The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic for I don’t feel at home in this world anymore.

Credit: Allyson Riggs

After 10 days, 119 feature films and three feet of snow, an evening of humor and humanity marked the 2017 Sundance Film Festival’s Awards Ceremony, with host Jessica Williams emceeing and jurors presenting 27 prizes for feature filmmaking in Park City, Utah. Honorees, named in total below, range from sharp comedies to provocative and timely documentaries and represent new achievements in global independent storytelling. Human stories prevailed across categories, with Grand Jury Prizes awarded to Dina (U.S. Documentary), Last Men in Aleppo (World Documentary), I don't feel at home in this world anymore. (U.S. Dramatic) and The Nile Hilton Incident (World Dramatic). Chasing Coral, showcased in the Festival’s environmental program The New Climate, won an Audience Award in the U.S. Documentary category.

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, “This has been one of the wildest, wackiest and most rewarding Festivals in recent memory. From a new government to the independently organized Women’s March on Main, to power outages, a cyberattack and snow at record levels, the work of our artists rose above it all and challenged and changed us these last 10 days. I am most proud that, through it all, we have formed a community that is bound tighter by the art we make and the ideas we support.”

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, added, “Let’s take the amazing energy we feel here at the Festival when we share stories with one another, and work together on behalf of the arts for the future we want to see.”

The awards ceremony marked the culmination of the 2017 Festival, where 119 feature-length and 68 short films — selected from 13,782 submissions — were showcased in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, Utah, alongside new episodic work, panels, music and New Frontier. The ceremony was live-streamed; video is available at youtube.com/sff.

This year’s jurors, invited in recognition of their accomplishments in the arts, technical craft and visionary storytelling, deliberated extensively before presenting awards from the stage; this year’s jurors were Diego Buñuel, Julie Goldman, Robert Greene, Susan Lacy, Larry Wilmore, Gael García Bernal, Peter Dinklage, Jody Hill, Jacqueline Lyanga, Jeannine Oppewall, Nai An, Sonia Braga, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Carl Spence, Marina Stavenhagen and Lynette Wallworth. Festival audiences voted for the Audience Awards in each of the U.S. and World Competitions and NEXT.

Feature film award winners in previous years include: Weiner, Sand Storm, The Birth of a Nation, Whiplash, Fruitvale Station, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Searching for Sugarman, The Square, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Cartel Land, The Wolf Pack, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, Dope, Dear White People, The Cove and Man on Wire.

2017 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL FEATURE FILM AWARDS

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Larry Wilmore to:
Dina / U.S.A. (Directors: Dan Sickles, Antonio Santini) — An eccentric suburban woman and a Walmart door-greeter navigate their evolving relationship in this unconventional love story.

The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Peter Dinklage to:
I don't feel at home in this world anymore. / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Macon Blair) — When a depressed woman is burglarized, she finds a new sense of purpose by tracking down the thieves, alongside her obnoxious neighbor. But they soon find themselves dangerously out of their depth against a pack of degenerate criminals. Cast: Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy, Devon Graye.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented by Lynette Wallworth to:
Last Men in Aleppo / Denmark, Syria (Director: Feras Fayyad) — After five years of war in Syria, Aleppo’s remaining residents prepare themselves for a siege. Khalid, Subhi and Mahmoud, founding members of The White Helmets, have remained in the city to help their fellow citizens—and experience daily life, death, struggle and triumph in a city under fire.

The World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented by Sonia Braga to:
The Nile Hilton Incident / Sweden, Germany, Denmark (Director and screenwriter: Tarik Saleh) — In Cairo, weeks before the 2011 revolution, Police Detective Noredin is working in the infamous Kasr el-Nil Police Station when he is handed the case of a murdered singer. He soon realizes that the investigation concerns the power elite, close to the President’s inner circle. Cast: Fares Fares, Mari Malek, Mohamed Yousry, Yasser Ali Maher, Ahmed Selim, Hania Amar.

The Audience Award: U.S. Documentary, Presented by Acura was presented by Barbara Kopple to:
Chasing Coral / U.S.A. (Director: Jeff Orlowski) — Coral reefs around the world are vanishing at an unprecedented rate. A team of divers, photographers and scientists set out on a thrilling ocean adventure to discover why and to reveal the underwater mystery to the world.

The Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic, Presented by Acura was presented by Taylor Sheridan to:
Crown Heights / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Ruskin) — When Colin Warner is wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend, Carl King, devotes his life to proving Colin's innocence. Adapted from This American Life, this is the incredible true story of their harrowing quest for justice. Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Nnamdi Asomugha, Natalie Paul, Bill Camp, Nestor Carbonell, Amari Cheatom.

The Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented by Barbara Kopple to:
Joshua: Teenager vs. Superpower / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Piscatella) — When the Chinese Communist Party backtracks on its promise of autonomy to Hong Kong, teenager Joshua Wong decides to save his city. Rallying thousands of kids to skip school and occupy the streets, Joshua becomes an unlikely leader in Hong Kong and one of China’s most notorious dissidents.

The Audience Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented by Taylor Sheridan to:
Sueño en otro idioma (I Dream in Another Language) / Mexico, Netherlands (Director: Ernesto Contreras, Screenwriter: Carlos Contreras) — The last two speakers of a millennia-old language haven’t spoken in 50 years, when a young linguist tries to bring them together. Yet hidden in the past, in the heart of the jungle, lies a secret concerning the fate of the Zikril language. Cast: Fernando Álvarez Rebeil, Eligio Meléndez, Manuel Poncelis, Fátima Molina, Juan Pablo de Santiago, Hoze Meléndez.

The Audience Award: NEXT, Presented by Adobe was presented by Bridget Everett to:
Gook / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Justin Chon) — Eli and Daniel, two Korean American brothers who own a struggling women's shoe store, have an unlikely friendship with 11-year-old Kamilla. On the first day of the 1992 L.A. riots, the trio must defend their store—and contemplate the meaning of family, their personal dreams and the future. Cast: Justin Chon, Simone Baker, David So, Curtiss Cook Jr., Sang Chon, Ben Munoz.

The Directing Award: U.S. Documentary was presented by Susan Lacy to:
Peter Nicks for his film The Force / U.S.A. (Director: Peter Nicks) — This cinema verité look at the long-troubled Oakland Police Department goes deep inside their struggles to confront federal demands for reform, a popular uprising following events in Ferguson and an explosive scandal.

The Directing Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented by Jody Hill to:
Eliza Hittman for her film Beach Rats / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Eliza Hittman) — An aimless teenager on the outer edges of Brooklyn struggles to escape his bleak home life and navigate questions of self-identity, as he balances his time between his delinquent friends, a potential new girlfriend, and older men he meets online. Cast: Harris Dickinson, Madeline Weinstein, Kate Hodge.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Documentary was presented by Marina Stavenhagen to:
Pascale Lamche, for her film WINNIE / France (Director: Pascale Lamche) — While her husband served a life sentence, paradoxically kept safe and morally uncontaminated, Winnie Mandela rode the raw violence of apartheid, fighting on the front line and underground. This is the untold story of the mysterious forces that combined to take her down, labeling him a saint, her, a sinner.

The Directing Award: World Cinema Dramatic was presented by Athina Tsangari to:
Francis Lee, for his film God's Own Country / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Francis Lee) — Springtime in Yorkshire: isolated young sheep farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker, employed for the lambing season, ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path. Cast: Josh O'Connor, Alec Secareanu, Ian Hart, Gemma Jones.

The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic was presented by Gael Garcia Bernal to:
Matt Spicer and David Branson Smith, for their film Ingrid Goes West / U.S.A. (Director: Matt Spicer, Screenwriters: Matt Spicer, David Branson Smith) — A young woman becomes obsessed with an Instagram “influencer” and moves to Los Angeles to try and befriend her in real life. Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Elizabeth Olsen, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Wyatt Russell, Billy Magnussen.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Inspirational Filmmaking was presented by Julie Goldman to:
STEP / U.S.A. (Director: Amanda Lipitz) — With dreams of becoming the first in their families to attend college, a group of seniors from an inner-city Baltimore girls high school strives to make their step dance team a success against a backdrop of social unrest in a troubled city.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Storytelling was presented by Robert Greene to:
Strong Island / U.S.A., Denmark (Director: Yance Ford) — Examining the violent death of the filmmaker’s brother and the judicial system that allowed his killer to go free, this documentary interrogates murderous fear and racialized perception, and re-imagines the wreckage in catastrophe’s wake, challenging us to change.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Editing was presented by Diego Buñuel to:
Unrest / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Brea) — When Harvard PhD student Jennifer Brea is struck down at 28 by a fever that leaves her bedridden, doctors tell her it’s "all in her head." Determined to live, she sets out on a virtual journey to document her story—and four other families' stories—fighting a disease medicine forgot.

A U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award: The Orwell Award was presented by Diego Buñuel to:
ICARUS / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Fogel) — When Bryan Fogel sets out to uncover the truth about doping in sports, a chance meeting with a Russian scientist transforms his story from a personal experiment into a geopolitical thriller involving dirty urine, unexplained death and Olympic Gold—exposing the biggest scandal in sports history.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography was presented by Gael Garcia Bernal to:
Director of Photography Daniel Landin for The Yellow Birds / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandre Moors, Screenwriters: David Lowery, R.F.I. Porto) — Two young men enlist in the army and are deployed to fight in the Iraq War. After an unthinkable tragedy, the returning soldier struggles to balance his promise of silence with the truth and a mourning mother’s search for peace. Cast: Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jason Patric, Toni Collette, Jennifer Aniston.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Performance was presented by Jacqueline Lyanga to:
Chanté Adams, in Roxanne Roxanne / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — The most feared battle MC in early-'80s NYC was a fierce teenager from the Queensbridge projects with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At age 14, hustling the streets to provide for her family, Roxanne Shanté was well on her way to becoming a hip-hop legend. Cast: Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, Shenell Edmonds.

A U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Director was presented by Jeannine Oppewall to:
Maggie Betts, for her film Novitiate/ U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Maggie Betts) — In the early 1960s, during the Vatican II era, a young woman training to become a nun struggles with issues of faith, sexuality and the changing church. Cast: Margaret Qualley, Melissa Leo, Julianne Nicholson, Dianna Agron, Morgan Saylor.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography was presented by Marina Stavenhagen to:
Cinematographer Rodrigo Trejo Villanueva for Machines / India, Germany, Finland (Director: Rahul Jain) — This intimate, observant portrayal of the rhythm of life and work in a gigantic textile factory in Gujarat, India, moves through the corridors and bowels of the enormously disorienting structure—taking the viewer on a journey of dehumanizing physical labor and intense hardship.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Commanding Vision was presented by Carl Spence to:
Motherland / U.S.A., Philippines (Director: Ramona S. Diaz) — Taking us into the heart of the planet's busiest maternity hospital, the viewer is dropped like an unseen outsider into the hospital's stream of activity. At first, the people are strangers. As the film continues, it's absorbingly intimate, rendering the women at the heart of the story increasingly familiar.

A World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Masterful Storytellingwas presented by Lynette Wallworth to:
RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World / Canada (Directors: Catherine Bainbridge, Alfonso Maiorana) — This powerful documentary about the role of Native Americans in contemporary music history—featuring some of the greatest music stars of our time—exposes a critical missing chapter, revealing how indigenous musicians helped shape the soundtracks of our lives and, through their contributions, influenced popular culture. Cast: Robbie Robertson, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Martin Scorsese, Tony Bennett, Steven Tyler, Iggy Pop.

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematography was presented by Athina Tsangari to:
Cinematographer Manu Dacosse for Axolotl Overkill / Germany (Director and screenwriter: Helene Hegemann) — Mifti, age 16, lives in Berlin with a cast of characters including her half-siblings; their rich, self-involved father; and her junkie friend Ophelia. As she mourns her recently deceased mother, she begins to develop an obsession with Alice, an enigmatic, and much older, white-collar criminal. Cast: Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Arly Jover, Mavie Hörbiger, Laura Tonke, Hans Löw, Bernhard Schütz.

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Cinematic Vision was presented by Sonia Braga to:
Free and Easy / Hong Kong (Director: Jun Geng, Screenwriters: Jun Geng, Yuhua Feng, Bing Liu) — When a traveling soap salesman arrives in a desolate Chinese town, a crime occurs, and sets the strange residents against each other with tragicomic results. Cast: Xu Gang, Zhang Zhiyong, Xue Baohe, Gu Benbin, Zhang Xun, Yuan Liguo.

A World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Screenwriting was presented by Nai An to:
Screenwriter Kirsten Tan for Pop Aye / Singapore, Thailand (Director and screenwriter: Kirsten Tan) — On a chance encounter, a disenchanted architect bumps into his long-lost elephant on the streets of Bangkok. Excited, he takes his elephant on a journey across Thailand in search of the farm where they grew up together. Cast: Thaneth Warakulnukroh, Penpak Sirikul, Bong.

The following awards were presented at separate ceremonies at the Festival:

SHORT FILM AWARDS:
Jury prizes and honorable mentions in short filmmaking were presented at a ceremony in Park City on January 24. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize was awarded to: And so we put goldfish in the pool./ Japan (Director and screenwriter: Makoto Nagahisa). The Short Film Jury Award: U.S. Fiction was presented to: Lucia, Before and After / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Anu Valia). The Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction was presented to: And The Whole Sky Fit In The Dead Cow's Eye / Chile, U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Francisca Alegría). The Short Film Jury Award: Nonfiction was presented to: Alone / U.S.A. (Director: Garrett Bradley). The Short Film Jury Award: Animation was presented to: Broken – The Women's Prison at Hoheneck/ Germany (Directors: Volker Schlecht, Alexander Lahl, Screenwriters: Alexander Lahl, Max Mönch). A Short Film Special Jury Award for Cinematography was presented to: Dadyaa — The Woodpeckers of Rotha / Nepal, France (Directors and screenwriters: Pooja Gurung, Bibhusan Basnet, Cinematographer: Chintan Rajbhandari), and a Short Film Special Jury Award for Editing was presented to: Laps / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charlotte Wells, editor Blair McClendon).

The Short Film jurors were costume designer and wardrobe stylist Shirley Kurata, comedian, actor and writer Patton Oswalt and filmmaker David Lowery. The Short Film program is presented by YouTube.

GLOBAL FILMMAKING AWARDS:
The winning directors and projects of the 2017 Sundance Institute Global Filmmaking Awards, in recognition and support of emerging independent filmmakers from around the world on the basis of their next screenplay, are:

Yalda (Iran) / Massoud Bakhshi

Mignonnes (France) / Maimouna Doucoure

The Hanged (Brazil) / Fernando Coimbra

Untitled Rock Opera (Poland) / Agnieszka Smoczynska

The Sundance Institute / NHK Award was presented to: I Came By (United Kingdom) / Babak Anvari 

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

On Thursday night, when Denzel Washington is finally presented with his Leonard Maltin Masters Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the award hand-off is done by a little girl from the cast of FENCES, in which he stars and directs. This is the movie that has him Oscar-nominated along with co-star Viola Davis, who gives what can only be called a go-to-God, heart-stopping performance. Saniyya Sidney, age 11, presents the honor with FENCES co-star Stephen McKinley Henderson. Saniyya will say “and he only needs one name, Denzel!”

The packed Arlington Theater will erupt in applause, this after a night of Denzel Moments from all of his major films dating back to A Soldier’s Story in 1984, directed by Norman Jewison. This clip is from a time when Washington wasn’t even among the top-billed. Leonard Maltin, for whom the Master Award is now named, will sift through the images and introduce the honoree as “One of our greatest living actors.” 

“I discovered him on television in a show called St. Elsewhere,” Maltin begins. “Back in the 80’s, they had something called ‘Appointment Television’ and St. Elsewhere was Appointment Television. There was this young actor, part of the ensemble. Somebody you wanted to watch. Who held his own with all these experienced, much more mature actors. Some of the great ones.”

When he asks Denzel if Sidney Poitier was an influence coming up. The actor’s eyebrows arch, “I just came from Sidney’s house.” “How is he?,” Maltin asks. “He’s 90,” Washington says, throwing a laugh line. “But I’ll tell you a Sidney story. I’ve got a Sidney story.” Poitier was “in a book store in Beverly Hills, I got my picture and resume from the car, and it didn't turn out too well.” Poitier snubbed him completely. “So don’t anybody give me their head shots or resumes, either,” he adds, looking half his age at 62.

It’s difficult to imagine Denzel Washington the icon of American movies as a young stage actor, but the next story he shares is so poignant, you get a sense of how far he has come. “I started acting in 1975, James Earl Jones was big in theater... we were theatre snobs — Theatre with an "re". As Leonard Maltin chips away at the memories on screen, Denzel jokes “This is your life.” And he somehow segues into “commuting to Zimbabwe.”

He’s talking about the movie Cry Freedom (1987) in which he plays Steve Biko, an anti-Apartheid activist who died at the hands of the police. “That scene you saw me doing in Cry Freedom, I was so spaced out from jet lag, they had to give me another day. They shot everybody else and shot me last.” “Again, I have to thank the late great producer Bruce Paltrow (Gwyneth Paltrow’s father) for allowing me to leave [his TV show] to do films.”

 On becoming famous, he recalls seeing “1000 people trying to get in to see [him]. [He was sitting on a] Bench across from the federalist theater. All these people lining up. And I'm making 125 dollars a week. I knew there was something about it more than acting, not saying I'm a messenger, but I'll try.” That experience was during the run of a play called “When The Chickens Come Home To Roost.” 

“If I hadn't done the play, hadn't got the responses,” Denzel says he wouldn’t have known how to play Malcolm X for director Spike Lee when he got tapped to star. “I knew I could do the part, I had the glasses,” Denzel jokes. “And because it was Spike.

Washington then actually takes off his shoe, demonstrating how he was so far into the part he could channel extemporaneous dialogue on the spot. “This sneaker is white and the black man is the sock, choked at the neck!” Snapping back into himself, he adds “no disrespect to white people or sneakers.” His sense of humor is as powerful as his dramatic streak.

Denzel confides that his wife of many years has been the solid ground for himself and his four children throughout his long career. “‘My wife would say, who's coming home today?’ Malcolm X was coming home. And she'd say 'okay, everything is the white man's fault,’” with an eyeroll. “Another day it was the guy with trumpet, and she's like 'okay.’”

Security is ridiculous on Denzel’s Maltin Masters Award night, about nine guys in black suits with earpieces go by. Denzel himself is wrapped up with fans. But he makes special time for some young reporters. Later in line, one of the budding journalists will say “He Touched My Arm,” in a hysterical whisper. One piece of wisdom to this group of upcomers is "The best advice I can give is this: fall down seven times, get up eight." As for his own path, Warren Beaty literally helped teach him how to be a director.

"I tried to BS my way through directing, but Warren Beatty helped me understand I could do it.” Beatty told him that “acting is a way in.” As for his own adventure in becoming a famous person, now up for a potential third Oscar win with FENCES, the Oscar-nominee is circumspect. As his life was “changing" (re: becoming famous), it started to hit him hard that it was kind of a big deal. So he went to see his mother.

“She owned a beauty parlor. And she started calling me ‘Superstar.’ 'Hey Superstar, see that over there? Can you empty the garbage? Hey, Superstar, can you pick up a squeegee and do those windows?' My mother brought me back to Earth fast.'"

Now one of his sons, also in the business, has expressed concern about the comparisons. “He said ‘ Your shadow is so big.’ I said you ever heard of Kirk Douglas? He said ‘no.’ I said you heard of Michael Douglas? ‘Yeah.’ Well go Google Kirk Douglas, then we'll talk about a long shadow.”

The 32nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival is in full swing as Leonard Maltin awarded the Maltin Modern Master Award presented by Dom Perignon to Denzel Washington on Thursday, Feb. 2. SBIFF continues through Feb. 11, 2017. Stay tuned for more about SBIFF, and get tickets/information at their website.

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Winter Film Awards Is New York City.  Like the city itself, we showcase the eclectic diversity and excitement of the independent arts world. Winter Film Awards is proudly one of the Top 10 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway.

Winter Film Awards 6th annual Indie Film Festival runs Feb 23-Mar 4 in NYC with a jam-packed schedule of 88 films of All Genres -- Free Discussion Panels —$5 Matinees —Bloody Thursday All Horror All Day — Daily Screenings of fantastic films and lots of Free Parties.   Gala Red Carpet & Awards Ceremony to be held @Club230Fifth (230 Fifth Ave) Mar 4 8-11PM. 

Among the awesome films you can see at Cinema Village in the heart of Greenwich Village (22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003), is a diverse mixture of 11 Animated films, 8 Documentaries, 11 Feature narratives, 10 Horror films, 12 Music Videos, 24 Narrative shorts and 7 Web series, including 12 student films and 33 first-time filmmakers.  Filmmakers come from 30 countries; 42% of the films were created by women, 45% were created by people of color.

Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone! #WFA2017 #WFASoDiverse. 

* Tickets on sale now!  http://2017wfa.eventcombo.com/

* Opening Night Filmmaker's Reception & Kick-Off Party…. Feb 23 8-11PM … FREE

* Screenings All Day…. February 24 – March 2

* Cocktail party with Cinematcher - try out the newest app called "the Tinder of Film Casting"…. Feb 27 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Film, Identity and Space: Indie Iranian Films Discussion…. Feb 28 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Getting Financing for your Indie Film Discussion Panel  …. Mar 1 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Understanding Legal Issues for Indie Filmmakers Discussion Panel  …. Mar 2 6-7:30PM … FREE

* The Casting Process – Discussion Panel & Networking Party…. Mar 3 6-9PM … $5

* Awards Ceremony & Gala Red Carpet Party… Mar 4 8PM-2AM … Club230Fifth …FREE

Winter Film Awards beautiful official 2017 Festival artwork was designed by renowned artist and Professor Viktor Koen from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com for tickets, schedule and details

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondence

Something Emma Stone says in an off-hand way when she and Ryan Gosling pick up the Outstanding Performers of the Year from Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) on Friday night really sticks. Seated beside Gosling, her co-star and co-nominee for the acting Oscars in LA LA LAND, Stone plays with the 20’s fringe on her dress, then offers this insight: “movies make us feel less alone, I guess, that’s what they did for me.”

In that small statement, you can see her whole career encapsulated. How she watched Steve Martin’s THE JERK from 1979. “I love The Jerk. It's my dad's favorite movie.” How she built her own world of characters. “We laughed at that movie over and over. It was a very important bonding moment. Should I be on the couch?” Ryan Gosling, who is known for not being flashy about his secret good-guy deeds like privately playing music for children in hospitals, looks at Stone with a rapt expression. But when asked about his own experiences growing up to be an actor, he deflects it with “at 15, I was all about the scratch. Making the paper.” “And he’s still like that,” Stone quips, “all about the money.”

Their chemistry is fun to watch. Emma adds that her “favorite characters have a wide-eyed nature to them.”

“As a viewer I'm drawn to comedy with a hopefulness to it. It’s about being uplifted in a way by film. That's what comedy did for me. I escaped into those characters -- I can't brush them off as just funny. Gilda Radner, John Candy, Bill Murray... Shirley MacLaine shaped me,” Ryan’s co-star from CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE shares.  “The films that I love the most have a combination of both - someone that can break your heart and make you laugh, and a story that can break your heart and make you laugh, at the same time.” 

Gosling throws a curveball in the conversation, but he’s actually serious and unapologetic. “It's crazy that Eddie Murphy can sit at a table and play nine characters and that's not rewarded.” This affirmation of comedy’s power comes after he says, “as a comedian you kind of start by making your Mom laugh. Right?”

Gosling, who got his start out of Canada as a Disney Channel song and dance import before crossing over into mainstream films, reveals his far-flung odds for making it in Hollywood. “My mom had a membership to the library movie thing, because they were free. I saw Abbott and Costello, any duo film, Martin and Lewis and Danny Kaye, all of them.”

He recalls that he liked teams because the action was shared and it felt real. “I’d like to do that with Emma or Steve Carell [reteam]. Anytime you can do that, it's fun.” He will call Emma, “Emsies” to prod her.

“Emsies? I've never called him Rysies,” she retorts. “Ryan can be infuriating to work with, I’m kidding.”

A flash of paparazzi lights whizz across Ryan and Emma at various moments during the evening. “Every time I change positions, these guys take a million pictures,”

Ryan notes. And then it’s back to LA LA LAND, the realities of getting a musical made, including three months of jazz piano lessons for Ryan, two hours, almost every day. Director Damien Chazelle, already famous for Oscar-winner WHIPLASH, is on hand. Ryan singles him out. “Damien, can I tell the story about how we first met?” After a wary nod, Gosling lets it slip.

“When I first met Damien, we first met at a restaurant. I tapped him on the shoulder, and he gave me this look like motherf@#%. ‘Who's this guy to put their hands on me?’ I thought, he's got a fight in him, that I respect, and I thought this could come in  handy later.” On a serious note, the DRIVE actor says “I think he remembers the moment he fell in love with cinema. Damien can make you feel that.”

On Gene Kelly as an influence, Gosling nails his importance. “I liked the masculinity about him, he could dance and kick your ass. Tough and graceful. A balance.” It wasn’t until recently in his career Gosling found out Gene Kelly was involved in every facet of show business. “I didn't know he wasn't just a dancer, he was a choreographer, producer, and more.”

Both actors actually visited the home of Gene Kelly's widow before making LA LA LAND. “She let us look at his archive, sort of gave us her blessing.”

Damien Chazelle takes over, like a true director who has so far made the most inventive hits to come out of Hollywood in a long time. The story he tells is as awesome as the dreamer plot in LA LA LAND, now nominated for a record 14 Oscars. When he first had the idea for the musical, he told people “our dream is Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. People said ‘yeah good luck with that.’ I guess no one is more shocked than I that they agreed to do it. That they poured so much into these roles. That Ryan learned jazz piano in three months to become a virtuoso. Emma did so much.” The movie is “effervescent and heart breaking and again they make it seem effortless. I still pinch myself that any of it happened. Really the reason I wanted you in the movie is because I think you are two of the best performers working right now.”

LA LA LAND will take its place in movie history at the Oscars on Sunday, Feb. 26, but it’s already taken so many awards that Ryan Gosling says “I thought making it was enough, then the next thing happened, and that was enough. All the awards are just icing on the cake.” For more information about Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which runs through Feb. 11, visit sbiff.org.

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CANON INNOVATION AWARD

CineMart 2017 saw the launch of the Propellor Film Tech Hub, an initiative by IFFR, EFM, CPH:DOX and Cinemathon, to develop new business models for the production, distribution and experience of films. During the Propellor | Kickstart event ten innovative ideas were developed and eventually pitched to an audience of professionals from different disciplines (film & tech). Two ideas were selected to be pitched tonight at the CineMart Closing Night to the audience. The audience voted for Culture Cues (working title), to be presented with the Canon Innovation Award. The award includes travel, accommodation and participation in the Propellor bootcamp in Berlin this summer.

Culture Cues - a Tinder-like app for film viewers - shows trailers and gathers the data of the users and the trailers they like. Culture Cues shares this information with distributors and exhibitors who can then prepare targeted campaigns since they know who wants to see their films where. The Culture Cues team comprised of Victoria Thomas (UK), Sterre Heinis (The Netherlands), Imke Poeschel (Germany) and Jacob McPherson (USA).

CineMart ran from 29 January to 1 February 2017 as part of International Film Festival Rotterdam which runs from 25 January to 5 February. CineMart was the first platform of its kind to offer filmmakers the opportunity to launch their projects to the international film industry and to connect with appropriate industry executives to secure financing. Launching new projects in need of additional financing, CineMart also heralds an important start of the film year. Every year, CineMart invites a select number of directors/producers to present their film projects to co-producers, bankers, funds, sales agents, distributors, TV stations and other potential financiers.

Click here for the full selection list for CineMart 2017.

Award-winning actress and producer America Ferrera will receive the NAB Television Chairman’s Award during the NAB Show Television Luncheon. The luncheon will be held Monday, April 24 at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

Ferrera is best known for her breakthrough role as Betty Suarez on ABC’s comedy “Ugly Betty.” She was recognized with a Golden Globe, Emmy, Screen Actors Guild Award, ALMA and Imagen Award for her performance.

Ferrera currently produces and stars as Amy in the second season of NBC’s workplace comedy “Superstore.” She is also a contributor in the EPIX TV mini-series “America Divided,” a five-part documentary that explores inequality in education, housing, healthcare, labor, criminal justice and other related topics.

“America Ferrera is an esteemed and versatile actress who not only entertains, but brings attention to a variety of important national and global issues,” said NAB Executive Vice President of Television Marcellus Alexander. “She is the embodiment of what this award represents.”

Ferrera most recently appeared in Showtime’s second season of the groundbreaking documentary "The Years of Living Dangerously." She is the executive producer of Refinery 29’s "Behind the Headlines," a multimedia experience comprising video, text and images dedicated to humanizing the conversations around issues that matter to women.

Upcoming, she will executive produce MACRO’s digital series "Gente-Fied," a dramatic comedy featuring an all-Latino cast, which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, and "Only Girl," which is a docu-series investigating what it means to be a female in a male-dominated field, ranging from baseball players to airplane pilots.

Ferrera is a fierce advocate of both women and immigration rights, speaking about the issues at the historic Women’s March on Washington, D.C., the day after the presidential inauguration, and the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia in July 2016.

Established to recognize individuals for significant achievement in one or more specific art disciplines in television, the NAB Television Chairman's Award first debuted in 2009 with four-time Emmy and two-time Golden Globe-winning actor Kelsey Grammar as the recipient. The last recipient was film, television and stage actress Keke Palmer in 2016.

Angry Inuk has been voted winner of the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival People’s Choice Award. TIFF’s celebration of Canadian cinema, screen talent, and creativity crowned its people choice award winner, with Toronto audiences voting Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s documentary Angry Inuk their favourite pick from the festival’s 10 feature films.
 
Angry Inuk investigates the global anti-sealing movement's impact on Inuit communities. Director Arnaquq-Baril joins her fellow Inuit activists as they challenge outdated perceptions of Inuit and present themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.
 
Commenting on winning the People’s Choice Award, director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril said, “I want to say thank you to everyone who came out and saw Angry Inuk and was willing to open their hearts and minds to a perspective that they have not seen before. We are heading into our European and American premieres in the next couple of weeks so this is wonderful news to receive.”
 
Watch Alethea’s full acceptance speech here: https://youtu.be/M0NG9nG-wJ0
 
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival presents a programme of screenings, special events and a collection of unique Canadian film moments. Zacharias Knuck’s Maliglutuit (Searchers) opened the festival on January 13^th at TIFF Bell Lightbox to a sell-out crowd; and the festival’s showcase of innovative and original films featured prominent guests including Johnny Ma, Ashley McKenzie, Gordon Pinsent, Atom Egoyan, Jennifer Baichwal, Michael Snow and many more.
 
This year's Canada's Top Ten lineup includes movies from British Columbia to Nunavut to Nova Scotia. The festival’s growing national scope continues its expansion with audiences in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Regina, Edmonton and Saskatoon seeing a selection of the year’s best Canadian feature films, shorts and student shorts this week. Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival travels to Winnipeg, Halifax and Ottawa throughout the spring. More about details about the national tour can be found on TIFF.net and in local listings. 
 
The festival’s programme also included full day industry session; three In-conversation With... events; a series of free Canada on Screen classic titles celebrating the Sesquicentennial; and Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival officially draws to a close on Thursday 26^th of January with a special TIFF Members screening of Nathan Morlando’s Mean Dreams, in partnership with Movie Nights Across Canada, with guests director Nathan Morlando and stars Colm Feore and Sophie Nélisse among the VIP guests attending.
 
Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival People’s Choice Award
The People’s Choice Award goes to Angry Inuk, directed by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

Seal hunting, a critical part of Inuit life, has been controversial for a long time. Now, a new generation of Inuit, armed with social media and their own sense of humour and justice, are challenging the anti-sealing groups and bringing their own voices into the conversation. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril (Sol) joins her fellow Inuit activists as they challenge outdated perceptions of Inuit and present themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy.
 
Commenting on winning the People’s Choice Award, director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril said, “I want to say thank you to everyone who came out and saw Angry Inuk and was willing to open their hearts and minds to a perspective that they have not seen before. We are heading into our European and American premieres in the next couple of weeks so this is wonderful news to receive.”
  
Student Film Awards
The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival spotlights student shorts in its annual lineup, presenting the top student shorts from colleges and universities across the country. In a ceremony held on January 14 at TIFF Bell Lightbox, prizes were awarded to student films in the live action and animation categories.
 
The winners were selected by the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts panel of filmmakers and industry professionals, including: producer Stacey Donen; TIFF Short Cuts programmer and filmmaker Danis Goulet; writer-director Ashley McKenzie; filmmaker and musician Blaine Thurier and Winnipeg Film Group’s Ben Williams.
 
Best Live Action Student Short
The winner of the Best Live Action Student Film award is Les Beiges, directed byÉtienne Lacelle (Concordia University). Shifting between striking close-ups, intimate details, and cars spinning around a race track, Les Beiges delicately captures the world occupied by a group of car enthusiasts in St-Eustache, Québec.
 
The award comes with: a rental grant worth $6,000 provided by William F. White International Inc.; a DCP output of the film courtesy of Technicolor; $1,000 from the Directors Guild of Canada; two tickets to the Directors Guild of Canada Awards, and an Industry Pass to the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
 
Runner-up for Best Live Action Student Short
The Land of Nod, directed by Ivan Ramin Radnik (Humber College), was awarded Runner-up for Best Live Action Student Film. The drama portrays a young man tormented by classmates, haunted by the dead, and consumed by the question of whether he is anything like his violent absent father.

The Runner-up prize awards a rental grant worth $3,500 provided by William F. White International Inc.
 
Best Animated Student Short
The prize for Best Animated Student Film goes to Feathers, directed by Sarah Kieley (Sheridan College). Beautifully captured through vibrant stop-motion animation, Feathers is a story of love and acceptance in which a mother and daughter struggle to cope with an unusual change.
 
The award comes with: a DCP output of the film courtesy of Technicolor; $1,000 courtesy of the Directors Guild of Canada; two tickets to the Directors Guild of Canada Awards, and an Industry Pass to the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
 
Established by TIFF in 2001, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival celebrates and promotes contemporary Canadian cinema and raises awareness of Canadian achievements in film.
 

Friday, February 10, 2017 at 12.15 pm Cinema at the Martin-Gropius-Bau (MGB)

Since 1986 the Berlin International Film Festival has presented the Berlinale Camera to film personalities or institutions to which it feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks.

First awarded in 2016, this prestigious prize will now be presented annually to an outstanding producer.

We would like to invite you to the award ceremony of the Berlinale Camera for producer and distributor Nansun Shi (Hong Kong, China). Berlinale Director Dieter Kosslick, EFM Director Matthijs Wouter Knol and EFM President Beki Probst will also attend the event on Friday, February 10 in the cinema of the Martin-Gropius-Bau (MGB). Fred Tsui will give a speech in her honour.

Nansun Shi

Nansun Shi is one of the most important and influential producers and distributors of the international film world. In the 1970s, following her studies in statistics and computer science in London, and before starting her career as a film producer, she was engaged in the field of television in Hong Kong. In 1984, after working as executive director for Cinema City Studios for a number of years, Nansun Shi and renowned director Tsui Hark, founded Film Workshop, their own production company. It wasn’t long before its name was equated with hits at the box office. Their biggest international successes in this period include A Better Tomorrow (1986) by John Woo; Once Upon a Time in China (1991) with Jet Li, and Seven Swords (2005), both of which were directed by Tsui Hark. Produced in 2002, the multiple prize-winning thriller Infernal Affairs was the film on which Martin Scorsese based TheDeparted (2006). In addition, as co-founder of Distribution Workshop, she was committed to her role as distributor of Chinese-language films. She was also the Vice Chairman of the Media Asia Group, one of the largest Asian film studios. In 2011 she served on the jury of the International Film Festival in Cannes, and in 2014 she received the Best Independent Producer Award in Locarno. In 2013 the French government honoured Nansun with the title of Officier de I’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres; in 2015 the Udine Far East Film Festival, with the Golden Mulberry Life Time Achievement Award. 

She has close ties with the Berlinale: in 2007 she was a member of the International Jury, and since then has been a regular guest at the Festival. In 2011 she presented Late Autumn (dir: Kim Tae-Yong) in the Forum; and in 2012 Flying Swords of Dragon Gate (dir: Tsui Hark) in the Competition section, where it screened out of competition. Most recently, she produced The Taking of Tiger Mountain, which was a big hit in China.

Modelled on a real camera, the Berlinale Camera has 128 finely crafted components made by Dusseldorf-based goldsmith Georg Hornemann.

                                                            31st Goya Awards Winner list:
 

Mejor película - Tarde para la ira

Mejor dirección - J.A. Bayona por Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor dirección novel - Raúl Arévalo por Tarde para la ira
Mejor actor - Roberto Álamo por Que Dios nos perdone
Mejor actriz - Emma Suárez por Julieta
Mejor actor de reparto - Manolo Solo por Tarde para la ira
Mejor actriz de reparto - Emma Suárez por La próxima piel
Mejor actor revelación - Carlos Santos por El hombre de las mil caras
Mejor actriz revelación - Anna Castillo por El olivo
Mejor guión original - Raúl Arévalo y David Pulido por Tarde para la ira
Mejor guión adaptado - Alberto Rodríguez por El hombre de las mil caras
Mejor película iberoamericana - El ciudadano ilustre (Argentina)
Mejor película europea - Elle (Francia)
Mejor pelí­cula de animación - Psiconautas
Mejor película documental - Frágil equilibrio
Mejor fotografía - Óscar Faura por Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor música - Fernando Velázquez por Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor canción - 'Ay ay ay', de Cerca de tu casa
Mejor montaje - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor dirección artística - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor dirección de producción - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor diseño de vestuario - 1898. Los últimos de Filipinas
Mejor maquillaje y peluquería - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor sonido - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejores efectos especiales - Un monstruo viene a verme
Mejor cortometraje de ficción - Timecode 

Mejor cortometraje de animación - Decorado

Mejor cortometraje documental - Cabezas habladoras

Goya de honor - Ana Belén                                                                                                      

Casey Affleck wins Leading Actor for Manchester by the Sea

Dev Patel and Viola Davis win Supporting Actor and Actress

I, Daniel Blake wins Outstanding British Film

At tonight’s EE British Academy Film Awards La La Land was named Best Film, with Damien Chazelle winning Director and Emma Stone receiving the award for Leading Actress. Linus Sandgren won for Cinematography and Justin Hurwitz won Original Music.

Casey Affleck won Leading Actor for his role in Manchester by the Sea, which also earned its writer/director Kenneth Lonergan the award for Original Screenplay.

Supporting Actor went to Dev Patel for Lion, for which Luke Davies won Adapted Screenplay.

The ceremony was hosted for a 12th year by Stephen Fry and held at London’s Royal Albert Hall, and featured performances by Cirque du Soleil and Sheku Kanneh-Mason, winner of the BBC Young Musician 2016.

Supporting Actress went to Viola Davis for her role in Fences. All four actors are first-time BAFTA winners.

Outstanding British Film was won by I, Daniel Blake, directed by Ken Loach.

Ava DuVernay’s film, exploring race in the US criminal justice system, 13th, won the award for Documentary. Kubo and the Two Strings took the award for Animated Film, and Film Not in the English Language was won by Hungarian holocaust drama, Son of Saul.

Arrival received the award for Sound, Hacksaw Ridge won for Editing, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them collected the BAFTA for Production Design, Florence Foster Jenkins took the award for Make Up and Hair, Jackie won Costume Design and The Jungle Book received the BAFTA for Special Visual Effects.

Writer/director Babak Anvari and producers Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill and Lucan Toh received the award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Under the Shadow.

Home won the British Short Film award, while the BAFTA for British Short Animation was won by A Love Story.

The EE Rising Star Award, voted for by the public went to Tom Holland.

The Special Award for Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema was presented to film distributor and exhibitor Curzon for its work in bringing art house and foreign language cinema to British audiences.

Nathan Lane, Simon Pegg and HRH The Duke of Cambridge, President of BAFTA, presented the Academy’s highest honour, the Fellowship, to writer, director, actor and producer Mel Brooks.

As part of BAFTA’s year-round programme of events and initiatives, many of this year’s nominees took part in ‘BAFTA Film: The Sessions’ on Saturday 11 February. The Sessions saw the nominees discuss their craft with beneficiaries of BAFTA’s new talent schemes. These interviews will be available online on BAFTA Guru in the coming weeks.

In addition, a number of the British Short Film and British Short Animation nominees are taking part in Q&As at theatrical screenings of their films, across the UK and overseas, in partnership with the Independent Cinema Office (ICO) and the British Council. BAFTA is helping to raise the profile of the filmmakers and their films even further by partnering with Curzon Home Cinema and American Airlines to enable up to 7 million people in the UK to see the BAFTA-nominated shorts online.

Other year-round film activity includes initiatives such as our new talent activity and scholarships programme, BAFTA Crew and BAFTA Elevate as well as masterclasses, the David Lean Lecture delivered by a leading film director and 'A Life in Pictures'.

To access the best creative minds in film, TV and games production, visit www.bafta.org/guru. For more, visit www.bafta.org.

--WINNERS LISTED BELOW--

Supporting documents and media:
Visit www.bafta.org/mediacentre for all supporting documents including the full list of today's winners, photography, video, logos and more.

For further information:
Vicky Grayson
Vicky.grayson@freuds.com
+44 (0) 203 003 6327 / +44 (0) 7872 604 784

--
2016 NOMINATIONS AND WINNERS
(presented in 2017)

FELLOWSHIP
MEL BROOKS

OUTSTANDING BRITISH CONTRIBUTION TO CINEMA
CURZON

BEST FILM
ARRIVAL Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron Ryder
I, DANIEL BLAKE Rebecca O'Brien
LA LA LAND Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc Platt
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. Walsh
MOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
AMERICAN HONEY Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van Hoy
DENIAL Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, Russ Krasnoff, David Hare
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM David Yates, David Heyman, Steve Kloves, J.K. Rowling, Lionel Wigram
I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach, Rebecca O'Brien, Paul Laverty
NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney, Mike Brett, Jo-Jo Ellison, Steve Jamison
UNDER THE SHADOW Babak Anvari, Emily Leo, Oliver Roskill, Lucan Toh

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
The Girl With All the Gifts: MIKE CAREY (Writer), CAMILLE GATIN (Producer)
The Hard Stop: GEORGE AMPONSAH (Writer/Director/Producer), DIONNE WALKER (Writer/Producer)
Notes on Blindness: PETER MIDDLETON (Writer/Director/Producer), JAMES SPINNEY (Writer/Director/Producer), JO-JO ELLISON (Producer)
The Pass: JOHN DONNELLY (Writer), BEN A. WILLIAMS (Director)
Under the Shadow: BABAK ANVARI (Writer/Director), EMILY LEO, OLIVER ROSKILL, LUCAN TOH (Producers)

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DHEEPAN Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
JULIETA Pedro Almodóvar, Agustín Almodóvar
MUSTANG Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Charles Gillibert
SON OF SAUL László Nemes, Gábor Sipos
TONI ERDMANN Maren Ade, Janine Jackowski

DOCUMENTARY
13th Ava DuVernay, Spencer Averick, Howard Barish
THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK- THE TOURING YEARS Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Scott Pascucci, Nigel Sinclair
THE EAGLE HUNTRESS Otto Bell, Stacey Reiss
NOTES ON BLINDNESS Peter Middleton, James Spinney
WEINER Josh Kriegman, Elyse Steinberg

ANIMATED FILM
FINDING DORY Andrew Stanton
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS Travis Knight
MOANA Ron Clements, John Musker
ZOOTROPOLIS Byron Howard, Rich Moore

DIRECTOR
ARRIVAL Denis Villeneuve
I, DANIEL BLAKE Ken Loach
LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
HELL OR HIGH WATER Taylor Sheridan
I, DANIEL BLAKE Paul Laverty
LA LA LAND Damien Chazelle
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Kenneth Lonergan
MOONLIGHT Barry Jenkins

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARRIVAL Eric Heisserer
HACKSAW RIDGE Andrew Knight, Robert Schenkkan
HIDDEN FIGURES Theodore Melfi, Allison Schroeder
LION Luke Davies
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Tom Ford

LEADING ACTOR
ANDREW GARFIELD Hacksaw Ridge
CASEY AFFLECK Manchester by the Sea
JAKE GYLLENHAAL Nocturnal Animals
RYAN GOSLING La La Land
VIGGO MORTENSEN Captain Fantastic

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS Arrival
EMILY BLUNT The Girl on the Train
EMMA STONE La La Land
MERYL STREEP Florence Foster Jenkins
NATALIE PORTMAN Jackie

SUPPORTING ACTOR
AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON Nocturnal Animals
DEV PATEL Lion
HUGH GRANT Florence Foster Jenkins
JEFF BRIDGES Hell or High Water
MAHERSHALA ALI Moonlight

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
HAYLEY SQUIRES I, Daniel Blake
MICHELLE WILLIAMS Manchester by the Sea
NAOMIE HARRIS Moonlight
NICOLE KIDMAN Lion
VIOLA DAVIS Fences

ORIGINAL MUSIC
ARRIVAL Jóhann Jóhannsson
JACKIE Mica Levi
LA LA LAND Justin Hurwitz
LION Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Abel Korzeniowski

CINEMATOGRAPHY
ARRIVAL Bradford Young
HELL OR HIGH WATER Giles Nuttgens
LA LA LAND Linus Sandgren
LION Greig Fraser
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Seamus McGarvey

EDITING
ARRIVAL Joe Walker
HACKSAW RIDGE John Gilbert
LA LA LAND Tom Cross
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA Jennifer Lame
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Joan Sobel

PRODUCTION DESIGN
DOCTOR STRANGE Charles Wood, John Bush
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Stuart Craig, Anna Pinnock
HAIL, CAESAR! Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh
LA LA LAND David Wasco, Sandy Reynolds-Wasco
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Shane Valentino, Meg Everist

COSTUME DESIGN
ALLIED Joanna Johnston
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Colleen Atwood
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Consolata Boyle
JACKIE Madeline Fontaine
LA LA LAND Mary Zophres

MAKE UP & HAIR
DOCTOR STRANGE Jeremy Woodhead
FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS J. Roy Helland, Daniel Phillips
HACKSAW RIDGE Shane Thomas
NOCTURNAL ANIMALS Donald Mowat, Yolanda Toussieng
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Amanda Knight, Neal Scanlan, Lisa Tomblin

SOUND
ARRIVAL Sylvain Bellemare, Claude La Haye, Bernard Gariépy Strobl
DEEPWATER HORIZON Dror Mohar, Mike Prestwood Smith, Wylie Stateman, Renee Tondelli, David Wyman
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Niv Adiri, Glenn Freemantle, Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Ian Tapp
HACKSAW RIDGE Peter Grace, Robert Mackenzie, Kevin O’Connell, Andy Wright
LA LA LAND Mildred Iatrou Morgan, Ai-Ling Lee, Steve A. Morrow, Andy Nelson

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
ARRIVAL Louis Morin
DOCTOR STRANGE Richard Bluff, Stephane Ceretti, Paul Corbould, Jonathan Fawkner
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM Tim Burke, Pablo Grillo, Christian Manz, David Watkins
THE JUNGLE BOOK Robert Legato, Dan Lemmon, Andrew R. Jones, Adam Valdez
ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY Neil Corbould, Hal Hickel, Mohen Leo, John Knoll, Nigel Sumner

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
THE ALAN DIMENSION Jac Clinch, Jonathan Harbottle, Millie Marsh
A LOVE STORY Khaled Gad, Anushka Kishani Naanayakkara, Elena Ruscombe-King
TOUGH Jennifer Zheng

BRITISH SHORT FILM
CONSUMED Richard John Seymour
HOME Shpat Deda, Afolabi Kuti, Daniel Mulloy, Scott O’Donnell
MOUTH OF HELL Bart Gavigan, Samir Mehanovic, Ailie Smith, Michael Wilson
THE PARTY Farah Abushwesha, Emmet Fleming, Andrea Harkin, Conor MacNeill
STANDBY Jack Hannon, Charlotte Regan

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
ANYA TAYLOR-JOY
LAIA COSTA
LUCAS HEDGES
RUTH NEGGA
TOM HOLLAND

12 Month Film Festival open for entries!

The 12 Months Film Festival (#12MFF) is an international online film event that attracts, displays and awards movie enthusiasts, and professionals from 6 continents, in the largest monthly qualification challenge for the Grand Prize. The 11 months editions will award and send 3 winners each in the #12MFF for the Grand Prize that takes place the end of April 2017.

Submit your work to us ASAP using our website:

http://12mff.com/rules/

We dont have submission fees, it's free for all of you!

Submissions for the Gold Coast Film Festival 2017 and SIPFest are closing soon!

Entries for the 2017 SIPFest close 18 February. Short film entries must be under 10 minutes and produced in the last two years. SIPFest winners have the opportunity to be awarded $8,000 in cash prizes.

Categories and prizes include:

• Best Film: $3000
• Runner up Best Film: $1000
• People’s Choice: $1000
• Best Film by a Gold Coast resident: $500
• Best film showcasing Surfers Paradise $500
• Best Screenplay: $1000
• Best Actor: $500
• Best Actress: $500
• Best Cinematography – 12 month membership to Australian Cinematographer’s Society

Submissions for the Gold Coast Film Festival feature films open 1 December and close 18 February. Australian indie filmmakers are highly encouraged to submit.

To enter please visit https://filmfreeway.com/festival/GoldCoastFilmFestival and for more information about SIPFest and the Gold Coast Film Festival please visit www.gcfilmfestival.com.

The Oscar® Nominee Will Accept His Award At Opening Ceremonies On February 19th

Mel Gibson has been awarded the 'Director of the Year' award for “Hacksaw Ridge” by the 12th edition of the Los Angeles Italia - Film, Fashion and Art Fest it was announced here today by festival founder-producer Pascal Vicedomini and festival honorary chair Mark Canton. Gibson will accept his award during the festival’s opening night ceremonies on the evening of February 19^th.  As in prior years, the 2017 festival will take place at the Chinese Six Theatre complex at Hollywood & Highland adjacent to the home of the Academy Awards®, and will put Italian cinema in the spotlight through a series of premieres, screenings retrospectives and exhibitions.

“Hacksaw Ridge” recounts the story of an American World War II hero, played by Andrew Garfield, who saved 75 lives in the Okinawa battle without firing a single shot. The film is produced by Bill Mechanic, David Permut, Terry Benedict, Bruce Davey, Paul Currie, Brian Oliver, William D. Johnson and Tyler Thompson from a script by Robert Schenkkan and Andrew Knight. It is being released by Summit/Lionsgate.

“Mel Gibson delivered an exciting, well-cast and beautifully executed motion picture that has struck a chord with audiences and critics through the world. And thus, our board unanimously voted to honor him with this much-deserved award,” said Vicedomini and Canton.

Gibson, a double Oscar-winner for “Braveheart” (1995, Best Director and Best Film), and an Academy Award® contender for directing “Hacksaw Ridge” has already won several awards for his work on the film including those from Capri, Hollywood – The International Film Festival, the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television, the Australian Film Institute and The Hollywood Film Awards amongst others.

“It took over 15 years to bring Hacksaw to the screen, said producer Bill Mechanic. “Although I always thought Mel was the perfect director, he passed twice over that period, but luckily reconsidered and made a great film.”

LA, Italia 2017 is chaired by music icons Mike Stoller and Corky Hale, with producer Mark Canton as honorary chair, Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi as co-presidents, and Tony Renis as president. It is presented by the Capri in the World Institute with the support of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities (DG Cinema) in collaboration with ANICA, the Italian Trade Commission, SIAE, and NIAF - the National Italian American Foundation, as well as AMBI Group and ISAIA. It is also sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce and the Italian Consulate General in Los Angeles.