WINNERS OF THE 2025 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

The close of this year's Venice Film Festival brought an awards ceremony with the winner of the Golden Lion was given to the latest from Jim Jarmusch, "Father Mother Sister Brother". The drama-comedy, with a starry cast led by Cate Blanchett and Adam Driver, is about the complicated relationships between parents and their children involving three sets of families. The runner-up Grand Jury prize of the Silver Lion went to "The Voice of Hind Rajab", a political docudrama from Kaouther Ben Hania that details the killing of Hind Rajab, a five-year-old Palestinian girl who was trapped in a car during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip last year.

For his first feature film without his brother, Josh, Benny Safdie received the Silver Lion Best Director prize for his sports biopic "The Smashing Machine" based on the life of mixed-martial arts fighter, Mark Kerr. Best Screenplay went to the director, Valérie Donzelli for her drama, "At Work (À pied d'œuvre)" and shares the prize with co-writer, Gilles Marchand. Based on a true story, a successful photographer at the peak of his career decides to pursue writing but he faces financial hardship and personal struggles during this dubious transition.

Here are the winners in the Main Competition of the 2025 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "Father Mother Sister Brother"

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "صوت هند رجب (The Voice of Hind Rajab)"

Silver Lion Best Director: Benny Safdie, "The Smashing Machine"

Best Screenplay: Valérie Donzelli and Gilles Marchand, "A Pied d’oeuvre (At Work)"

Best Actress: Xin Zhilei, "日掛中天 (The Sun Rises on Us All)"

Best Actor: Toni Servillo, "La Grazia (The Pardon)"



Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Luna Wedler, "Silent Friend"



Lion of the Future – Luigi De Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: Nastia Korkia, "Short Summer"

Special Jury Prize: Gianfranco Rosi, "Sotte le Nuvole (Below the Clouds)"

WINNERS OF THE 2025 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The Juliette Binoche-led Main Competition jury has selected Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just an Accident" for the top prize of the Palme d'Or at the close of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The Iranian filmmaker is currently in exile from his home country and has used his cinema to bring voice to opposition to the Islamic Republic. This, in turn, has effectively gotten him "banned" from making films in Iran and previously imprisoned several times. This thriller, shot in secret, tells the story of five Iranian protestors who deal with a moral dilemma about whether or not to murder their former torturer. Following winning the Golden Bear at Berlin for "Taxi" in 2015 and the Golden Lion at Venice for "The Circle" in 2000, Pahahi becomes only the fourth filmmaker to win top honors at all three festivals (the previous three are Henri-Georges Clouzot, Michelangelo Antonioni, and Robert Altman). And the film distributer, Neon has won bragging rights with Panahi's win as they will release the film and have acquired the Palme d’Or winners for six years in a row.

The runner-up winner or Grand Prix went to the latest from Joachim Trier, "Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)". The last time the Norwegian director was at the fest, he had won the Palme d'Or for "Verdens verste menneske (The Worst Person in the World)" back in 2021. Renate Reinsve (who won Best Actress for her role in the 2021 film) stars in this family drama centered on the estranged relationship between a father and his two daughters. The Jury Prize was a tie with "Sirât", Óliver Coro's drama about a father's search for his missing daughter in the deserts of southern Morocco and "Sound of Falling" from Mascha Schilinski with this German-set drama following four girls from different historical periods whose lives are interconnected, sharing the award.

The Brazilian filmmaker, Kleber Mendonça Filho received Best Director for his film, "The Secret Agent" and the star of this drama, Wagner Moura won Best Actor. Set in 1977, a teacher is caught in the political turmoil of the final years of the Brazilian military dictatorship.

 Here are the winners of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival:

Palme d'Or: "یک تصادف ساده (It Was Just an Accident)"



Grand Prix: "Affeksjonsverdi (Sentimental Value)"



Jury Prize: (TIE) "Sirât" and "In die Sonne schauen (Sound of Falling)"



Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho, "O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)"
Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, "Jeunes Mères (Young Mothers)"
Best Actress: Nadia Melliti, "La Petite Dernière (The Little Sister)"
Best Actor: Wagner Moura, "O Agente Secreto (The Secret Agent)"
Camera d’Or: Hasan Hadi, "The President’s Cake"
Camera d’Or (Special Mention): Akinola Davies Jr., "My Father’s Shadow"
Special Award: Bi Gan, "狂野时代 (Resurrection)"

THE 97TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

The Oscars has always been the official end of award season, mainly because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was the very first organization to honor cinema almost one hundred years ago. The Academy is at an awkward moment in its time where it wants to preserve the long traditions of the ceremony yet still wants to be viewed as moving the show into the modern era. The Oscars just made itself available to stream live this year (on Hulu) so their pace of advancement is not exactly speedy.

The show kicked off with a montage from films set in Los Angeles, highlighting various spots throughout the city. Then we have nominee, Ariana Grande for "Wicked" performing a rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz" before her co-star, Cynthia Erivo does "Home" from "The Wiz". Then the two share the stage to conclude this mash-up with "Defying Gravity" from their musical based on L. Frank Baum's story. As the first time host, Conan O'Brien fit in quite nicely, bringing a good energy and kept the humor at caustic yet good-natured levels, and it's bit of a surprise he wasn't asked before. He started with a filmed take-off on "The Substance" and made some well-placed jokes on the nominated movies (""A Complete Unknown". "A Real Pain". "Nosferatu". These are some of the names I was called on the red carpet"). And O'Brien was talking about a dress code when he singled out Adam Sandler, sitting in the audience wearing his standard uniform of a hoodie and baggy gym shorts, creating a very funny moment.

The producers of this year's telecast wanted to shake up the routine but not too much. Instead of the acting categories, we had five actors come out to sing the praises of the costume designers and cinematographers. While it was a nice touch, it just wasn't as effective as when the previous acting winners honored the nominated actors. But the biggest misstep as far as I'm concerned was the decision to not have the nominated Best Original Songs performed on the show. In it's place we had O'Brien do "I Won't Waste Time" during the opening segment which was pretty funny. But a James Bond musical tribute to Honorary Oscar winning producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson (which featured current pop artists, Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye doing popular Bond theme songs) and Queen Latifah honoring the late Quincy Jones (who had won an Honorary Oscar this year) with a rousing rendition of "Ease On Down The Road' from "The Wiz", while entertaining, failed to rise much above time filler. And the selection of the presenters was truly inspired with a nice mix of the legendary (Goldie Hawn, Mark Hamill, Daryl Hannah, Quentin Tarantino and an impressively spry, Mick Jagger) and contemporary (Andrew Garfield, Lily-Rose Depp, Selena Gomez, Miley Cyrus, Bowen Yang).

"Anora" had gone in with six nominations and went on to take home five Oscars including Best Picture. Mikey Madison win for Best Actress created the night's biggest upset by beating the favorite, Demi Moore for her performance in "The Substance" which oddly echoes the theme of the body horror film. Sean Baker personally received four awards this night with "Anora" for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Film Editing and the top prize, tying with Walt Disney for the most Oscars in a single year although the wins were for four different films. With its Best Picture win, "Anora" (which won the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival) followed in the footsteps of the indie distributor, Neon’s last awards success; the Palme d’Or winning, South Korean drama, "Parasite", the unexpected winner of Best Picture back in 2019.

During his third acceptance speech, Baker encouraged filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screen in order to keep theaters alive and well. My love of going to the movies came directly from my mother who took us regularly to the theater, probably at least once a week. And while this was really the only way to see a motion picture at the time, the thrill of the communal experience of watching a film surrounded with an audience was deeply instilled into me. A theater is really the only perfect setting for me to truly enjoy seeing a film.

Baker also addressed the importance of supporting independent cinema which is so vital in order to tell challenging and innovative stories that the Hollywood system is way too cautious to go anywhere near. As we quickly approach the 100th anniversary of the Oscars, now is the time to support your local theaters, especially the indie-owned screens that are particularly struggling and unfortunately closing at a rapid rate.

So come on people, get off your couches, take your kids and go to a movie theater! Otherwise, there may not be much to celebrate during the upcoming 100th Oscars ceremony.

Here is the complete list of winners of the 2025 Oscars:

Best Picture: "Anora"
Best Director: Sean Baker, "Anora"
Best Original Screenplay: Sean Baker, "Anora"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Straughan, "Conclave"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Cinematography: Lol Crawley, "The Brutalist"
Best Film Editing: Sean Baker, "Anora"
Best International Feature Film: "I’m Still Here" (Brazil)
Best Documentary Feature Film: "No Other Land"
Best Documentary Short Film: "The Only Girl in the Orchestra"
Best Animated Feature Film: "Flow"
Best Animated Short Film: "In the Shadow of the Cypress"
Best Live Action Short Film: "I’m Not a Robot"
Best Original Song: "El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
Best Original Score: Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
Best Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Production Design and Lee Sandales, Set Decoration, "Wicked"
Best Costume Design: Paul Tazewell, "Wicked"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli, "The Substance"
Best Sound: Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill, "Dune: Part Two"
Best Visual Effects: Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer, "Dune: Part Two"

WINNERS OF THE 2025 BERLIN FILM FESTIVAL

"Dreams (Sex Love)", the third film in a trilogy by Norwegian writer/director, Dag Johan Haugerud, received the top prize of the Golden Bear at the close of this year's Berlin Film Festival. This story follows a passionate teenage girl who pours her intense feelings toward a teacher and follows the feature, "Sex" that premiered in Berlin last year and "Love" which was part of the competition at the Venice Film Festival last summer. Brazilian director Gabriel Mascaro’s "The Blue Trail" took home the Silver Bear, which is the runner-up award. This drama imagines a future world where people over seventy-five years old are rounded up and placed in a type of concentration camp but the story follows a woman who escapes before arriving to this colony. And the Jury Prize was awarded to "The Message", from Argentine director Iván Fund, about guardians of a nine year old girl who exploit for profit her ability to communicate with animals.

Here is a partial list of winners of the 2025 Berlin Film Festival:

Golden Bear for Best Film: "Drømmer (Dreams)"



Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: "The Blue Trail"
Silver Bear Jury Prize: "The Message"
Silver Bear for Best Director: Huo Meng, "Living the Land"
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Radu Jude, "Kontinental ’25"



Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance: Rose Byrne, "If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You"
Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance: Andrew Scott, "Blue Moon"
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: The creative ensemble of "The Ice Tower"
Best Documentary: "Holding Liat"

2025 OSCAR NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED

After being delayed several times due to the tragic California wildfires, the 2025 Oscar nominations have finally been announced. Bringing a quirky sense of humor to the proceedings early this morning, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott revealed this year's picks. "Emilia Pérez", the controversial musical-drama about a Mexican drug kingpin who transforms their gender, leads the field with thirteen nominations. "The Brutalist", an epic drama that explores a Holocaust survivor who immigrates to America, and "Wicked", the long-awaited big screen version of the popular Broadway musical, are both close behind with ten nominations each. "Conclave", the thriller involving the selection of a new pope and "A Complete Unknown", the tale about the early years of folk music legend Bob Dylan, went on to receive eight noms. Along with these five films, the indie dramas, "Nickel Boys" and "Anora"; the body-horror satire, "The Substance"; the Brazilian political drama, "Ainda Estou Aqui (I'm Still Here)" and the sci-fi sequel, "Dune: Part two" round up the Best Picture category.

Some highlights include Ralph Fiennes, nominated for his amazing performance in "Conclave", who went twenty-eight years between his last Best Actor nomination for "The English Patient". Karla Sofía Gascón in "Emilia Perez" is the first transgender actor nominated for an Oscar. It has been since 1997 that all of the directing nominees are first-timers with Coralie Fargeat’s nomination for "The Substance" makes her the tenth female earning a Best Director nomination. Fernanda Montenegro (who was nominated for "Central Station" in 1998) and Fernanda Torres joins Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli as the only mother-daughter nominated for Best Actress. The Latvian film, "Flow" became the third animated feature to receive duo nominations for Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature. And Diane Warren received her sixteenth nomination for Best Original Song without a competitive win for her work in "The Six Triple Eight", the Tyler Perry WWII drama about an all-black female battalion.

The 97th annual Academy Awards will be held on March 2nd at the Dolby Theatre with first-time host, Conan O’Brien. And for the first time, the Oscars will be livestreamed on Hulu.

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2025 Oscars:

Best Picture:

"Anora"
"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Emilia Pérez"
"Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here)"
"Nickel Boys"
"The Substance"
"Wicked"

Best Director:

Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet "The Brutalist"
James Mangold, "A Complete Unknown"
Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"

Best Original Screenplay:

Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, "The Brutalist"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex David, "September 5"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"

Best Adapted Screenplay:

James Mangold and Jay Cocks, "A Complete Unknown"
Peter Straughan, "Conclave"
Jacques Audiard in collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi, "Emilia Pérez"
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes, "Nickel Boys"
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin and John “Divine G” Whitfield, "Sing Sing"

Best Actress in a Leading Role:

Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Fernanda Torres, "I’m Still Here"

Best Actor in a Leading Role:

Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:

Monica Barbaro, "A Complete Unknown"
Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"
Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"
Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"

Best Cinematography:

Lol Crawley, "The Brutalist"
Greig Fraser, "Dune: Part Two"
Paul Guilhaume, "Emilia Pérez"
Ed Lachman, "Maria"
Jarin Blaschke, "Nosferatu"

Best Film Editing:

Sean Baker, "Anora"
David Jancso, "The Brutalist"
Nick Emerson, "Conclave"
Juliette Welfling, "Emilia Pérez"
Myron Kerstein, "Wicked"

Best Production Design:

"The Brutalist" (Production Design: Judy Becker, Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia)
"Conclave" (Production Design: Suzie Davies, Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter)
"Dune: Part Two" (Production Design: Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration: Shane Vieau)
"Nosferatu" (Production Design: Craig Lathrop, Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová)
"Wicked" (Production Design: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Lee Sandales)

Best International Feature Film:

"Ainda Estou Aqui (I’m Still Here)" (Brazil)
"Pigen med nålen (The Girl with the Needle)" (Denmark)
"Emilia Pérez" (France)
"Die Saat des heiligen Feigenbaums (The Seed of the Sacred Fig)" (Germany)
"Straume (Flow)" (Latvia)

Best Animated Feature Film:

"Straume (Flow)"
"Inside Out 2"
"Memoir of a Snail"
"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Animated Short Film:

"Beautiful Men"
"In the Shadow of Cypress"
"Magic Candies"
"Wander to Wonder"
"Yuck!"

Best Documentary Feature Film:

"Black Box Diaries"
"No Other Land"
"Porcelain War"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"
"Sugarcane"

Best Documentary Short Film:

"Death by Numbers"
"I Am Ready, Warden"
"Incident"
"Instruments of a Beating Heart"
"The Only Girl in the Orchestra"

Best Live Action Short Film:

"A Lien"
"Anuja"
"I’m Not a Robot"
"The Last Ranger"
"The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent"

Best Costume Design:

Arianne Phillips, "A Complete Unknown"
Lisy Christl, "Conclave"
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman, "Gladiator II"
Linda Muir, "Nosferatu"
Paul Tazewell, "Wicked"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:

Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado, "A Different Man"
Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini, "Emilia Pérez"
David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne StokesMunton, "Nosferatu"
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli, "The Substance"
Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth, "Wicked"

Best Original Score:

Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
Volker Bertelmann, "Conclave"
Clément Ducol and Camille, "Emilia Pérez"
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz, "Wicked"
Kris Bowers, "The Wild Robot"

Best Original Song:

"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music by Clément Ducol and Camille, Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)
"The Journey" from "The Six Triple Eight" (Music and Lyric by Diane Warren)
"Like a Bird" from "Sing Sing" (Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada)
"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol)
"Never Too Late” from “Elton John: Never Too Late" (Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin)

Best Sound:

Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco, "A Complete Unknown"
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill, "Dune: Part Two"
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta, "Emilia Perez"
Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis, "Wicked"
Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts, "The Wild Robot"

Best Visual Effects:

Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan, "Alien: Romulus"
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs, "Better Man"
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer, "Dune: Part Two"
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke, "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes"
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould, "Wicked"

THE GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS AND MORE AWARD NEWS

Although they have lost some of their luster over the last few years due to several scandals, the Golden Globes are back to reclaim their status as the first major awards organization to start shaping the conversation for which films could potentially win awards. "Emilia Pérez" leads in film nominations with ten, following with "The Brutalist" at seven and "Conclave" with six. There is a new film category this year (which the Oscars had flirted with but backed away from a few years ago) with Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which apparently is supposed to honor movies that made a lot of money in theaters last year but wouldn't be recognized in the Best Motion Picture categories. I guess it's not much different from separating the Drama and Musical/Comedy in some of the categories but this addition still seems silly to me.

Viola Davis, the Oscar and a Golden Globe winning performer, will receive this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award. The 80th Golden Globes will be hosted by Nikki Glaser on January 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton and presented live on CBS.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes Awards (Film):

Best Motion Picture – Drama:

"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Nickel Boys"
"September 5"

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy:

"Anora"
"Challengers"
"Emilia Pérez"
"A Real Pain"
"The Substance"
"Wicked"

Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement:

"Alien: Romulus"
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
"Deadpool & Wolverine"
"Gladiator II"
"Inside Out 2"
"Twisters"
"Wicked"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Director – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Edward Berger, "Conclave"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, "The Brutalist"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Peter Straughan, "Conclave"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
Angelina Jolie, "Maria"
Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Tilda Swinton, "The Room Next Door"
Fernanda Torres, "I’m Still Here"
Kate Winslet, "Lee"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Zendaya, "Challengers"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
Daniel Craig, "Queer"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Hugh Grant, "Heretic"
Gabriel Labelle, "Saturday Night"
Jesse Plemons, "Kinds Of Kindness"
Glen Powell, "Hit Man"
Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Selena Gomez, "Emilia Pérez"
Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
Margaret Qualley, "The Substance"
Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"
Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist"
Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"
Denzel Washington, "Gladiator II"

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

"Flow"
"Inside Out 2"
"Memoir of a Snail" "Moana 2"
"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language:

"All We Imagine as Light" (USA/France/India)
"Emilia Pérez" (France)
"The Girl With The Needle" (Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
"I’m Still Here" (Brazil)
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" (USA/Germany) 

"Vermiglio" (Italy)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

Volker Bertelmann, "Conclave"
Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
Kris Bowers, "The Wild Robot"
Clément Ducol and Camille, "Emilia Pérez"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
Hans Zimmer, "Dune: Part Two"

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

"Beautiful That Way" from "The Last Showgirl" (Music & Lyrics By Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus and Lykke Zachrisson)
"Compress / Repress" from "Challengers" (Music & Lyrics By Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Luca Guadagnino)
"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)
"Forbidden Road" from "Better Man" (Music & Lyrics By Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek)
"Kiss the Sky" from "The Wild Robot" (Music & Lyrics By Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack and Ali Tamposi)
"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol and Camille)

For the 50th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, "Anora" went away with three awards including Best Picture. The film's star, Mickey Madison received Best Leading Performance along with Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her turn in "Hard Truths". The Best Supporting Performance went to Yura Borisov as a sympathetic thug in "Anora" and Kieran Culkin for his work in "A Real Pain".

Here are the winners of the 2024 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Picture: "Anora"
Best Director: Mohammad Rasoulof, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
Best Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Best Leading Performances: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths" and Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Supporting Performances: Yura Borisov, "Anora" and Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Film Not in English Language: "All We Imagine as Light"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "No Other Land"
Best Animation: "Flow"
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Best Editing (Tie): Nicholas Monsour, "Nickel Boys" and Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Best Production Design: Judy Becker, "The Brutalist"
Best Music Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
New Generation Award: Vera Drew, "The People’s Joker"
Career Achievement Award: John Carpenter

Jacques Audiard’s "Emilia Pérez" was the big winner at the 37th annual European Film Awards, winning all five of its nominations including Best Film. Held on December 7th in Lucerne, Switzerland, Audiard won Best Director and Best Screenplay while Karla Sofia Gascón received the Best Actress prize, making her the first trans actor to win this award.

Here are the winners of the 2024 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Director: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Screenplay: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actor: Abou Sangare, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane's Story)" (France)
Best European Documentary: No Other Land (Palestine, Norway)
Best European Animated Feature Film: "Straume (Flow)" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
Best European Cinematography: Benjamin Kračun, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
Best European Editing: Juliette Welfling, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Production Design: Jagna Dobesz, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden) 

Best European Original Score: Frederikke Hoffmeier, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden)
Best European Sound: Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak, Samuel Aïchoun and Rodrigo Diaz, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane’s Story)" (France)
Best European Costume Design: Tanja Hausner, "Des Teufels Bad (The Devil's Bath)" (Germany)
Best European Make-up & Hair: Evalotte Oosterop, " Ljósbrot (When The Light Breaks)" (Iceland)
Best European Visual Effects: Bryan Jones, Pierre Procoudine-Gorsky, Chervin Shafaghi and Guillaume Le Gouez, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
European Achievement in World Cinema: Isabella Rossellini

And the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honors the best of the year in indie cinema, unveiled their nominations with "Anora" and "I Saw the TV Glow" leading the field with six noms apiece including Best Feature. The other nominees for Best Feature are the historical drama based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Nickel Boys"; the prison reform through the arts drama, "Sing Sing" and the body-horror movie, "The Substance". The 40th annual Spirit Awards will be held on February 22, 2025, at the Santa Monica beach with former SNL member, Aidy Bryant returning as host.

Here are the 2024 nominations of the Film Independent Spirit Awards (Cinema):

Best Feature:

"Anora"
"I Saw The TV Glow"
"Nickel Boys"
"Sing Sing"
"The Substance"

Best Director:

Ali Abbasi, "The Apprentice"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Alonso Ruizpalacios, "La Cocina"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best Screenplay:

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, "Heretic"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Megan Park, "My Old Ass"
Aaron Schimberg, "A Different Man"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best First Feature:

"Didi"
"In the Summers"
"Janet Planet"
"The Piano Lesson"
"Problemista"

Best First Screenplay:

Joanna Arnow, "The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed"
Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"
India Donaldson, "Good One"
Julio Torres, "Problemista"
Sean Wang, "Dìdi"

Best Lead Performance:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Ryan Destiny, "The Fire Inside"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Keith Kupferer, "Ghostlight"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Hunter Schafer, "Cuckoo"
Justice Smith, "I Saw the TV Glow"
June Squibb, "Thelma"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Supporting Performance:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Joan Chen, "Dìdi"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson"
Carol Kane, "Between the Temples"
Karren Karagulian, "Anora"
Kani Kusruti, "Girls Will Be Girls"
Brigette Lundy-Paine, "I Saw the TV Glow"
Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"
Adam Pearson, "A Different Man"

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Isaac Krasner, "Big Boys"
Katy O’Brian, "Love Lies Bleeding"
Mason Alexander Park, "National Anthem"
René Pérez Joglar, "In the Summers"
Maisy Stella, "My Old Ass"

Best International Film:

"All We Imagine as Light" (France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
"Black Dog" (China)
"Flow" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
"Green Border" (Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium)
"Hard Truths" (United Kingdom)

Best Documentary:

"Gaucho Gaucho"
"Hummingbirds"
"No Other Land"
"Patrice: The Movie"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"

Best Cinematography:

Dinh Duy Hung, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell"
Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Maria von Hausswolff, "Janet Planet"
Juan Pablo Ramírez, "La Cocina"
Rina Yang, "The Fire Inside"

Best Editing:

Laura Colwell and Vanara Taing, "Jazzy"
Olivier Bugge Coutté and Olivia Neergaard-Holm, "The Apprentice"
Anne McCabe, "Nightbitch"
Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Arielle Zakowski, "Dìdi"

The Producers Award:

Alex Coco
Sarah Winshall
Zoë Worth

Truer Than Fiction Award (presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition):

Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, "Sugarcane"
Carla Gutiérrez, "Frida"
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, "A Photographic Memory"

John Cassavettes Award (presented to the best feature made for under $1,000,000):

"Big Boys"
"Ghostlight"
"Girls Wille Be Girls"
"Jazzy"
"The People’s Joker"

Robert Altman Award (presented to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast): "His Three Daughters"

2024 AWARD SEASON BEGINS

Award season has officially begun and the prizes are coming fast and furious for the best in this year's cinema. Here is a round-up of some of the award winners from various groups:

The Gothams are the first awards out of the gate, announced on December 2nd at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City, and "A Different Man" was chosen as Best Feature. This dark, comedic drama from Aaron Schimberg features Sebastian Stan as a facially disfigured actor who undergoes a medical procedure to transform his appearance. But this causes him to lose an opportunity to play a dream role. While there were ten nominees in each of the two non-gender specific acting categories, only one winner was selected for the lead and supporting prizes. And it was Colman Domingo and Clarence Maclin winning for their performances in "Sing Sing", a drama directed by Greg Kwedar involving a group of incarcerated men involved in the creation of theatrical shows through the prison's arts program. This indie-focused awards organization removed a budget cap on eligibility last year, opening larger budgeted films to be considered for prizes. 

Here is the complete list of nominees of the 2024 Gotham Awards (with the winners highlighted):

Best Feature:

"Anora"
"Babygirl"
"Challengers"
"A Different Man"
"Nickel Boys"

Best Director:

Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Guan Hu, "Black Dog"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"
RaMell Ross, "Nickel Boys"

Best Breakthrough Director:

Shuchi Talati, "Girls Will Be Girls"
India Donaldson, "Good One"
Alessandra Lacorazza, "In the Summers"
Vera Drew, "The People’s Joker"
Mahdi Fleifel, "To a Land Unknown"

Best Screenplay:

Nathan Silver and C. Mason Wells, "Between The Temples"
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, "Evil Does Not Exist"
Sam H. Freeman and Ng Choon Ping, "Femme"
Azazel Jacobs, "His Three Daughters"
Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"

Best Outstanding Lead Performance:

Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths"
Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Keith Kupferer, "Ghostlight"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Saoirse Ronan, "The Outrun"
Justice Smith, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best Outstanding Supporting Performance:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson"
Brigette Lundy-Paine, "I Saw the TV Glow"
Natasha Lyonne, "His Three Daughters"
Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"
Katy O’Brian, "Love Lies Bleeding"
Guy Pearce, "The Brutalist"
Adam Pearson, "A Different Man"
Brian Tyree Henry, "The Fire Inside"

Best Breakthrough Performer:

Lily Collias, "Good One"
Ryan Destiny, "The Fire Inside"
Maisy Stella, "My Old Ass"
Izaac Wang, "Dìdi"
Brandon Wilson, "Nickel Boys"

Best International Feature:

"All We Imagine as Light"
"Green Border"
"Hard Truths"
"Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell"
"Vermiglio"

Best Documentary Feature:

"Dahomey"
"Intercepted"
"No Other Land"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"
"Sugarcane"
"Union"

"The Brutalist", Brady Corbet’s over three-hour long, epic saga (plus a built-in intermission), received the top prize of Best Film from the New York Film Critics Circle. In their 90th year, making this organization the oldest film critics group in the US, the NYCC announced their selections on December 3rd. Adrien Brody, who plays a World War II Hungarian refugee architect landing in America, won Best Actor for his performance in "The Brutalist". The Best Director Award went to RaMell Ross for his inventive work on "Nickel Boys", a drama involving two young Black men who form a bond while trying to survive at a brutal Florida reform school, and Best Cinematography went to Jomo Fray for his innovative camerawork for this film. Sean Baker won Best Screenplay for his latest, "Anora", a dark, dramatic comedy about a whirlwind romance between a stripper and the son of a Russian oligarch. 

The rest of the acting winners by the NYCC are inspired choices: Best Actress went to Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her hilarious turn as a severely prickly wife and mother in Mike Leigh’s "Hard Truths"; Kieran Culkin was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his performance in "A Real Pain", directed by his co-star, Jesse Eisenberg and Carol Kane was recognized as Best Supporting Actress in Nathan Silver’s comedy, "Between the Temples" where she plays an adult Bat Mitzvah student of a cantor (Jason Schwartzman) who was her grade school student.

Here are the winners of the 2024 NYCC Awards:

Best Film: "The Brutalist"
Best Director: RaMell Ross, "Nickel Boys"
Best Screenplay: Sean Baker, "Anora"
Best Actor: Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths"
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain"
Best Supporting Actress: Carol Kane, "Between Two Temples"
Best First Film: Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"
Best International Film: "All We Imagine As Light"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "No Other Land"
Best Animated Film: "Flow"
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"

The National Board of Review has selected "Wicked", the Broadway hit musical turned into a recent filmed box-office smash, as the Best Film of the year. John M. Chu won Best Director for his work on the film. The acting categories also offered some unexpected yet commendable selections with Nicole Kidman receiving Best Actress for her mesmerizing turn in the upcoming sexually-charged drama, "Babygirl" while Daniel Craig completely sheds his former spy character in the drama, "Queer", helping him win Best Actor by the NBR. Elle Fanning received Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Bob Dylan bio, "A Complete Unknown" and Kieran Culkin adds another award for his mantle for his comedic yet moving work in "A Real Pain".

Here are the winners of the 2024 National Board of Review awards:

Best Film: "Wicked"
Best Director: Jon M. Chu, "Wicked"
Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, "Hard Truths"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, "Sing Sing"
Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, "Good One"
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Best Actor: Daniel Craig, "Queer"
Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, "A Complete Unknown"
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Ensemble: The cast of "Conclave"
Best Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Animated Feature: "Flow"
Best International Film: "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
Best Documentary: "Sugarcane"
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, "Nosferatu"
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"
NBR Spotlight Award: The Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: "No Other Land"

And we have the top ten films of the year selected by the American Film Institute. Since AFI usually deems most international or foreign films ineligible, this list is not as expansive to recognize all of the great works that were released this year yet these picks still remain impressive.

Here are the Best Films of 2024 by the AFI:

"Anora"
"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Emilia Pérez"
"Nickel Boys"
"A Real Pain"
"Sing Sing"
"Wicked"

THE SUBSTANCE (2024)

Written & Directed by Coralie Fargeat




Where & When: Landmark Theatres Sunset, West Hollywood, CA. September 20, 2024 8:15 PM



"The Substance", the sophomore feature from French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat, is a hyper-stylized, pitch-black feminist satire on aging and the low value placed on maturing women in society. But Fargeat pumps up her engaging film by utilizing body horror to convey the extremes that women will go through to maintain their youth and beauty. Between the blood and mayhem, the director has something quite intriguing to say. And while the message is clearly understood, it tends to get a little too muddled through all of the excessive gross-out carnage.

Demi Moore, in her first prominent starring role in some time, plays Elizabeth Sparkle, an award-winning actress in Los Angeles that has been reduced to having to appear as a host of a television fitness show called, "Sparkle Your Life". But following a taping on her fiftieth birthday, Elizabeth is informed by Harvey (Dennis Quaid), a boorish studio executive, that it's time for her to move on, making it clear he's looking for someone younger to host. Devastated by this news, a distracted Elizabeth ends up getting into a car crash. She is uninjured but while getting checked out, a young male nurse, sensing what she's going through, slips a flash drive and phone number into her pocket.

What is discreetly being offered is an experimental drug called, "The Substance" which promises to create a younger and more "perfect" version of yourself. Elizabeth initially rejects the idea but as she spends her newly free time wallowing in booze and her increasing anxiety, she decides to get her hands on this serum. After injecting herself, a fully formed, young being (played by Margaret Qualley) emerges from Elizabeth's cracked open back, leaving the host unconscious while the other is left to sew Elizabeth's body shut. This new form calls herself "Sue", enjoying her youthful body and successfully getting hired back as the host of the exercise program.

But there are strict rules that must be followed: each body can only be out for seven days before exchanging places so that their bodily fluids can recalibrate, they must feed each other intravenously; a "stabilizer" is to be withdrawn from Elizabeth's spine and injected into Sue in order to keep her balanced and most importantly, they must remember that while they are two separate bodies, they are still only one person.

Fargeat was first recognized for her 2017 debut feature film, "Revenge", about a young woman who is sexually attacked by three men and left for dead but she survives and seeks bloody retribution. While it was difficult to sit through at times, I still greatly admired the director's brutal yet razor-sharp cinematic statement. And with her follow-up, Fargeat continues to have no interest in subtlety, preferring to batter viewers severely over the head with her gruesome, surrealistic vision and unsettling themes. She is clearly inspired by fellow filmmakers who embrace the provocative and experimental (Kubrick, Cronenberg, Lynch, Haneke) and with "The Substance", Fargeat liberally borrows visual cues from some of these esteemed directors while still managing to forge ahead with her own distinctively ferocious style. The flashy camerawork by Benjamin Kracun is designed to keep you feeling unsteady, offering full-screen close-ups of eyes and mouths, darting down long narrow hallways, entering vast spare rooms and one particularly unpleasant moment of watching Quaid eating crawfish.

Moore's career took off when she became part of the ensemble of the daytime soap-opera, "General Hospital" in 1982. The following year, she moved on to movie roles, becoming a member of the Brat Pack after her appearances in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "About Last Night...". But it was Moore's tear soaked, moving turn in the 1990 supernatural romance, "Ghost" that helped make her a movie star. She became part of a Hollywood power couple when she married Bruce Willis, starred in several box-office hits and went on to become the highest paid female actor (receiving over twelve million dollars) in 1996 to appear in the movie, "Striptease". But this black comedy was a critical and box-office failure and her marriage to Willis came to an end not long after with Moore largely retreating from the spotlight. She would make the occasional film appearance over the following years, mostly in indie and arthouse fare.

With "The Substance", Moore delivers a bold and fearless performance, revealing herself completely emotionally and physically. She doesn't have much dialogue yet the actress rises to the challenge of expressing all of the anguish, fear and intense desires of Elizabeth, even through moments later in the film when she's no longer recognizable as her former self. And as her other half, Qualley is a compelling presence, a sweetly smiling, malevolent version of Elizabeth with a dark-edged soul. Elizabeth and "Sue" might share the same body however they display vastly different personality traits. While this variance might possibly be due to their age-gap yet over time this conflict leads to complications. Being young and impulsive, Sue begins to abuse the seven day rule, extending her time awake, at first just a few days and then later by weeks, which causes Elizabeth's actual body to age more rapidly.

I will admit that by the time we reach the final act, with the introduction of a third being called "Monstro Elisasue" which leads to an explosive shower of blood, gore and body parts flying in all directions from a stage onto an audience, it felt a little too much, becoming even more silly and excessive. But that's okay. This doesn't take away from "The Substance" being one of the most thrilling, adventurous and uncompromising films I've seen so far this year. I can also say with complete certainty that no US filmmaker, male or female, would have made "The Substance", at least not in a way that wasn't far more cautious and focused on appealing to the widest audience possible. Fargeat (who actually shot the film in Paris) has made a clever, biting and humorous commentary on the horrors of America's obsession with eternal youth and the emotional torture this causes, especially for women. "The Substance" is absolutely insane and twisted. Yet the film also reveals Fargeat to be a true visionary, a modern filmmaker who respects the historical artform of cinema with no interest in making films that are easily digestible and a strong desire to challenge viewers to open their minds to unexpected and outrageous possibilities.

WINNERS OF THE 2024 VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

"The Room Next Door", Pedro Almodovar's first feature film in the English language, went on to receive the top prize of the Golden Lion at the conclusion of the 81st Venice Film Festival. The Spanish director's latest stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as close friends who drifted apart but are reunited years later due to difficult circumstances.

Actor Brady Corbet’s third feature as a filmmaker, "The Brutalist" won him the Best Director prize. This over three-hour long drama chronicles thirty years in the life of a Hungarian-born Jewish architect (played by Adrien Brody) who survived the Holocaust, later migrating to America for a better life only to endure new challenges.

The runner-up Grand Jury prize went to "Vermiglio", an Italian drama written and directed by Maura Delpero. Set during the second world war in the small mountainous village of Vermiglio, the film follows a large family who are deeply affected by troubling local and global events. A Special Jury Prize went to "April", by Georgian filmmaker, Déa Kulumbegashvili, which tells the story of an obstetrician who helps patients seeking abortions, despite this being illegal, and must defend herself when she is discovered.

The screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega for "I'm Still Here", the first film by the renowned Brazilian filmmaker Walter Salles in over ten years, won the top writing prize. Set during the Brazilian Military Dictatorship in 1971, the film follows a family in search of the patriarch, a former Labour Party congressman, who has mysteriously disappeared.

Nicole Kidman received the Best Actress award for her work in the erotic thriller, "Babygirl". She plays high-ranking CEO who begins a forbidden romance with a captivating and much younger intern, played by Harris Dickinson. The film's director, Halina Rejin received the honor for Kidman due to the unexpected passing of her mother. Vincent Lindon won Best Actor for "Jouer avec le feu (The Quiet Son)" in a film about a father who is estranged from his son over their disagreements on political ideology.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2024 Venice Film Festival:

Golden Lion: "The Room Next Door"
Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize: "Vermiglio"
Silver Lion Best Director: Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Special Jury Prize: "აპრილი (April)"
Best Screenplay: Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega, "I'm Still Here"
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Best Actor: Vincent Lindon, "Jouer avec le feu (The Quiet Son)"
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Paul Kircher, "Leurs enfants après eux (And Their Children After Them)"

WINNERS OF THE 2024 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

The winner of the Palme d'Or at the close of the 77th Cannes Film Festival is "Anora", the latest from American indie filmmaker, Sean Baker. Baker's entire filmography has been focused on marginalized outcasts, in particular sex workers, with the films, "Starlet", "Tangerine" and "Red Rocket" and now with "Anora", the story revolves around a stripper (Mikey Madison) who meets and falls in love with the son (Mark Eidelstein) of a Russian oligarch. But when his parents finds out about her past, they are not pleased and try to end their relationship.

The runner-up Grand Prize went to "All We Imagine as Light" from Payal Kapadia. This feature film debut, which is the first selection for competition from India in many years, follows a couple of nurses in Mumbai who are both having troubled relationships. A road trip they go on together to a beach town opens their minds to other possibilities.

The third place winner of the Jury Prize was awarded to "Emilia Pérez", a Spanish-language musical-comedy from acclaimed French filmmaker, Jacques Audiard, the two-time Palme d'Or winner for "Rust and Bone" and "Dheepan". This film is about a drug cartel leader (Édgar Ramírez) who decides to change the direction of his life and his gender. The four female leads in "Emilia Pérez": Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón, Adriana Paz and Selena Gomez, all share the Best Actress prize.

Best Director went to Miguel Gomes for his work in "Grand Tour", a period drama set in Rangoon, Burma (now known as Myanmar) involving a Civil servant who takes off and abandons his fiancée on their wedding day. However, she is determined to be married and begins a quest to track him down. And Jesse Plemons won Best Actor for his performance in Yorgos Lanthimos' upcoming absurdist dark comedy, "Kinds of Kindness" where he plays three different roles.

And one of the buzziest films at the fest was "The Substance", Coralie Fargeat's social satire, horror-comedy that features Demi Moore (in a very welcome comeback) as a long-time television host who is fired from her job for being too "old", taking extreme measures in the form of a drug that transforms her into her "best self" which becomes the form of Margaret Qualley. The French director won the Best Screenplay award for this film.

Here is the list of winners of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival:

Palme d’Or: "Anora"
Grand Prize: "All We Imagine as Light"



Jury Prize: "Emilia Perez"



Best Director: Miguel Gomes, "Grand Tour"



Best Screenplay: Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Special Prize: Mohammad Rasoulof, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"

Best Actor: Jesse Plemons, "Kinds of Kindness"
Best Actress: Adriana Paz, Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofia Gascon and Selena Gomez, "Emilia Perez"
Camera d’Or: "Armand"
Special Mention: Chiang Wei Liang, "Mongrel"
Short Film Palme d’Or: "The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent"
Special Mention: Daniel Soares, "Bad For a Moment"

THE 96TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS

After two lengthy strikes last year that brought the movie business to a grinding halt, the industry is ready to get back to work and celebrate themselves. The 96th annual Academy Awards brings an official end to award season and honors the best in cinema from across the globe.

For his fourth time as host, Jimmy Kimmel seemed even more at ease, playfully joking with his irreverent humor about this year's movies and nominees. The host was in great form and offering nothing too mean spirited except a bit later in the show with him reading aloud a nasty comment about him made on social media by a former President with Kimmel delivering a well deserved, perfect comeback. Following his monologue, Kimmel paid tribute to the below-the-line crew (the folks who handle much of the technical work behind the camera and who are on the cusp of their own contract renegotiations with the studios) and brought out to the stage the show's own crew.

It was fifteen years ago the first time when five previous Oscar winners came out together to present in each of the acting categories. It was thrilling and deeply moving at that time and the return of this remains highly effective. My favorite moment from this was when the amazing ninety-two year old, Rita Moreno was speaking about Best Supporting Actress nominee, America Ferrera and sang a few bars of "America" from the movie version of the musical, "West Side Story" which she won her Oscar for her performance. Now I'm not sure if I would really want to see this every year, for I do enjoy seeing clips from the nominated performances, but this is still a wonderful thrill to witness and honor Oscar winners from the past.

In the most shocking moment of the evening, Emma Stone received Best Actress over the front-runner, Lily Gladstone for her performance in "Poor Things", making her become a two-time winner. It is certainly disappointing for Gladstone but I still strongly believe that she was in the wrong category as her role in "Killers of the Flower Moon" was much more supporting than lead. And if Gladstone had been competing for Best Supporting Actress, it would have been even more of tight race against Da'Vine Joy Randolph who won the award for her emotional performance in '"The Holdovers" and gave one of the most touching speeches of the night. 

"Oppenheimer" had lead with the most nominations with thirteen and ended the evening with the most wins at seven which included Best Picture. Now this would not have been my pick for this award (that would have been "Killers of The Flower Moon") but it is a solid choice and certainly will not be looked back years later as an unfortunate Best Picture selection. Christopher Nolan finally received the Best Director award while his wife, Emma Thomas shared the win for producing the movie. Cillian Murphy won his first Oscar for Best Actor playing the real-life theoretical physicist while Robert Downey, Jr. received Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Lewis Strauss, a high-ranking member of the US Atomic Energy Commission.

One of the biggest hits of last year, "Barbie" managed to take home only one award for Best Original Song for Billie Eilish and her brother, Finneas O'Connell who also became two time winners this night. But another nominated song from "Barbie", "I'm Just Ken" was performed on the show with a very game, Ryan Gosling capturing the spirit of the film. In one of the most rousing performances of the nominated songs, Gosling sang and danced in an extravagant production number surrounded by co-stars, Simu Liu and Kingsley Ben-Adir, a large number of dancing men with even Slash, the guitarist of the band, Guns N Roses, making an appearance. Another moment on the program was when stand-up comedian, John Mulaney came out to present Best Sound. I was wondering why he was actually there (in fact, I don't he's even been in a movie) but Mulaney was hilarious with his bit on "Field of Dreams" that was a highlight of the show. Perhaps he was auditioning for a chance to host a future Oscars? If so, I say give him a shot.

There were a few disappointments; The traditional In Memoriam was poorly conceived this year with the segment feeling extremely rushed with some Oscar winners and nominees omitted while other performer's names were regulated to small print on a screen blocked by the dancers on stage. And when Al Pacino arrived on stage to announce Best Picture, he simply opened the envelope without mentioning the nominees or any acknowledgment of the producers involved in each movie. What makes this even worse is that Pacino has later stated that the producers of the show instructed him to just say the winner.

This year, the show began an hour earlier and ran about twenty-three minutes over the intended three hour runtime. Yet the ratings were up by 4% this year with 19 million viewers tuning in. This uptick of viewership might be the "Barbenheimer" effect but who can know for certain. During this ceremony, there was no slapping, no opening of the wrong envelopes, no overtly political speeches and no streaking (boooo, John Cena). What we had was a fairly standard, traditional Oscars telecast. Now this perfectly fine with me however as we closely approach the centennial of the Academy Awards, what will it take to keep viewers engaged with the Oscars? I do believe the concept of "Barbenheimer" with two original films in the marketplace at the same time is one answer but another bolder vision is what Best Adapted Screenplay winner, Cord Jefferson said in his acceptance speech which in essence is that studios might want to get back to investing less money on films and take a chance on a new filmmaker with a fresh, innovative script.

Here is the complete list of the winners of the 2024 Academy Awards:

Best Picture: "Oppenheimer"
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer"
Best Original Screenplay: Arthur Harari and Justine Triet, "Anatomy of a Fall"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, "American Fiction"
Best Actress in a Leading Role: Emma Stone, "Poor Things"
Best Actor in a Leading Role: Cillian Murphy, "Oppenheimer"
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, "The Holdovers"
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Robert Downey Jr., "Oppenheimer"
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, "Oppenheimer"
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, "Oppenheimer"
Best Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath, Production Design; Zsuzsa Mihalek, Set Decoration, "Poor Things"
Best International Feature: "The Zone of Interest" (United Kingdom)
Best Animated Feature: "The Boy and the Heron"
Best Animated Short: "War is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko"
Best Documentary Feature: "20 Days in Mariupol"
Best Documentary Short: "The Last Repair Shop"
Best Live Action Short: "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar"
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, "Oppenheimer"
Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" from "Barbie" Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
Best Sound: Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn, "The Zone of Interest"
Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington, "Poor Things"
Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston, "Poor Things"
Best Visual Effects: Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima, "Godzilla Minus One"

Academy Honorary Awards: 

Angela Bassett
Mel Brooks
Carol Littleton

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Michelle Satter

WINNERS OF THE 2024 BERLIN FILM FESITIVAL

"Dahomey", the documentary by French-Senegalese filmmaker, Mati Diop, received the top prize of the Golden Bear at the close of the 74th Berlin Film Festival. The film tells the story of the African artworks that were looted from Dahomey, an area that was the former West African kingdom located in the south of today’s Republic of Benin, brought to France and the journey of the art returned to Benin. The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to Hong Sang-soo and his latest, "A Traveler's Needs". Isabelle Huppert stars as a French woman who ends up in Korea and with no previous experience, begins to teach French to the locals in order to make a living.

Here is the list of winners from the 2024 Berlin Film Festival:

Golden Bear: "Dahomey"



Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize: "여행자의 필요 (A Traveler's Needs)"
Silver Bear: "L'Empire (The Empire)"



Best Director: Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias, "Pepe"
Silver Bear for Best Screenplay: Matthias Glasner, "Sterben (Dying)"



Best Leading Performance: Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man"
Best Supporting Performance: Emily Watson, "Small Things Like These"



Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution: Martin Gschlacht, cinematographer for "Des Teufels Bad (The Devil's Bath)"