Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) and Filipinos at the Oscars

by Juan Carlos Ojano

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the Coen Brothers’ western epic True Grit, an adaptation of the 1968 novel of the same name. The film stars Oscar nominees Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. However, at the center of the film is then-13 year old Hailee Steinfeld. She plays Mattie Ross, the strong-willed daughter of a man murdered by a notorious outlaw (Brolin). She then hires Rooster Cogburn (Bridges) to hunt down the outlaw. Steinfeld’s performance received critical acclaim at the time and she became the ninth youngest nominee ever for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. She was 14 years and 45 days of age at the time of nominations.

Another remarkable record is that she became the first actor of known Filipino descent to be nominated for an acting category at the Oscars (her maternal grandfather Ricardo Domasin was half-Filipino), a fact that was given media attention in the Philippines at the time. She is part of a small group of nine Oscar nominees who are of Filipino descent. Here are the rest...

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HollyShorts 3. The 2020 Oscar-Qualifying Winners

by Nathaniel R

This is the first year The Film Experience has covered the HollyShorts Film Festival. We intended to do more but you know how it is with time. It flies! For the final piece, I thought I'd review a few of the winners. The Complete Winners List from the festival is presented in alphabetical order with capsule reviews of three Oscar qualifiers and a few more for good measure...

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HollyShorts 2 "Wonder Years"

by Tony Ruggio

Short films are the runt of the film community: small, sometimes slight, often ignored. They’re everything in film school and seemingly nothing on Oscar night, relegated so much to the fringes of discourse that some have suggested nixing them from the broadcast completely. But short films hold a special place in Hollywood’s machine, be it a training ground for future blockbuster directors or fresh voices in the constantly evolving indie scene.

The HollyShorts festival has several compilations. Ben covered the "Action" efforts so I hit "The Wonder Years," covering films set in high school or otherwise coming-of-age stories. Here are three that I think are worth a watch, whether due to their surprisingly famous cast or sheer quality...

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HollyShorts 1 "Action Packed"

HollyShorts, now in its 16th year, is an Oscar-Qualifying festival. Even better, it's a festival that's specifically devoted to short films so it's quite the showcase for its official selections. Team Experience thought we'd look at some of the films for you. Perhaps they'll pop up later in Oscar longslists or even as nominees!?

by Ben Miller

When it comes to action films, short form might be an ideal medium to take it all in.  The 16th annual HollyShorts Film Festival showcased their action block this week and proved that to be the case. A quick disclaimer, though: the term “action” is pretty broadly deployed here.  Of the eight films showcased, I would classify three as actual action movies, but we’ll go with it.

The reviews are presented alphabetically...

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Showbiz History: Horny Pussycats, Photoshopped Gosling, and Julie's Second Marriage

9 random things that happened on this day, November 12th, in showbiz history...

1880 Lew Wallace's novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ is published. It was  the best-selling American novel of all time (for awhile). The film adaptation in 1959 won 11 Oscars, a feat that's never been bested though Titanic and Return of the King later tied its haul. 

1946 Disney's Song of the South has its world premiere in Atlanta, Georgia. Disney has long since hidden it from view though it was celebrated in its time, winning one competitive and one Honorary Oscar

More after the jump including Penelope Pussycat, Julie Andrews, and Ryan Gosling...

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