The 97th Academy Awards (Cláudio's Version)

by Cláudio Alves

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT | © Janus Films / Sideshow
It's been a week and change since the 97th Academy Awards. At this point, we have to start saying goodbye to the season that was and start looking ahead to a new cinematic year. And yet, there's still some business to take care of - some Fernanda Torres ruminations, the traditional Best Picture in black-and-white business, top tens and personal awards. Speaking of which, while Nathaniel is busy with the Film Bitch Awards, I thought about presenting my own ideal Oscar ballot. Those things led to great discussions in the past – remember my 1980s acting lineups? – so, let's bring that idea back. Following strict Oscar eligibility rules, my 97th Academy Awards are rather different from the real deal. Better, in my opinion, but maybe not in yours.

Across 20 feature film categories, I nominate 70 distinct projects. All We Imagine as Light is my big winner, but no single film won more than two prizes. I'm a big believer in spreading the wealth…

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The 13th Annual Team Experience Awards: NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT!

by Cláudio Alves

THE BRUTALIST | © A24

The Brutalist leads the nominations for the 13th annual Team Experience Awards. Brady Corbet's Oscar player scored in seven categories, including Best Picture, Director, and Actor. The film premiered on digital today, so if you missed it in theaters, it's time to give this epic a look. Many other Oscar frontrunners appeared on our ballots, with every one of AMPAS' Best Picture nominees featured in one category or another. As always, it's a fascinating mix of prestige fare and outré offerings, awards magnets, and obscure titles that got here on the basis of a few writers' burning passion. These awards are a testament to the variety of opinions featured on The Film Experience, having been voted by several members of its team. With the notable exception of Nathaniel, whose Film Bitch Awards are another matter altogether.

Discover the full list of nominees in 20 categories after the jump…

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BAFTA Longlists: "Emilia Pérez" rises, Jolie falls

by Cláudio Alves

Jacques Audiard's EMILIA PÉREZ scored 15 mentions in the BAFTA longlists.

Just when you think you're starting to get a grip on the season, here come the BAFTAs to throw a wrench into the proceedings. Well, in some cases, they just confirm what most already suspected. Consider the way Emilia Pérez dominates their longlists - an expected outcome if I've ever seen one - as well as the love for Conclave, Anora, The Brutalist, and a few others. The snubs are more glaring, like Angelina Jolie missing in the Best Actress final ten, or the complete shut-out of September 5 which, until now, seemed like a solid contender for at least three Oscar nominations – Picture, Original Screenplay, Editing. Truth be told, it might still get them all, but this is a stumble in their race for gold, nevertheless.

More commentary and the complete BAFTA longlists after the jump…

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Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: Opening Pandora's Box

by Cláudio Alves

The FFI's treatment of ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT will go down as THE awards season fumble.

The awards season continues to heat up, though we're about to hit a bit of a pause or a slump as the holidays tend to mark a decrease in such activity. As if to make up for that incoming quieting, the outpour of film honors only grew stronger the past week. This included the Pandora International Film Critics, an unofficial initiative spearheaded by the Filmotomy site – they also organize the Femme Filmmakers Festival every year – that gathers writers and film buffs from all over the world. This year, they invited me to be part of the voting body, and I am delighted to share the results, even if I don't necessarily agree with all of them…

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Which International Feature Films will get into Best Picture?

by Juan Carlos Ojano

96 years of Oscars, 14 international feaure films nominated for Best Picture.

While some awards bodies have already commenced the season, Best Picture is still very much an open race. One of the statistics many predictors consider is the presence of international feature films in the category. Since 2018’s Roma - and save 2020, where Another Round even got into Director - every Best Picture lineup has included one. Last year, history was made, when two international features making it in, with Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest.

Perhaps this is one of the effects of the inclusivity efforts the Academy has initiated post-#OscarsSoWhite, where they included more world artists into their membership. This year, which international feature films will stand a chance of getting into this year’s Best Picture roster? Consider...

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