryl Streep The Iron Lady
- Film The Artist
I can't tell you why their press release lists only film winners when they have television right there in the title.
They'll show this intimate ceremony (held in West Hollywood with Australian Academy president Geoffrey Rush naming the winners) or at least clips of it on Australia television on the 31st.
And now [drumroll] the first awards for the 2012 Movie Year (!!!)
SUNDANCE
Meanwhile in Park City, the first awards for 2012 films were held. Will we see any of these titles next year come Oscar time? It's always difficult to know how Sundance hits will transfer. Sometimes they take forever to hit theaters and sometimes they're released straight away. Of last year's winners crop several titles were in the awards discussion at one point or another (Project Nim, Martha Marcy, Tyrannosaur, Like Crazy, etcetera) but only the documentaries Hell and Back Again and If a Tree Falls managed to become nominees.
U.S. DRAMA
Best Film, Jury Prize - “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Best Film, Audience Award - “The Surrogate”
Directing - Ava DuVernay, “Middle of Nowhere”
Screenwriting - Derek Connolly, “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Cinematography - Ben Richardson, “Beasts of the Southern Wild”
Special Jury Prize, ensemble acting - “The Surrogate”
Special Jury Prize, producing - Jonathan Schwartz, Andrea Sperling, “Smashed”
"Beasts of the Southern Wild"
Beasts of the Southern Wild is a "mythical" apocalyptic debut film about a little girl named "Hushpuppy" living in Louisiana. Fox Searchlight picked up the film. And though Sundance has recently been the place to spot future Best Actress contenders (The Kids Are All Right, Winter's Bone, Precious, An Education) this year the Most Likely To Succeed candidate seems to be John Hawkes playing a disabled man in The Surrogate.
U.S. DOCUMENTARY FILMS
Best Documentary, Jury Prize - “The House I Live In”
Best Documentary, Audience Award - “The Invisible War”
Directing - Lauren Greenfield, “The Queen of Versailles”
Editing - Enat Sidi, “Detropia”
Cinematography - Jeff Orlowski, “Chasing Ice”
Special Jury Prize - TIE “Love Free Or Die” and “Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry”
The economy is a hot topic here with Detropia looking at Detroit's problems "a city that may be the canary in the coal mine" and The Queen of Versailles on a billionaire couple and the housing crisis. Love Free of Die is about the first gay man to become a bishop. He had to wear a bulletproof vest to his consecration. Since this world is a fucked up place he still lives with death threats 8 years later. Aiwewei is about the famous dissident and Chinese artist. Lots of these movies sound very interesting -- the winner is about the war on drugs -- and at least a few of them have distributors already so perhaps a couple of them will show up in next year's Oscar finalist list?
WORLD CINEMA, DRAMA
Best Film, Jury Prize - “Violeta Went To Heaven” (Chile)
Best Film, Audience Award - “Valley of Saints” (India/US)
Directing - Mads Matthiesen, “Teddy Bear” (Denmark)
Screenwriting - Marialy Rivas, Camila Gutierrez, Pedro Peirano, Sebastian Sepulveda , “Young & Wild” (Chile)
Cinematography - David Raedeker, “My Brother the Devil” (UK)
Special Jury Prize, artistic vision - “Can” (Turkey)
"Teddy Bear" is about a bodybuilder who goes to Thailand to try to find love.
Two winners from Chile! I believe Violeta Went To Heaven that was Chile's unsuccessful bid for Oscar's Best Foreign Film. Same director and topic though the title is now a bit different.
WORLD CINEMA, DOCUMENTARY
Best Film, Jury Prize - “The Law In These Parts” (Israel)
Best Film, Audience Award - “Searching for Sugar Man” (Sweden/UK)
Directing - Emad Burnat, Guy Davidi, “5 Broken Cameras” (Palestine/Israel/France)
Editing - Lisanne Pajot, James Swirsky , “Indie Game: The Movie” (Canada)
Cinematography - Lars Skree, “Putin’s Kiss” (Sweden) though it's about modern Russia and specifically a rising star in the youth movement.
Special Jury Prize, film - “Searching for Sugar Man”
OTHER AWARDS
U.S. Short Film - “The Black Balloon”
World Short Film - “The Return”
Shorts, Jury Prize - “Fishing Without Nets”
Shorts, Audience Award - “The Debutante Hunters”
Are you glad that awards groups are spreading like non-fatal epidemics?
Would anyone show if I held a ceremony for my annual Film Bitch Awards? HA!
Which Sundance winner are you most intrigued to see?