2016 Film Critics Awards

As really enjoy when I guess right almost all Oscar winners and knowing that guessing is done best by following awards buzz and not considering how good movies are, then this year have to do again the critics' post and today is a good day to start post that will be a work in progress until the last group announces their winner which will happen in early February 2017.

Most critics' groups are American but you will also find groups from Canada, Ireland and UK. This year will include for again the FIPRESCI Grand Prix, an award that is voted by 553 film critics from all over the world. As in previous years' posts will publish link to read all winners and will list winners in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Documentary. Before the list, and to have ALL critics in one post, is the summary for the major film critics' groups (each has an individual post in blog).
This year decide to include estimate dates for each group announcement in the 2016/2017 Key Dates Calendar. Most dates come from official site announcements while some are tentative from industry sources.

Major Critics' Groups

FIPRESCI
2016 Grand Prix: Toni Erdmann

Cahiers du Cinéma (CdC)
Top Ten List: Official Site
Top Film: Toni Erdmann

Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site Post
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle and The Things to Come
Best Actor: Adam Driver in Paterson
Best Documentary:  I Am Not Your Negro

Critics' Choice Movie Awards (BFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site  Post
Winners: Official Site Post Documentary 
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Golden Globe Awards (HFPA)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site Post
Winners:  Official Site Post
Best Film:  Moonlight (Drama) and La La Land (Musical)
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert (Drama) and Emma Stone (Musical)
Best Actor: Casey Affleck (Drama) and Ryan Gosling (Musical)
Best Documentary: N/A

International Press Academy (Satellite Awards) (IPA)
Official Site
Nominations: Post
Winners: Official Twitter Press Release
Best Film: La La Land (major) and Manchester by the Sea (independent)
Best Director: Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle (independent) and Ruth Negga for Loving (major)
Best Actor: Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge (independent) and Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic  (major)
Best Documentary: 13th

National Board of Review (NBR)
Official Site
Winners:  Official Site
Best Film: Manchester by the Sea
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Amy Adams in Arrival
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site Post
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle and The Things To Come
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

The List

African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Ruth Nega in Loving
Best Actor: Denzel Washington in Fences
Best Documentary: 13th

Alliance of Women Film Journalists (EDA Awards) (AWFJ)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Ruth Nega in Loving
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: 13th

Atlanta Film Critics Society (AFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Annette Bening in 20th Century Women
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: 13th

Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA)
Official Site 
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Tower

Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC)
Official Site
Winners:  Official Site  Article
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Ruth Negga in Loving
Bets Actor: Denzel Washington in Fences
Best Documentary: 13th

Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle and L'Avenir
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Cameraperson

Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Article
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Rebecca Hall in Christine
Best Actor: Denzel Washington in Fences
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film:  Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (CIFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight (Independent) and La La Land (Studio)
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA)
Official Site
Winners:  Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director:  Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Tower

Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS1)
Official Site
Winners: facebook
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS2)
Official Site
Nominations: Article
Winners: Article
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Emma Stone in La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC)
Winners: Article
Best Film: I, Daniel Blake
Best Director: Denis Villeneuve for Arrival
Best Actress: Amy Adams in Arrival
Best Actor: Dave Johns in I, Daniel Blake
Best Documentary: (tie) Weiner and Mattress Men

Entertainment Weekly (EW)
Winners: Article
Number 1 Film: La La Land

Filmcomment Film Society of Lincoln Center (FFSLC)
Best films of 2016: Official Site 
Number 1 Film: Toni Erdmann

Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: The Lobster
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Cameraperson

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Dorian Awards) (GALECA)
Official Site
Winners:  Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins
Performance of the Year Actress: Viola Davis in Fences
Performance of the Year Actor: Mahershala Ali in Moonlight
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

The Guardian UK Top 10 films (TG)
Official Site Article
Number 1 Film: Moonlight

The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Article
Winners:  Official Twitter
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Indiana Film Journalist Association (IFJA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Rebecca Hall in Christine
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Indiewire Annual Critics Survey Voted by 200 individuals (IW)
Official Site
Winners:  Article
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Machester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA)
Winners: Article
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Amy Adams in Arrival
Best Actor Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O. J.: Made in America

Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mancheter by the Sea
Best Director: Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

London Film Critics Circle (LFCC)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site
Winners:  Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: László Nemes for Son of Saul
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Things to Come
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Fire at Sea

National Society of Film Critics (NSFC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle and Things to Come
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Hell or High Water
Best Director: David Mackenzie for Hell or High Water
Best Actress: Annette Bening in 20th Century Women
Best Actor: Case Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Machester by the Sea
Best Documentary: 13th

North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Emma Stone in La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Article
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Gleason

Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC)
Facebook
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Amy Adams in Arrival
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary:  O.J.: Made in America

Online Film Critics Society (OFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: (tie) Damien Chazelle for La La Land and Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Emma Stone in La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Gleason

RollingStone Magazine (RS)
Article in Magazine: Official Site
Number 1 Film: La La Land

St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro

San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners:  Official Site
Best Film: Hell or High Water
Best Director: David Mackenzie for Hell or High Water
Best Actress: Sonia Braga in Aquarius
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Weiner

San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Denzel Washington in Fences
Best Documentary: I Am Not Your Negro

ScreenDaily UK Magazine (SD)
Article in Magazine:  Official Site
Number 1 Film: Toni Erdmann

Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

Sight&Sound Film Magazine (163 International Critics) (S&S)
Article in Magazine: Official Site
Number 1 Film: Toni Erdmann 

Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA)
Awards Site
Winners: Article
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman for Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary:  I Am Not Your Negro

Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Maren Ade for Toni Erdmann
Best Actress: Sandra Hüller in Toni Erdmann
Best Actor:  Adam Driver in Paterson
Best Documentary: Cameraperson

Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA)
Winners: Article
Best Film: La La Land
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Emma Stone in La La Land
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: Cameraperson

Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC)
Official Site
Nominations:  Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film:  Manchester by the Sea
Best Director: Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary:  Cameraperson

Variety Film Critics Poll (VFCP)
Official Site

The Village Voice Critics Poll (TVVC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: O.J.: Made in America

The Washington DC Area Film Critics (WAFCA)
Official Site
Winners:  Oficial Site
Best Film:  La La Land
Best Director: Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary: 13th

Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Article
Winners: Official Site
Best Film About Women: Hidden Figures
Best Director: Ava Duvernay for 13th
Best Actress: Natalie Portman in Jackie
Best Actor: Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Best Documentary About Women: 13th

Tally

The following is a summary with winners in the five main categories. Tally will be update when each group makes their announcement.

Best Film
25 - Moonlight (LAFCA, BOFCA, NYFCO, SFFCC, TFCA, AAFCA, DFWFCA, CFCA, IFJA, PCC, TG, IW, SEFCA, BFCC, AWFJ, AFCA, OFCS, TVVC, SFCS, NSFC, CIFCC, HFPA, GFCA, DFCS1, GALECA )
22 - La La Land (NYFCC, AFCS, WAFCA, BSFC, BFCA, RS, UFCA, LVFCS, StLFCA, EW, DFCS2, PFCS, NCFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, COFCA, HFCS, CIFCC, HFPA, IPA, IFCA, LFCC)
5 - Toni Erdmann (FIPRESCI, CdC, S&S, SD, FFSLC)
4 - Manchester by the Sea (NBR, KCFCC, VFCC, IPA )
2 - Hell or High Water (SDFCS, NFCS)
1 - I, Daniel Blake (DFCC)
1 - Hidden Figures (WFCC)
1 - The Lobster (FFCC)

Best Director
22 - Damien Chazelle for La La Land (AFCS, WAFCA, BOFCA, BSFC,  BFCA, IFJA, LVFCS, StLFCA, PCC, DFCS2, SEFCA, PFCS, FFCC, NCFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, COFCA, HFCS, CIFCC, HFPA, GFCA, IFCA)
20 - Barry Jenkins for Moonlight (NBR, NYFCC, LAFCA, NYFCO, SFFCC, AAFCA, DFWFCA, CFCA, UFCA, PCC, IW, BFCC, AWFJ, AFCA, OFCS, TVVC, SFCS, NSFC, DFCS1, GALECA)
3 - Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea ( KCFCC, VFCC, IPA)
2 - David Mackenzie for Hell or High Water (SDFCS, NFCS)
1 - Maren Ade for Toni Erdmann (TFCA)
1 - Denis Villeneuve for Arrival (DFCC)
1 - Ava Duvernay for 13th (WFCC)
1 - Laszlo Nemes for Son of Saul (LFCC)

Best Actress
17 - Isabelle Huppert in Elle and/or The Things to Come (NYFCC, LAFCA, BOFCA, NYFCO, SFFCC, BSFC, StLFCA, IW, VFCC, AFCA, FFCC, TVVC, SFCS, NSFC, HFPA, IPA, LFCC)
16 - Natalie Portman in Jackie (WAFCA, BFCA, DFWFCA, CFCA, KCFCC, WFCC, LVFCS, PCC, SEFCA, NTFCA, OFCS, HFCS, CIFCC, GFCA, DFCS1)
5 - Emma Stone (UFCA, DFCS2, PFCS, NCFCA, HFPA)
4 - Ruth Negga in Loving (AAFCA, BFCC, AWFJ, IPA)
5 - Amy Adams in Arrival (NBR, DFCC, OFCC, IFCA)
2 - Annette Bening in 20th Century Woman (AFCS, NFCS)
2 - Rebecca Hall in Christine (IFJA, COFCA)
1 - Sandra Hüller in Toni Erdmann (TFCA)
1 - Sonia Braga in Aquarius (SDFCS)

Best Actor
41 - Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea (NBR, NYFCC, AFCS, WAFCA, BOFCA, NYFCO, BSFC, BFCA, SDFCS, DFWFCA, CFCA, KCFCC, IFJA, UFCA, WFCC, LVFCS, StLFCA, PCC, DFCS2, IW, SEFCA, VFCC, PFCS, NFCS, AWFJ, AFCA, FFCC, NCFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, OFCS, TVVC, SFCS, NSFC, HFCS,CIFCC, HFPA, GFCA, DFCS1, IFCA, LFCC)
4 - Denzel Washington in Fences (SFFCC, AAFCA, BFCC, COFCA)
2 - Adam Driver in Paterson (LAFCA, TFCA)
1 - Dave Johns in I, Daniel Blake (DFCC)
1 - Ryan Gosling in La La Land (HFPA)
1 - Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic (IPA)
1 - Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge (IPA)

Best Documentary
25 - O.J.: Made in America (NBR, BFCA, NYFCC, BSFC, CFCA, KCFCC, IFJA, LVFCS, PCC, DFCS2, IW, NFCS, NCFCA, OFCC, OFCS, TVVC, COFCA, SFCS, NSFC, HFCS, CIFCC, GFCA, DFCS1, IFCA, GALECA)
8 - 13th (AFCS, WAFCA, NYFCO, AAFCA, WFCC, BFCC, AWFJ, IPA)
5 - Cameraperson (BOFCA, TFCA, UFCA, VFCC, FFCC)
4 - I Am Not Your Negro (LAFCA, SFFCC, StLFCA, SEFCA)
2 - Weiner ( SDFCS, DFCC)
2 - Tower (DFWFCA, AFCA)
1 - Mattress Men (DFCC)
2 - Gleason (PFCS, NTFCA)
1 - Fire at Sea ( LFCC)

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21st Annual International Press Academy Satellite Awards Nominations

The International Press Academy (IPA) announces its nominations for the 21st Annual Satellite Awards and for the first time the IPA is awarding a separate independent film and major studio film as Best Picture. Each year, the IPA celebrates nominees from domestic and international submissions for 37 categories: 19 in Motion Pictures, 12 in Television, 2 in Blu-ray DVDs and 4 in Video Games.
Film critics and entertainment writers from throughout the world are members of the IPA, and its decisions are derived from domestic and international film festivals, guild screenings and press screenings.

This year’s nominees include diverse films such as Fences, La La Land, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea and Hell and High Water. On the TV side, major nominees include The People v. O.J. Simpson and Game of Thrones.

The special achievement awards include; The Mary Pickford Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to the Entertainment Industry goes this year to Edward James Olmos, The Nikola Tesla Award for visionary achievements in filmmaking technology goes to John Toll, The Auteur Award for creative vision and unique artistry made on audiences and fellow artists alike goes to Tom Ford and the Humanitarian Award will be presented to actor/activist Sir Patrick Stewart. The Best First Feature Award goes to Russudan Glurjidze for House of Others.

The Best Ensemble for Motion Pictures goes to Hidden Figures and the Best Ensemble for Television goes to Outlander.

The following are the Special Achievement Award Recipients
Mary Pickford Award: Edward James Olmos
Tesla Award: John Toll
Auteur Award: Tom Ford
Humanitarian Award: Patrick Stewart
Best First Feature: Russudan Glurjidze for House of Others
Best Ensemble Motion Picture: Hidden Figures
Best Ensemble Television: Outlander

Unfortunately the award continues to have too-many nominees per category which does not speak well about the group nor the awards, they should change rules to have fewer nominees in every category except perhaps Motion Picture. Nevertheless here are the nominees for a few categories.

Motion Pictures Categories

Motion Picture
Captain Fantastic
Fences
Hacksaw Ridge
Hell or High Water
Hidden Figures
Jackie
La La Land
Lion
Loving
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Mis Hokusai
Moana
My Life As a Zucchini
The Jungle Book
The Red Turtle
Trolls
Your Name
Zootopia

Motion Picture, Documentary
13th
Fire at Sea
Gleason
Life Animated
O.J.: Made in America
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week
The Eagle Huntress
The Ivory Game
Tower
Zero Days

Motion Picture, International Film
A Man Called Ove, Sweden
Elle, France
Julieta, Spain
Ma' Rosa, Philippines
Paradise, Russia
The Ardennes, Belgium
The Handmaiden, South Korea
The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki, Finland
The Salesman, Iran
Toni Erdmann, Germany

Director
Damien Chazelle for La La Land
Tom Ford for Nocturnal Animals
Mel Gibson for Hacksaw Ridge
Barry Jenkins for Moonlight
Pablo Larrain for Jackie
Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea
Denzel Washington for Fences

Actress
Amy Adams in Nocturnal Animals
Annette Bening in 20th Century Woman
Taraji P. Henson in Hidden Figures
Isabelle Huppert in Elle
Ruth Nega in Loving
Natalie Portman in Jackie
Emma Stone in La La Land
Meryl Streep in Florence Foster Jenkins

Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis in Fences
Naomi Harris in Moonlight
Nicole Kidman in Lion
Helen Mirren in Eye in the Sky
Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures
Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea

Actor
Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea
Joel Edgerton in Loving
Andrew Garfield in Hacksaw Ridge
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Snowden
Ryan Gosling in La La Land
Tom Hanks in Sully
Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington in Fences

Actor in a Supporting Role
Mahershala Ali in Moonlight
Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water
Hugh Grant in Florence Foster Jenkins
Lucas Hedges in Manchester by the Sea
Eddie Murphy in Mr. Church
Dev Patel in Lion

To check nominees in other Motion Pictures categories as well as in TV categories go to official site here.  The Awards ceremony will be on February 19th, 2917 at InterContinental Hotel, Century City.

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26th Annual IFP Gotham Awards Winners

Last night the awards ceremony was entertaining enough to keep me awake most of the time with a few exceptions that included speeches that put me to sleep!  But none I regret more missing than Cate Blanchett Tribute presentation! (Winona Ryder put me to sleep, sigh)  So today will check the ceremony video as soon as organizers upload it to their youtube channel.

As expected Moonlight won most awards but the biggest surprise came from who won the Best Actress award as the favorite was Natalie Portman and none other than Isabelle Huppert won what she called -as she claim was told- a very-American award.  Even do I was very pleasantly surprised have to recognize that there is a strong marketing effort behind her with the ultimate goal to get an Oscar nomination/award; still up-to-this-moment efforts seem to be rewarded in a very positive way.  No, I do not believe Elle is one of Huppert's best performances nor one of the best French movies of the year; but perhaps has the right ingredients to be recognized and honored by the American industry and audiences.

Just for fun here is an incredible photo with outstanding Isabelle Huppert and Cate Blanchett plus Amy Adams.  Enjoy!



Another unexpected win -at least for me- was the Breakthrough Actor as movie clip game the chills and made me recall the style of Michael Haneke, so obviously, got interested even when I dislike the horror genre.  Will give movie a try.

As announced by Damian Lewis, the Audience Award went to Moonlight.

To check winners at Filmmaker Magazine go here and as soon as video becomes available will post it here.

Winners are in (*)BLUE.

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10/71/16
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP), the nation’s premier member organization of independent storytellers, announced today the nominees for the 26th Annual IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards.

For 2016, ten competitive awards will be presented to independent features and series. In addition to the competitive awards, Gotham Award Tributes will be given to actors Amy Adams and Ethan Hawke, director Oliver Stone, and Industry Tribute recipient, producer Arnon Milchan.

The Gotham Awards is one of the leading awards for independent film and signals the kick-off to the film awards season. As the first major awards ceremony of the film season, the IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards provide critical early recognition and media attention to worthy independent films. The awards are also unique for their ability to assist in catapulting award recipients prominently into national awards season attention.

“We wish to offer our hearty congratulations to the 2016 Gotham Awards nominees, all of whose unique and exciting artistic achievements represent the very best in independent storytelling,” said Joana Vicente, Executive Director of IFP and the Made in NY Media Center.

Thirty-two films and series received nominations this year. In addition, the nominating committees for the Best Actor and Best Actress categories and the Breakthrough Actor category jointly voted to award a Special Jury Award to the ensemble cast of Moonlight “in which actors at all levels of experience give outstanding performances that speak eloquently to one another both within and across each chapter of the story.” The awards will go to actors Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, and Ashton Sanders.

Will not deny that I'm pleased with the nominations even when I'm surprised La La Land got snubbed. The category I like the most is the one that lists five actresses in what everyone have been saying are great performances; perhaps the most surprising for me is Kate Beckinsale nod probably because skipped the film but now seems will give it a try. As expected Isabelle Huppert got a nomination so now the question is if west coast industry awards will honor her too.

Manchester by the Sea leads with four (4) nominations followed by Moonlight and Paterson with three (3) each. Then there are six films with two (2) nominations each including Loving and I-Know-Is-Not-For-All-Audiences outstanding Certain Women.

Feature Films

Best Feature
Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt
Everybody Wants Some!!, Richard Linklater
Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
(*) Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
Paterson, Jim Jarmusch

Best Documentary
Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson
I Am Not Your Negro, Raoul Peck
(*) O.J.: Made in America, Ezra Edelman
Tower, Keith Maitland
Weiner, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg,

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Robert Eggers for The Witch
Anna Rose Holmer for The Fits
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Swiss Army Man
(*) Trey Edward Shults for Krisha
Richard Tanne for Southside with You

Best Screenplay
Taylor Sheridan for Hell or High Water, David Mackenzie
Whit Stillman for Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman
Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
(*) Tarell Alvin McCraney and Barry Jenkins for Moonlight, Barry Jenkins
Jim Jarmusch for Paterson, Jim Jarmusch

Best Actress
Kate Beckinsale in Love & Friendship, Whit Stillman
Annette Bening in 20th Century Women, Mike MIlls
(*) Isabelle Huppert in Elle, Paul Verhoeven
Ruth Negga in Loving, Jeff Nichols
Natalie Portman in Jackie, Pablo Larraín

Best Actor
(*) Casey Affleck in Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
Jeff Bridges in Hell or High Water, David Mackenzie
Adam Driver in Paterson, Jim Jarmusch
Joel Edgerton in Loving, Jeff Nichols
Craig Robinson in Morris from America, Chad Hartigan

Breakthrough Actor
Lily Gladstone in Certain Women, Kelly Reichardt
Lucas Hedges in Manchester by the Sea, Kenneth Lonergan
Royalty Hightower in The Fits, Anna Rose Holmer
Sasha Lane in American Honey, Andrea Arnold
(*) Anya Taylor-Joy in The Witch, Robert Eggers

Special Gotham Jury Award for Ensemble Performance to Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Alex Hibbert, André Holland, Jharrel Jerome, Janelle Monáe, Jaden Piner, Trevante Rhodes, and Ashton Sanders in Moonlight

Series (TV and Online)

Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
(*) The Girlfriend Experience
Horace and Pete
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Master of None

Breakthrough Series – Short Form
The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo
(*) Her Story
The Movement
Sitting in Bathrooms with Trans People
Surviving

The Gotham Awards ceremony will be held on Monday, November 28th at Cipriani Wall Street.

The Gotham Audience Award nominees are comprised of the 15 films nominated for Best Feature, Best Documentary, and the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award. The winner will be selected by online voting of IFP members. Voting for that award begins November 16th at 12:01 AM EST.

Nominees are selected by committees of film critics, journalists, festival programmers, and film curators. Separate juries of writers, directors, actors, producers, editors and others directly involved in making films will determine the final Gotham Award recipients. Twenty-nine writers, critics and programmers participated in the nomination process. The Nominating Committees for the 2016 IFP Gotham Independent Film Awards were:

Nominating Committee for Best Feature, Best Screenplay, and Breakthrough Director
Justin Chang, Film Critic, Los Angeles Times
Ann Hornaday, Chief Film Critic, The Washington Post
Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor & Chief Film Critic, Indiewire
Dana Stevens, Movie Critic, Slate
Stephanie Zacharek, Film Critic, TIME

Nominating Committee for Best Documentary:
Joanne Feinberg, Producer, Consultant, and Curator, FeinFilm
Ben Fowlie, Executive Director of the Points North Institute; Founder of the Camden International Film Festival
Cynthia Fuchs, Film-TV Editor, PopMatters; Director of Film & Media Studies, George Mason University
Tom Hall, Executive Director, The Montclair Film Festival
Sky Sitney, Professor, Film and Media Studies, Georgetown University; Co-Director, Double Exposure Festival

Nominating Committee for Best Actor and Best Actress:
A.A. Dowd, Film Editor, The A.V. Club
Mark Harris, Columnist, Vulture
Jessica Kiang, Features Editor & Festival Critic, The Playlist; Film Critic, Variety
David Rooney, Chief Theater Critic, The Hollywood Reporter
Alison Willmore, Critic, BuzzFeed

Nominating Committee for Breakthrough Actor:
Bilge Ebiri, Film Critic, Village Voice
David Ehrlich, Senior Film Critic, Indiewire
Tim Grierson, Senior U.S. Critic, Screen International; Chief Film Critic, Paste
Sheila O’Malley, Writer/Film Critic, RogerEbert.com, The Sheila Variations
Katie Walsh, Film Critic, Tribune Content Agency, Los Angeles Times

Nominating Committee for Breakthrough Series – Long Form:
Matthew Gilbert, TV Critic, The Boston Globe
Liz Shannon Miller, TV Editor, Indiewire
Sonia Saraiya, TV Critic, Variety
David Sims, Senior Associate Editor, The Atlantic
Tim Goodman, Chief Television Critic, The Hollywood Reporter

Nominating Committee for Breakthrough Series – Short Form:
Rich Goldstein, Producer, The Daily Beast
Randi Kleiner, Founder & CEO, SeriesFest
Paula Mejia, Reporter & Culture Writer, Newsweek
Aymar Jean Christian, Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, Northwestern University

deep euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant

For the sixth consecutive year, euphoria Calvin Klein is proud to present the Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs or IFP’s Screen Forward Lab. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film or episodic series. The nominees are:

Shaz Bennett, director, Alaska is a Drag
Katie Orr, director, Poor Jane
(*) Roxy Toporowych, director, Julia Blue

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award

IFP members will determine the Gotham Independent Film Audience Award with nominees comprised of the 15 nominated films in the Best Feature, Best Documentary, and Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award categories. All IFP current, active members at the Individual Level and above will be eligible to vote.

Voting will take place online from November 16th at 12:01 AM EST and conclude on November 23rd at 5:00 PM EST. In addition, IFP will be scheduling screenings of the nominated films for IFP members in the theater at the Made in NY Media Center by IFP in Brooklyn. These screenings will take place from November 9-15. The winner of the Audience Award will be announced at the Gotham Awards Ceremony on November 28, 2016.

Appendix
2016 IFP Gotham Awards – Alphabetical List of Nominated Films & Series

4 Nominations
Manchester by the Sea
Best Feature
Best Screenplay
Best Actor
Breakthrough Actor

3 Nominations

Moonlight
Best Feature
Best Screenplay
Special Jury Award – Ensemble Performance

Paterson
Best Feature
Best Screenplay
Best Actor

2 Nominations

Certain Women
Best Feature
Breakthrough Actor

The Fits
Breakthrough Director
Breakthrough Actor

Hell or High Water
Best Screenplay
Best Actor

Love & Friendship
Best Screenplay
Best Actress

Loving
Best Actor
Best Actress

The Witch
Breakthrough Director
Breakthrough Actor

1 Nomination

20th Century Women -Best Actress
American Honey - Breakthrough Actor
Cameraperson - Best Documentary
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend - Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Elle - Best Actress
Everybody Wants Some!! - Best Feature
The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo - Breakthrough Series – Short Form
The Girlfriend Experience - Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Her Story - Breakthrough Series – Short Form
Horace and Pete - Breakthrough Series – Long Form
I Am Not Your Negro - Best Documentary
Jackie - Best Actress
Krisha - Breakthrough Director
Marvel’s Jessica Jones - Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Master of None - Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Morris from America - Best Actor
The Movement - Breakthrough Series – Short Form
O.J.: Made in America - Best Documentary
Sitting in Bathrooms with Trans People - Breakthrough Series – Short Form
Southside with You - Breakthrough Director
Surviving - Breakthrough Series – Short Form
Swiss Army Man - Breakthrough Director
Tower - Best Documentary
Weiner - Best Documentary

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2016 Lux Film Prize Award Winner

Recently the European Parliament announced the winner of the 2016 Lux Prize and as many expected, Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade was honored with the award.



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7/26/16
The 2016 LUX Film Prize has selected the three films in its Official Competition.

The 10th-anniversary edition of the award will have Leyla Bouzid’s As I Open My Eyes (France/Tunisia/Belgium/United Arab Emirates), Claude Barras’ My Life as a Courgette (Switzerland/France) and Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria/Romania) as the final contenders.

Chairwoman of the Committee on Culture and Education Silvia Costa and Vice-President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani announced the titles in contention for the award today, at the Venice Days press conference.

The three films were picked from the previously announced Official Selection, ten beautiful and socially engaged films focusing on current global issues, including some slightly more humorous, yet equally challenging titles.

Leyla Bouzid’s feature-film debut takes viewers across the Mediterranean, showing a young generation trapped between the hope and love they feel for their own country, and despair.

Claude Barras’ first feature is a bittersweet, poetic stop-motion animation film — the first ever to appear in the LUX Film Prize Competition — a portrait of the harsh reality of an orphanage with delicate and gawky humour that was tenderly adapted from Gilles Paris’ novel by Céline Sciamma (Girlhood, a 2014 LUX Film Prize finalist).

Finally, in her third feature film, Maren Ade turns her gaze towards the contemporary corporate culture in an eminently political tragicomedy. The film, a real political statement, examines how the corporate ethos can destroy family ties, people’s lives and happiness.



The Giornate Degli Autori -Venice Days, in collaboration with the Venice Film Market, will introduce the new edition by hosting the screening of the films in the Official Competition. Once again this year, the 28 Times Cinema initiative, in collaboration with Europa Cinemas and Cineuropa, will bring 28 young cinephiles to act as the jury for the Venice Days Award and take part in the LUX Film Prize experience, kicking off their role as LUX Ambassadors, in order to present the LUX Film Days in their respective countries.

From October to December, As I Open My Eyes, My Life as a Courgette and Toni Erdmann will become the core of the 2016 LUX Film Days, and will be screened across 28 EU countries. Subtitled into the 24 official EU languages, Europeans will not only be able to discover them, but also to discuss the issues that they raise. Thus, by creating the framework for a European public space, the LUX Film Prize is again a tool that shows the complexity of a European identity, as it interprets and presents the realities of European successes and challenges.

This year’s LUX Film Days will also mark the beginning of cooperation between the European Parliament Information Offices and the Creative Europe MEDIA Desks, to strengthen visibility and broaden the audience. Moreover, to mark the 10th anniversary of the award, important European film professionals will join the Members of the European Parliament at a series of events in Brussels on 10 October. During the LUX Film Days, all 751 Members of the European Parliament will be invited to vote for one of the three films in competition.

On 23 November, 2016 the award winner will be announced at the European Parliament in Strasbourg in the presence of the directors.

The following is basic info plus short smart review, the first two written by Fabien Lemercier and third written by Vittoria Scarpa (could have spoilers) for each film in the Official Selection.

Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade (Premier at 2016 Cannes Film Festival In Competition)

For her first appearance in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, German director Maren Ade, who made quite the splash with her previous opus, Everyone Else , has audaciously confirmed her status as a rising star, thanks to her third feature, Toni Erdmann . Patiently weaving its web around the traditional subject matter of a father desperately hoping to become closer to his daughter at any cost, while the latter is living in a different country, working in the cutthroat world of international consulting, the movie constantly circumvents its carefully constructed hyper-realism through disruptive comic impulses, intrinsically linked to the personality traits of one of the two main characters – a father who will even stretch to pretending to become someone else in order to successfully break through his daughter's armor. This one enormous joke, sometimes bordering on the grotesque, transforms into a sort of power struggle in which humor and love attempt to thaw an icy coldness and overcome distance. It is a feature walking a fine line – occasionally verging on losing its balance – which owes a great deal to the huge talent of its two lead performers: fascinating German actress Sandra Hüller and Austria's Peter Simonischek.

"I've hired a substitute daughter to replace mine. She's a better cook and she cuts my nails." This is the kind of joke that Winfried loves to crack out of the blue in the presence of Ines, the key character in the story – and in the most inappropriate circumstances, to boot (for instance, in the middle of the business dealings being undertaken by his daughter, who is an expat living in Bucharest, where she is a consultant at a big international firm). And the sixty-something has plenty of other banter-filled tricks up his sleeve, all of which is enough to make Ines particularly uneasy when her dad, who is divorced from her mother, and whom she sees very rarely or only via Skype, turns up without warning to pay her a visit in the Romanian capital. Because this young woman has other fish to fry at work (where she is busy preparing a restructuring scenario for a large company) and also wants to focus on her career, where her ambition reigns supreme. However, a few blunders later, Winfried really hits a nerve when he asks Ines whether she is happy or not, which she responds to curtly by sending him packing, off to the airport. But much to her surprise, she sees him reappear some time later, completely out of the blue, in disguise, introducing himself (to anyone who cares to listen) as Toni Erdmann and behaving in just as zany a way as his previous incarnation, Winfried. Interfering with the professional and private life of his exasperated daughter ("You're completely insane!”), Toni Winfried will nevertheless manage to succeed in his assault, to the point where Ines takes up the gauntlet and decides to join in with her father's game. This role-play gets totally out of control, turning into a match between their different takes on life, where each action stirs highly personal emotions that are buried deep down.

Unfolding on a knife-edge, and focusing on a subject that can easily, by its very nature, lend itself to a lot of slip-ups, Maren Aden nonetheless stays the course very effectively, indulging in a thrilling finale that rewards the audience's patience. Its mis-en-scène really takes the time to infuse the silences with meaning in order to render the internal solitude of the two main characters more clearly. Intertwining "larger than life" mockery, a humanistic tenderness and a portrait of the tyranny of high-performing, modern-day big business, Toni Erdmann (sold by The Match Factory) proves to be a cinematic prototype that is genuinely special, a daring oddity that stands as a testament to the ingeniously original hallmark of this director, who is not one to back down from a challenge.

 

Ma Vie de Courgette (My Life as a Courgette aka My Life as a Zucchini) by Claude Barras

“We are all alike; there’s no one left to love us.” The Les Fontaines orphanage is home to seven ten-year-old children: the endearing protagonists in Swiss filmmaker Claude Barras’ stunning My Life as a Courgette, an animated feature debut, outstanding thanks to both its subject matter and its approach to it, which was unveiled in the Directors’ Fortnight at the 69th Cannes Film Festival.

The quiet Courgette, whose real name is Icarus, has never met his father and sets off for Les Fontaines, his kite under his arm, following his alcoholic mother’s accidental death. In the orphanage, which is sequestered away from the city, he meets and learns about each of his partners in misfortune. Simon’s parents are constantly on drugs, Ahmed’s father is in prison after holding up a service station, Jujube’s mother has reached a very advanced stage of chronic-depressive delirium, while Bea’s mum has been deported to Africa, and Alice still has nightmares about the “disgusting things” her father did. As for the pretty Camille, under whose charm Courgette instantly falls, she was present as her father killed her mother, before taking his own life, and “her eyes show that she saw it all”.

As such, the short lives of these seven children are summed up by their precocious encounter with the world’s cruelty, meaning that it would have been easy for them to be created as part of the darkest vein of cinematic social realism. However, it’s a much different path, both softer and brighter, along which director Barras chose to walk with Céline Sciamma (proving the aptness of her writing following the trio of films about adolescence she worked on as a director: Water Lilies, Tomboy and Girlhood), as they adapted Gilles Paris’ novel Autobiography of a Courgette.

Contrary to the popular paradigm of portraying orphanages as places of aggravated abuse, as in Oliver Twist, Les Fontaines is a haven of peace, conducive to reconstruction, tolerance and friendship. This positive approach to the darkness of the past definitely does not make light of those events, as the wounds, which rocked these children to their core, are still present and bubble up to the surface without taking centre stage, mainly being expressed through silences and glances. As such, the film has avoided falling into the trap of over-dramatization, skilfully dealing with topics with hard-hitting consequences (emotional emptiness, foster families, custodial rights, adoption, etc) and even more tactfully showing the simplicity of its poetic stance, which is fed by tender empathy and benevolent humor.

My Life as a Courgette is a calm representation with strong emotional potential thanks to its astounding mastery of stop-motion animation and the fact it toys marvelously with the contrast between these highly stylized “character-marionettes” and the naturalism of the dialogues and voices. Broken up into sequence shots, the film explores intimate topics far removed from those that have reigned supreme in contemporary animated films, which are based on speed and the spectacular. In the big, round eyes of Courgette and his friends, you can see their awareness of all the bitter violence in the world mingle with the regenerative virtues of friendship as well as the image of a better future, like a mirror for the viewers, who were all children at one stage of their lives.

Produced by Swiss outfit Rita Productions and France’s Blue Spirit Production, Gebeka Films and KNM, My Life as a Courgette is sold internationally by Indie Sales.



À peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes) by Leila Bouzid (Premiered at 2015 Venice Days)

Farah is a curly-haired 18-year-old who longs to be free. She stays out late at night and drinks beer, she's a rebel, she's daring and explosive. It's the summer of 2010 in Tunisia, a few months before the beginning of the Arab Spring, but As I Open My Eyes by Leyla Bouzid is not about the revolution. The film by the up-and-coming Tunisian director, in competition in Venice Days at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, is the story of the months that immediately preceded it, following the path of a young singer who bravely and a little recklessly challenges government censorship, by bringing her voice and her lyrical allegations to bars and nightclubs frequented by Tunisian young people, and onto the streets.

We appear to really enter those clubs, the atmosphere, gestures and faces that are present within are so real. In the film by Bouzid, Tunisian nightlife is exhilarating: people toast, they sing, dance, then there's a race to the metro and everyone goes home. When Farah (newcomer Baya Medhaffer) returns home, however, she is met by reproaches from her mother Hayet (famous Tunisian singer Ghalia Benali). Farah sings in a local rock band and the police have started to keep an eye on her. The lyrics in her songs deal with the country's problems, lethargy and stolen dreams. Her mother, who was just as much a rebel when young, is well aware of the risks that she runs. But there's no stopping Farah: they take away her microphone and she continues singing, they cancel a concert and she improvises one on the street, her mother grounds her and, after locking her into her room, she goes out all the same. It's easy to imagine Farah, a few months later, protesting in the square against the Ben Ali regime. But the film takes a different course, and we don't know if the young, curly-haired rebel will succeed in pulling out her voice again.

As I Open My Eyes narrates with expressive and political power everyday life at a particular moment in time in the country. “Farah represents the strength of Tunisian young people and of all Arab artists who have to struggle to survive,” states Leyla Bouzid. “The film seeks to go further into about what has been told superficially by the media. Using a personal story, I sought to give an idea of the climate in which the revolution was born.” Would Farah be free to sing today? “There is greater awareness of the importance of freedom of speech today in Tunisia, but they still arrest bloggers and rappers,” explains the director. “You can sing, but you might have problems,” confirms the lead actress. “It's a constant battle, trying to raise the limits ever further. But it can only get better; I'm optimistic." Meanwhile, the film received financing from the Tunisian Ministry for Culture, and that's a good sign.

As I Open My Eyes is a Blue Monday Productions (France), Propaganda Production (Tunisia) and Hélicotronc (Belgium) production. International sales are entrusted to Parisian outfit Doc & Film International.

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#Oscars2017 Animated Short Films Shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that ten (10) animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 89th Academy Awards.

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting. Sixty-nine (69) short films had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 shorts are listed below.

Blind Vaysha, Theodore Ushev, Canada, 8'
Borrowed Time, Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj, USA, 7'
Happy End, Jan Saska, Czech Republic, 6'
The Head Vanishes, Franck Dion, Canada and France, 10'
Inner Workings, Leo Matsuda, USA, 7'
Once upon a Line, Alicja Jasina, USA, 8'
Pear Cider and Cigarettes, Robert Valley, Canada and UK, 35'
Pearl, Patrick Osborne, USA, 6'
Piper, Alan Barillaro, USA, 6'
Sous Tes Doigts (Under Your Fingers), Marie-Christine Courtès, France, 13'

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.  Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December.  Nominations for the 89th Oscars® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

Blind Vaysha by Theodore Ushev
Synopsis:  From the moment she was born, Vaysha was a very special girl. With her left eye she can only see into the past, and with her right she can only see the future. The past is familiar and safe, the future is sinister and threatening. The present is a blind spot. In captivating parabolic imagery, the award-winning animation artist Theodore Ushev illustrates the world through Vaysha’s eyes.



Borrowed Time by Andrew Coats and Lou Hamou-Lhadj
Synopsis: A weathered Sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on.



Happy End by Jan Saska
Synopsis: A black comedy about death with a happy ending. A splendid chain of unlikely encounters. Hunters, a tractor driver, a disco boy, and a corpse.



The Head Vanishes, Franck Dion
Synopsis: Jacqueline has lost her mind but who cares for his trip to the seaside she decided to take the train alone, as great!



Inner Workings by Leo Matsuda
Synopsis: the story of the internal struggle between a man’s pragmatic, logical side and his free-spirited, adventurous half.



Once upon a Line by Alicja Jasina
Synopsis: A man leads a boring life until he falls in love. Things get out of control, but at the end the protagonist discovers that there are other ways of living and that the world is full of color and hope.



Pear Cider and Cigarettes by Robert Valley
Synopsis: Drink and smoke...that's what Techno really like to do...and fight. He was in no condition to fight. He was sick, really sick. His disease had whittled him down to a shadow of his former self. He was crippled from a car accident when he was 17 but that’s not how he lost his big toe. He lost that in a motorbike accident, yeah he was broken alright… what the hell was he fighting for anyway and what was he still doing in China? His father had given me two clear instructions: 1. Get Techno to stop drinking long enough to receive the liver transplant and 2. Get him back home to Vancouver. This wasn't going to be easy.



Pearl by Patrick Osborne
Synopsis: Set inside their home, a beloved hatchback, Pearl follows a girl and her dad as they crisscross the country chasing their dreams. It’s a story about the gifts we hand down and their power to carry love. And finding grace in the unlikeliest of places.



Piper by Alan Barillaro
Synopsis: A hungry sandpiper hatchling discovers that finding food without mom’s help isn’t so easy.



Sous Tes Doigts (Under Your Fingers) by Marie-Christine Courtès
Synopsis: When her grand-mother dies, a young Eurasian woman performs dance and rituals to revive the peculiar story of the women in her family, from colonial Indochina to the transit camp where they were isolated. With her memories, anger and traditional rituals Emilie learns how to accept such a heritage. The scars of history felt by an eastern woman in the West.

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#Oscars2017 Live Action Short Films shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that ten (10) live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 89th Academy Awards.

Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting.  One hundred thirty-seven (137) short films had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below.

Bon Voyage, Marc Raymond Wilkins, Switzerland, Greece and Turkey, 21'
Ennemis Intérieurs (Enemies Within), Sélim Azzazi, France, 27'
Graffiti, Lluís Quílez, Spain and Ukraine, 30'
La Femme et le TGV, Timo von Gunten, Switzerland, 30'
Les Frémissements du Thé (The Way of Tea), Marc Fouchard, France, 21'
Mindenki (Sing), Kristóf Deák, Hungary, 25'
Nocturne in Black, Jimmy Keyrouz, Lebanon, 23'
The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf and the Boy, Oualid Mouaness, Lebanon, 18'
Silent Nights, Aske Bang, Denmark
Timecode, Juanjo Giménez Peña, Spain, 15'

Short Films and Feature Animation Branch members will now select five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist. Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. Nominations for the 89th Oscars® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017. The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre.

Bon Voyage by Marc Raymond Wilkins
Synopsis: A couple‘s compassion is put to the test when they come across a sinking ship of refugees while on a pleasure trip across the Mediterranean.

 

Ennemis Intérieurs (Enemies Within) by Sélim Azzazi
Synopsis: During the 90s, Algerian terrorism reaches France. Two men. Two identities. One battle.



Graffiti by Lluís Quílez
Synopsis:An apocalyptic world. A devastated city. One last survivor. Edgar has learned to survive on his own avoiding contaminated areas by the “incident” which destroyed life as we knew it. But Edgar’s routine is suddenly disrupted by the discovery of a wall with graffitis by his bed. Just one word reveals the presence of another survivor: “Anna”.



La Femme et le TGV by Timo von Gunten
Synopsis: Elise Lafontaine has a secret routine -- every morning and evening for many years, she has been waving at the express train that passes her house. One (faithful) day, she finds a letter from the train conductor in her garden and her lonely life is turned upside down. She engages in a promising correspondence through poetic and thoughtful letters where the two anonymous writers share their worlds with each other. But Elise’s fairytale is cut short when the train line permanently detours for a shorter route to Paris. Not willing to do without her daily delight, Elise prompts a daring escape from her comfort zone and sets out to find the train conductor.



Les Frémissements du Thé (The Way of Tea) by Marc Fouchard
Synopsis: A small town in northern France, Alex, a young skinhead, enters Malik's grocery store.



Mindenki (Sing) by Kristóf Deák
Synopsis: Inspired by a true story, it follows an award winning school choir, their charming teacher and the new girl in class whose arrival starts a series of events that might expose the dark truth behind their fame.



Nocturne in Black by Jimmy Keyrouz
Synopsis: In a war-ravaged Middle Eastern neighborhood, a musician struggles to rebuild his piano after it is destroyed by Jihadists.



The Rifle, the Jackal, the Wolf and the Boy by Oualid Mouaness
Synopsis: Thinking they're doing the right thing by taking matters into their own hands, two brothers cross the line when they take a household rifle without their father's consent. Set in contemporary middle class rural Lebanon, a country with a porous border constantly threatened by hostile infiltration, this coming-of-age story examines fraternal trust and brings into focus the ethics of seemingly innocuous violence and its consequences.



Silent Nights by Aske Bang
Synopsis:


Timecode by Juanjo Giménez Peña
Synopsis: Luna and Diego are the parking lot security guards. Diego does the night shift, and Luna works by day.

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