Dear film lovers,

We are now opened for submissions for our 2017 festival edition.

Good luck, everybody!

- See more at: http://bucharestshort.ro/2017-call-entries/#sthash.jxU8VuIs.dpuf

Click to read online

A voice that unlocked the heart of many. It will touch yours.
 

“A historical epic that took place more than 1000 years ago. Bilal challenges the norms of conventional animation production”   AWN
http://www.awn.com/news/barajoun-s-cg-feature-bilal-reimagines-epic-tale

“A strong story with plenty of emotional momentum”      The Hollywood Reporter
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/bilal-dubai-review-847577

“Visuals are extremely well designed”        Variety
http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/bilal-review-1201658710/

A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister
and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all,
Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change.
Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.

Check the trailer
Website

CAST

Bilal starring Adewale-Akkinnuoye-Agbaje, Ian McShane, China Anne McClain & Jacob Latimore!
Interviews:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns19hxdtj4A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiHJoVofIEg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO8QTDbza7Y

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

Awards / Nominations

“BILAL” was officially selected at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival under Best Feature Film. The film is also nominated for APSA, the region’s highest accolade in film for Best Animated Feature Film after winning “Best inspiring Movie” in Animation Day in Cannes Festival and “Best Innovative Movie” at the BroadCast Pro Middle East Award.

MUSIC

The film boasts an exquisite score by world renowned film composer, Atli Örvarsson most of which was recorded at Abbey Road Studio, London with some sections recorded in Iceland. The musical score is a fusion of Arabian elements fused with Norse and European sentiments. The team of soloists and musicians carries with it an impressive body of work including Hollywood blockbusters and renowned television content.

Click to watch thevideo:  Behind the Scenes of Recording the Music Score.

 

Theme song WARRIOR by Akon & Redone

Click to watch the video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=podkzCPKo9g

I look forward to viewing the submissions for 2017!

This year we will be screening at The Twenty Brew TapHouse in Westinster, CO!

Festival Dates:  January 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st 2017

Time:  7:30 p.m.

Deadline:  Rolling, shows occuring publicly all year long!

Please send a dvd or usable digital file to:

The Denver International Experimental Film Festival

10871 Utica Ct.

Westminster, CO  80031

By usable I mean a format that would allow me to screen in public via a dvd player or a solid, video format that can be used in a larger reel or screened through a laptop computer, etc.

Thanks again and I truly look forward to viewing the submissions!

Sincerely,

The Experimental Film Channel

The 2017 Denver International Experimental Film Fesival

We are delighted to invite you to submit your film for the 2nd Edition of NOVOS CINEMAS Pontevedra International Film Festival, which will take place between the 27th June and the 2nd of July 2017, in the Galician city of Pontevedra (Spain). 

NOVOS CINEMAS is an International Film Festival open to emergent filmmakers from all over the world. To be eligible, entrants must submit a full-length film (not less than 60 minutes long). The submited film must be the first or second film directed by the entrant filmmaker or by the filmmaker the entrant represents. Eligible entries include feature films completed, or whose first public exhibition take place afer 1 January 2016 that have not been commercially released in Spanish cinemas or broadcast on Spanish TV channels (private or public) before entering this competition.
Closing date for entries will be 1 March 2017.


Novos Cinemas Website
Regulations & Film Entry

Dear film lovers,

We are now opened for submissions for our 2017 festival edition.

Good luck, everybody!

Siraj Syed reviews Rogue One, A Star Wars Story: While there is war, there is hope!

“Learning to make films is very easy. Learning what to make films about is very hard.”

— George Walton Lucas, Jr.

"It's the reality of war. Good guys are bad. Bad guys are good. It's complicated, layered; a very rich scenario in which to set a movie." --Gareth Edwards.

It has been reported that the creator of Star Wars, George Lucas, liked Rogue One very much, and that this means a lot to director Gareth Edwards. Good for Gareth. Lucas has not made a film in 11 years, on Star Wars or any other subject, and sold off his company and franchise to Disney, in 2012.

Pitched as the first of an anthology and coming in the middle of the long story, Rogue One has fleeting glimpses of the familiar characters who inhabited ‘a galaxy far, far away’. Personas it does have in its narrative are photo-shopped images of the familiar figures, and the round of applause that greets the entry of the oldies notwithstanding, the layers, when unpeeled, do not match up to the flesh and bones of the real thing.

After the formation of the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance recruits Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) to work with a team, including Alliance Intelligence Officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), to steal the design schematics of the Empire's new super-weapon, the Death Star. Jyn is the daughter of an Empire deserter scientist, Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelson), who is dragged out of his hideout to join the weapon programme. His wife is killed, trying to resist, but his young daughter, hidden in a cave-like trench (safe-house?), manages to evade Advanced Weapons Director Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) killer troops. She is later rescued by Saw Gerrera (Forest Whitaker), but abandoned, for unknown reasons. Now an adult, she is unaware whether her father is alive or dead, but the rebels know that he is alive and working on the weapon.

Led into believing that the Alliance is out to rescue her father, Jyn is sent with Cassian to locate Galen, who has instructions to kill him on sight, rather than attempt a rescue. A robot named K2SO is the co-pilot. Along the way, the trio encounter Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), a blind ‘samurai’, who is a dedicated believer in the Force, and Baze Malbus (Wen Jiang), a brutal mercenary, both of who come aboard on this do or die, rather do and die, mission. They are captured by Gerrera, a battered veteran of the Clone Wars, who is now a living bundle of contraptions, walking on artificial feet and breathing through a ventilator. There, they bump into Bodhi Rook (Riz Ahmed), an Empire defector, who knows Galen. Gerrera tries to explain why he left Jyn to an uncertain fate, and the two then see the hologram sent by Galen. But just then, an explosion hits the city, and destroys it completely. It is Krennic testing the weapon, to prove his loyalty to the Empire.

How many of the characters in Rogue One are carry-overs from George Lucas’s manuscripts, only die-hard fans and the franchise makers would know. For a stand-alone viewer, it is tough remembering the names of the faces, even in the avatar at hand. Add to that the planets and stars (Scarif, Jedha, Death Star...), the animals and robots, the planes and contraptions, and you might run out of RAM. Let’s, instead, get to the names of the writers who keyed in these names, collating and coalescing a story and metamorphosing it into the screenplay. A long time ago, it was George Lucas. Now, we have Tony Gilroy (The Devil’s Advocate, Armageddon, Four Bourne films; did the Rogue One Re-shoot), John Knoll, (writing debut, worked with Industrial Light and Magic, part developed Adobe Photoshop; visual effects supervisor for the Star Wards prequel trilogy), Gary Whitta (parted ways early) and Chris Weitz (brother of Paul W; Cinderella, The Golden Compass). It was Knoll who pitched the idea for the film, a full 10 years before its development; after the Disney acquisition, he felt as if he had to pitch it again, or forever wonder, "what might've happened if I had?”

Rogue One is a reference not to a man or a nation or a ..., but to a ...“No spoilers, please.” Okay, so this to Karishma Pandya and Universal Communications, the PR agency that organised the press preview. I would not want to be the Rogue One, who spilled the beans. C3PO and R2D2 are sure-fire mass magnets, but what do you do when the story does not allow you to milk their charisma, except in a couple of fleeting catch- me-if-you-can pan shots? Create K2SO. Taller, with the same, or even sharper sense of humour. All said and done, a robot is robot. What’s in a name? So cute!

What is Rogue One about? Or, for that matter, what is the Star Wars series about? Stars, without doubt. Common men turning into ‘stars’. What is written in the stars. Stardust (Jyn’s pet-name is Stardust). Death Star. Stars and galaxies. Wars, for sure. Men, machines, animals. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Trade, power, greed. Tyrants, mercenaries and rebels. Now, if you distance yourself, you will have little difficulty in understanding the infinite permanence of war. We were fighting 10,000 years ago, we are fighting now and we will fight 10,000 years hence. It’s a War for bums on seats, ain’t it?

“Men may come and men may go, but war goes on forever,” with apologies to Alfred ‘Lord’ Tennyson. Another apology is due to Winston Churchill, “We shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills.” Rogue One is a futuristic re-creation of an ancient human trait that uses Biblical landscapes and World War II (Dunkirk, Normandy) as reference points.

Razzle dazzle, 3D thrills and inter-planetary visual treats, a cocky sense of humour, some well employed ploys (must mention Chirrut’s refrain, “The Force is With Me, I am With the Force”), and almost half a dozen above par performances, from an international cast (as an aside, tipping the hat to 72 year-old George Lucas, who is of German, Swiss, English, Scottish, Dutch and French descent), they all work for director Gareth Edwards (UK-Welsh; End Day, Monsters, Godzilla). As does the $200 million budget, which allows for some capturing breath-taking images by Greig Fraser (Australian; Snow White and the Huntsman, Zero Dark Thirty, Fox-catcher) on Ultra Panavision 70 lenses, mounted on Arri Alexa 65 cameras, to turn into another world experience.

The extended climax, in spite of several clever twists, needed to be sharper, though the length, at just over two hours, is still easy on you. Some gaping holes in the narrative, presumably for the fans to fill-in, are not fair on the itinerant ticket-buyer. And Jabez Olssen (New Zealand; The Lord of the Rings, King  Kong, The Lovely Bones) has to grope often for smooth cutting points, to splice successive shots. Music is crucial to such themes. Distant drums and eerie echoes, coupled with battle-field crescendos, are the general gamut for the genre. Same here. Michael Giacchino, the composer, stated: "It is a film that is, in many ways, a really great World War II movie (what did I tell you?), and I loved that about it.” Giacchino incorporated Williams' themes from previous films into the score. That’s welcome.

Felicity Jones (British, 33), where have you been hiding? Let’s add a few more nouns to your name: Authenticity, Tenacity, Sagacity, Vivacity, ...rather, let’s keep it simple: Simplicity. Diego Luna-Alexander (Mexican, The Terminal, Elysium, Milk) stumbles a bit when given mundane dialogue, but makes up when the going gets racy. Paul Benjamin ‘Ben’ Mendelsohn (Australian; Australia-the film, The Dark Knight Rises, Gods and Kings) is only passable. Mads has left the Bond villain way behind, and taken huge strides with almost every film he has done since.

Donnie Yen from HongKong (All’s Well, Ends Well, Monkey King, An Inspector Calls; basically an action director) adds stature to a caricature. Forest Whitaker, in a brief role, is less stereo-typical than is his wont, largely thanks to his incongruous get-up. Riz Ahmed (The Road to Guantanamo, Night-crawler, Jason Bourne)’s is a spirited portrayal, and it’s about time this ‘pilot’ took off for destined destinations. Jackie Shroff, Hindi films’ ‘Jaggu Dada’, has a clone in the shape of Jiang Wen, only bigger. D’Earth invader...oops, Darth Vader is voiced by, YES, James Earl Jones, while Vader is physically played by several “large-framed performers".

“Hope” is mentioned seven times in the film (8?9?).

“In a War Against all Odds, Hope is Your only Real Weapon.”

Have I leaked the opening crawl of the next volume in the anthology, due December 2017?

Hope not.

Rating: *** (As usual, fans can add their own ½ *)

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1J8ZA8_plw

TELEVISION PROGRAMS

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
RIZ AHMED / “The Night Of”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is Riz Ahmed’s first Actor® nomination

STERLING K. BROWN / “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
MALE DRAMA – “This Is Us”
These are Sterling K. Brown’s first Actor® nominations

BRYAN CRANSTON / “All the Way”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 12
Previous Actors®:
2014, 2013 – MALE DRAMA – “Breaking Bad”
2014 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Breaking Bad”
2013 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Argo”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016 – MALE LEAD – “Trumbo”
2016 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Trumbo”
2012, 2011, 2010 – MALE DRAMA – “Breaking Bad”
2013, 2012 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Breaking Bad”

JOHN TURTURRO / “The Night Of”
Total Actor® nominations in this category: 3
Previous Actor® nominations: 4
Previous Actor® nominations:
2008 – MALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – “The Bronx is Burning”
2003 – MALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Monday Night Mayhem”
1995 – MALE SUPPORT – “Quiz Show”

COURTNEY B. VANCE / “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is Courtney B. Vance’s first Actor® nomination

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD / “Black Mirror”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actors®:
2012 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Help”

FELICITY HUFFMAN / “American Crime”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 3
Total Actor® nominations: 10
Previous Actors®:
2006 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Desperate Housewives”
2006, 2005 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Desperate Housewives”
Previous Actor® Nominations:
2009, 2008, 2007 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Desperate Housewives”
2007 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Desperate Housewives”
2006 – FEMALE LEAD – “Transamerica”
2000 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Sports Night”

AUDRA McDONALD / “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill”
Total nomination in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is Audra McDonald’s first Actor® nomination

SARAH PAULSON / “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “12 Years a Slave”

KERRY WASHINGTON / “Confirmation”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 3
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014 – FEMALE DRAMA – “Scandal”
2005 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Ray”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STERLING K. BROWN / “This Is Us”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
MALE TV MOVIE/LIMITED – “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”
These are Sterling K. Brown’s first Actor® nominations

PETER DINKLAGE / “Game of Thrones”
Total nominations in this category: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 10
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2014 – MALE DRAMA – “Game of Thrones”
2016, 2015, 2014, 2012 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Game of Thrones”
2004 – MALE LEAD – “The Station Agent”
2004 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Station Agent”

JOHN LITHGOW / “The Crown”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor Nominations: 8
Previous Actors®:
1998, 1997 – MALE COMEDY – “3rd Rock from the Sun”\
Previous Actor® nominations:
2010 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Dexter”
2001 – MALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Don Quixote”
1999, 1998, 1997 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “3rd Rock from the Sun”

RAMI MALEK / “Mr. Robot”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016 – MALE DRAMA –  “Mr. Robot”

KEVIN SPACEY / “House of Cards”
Total nominations in this category: 3
Previous Actors®: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 11
Previous Actors®:
2016, 2015 – MALE DRAMA – “House of Cards”
2000 – MALE LEAD – “American Beauty”
2000 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “American Beauty”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014 – MALE DRAMA – “House of Cards”
2016, 2015 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “House of Cards”
2009 – MALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Recount”
1998 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “L.A. Confidential”
1996 – MALE SUPPORT – “The Usual Suspects”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN / “Stranger Things”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Stranger Things”
These are Millie Bobby Brown’s first Actor® nominations

CLAIRE FOY / “The Crown”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “The Crown”
These are Claire Foy’s first Actor® nomination

THANDIE NEWTON / “Westworld”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 3
Concurrent nominations this year:
DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Westworld”
Previous Actors®:
2006 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Crash”

WINONA RYDER / “Stranger Things”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 5
Concurrent nominations this year:
DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Stranger Things”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2011 – FEMALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – “When Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story”
2011 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Black Swan”
1996 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “How to Make an American Quilt”

ROBIN WRIGHT / “House of Cards”
Total nominations in this category: 3
Total Actor® nominations: 8
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015 – FEMALE DRAMA – “House of Cards”
2016, 2015 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “House of Cards”
2006 – FEMALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Empire Falls”
1998 – FEMALE LEAD – “She’s So Lovely”
1995 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Forrest Gump”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ANTHONY ANDERSON / “Black-ish”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Concurrent nomination this year:
COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Black-ish”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2007 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Departed”
2006 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Hustle & Flow”

TITUSS BURGESS / “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is Tituss Burgess’ first Actor® nomination

TY BURRELL / “Modern Family”
Total nominations in this category: 7
Previous Actors®: 5
Total Actor® nominations: 15
Concurrent nominations this year:
COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Modern Family”
Previous Actors®:
2014 – MALE COMEDY – “Modern Family”
2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Modern Family”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2013, 2012, 2011 – MALE COMEDY – “Modern Family”
2016, 2015, 2010 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Modern Family”

WILLIAM H. MACY / “Shameless”
Total nominations in this category: 3
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 11
Previous Actors®:
2015 – MALE COMEDY – “Shameless”
2003 – MALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Door to Door”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016 – MALE COMEDY – “Shameless”
2007 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Bobby"
2007 – MALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – "Nightmares & Dreamscapes"
2005 – MALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – "The Wool Cap"
2004 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Seabiscuit"
2000 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Magnolia"
1998 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Boogie Nights"
1997 – MALE SUPPORT – “Fargo”

JEFFREY TAMBOR / Transparent”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 5
Previous Actors®:
2016 – MALE COMEDY – “Transparent”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014, 2006, 2005 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Arrested Development”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
UZO ADUBA / “Orange is the Black”
Total nominations in this category: 3
Previous Actors®: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Concurrent nominations this year:
COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Orange is the New Black”
Previous Actors®:
2016, 2015 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Orange is the New Black”
2016, 2015 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Orange is the New Black”

JANE FONDA / “Grace and Frankie”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

ELLIE KEMPER / Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 7
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”
2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “The Office”
2012 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Bridesmaids”

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / “Veep”
Total nominations in this category: 11
Previous Actors®: 6
Total Actor® nominations: 19
Concurrent nominations this year:
COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Veep”
Previous Actors®:
2014 – FEMALE COMEDY – "Veep"
1998, 1997 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Seinfeld”
1998, 1997, 1995 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Seinfeld”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, – FEMALE COMEDY – "Veep"
2016, 2015, 2014 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – "Veep"
2010, 2007 – FEMALE COMEDY – "The New Adventures of Old Christine"
1999, 1996, 1995 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Seinfeld”
1996 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Seinfeld”

LILY TOMLIN / “Grace and Frankie”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Concurrent honor this year:
53^rd Annual Life Achievement Recipient
Previous Actor® nominations:
2005, 2003 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “The West Wing”
2003 – FEMALE DRAMA – “The West Wing”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
THE CROWN (Netflix)
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is “The Crown” ensemble’s first Actor® nomination

DOWNTON ABBEY (Masterpiece/PBS)
Previous Actors®: 3
Total Actor® nominations: 5
Previous Actors®:
2016, 2015, 2013 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE
Previous Actor® nominations:
2014– DRAMA ENSEMBLE

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
Total Actor® nominations: 5
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2012 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE

STRANGER THINGS (Netflix)
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is the “Stranger Things” ensemble’s first Actor® nomination

WESTWORLD (HBO)
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is the “Westworld” ensemble’s first Actor® nomination

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
BLACK-ISH (ABC)
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is the “Black-ish” ensemble’s first Actor® nomination

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
Previous Actors®: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 8
Previous Actors®:
2014, 2013, 2012, 2011 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2010 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK (Netflix)
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 3
Previous Actors®:
2016, 2015 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE

VEEP (HBO)
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2014 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE

STUNT ENSEMBLE HONORS

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
Total Stunt Ensemble nominations: 6
Previous Stunt Ensemble honors:  2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

MARVEL'S DAREDEVIL (Netflix)
Total Stunt Ensemble nominations: 2
Previous Stunt Ensemble nominations: 2016

MARVEL’S LUKE CAGE (Netflix)
Total Stunt Ensemble nominations: 1
This is the “Marvel’s Luke Cage” stunt ensemble’s first nomination

THE WALKING DEAD (AMC)
Total Stunt Ensemble nominations: 5
Previous Stunt Ensemble nominations: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013

WESTWORLD (HBO)
Total Stunt Ensemble nominations: 1
This is the “Westworld” stunt ensemble’s first nomination

Nominees for the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards^® for outstanding individual, cast and ensemble performances in film and television of 2016, as well as the nominees for outstanding action performances by film and television stunt ensembles were announced this morning at the Pacific Design Center’s SilverScreen Theater in West Hollywood.

SAG-AFTRA Executive Vice President Gabrielle Carteris introduced Sophia Bush (Chicago P.D., One Tree Hill) and Common (Suicide Squad, Selma), who announced the nominees for this year’s Actors® live on Turner's TNT, TBS and truTV cable networks, as well as online at sagawards.tntdrama.com,  truTV.com and sagawards.org. Prior to that, SAG Awards Committee Chair JoBeth Williams and Committee Member Jason George revealed the stunt ensemble nominees during a live webcast on sagawards.tntdrama.com and sagawards.org.  In addition, for the first time ever both announcements were available through a Facebook Live stream on the TBS, TNT, truTV and SAG Awards Facebook pages. A replay of both announcements is available for viewing on sagawards.tntdrama.com and sagawards.org.

The complete list of 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations follows this notice.

The 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented by SAG-AFTRA with Screen Actors Guild Awards, LLC will be produced by Avalon Harbor Entertainment, Inc. and will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). TBS and TNT subscribers can also watch the SAG Awards live through the networks' websites and mobile apps. In addition, TNT will present a primetime encore of the ceremony immediately following the live presentation.

Prior to the televised ceremony, the stunt ensemble honorees will be announced during the SAG Awards Live Red Carpet Pre-Show webcast.

One of the awards season’s premier events, the SAG Awards annually celebrates the outstanding motion pictures and television performances from the previous calendar year. Of the top industry honors presented to actors, only the SAG Awards are selected entirely by performers’ peers in SAG-AFTRA. The SAG Awards was the first televised awards show to acknowledge the work of union members and the first to present awards to motion picture casts and television ensembles.

Two nominating panels — one for television and one for film — each composed of 2,500 randomly selected SAG-AFTRA members from across the United States, chose this year’s nominees. Final voting information will be sent to the 121,546 SAG-AFTRA members in good standing across the country, who may vote on all categories. In keeping with the SAG Awards’ commitment to sustainable practices, online voting is encouraged. Request for optional paper ballots must be made to Integrity Voting Systems by Friday, Jan. 13, 2017. All votes must be received at the elections firm by noon PT on Friday, Jan. 27. Results will be tallied and sealed until the envelopes are opened by the presenters live onstage at the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony on Jan. 29, 2017.

The Screen Actors Guild Post-Awards Gala benefiting the SAG-AFTRA Foundation will be hosted for the 21st consecutive year by People and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) to benefit the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and honor actors’ philanthropic activities. For more information about the SAG Awards®, SAG-AFTRA, TNT and TBS, visit sagawards.org/about.

Requests for photos and graphics for the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards should be addressed to awardsphotos@sagawards.org

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23rd ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® NOMINATIONS

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
CASEY AFFLECK / Lee Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
ANDREW GARFIELD / Desmond Doss – “HACKSAW RIDGE” (Lionsgate)
RYAN GOSLING / Sebastian –“LA LA LAND” (Lionsgate)
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Ben – “CAPTAIN FANTASTIC” (Bleecker Street)
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Troy Maxson – “FENCES” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
AMY ADAMS / Louise Banks – “ARRIVAL” (Paramount Pictures)
EMILY BLUNT / Rachel – “THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN” (Universal Pictures)
NATALIE PORTMAN / Jackie Kennedy – “JACKIE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
EMMA STONE / Mia – “LA LA LAND” (Lionsgate)
MERYL STREEP / Florence Foster Jenkins – “FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS” (Paramount Pictures)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
MAHERSHALA ALI / Juan – “MOONLIGHT” (A24)
JEFF BRIDGES / Marcus Hamilton – “HELL OR HIGH WATER” (CBS Films)
HUGH GRANT / St Clair Bayfield – “FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS” (Paramount Pictures)
LUCAS HEDGES / Patrick Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
DEV PATEL / Saroo Brierley – “LION” (The Weinstein Company)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
VIOLA DAVIS / Rose Maxson – “FENCES” (Paramount Pictures)
NAOMIE HARRIS / Paula – “MOONLIGHT” (A24)
NICOLE KIDMAN / Sue Brierley – “LION” (The Weinstein Company)
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Dorothy Vaughan – “HIDDEN FIGURES” (20^th Century Fox)
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Randi Chandler – “MANCHESTER BY THE SEA” (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
CAPTAIN FANTASTIC (Bleecker Street)
ANNALISE BASSO / Vespyr
SHREE CROOKS / Zaja
ANN DOWD / Abigail
KATHRYN HAHN / Harper
NICHOLAS HAMILTON / Rellian
SAMANTHA ISLER / Kielyr
FRANK LANGELLA / Jack
GEORGE MacKAY / Bo
ERIN MORIARTY / Claire
VIGGO MORTENSEN / Ben
MISSI PYLE / Ellen
CHARLIE SHOTWELL / Nai
STEVE ZAHN / Dave

FENCES (Paramount Pictures)
JOVAN ADEPO / Cory
VIOLA DAVIS / Rose Maxson
STEPHEN McKINLEY HENDERSON / Jim Bono
RUSSELL HORNSBY / Lyons
SANIYYA SIDNEY / Raynell
DENZEL WASHINGTON / Troy Maxson
MYKELTI WILLIAMSON / Gabriel

HIDDEN FIGURES (20^th Century Fox)
MAHERSHALA ALI / Col. Jim Johnson
KEVIN COSTNER / Al Harrison
KIRSTEN DUNST / Vivian Mitchell
TARAJI P. HENSON / Katherine G. Johnson
ALDIS HODGE / Levi Jackson
JANELLE MONÁE / Mary Jackson
JIM PARSONS / Paul Stafford
GLEN POWELL / John Glenn
OCTAVIA SPENCER / Dorothy Vaughan

MANCHESTER BY THE SEA (Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions)
CASEY AFFLECK / Lee Chandler
MATTHEW BRODERICK / Jeffrey
KYLE CHANDLER / Joe Chandler
LUCAS HEDGES / Patrick Chandler
GRETCHEN MOL / Elise
MICHELLE WILLIAMS / Randi Chandler

MOONLIGHT (A24)
MAHERSHALA ALI / Juan
NAOMIE HARRIS / Paula
ANDRÉ HOLLAND / Kevin
JHARREL JEROME / Kevin (16)
JANELLE MONÁE / Teresa
TREVANTE RHODES / Black
ASHTON SANDERS / Chiron

FIRST-TIME INDIVIDUAL ACTOR® NOMINEES
RIZ AHMED
EMILY BLUNT
MILLIE BOBBY BROWN
STERLING K. BROWN
TITUSS BURGESS
CLAIRE FOY
NAOMIE HARRIS
LUCAS HEDGES
AUDRA McDONALD
COURTNEY B. VANCE

FIRST-TIME TELEVISION SERIES ENSEMBLE NOMINEES
“Black-ish”
“The Crown”
“Stranger Things”
“Westworld”

INDIVIDUAL RECORD HOLDERS – MOST ACTORS® RECEIVED
A tie:
JULIANNA MARGULIES – 8 Actors® (4 for individual performances and 4 for ensemble performances)
2011, 2010 – FEMALE DRAMA – "The Good Wife"
1999, 1998 – FEMALE DRAMA – "ER"
1999, 1998, 1997, 1996 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – "ER"

ALEC BALDWIN – 8 Actors® (7 for individual performances and 1 for ensemble performance)
2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007 – MALE COMEDY – “30 Rock”
2009 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “30 Rock”

INDIVIDUAL RECORD HOLDERS – MOST ACTOR® NOMINATIONS
EDIE FALCO – 22 Actor® nominations (14 for individual performances, 8 for ensemble performances)
Previous Actors®:
2008, 2003, 2000 – FEMALE DRAMA – “The Sopranos”
2008, 2000 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “The Sopranos”

Previous Actor® nominations:
2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 – FEMALE COMEDY – “Nurse Jackie”
2013 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – “Nurse Jackie”
2007, 2005, 2002, 2001 – FEMALE DRAMA – “The Sopranos”
2007, 2005, 2003, 2002, 2001 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “The Sopranos”

ENSEMBLE RECORD HOLDERS – MOST ACTORS® RECEIVED
A tie:
ER – 4 Actors® – 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996
MODERN FAMILY – 4 Actors® – 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

ENSEMBLE RECORD HOLDERS – MOST ACTOR® NOMINATIONS
A tie:
FRASIER – 9 Actor® nominations - – 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995
LAW & ORDER – 9 Actor® nominations – 2004, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995

RECORD HOLDERS – MOST ACTOR® NOMINATIONS IN A SINGLE YEAR
A tie:
JAMIE FOXX – 4 Actor® nominations in 2005 (3 for individual performances, 1 for ensemble performance)
MALE LEAD – “Ray”
MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Ray”
MALE SUPPORT – “Collateral”
MALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Redemption: The Stan Tookie Williams Story”

MAGGIE SMITH – 4 Actor® nominations in 2013 (2 for individual performances, 2 for ensemble performances)
FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
FEMALE DRAMA – “Downton Abbey”
DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “Downton Abbey”
 

ACTORS HONORED WITH ACTOR® STATUETTES FOR SEPARATE PERFORMANCES IN A SINGLE YEAR
STEVE CARELL
2007 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Little Miss Sunshine"
2007 – COMEDY ENSEMBLE – "The Office"

BRYAN CRANSTON
2013 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Argo"
2013 – MALE DRAMA – "Breaking Bad"

IDRIS ELBA
2016 – MALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Luther”
2016 – MALE SUPPORT – “Beasts of No Nation"

ALBERT FINNEY
2001 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Traffic"
2001 – MALE SUPPORT – "Erin Brockovich"

HELEN MIRREN
2007 – FEMALE LEAD – "The Queen"
2007 – FEMALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – "Elizabeth I"

GARY SINISE
1996 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Apollo 13"
1996 – MALE TV MOVIE/MINISERIES – "Truman"

NOMINEE SAG AWARDS® HISTORIES
(Note: “Total” tallies include this year’s nominations)

THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
CASEY AFFLECK / “Manchester By The Sea”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 3
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Manchester By The Sea”
Previous Actor® nominations:
2008 – MALE SUPPORT – “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”

ANDREW GARFIELD / “Hacksaw Ridge”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actor® nominations:
2011 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Social Network”

RYAN GOSLING / “La La Land”
Total nominations in this category: 3
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Previous Actor® nominations:
2016 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Big Short”
2008 – MALE LEAD – “Lars and the Real Girl”
2007 – MALE LEAD – “Half Nelson”

VIGGO MORTENSEN / “Captain Fantastic”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Captain Fantastic”
Previous Actors®: 
2004 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The Kind”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2008 – MALE LEAD – “Eastern Promises”
2003 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers
2002 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring”

DENZEL WASHINGTON / “Fences”
Total nominations in this category: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Fences”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2013 – MALE LEAD – “Flight”
2008 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “American Gangster”
2002 – MALE LEAD – “Training Day”
2000 – MALE LEAD – “The Hurricane”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
AMY ADAMS / “Arrival”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 7
Previous Actors®: 
2014 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “American Hustle”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2011 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Fighter”
2011 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Fighter”
2009 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Doubt”
2009 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Doubt”  
2006 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Junebug”

EMILY BLUNT / “The Girl on the Train”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 1
This is Emily Blunt’s first Actor® nomination

NATALIE PORTMAN / “Jackie”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 3
Previous Actors®: 
2011 – FEMALE LEAD – “Black Swan”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2011 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Black Swan”

EMMA STONE / “La La Land”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Previous Actors®: 
2015 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Birdman”
2012 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "The Help"
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2015 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Birdman”

MERYL STREEP / “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Total nominations in this category: 10
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 17
Previous Actors®: 
2009 – FEMALE LEAD – “Doubt”
2004 – FEMALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Angels in America”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2015 – FEMALE SUPPORT – "Into The Woods"
2014 – FEMALE LEAD – "August: Osage County"
2014 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "August: Osage County"
2012 – FEMALE LEAD – “The Iron Lady”
2010 – FEMALE LEAD – “Julie & Julia”
2009 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Doubt"
2007 – FEMALE LEAD – “The Devil Wears Prada”
2003 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "Adaptation"
2003 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – "The Hours"
2000 – FEMALE LEAD – “Music of the Heart”
1999 – FEMALE LEAD – “One True Thing"
1997 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Marvin's Room”
1996 – FEMALE LEAD – “The Bridges of Madison County”
1995 – FEMALE LEAD – “The River Wild”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
MAHERSHALA ALI / “Moonlight”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Moonlight”
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Hidden Figures”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2016 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “House of Cards”
2015 – DRAMA ENSEMBLE – “House of Cards”
2009 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”

JEFF BRIDGES / “Hell or High Water”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 5
Previous Actors®: 
2010 – MALE LEAD – “Crazy Heart”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2011 – MALE LEAD – “True Grit”
2004 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Seabiscuit”
2001 – MALE SUPPORT – “The Contender”

HUGH GRANT / “Florence Foster Jenkins”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Previous Actor® nominations: 
1996 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Sense and Sensibility”

LUCAS HEDGES / “Manchester By The Sea”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Manchester By The Sea”
These are Lucas Hedges’ first Actor® nominations

DEV PATEL / “Lion”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Previous Actors®: 
2009 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Slumdog Millionaire”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2013 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
2009 – MALE SUPPORT – “Slumdog Millionaire”


Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
VIOLA DAVIS / “Fences”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 4
Total Actor® nominations: 8
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Fences”
Previous Actors®: 
2016, 2015 – FEMALE DRAMA – “How to Get Away with Murder”
2012 – FEMALE LEAD – “The Help”
2012 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Help”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2009 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Doubt”
2009 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Doubt”

NAOMIE HARRIS / “Moonlight”
Total nominations in this category: 1
Total Actor® nominations: 2
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Moonlight”
These are Naomie Harris’ first Actor® nominations 

NICOLE KIDMAN / “Lion”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 9
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2016 – FEMALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Grace of Monaco”
2013 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Paperboy”
2013 – FEMALE MOVIE/MINISERIES – “Hemingway & Gellhorn”
2011 – FEMALE LEAD – “Rabbit Hole”
2010 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Nine”
2003 – FEMALE LEAD – “The Hours”
2003 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Hours”
2002 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Moulin Rouge”

OCTAVIA SPENCER / “Hidden Figures”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Previous Actors®: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 4
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Hidden Figures”
Previous Actors®: 
2012 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “The Help”
2012 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “The Help”

MICHELLE WILLIAMS / “Manchester By The Sea”
Total nominations in this category: 2
Total Actor® nominations: 6
Concurrent nominations this year:
2017 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Manchester By The Sea”
Previous Actor® nominations: 
2012 – FEMALE LEAD – “My Week With Marilyn”
2006 – FEMALE SUPPORT – “Brokeback Mountain”
2006 – MOTION PICTURE CAST – “Brokeback Mountain”
2004 – MOTION PICTURE CAST- “The Station Agent”

91 ORIGINAL SONGS VIE FOR 2016 OSCAR^®

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 91 songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2016 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 89th Academy Awards^®.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

"Just Like Fire" from "Alice through the Looking Glass"
"Rise" from "American Wrestler: The Wizard"
"Friends" from "The Angry Birds Movie"
"Flicker" from "Audrie & Daisy"
"Seconds" from "Autumn Lights"
"A Minute To Breathe" from "Before the Flood"
"Glory (Let There Be Peace)" from "Believe"
"Mother's Theme" from "Believe"
"Somewhere" from "Believe"
"The Only Way Out" from "Ben-Hur"
"Still Falling For You" from "Bridget Jones's Baby"
"F That" from "The Bronze"
"Torch Pt. 2" from "Citizen Soldier"
"Drift And Fall Again" from "Criminal"
"Take Me Down" from "Deepwater Horizon"
"Land Of All" from "Desierto"
"Sad But True (Dreamland Theme)" from "Dreamland"
"Angel By The Wings" from "The Eagle Huntress"
"Blind Pig" from "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them"
"One Frame At A Time" from "Floyd Norman: An Animated Life"
"I'm Crying" from "Free State of Jones"
"Gold" from "Gold"
"Champion" from "Hands of Stone"
"Dance Rascal, Dance" from "Hello, My Name Is Doris"
"I See A Victory" from "Hidden Figures"
"Runnin" from "Hidden Figures"
"Sixty Charisma Scented Blackbirds" from "How to Let Go of the World and Love All the Things Climate  
 Can't Change"
"My Superstar" from "Ice Age: Collision Course"
"Seeing You Around" from "Ithaca"
"The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story"
"Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from "La La Land"
"City Of Stars" from "La La Land"
"Start A Fire" from "La La Land"
"Cateura Vamos A Soñar (We Will Dream)" from "Landfill Harmonic"
"Better Love" from "The Legend of Tarzan"
"Never Give Up" from "Lion"
"Equation" from "The Little Prince"
"Turnaround" from "The Little Prince"
"Moonshine" from "Live By Night"
"Loving" from "Loving"
"Hurry Home" from "Max Rose"
"Gone 2015" from "Miles Ahead"
"Wish That You Were Here" from "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"
"I'm Still Here" from "Miss Sharon Jones!"
"How Far I'll Go" from "Moana"
"We Know The Way" from "Moana"
"Even More Mine" from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2"
"Waving Goodbye" from "The Neon Demon"
"I'm Back" from "Never Surrender"
"Find My Victory" from "Olympic Pride, American Prejudice"
"On Ghost Ridge" from "100 Years: One Woman's Fight for Justice"
"Ordinary World" from "Ordinary World"
"Devil's Girl" from "Outlaws and Angels"
"Levitate" from "Passengers"
"Ginga" from "Pelé: Birth of a Legend"
"Nobody Knows" from "Pete's Dragon"
"Something Wild" from "Pete's Dragon"
"Dancing With Your Shadow" from "Po"
"I'm So Humble" from "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping"
"Stay Here" from "Presenting Princess Shaw"
"Celebrate Life" from "Queen Mimi"
"Back To Life" from "Queen of Katwe"
"Let The Games Begin" from "Race"
"Think About It" from "The Red Pill"
"The Rules Don't Apply" from "Rules Don't Apply"
"The Great Beyond" from "Sausage Party"
"Faith" from "Sing"
"Set It All Free" from "Sing"
"Drive It Like You Stole It" from "Sing Street"
"Go Now" from "Sing Street"
"The Veil" from "Snowden"
"Hymn" from "Snowtime!"
"Kiss Me Goodnight" from "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
"Holdin' Out" from "Storks"
"Heathens" from "Suicide Squad"
"Flying Home" from "Sully"
"Montage" from "Swiss Army Man"
"Petit Metier" from "They Will Have to Kill Us First - Malian Music in Exile"
"Letter To The Free" from "13th"
"Down With Mary" from "Too Late"
"Can't Stop The Feeling" from "Trolls"
"Get Back Up Again" from "Trolls"
"Smile" from "The Uncondemned"
"We Will Rise" from "Veeram-Macbeth"
"LA Venus" from "We Are X"
"New Dogs, Old Tricks" from "What Happened Last Night"
"Runnin' Runnin'" from "What Happened Last Night"
"What's Happening Today" from "What Happened Last Night"
"Who I Am" from "What Happened Last Night"
"The Ballad Of Wiener-Dog" from "Wiener-Dog"
"Try Everything" from "Zootopia"

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a compilation of the song clips.  Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category.  The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.  A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film.  A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

Nominations for the 89th Oscars^® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Cui Bono? That’s the famous Latin line that means “who benefits,” and in the realm of conspiracy theories, this blunt tool ranks right up there with “Historian’s Fallacy” as a go-to. The term historian’s fallacy was minted by Brandeis Professor David Hackett Fischer in 1970, who pointed out the bright idea that even when someone is going through a historic event, or having experienced a historic event, said eyewitness may not have a historical perspective because they have no idea what might hit them next. So since 2016 is The Year Nobody Was a Pundit, as far as the US Presidential Election, and while most of Hollywood is still in shock at the shadow conservative vote in their midst, you’ll forgive a meandering but meaningful segue here into the Oscar Documentary Shortlist and why two films, Zero Days and Hooligan Sparrow, had special resonance. But first, Oliver Stone who executive produced a documentary on investigative journalist, I.F. Stone, directed by Fred Peabody. Unlike Zero Days and Sparrow, this is one that didn’t make the Oscar shortlist, but it’s extremely relevant this year. 

Titled ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE: TRUTH, DECEPTION, AND THE SPIRIT OF I.F. STONE, it’s based on the book that examines the influential life of investigative journalist, I.F. Stone “whose long one-man crusade against government deception lives on in the work of such contemporary filmmakers and journalists such as  Amy Goodman, Laura Poitras, Glenn Greenwald, Cenk Uygur, Jeremy Scahill, David Corn, and Matt Taibbi.”  

Amy Goodman, as you may know, is the figurehead of Democracy Now, a radio program and media beacon of the American Left that recently stood by the stand-down at the Dakota Access Pipeline. Goodman was even arrested there, but released with charges dropped. Laura Poitras is the filmmaker who brought us CitizenFour, the real-life encounter with Edward Snowden that brought government security to its knees, if only for a moment, while the American Public had their digital eyes peeled open. Glenn Greenwald is her cohort in this endeavor, formerly of the Guardian UK, now of his own media hotspot known as The Intercept. The other names are important, but Matt Taibbi is one journalist who stood firm in dissent as the Donald Trump “Make America Great Again” waves crashed onto voter beachheads. Taibbi is very respected because he stayed up to his ankles in the quick sand of changing poll numbers that made this American US Presidential Election the most highly rated quasi-fiasco in the history of US politics. Election 2016 is the ticket-seller that even Hollywood couldn’t come up with as a plot line: Hamburger Hillary vs The Donald. Initially this match-up looked, as one award-worthy internet troll put it, as “don’t bring a Cheeto to a knife fight” in favor of Hillary Clinton as far as the debates. But a strange thing happened on the way to the ballot box, a swirl of fake news, government reveals, and general discontent took over.

And this is why, although ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE didn’t make anybody’s shortlist, it’s an important film to watch. I.F. Stone’s legacy is the history of dissent in its modern form that we know it. He made his reputation as a journalist by flipping over the hallowed cobblestones of the American Democracy so we could get a view under the sheen of tradition. In fact, in 2015, I.F. Stone’s son Jeremy Stone was behind the release of a Knight Foundation documentary “The Legacy of I.F. Stone” produced out of Canada. According Glenn Greenwald’s The Intercept, (Greenwald also has a role in this doc) I.F. Stone is known as “The Patron Saint of Bloggers,” and the first known journalist to tap “unofficial sources.” 

And here’s where we went collectively, as a voter nation with the rest of the watching-world dragged with us, down a very, very, very long rabbit hole in the 2016 General Election. It was supposed to be a simple contest to determine who would become the next President of the United States, or POTUS in the shorthand. Yet the whole campaign turned into He Said, She Said, fueled by unnamed sources, hacked documents, and purported criminal activity on display. 

I.F. Stone’s pioneering “unofficial sources” gambit in the Digital Age became a hellride into inter-party Spy vs Spy, a weltering clash of Anonymous vs Anonymous Global, and finally, an FBI Director James Comey showdown vs the CIA “counter coup.” Comey is the one whose October Surprise was a November game-changer for the Clinton campaign as it hinted at a 33,000 email-deletion related indictment imminent for her.  Oh wait, he recanted within days. Next, there was even a former US State Department operative, now a sci-fi writer, named Steve Piecenik who began to leak YouTube videos about the “FBI soft coup” to stop Hillary Clinton, who apparently they’d been tracking for Clinton Foundation fraud, from becoming POTUS. Finally elusive global-hacktivist entity Anonymous really got into the act by flooding YouTube with “Wake Up America” type calls to action to halt the current questions over alleged “Russian” hacking into the US electoral process… exhausting, isn’t it? It’s like everyone on earth and in the media lost the plot in 2016. Even genius poll predictor Nate Silver, who called elections within percentage points in the past, had Donald Trump losing by a 67% chance even as the vote count began.

Again, 2016 is The Year Nobody Was A Pundit. But “unnamed sources” and unsubstantiated allegations, as well as hit videos ruled the days. Although it’s not what was intended by I. F. Stone (no relation to Oliver), this election year is in many ways the slap in the face that Hollywood needed too. When a real life election is more fascinating than any feature film releases on their slate, the Studios can no longer grind out the same rebooted content, folks. People still went to the movie theaters and downloaded filmed content in 2016, but the US Election was beyond gripping - and not in a good way. We’re supposed to be the nation that sets the stage for the much-touted “fair and free elections.” We’re the country that points out the polling stations cheaters in so-called “banana republics,” restores justice when rogue countries go awry and thumbs our nose at humans rights violators with harsh sanctions.

Those very attributes the United States prides itself on came into question in 2016, even the idea that we could shake a fist at corruption in other countries when we ourselves seemed pretty porous as far as scandals from within.

This political preamble is why, in my humble opinion as a critic, two documentaries - Hooligan Sparrow and Zero Days - really mattered on a world-events scale this year. Linda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, the tech couple behind Linda.com, an online tutorial empire they have since sold, hosted a very crucial screening of Hooligan Sparrow, a documentary about women’s rights in China that becomes a visual essay on the struggle for human rights and freedoms on a visceral level.

Here’s the official description of the film:

“The danger is palpable as intrepid young filmmaker Nanfu Wang follows maverick activist Ye Haiyan (a.k.a Hooligan Sparrow) and her band of colleagues to Hainan Province in southern China to protest the case of six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. Marked as enemies of the state, the activists are under constant government surveillance and face interrogation, harassment, and imprisonment. Sparrow, who gained notoriety with her advocacy work for sex workers’ rights, continues to champion girls’ and women’s rights and arms herself with the power and reach of social media.

Filmmaker Wang risks her own life and becomes a target along with Sparrow, as she faces destroyed cameras and intimidation. Yet she bravely and tenaciously keeps shooting, guerrilla-style, with secret recording devices and hidden-camera glasses, and in the process, she exposes a startling number of undercover security agents on the streets. Eventually, through smuggling footage out of the country, Wang is able tell the story of her journey with the extraordinary revolutionary Sparrow, her fellow activists, and their seemingly impossible battle for human rights.”

In covering it earlier this year, I’d asked Nanfu Wang “What is the history of protests in China? And do you think the West influenced this?” Nanfu takes a short breath, she is remarkably composed for someone who literally had to smuggle her footage out of China. “Protests are taboo in China,” she begins. Then she detailed the barriers for giving a proverbial “voice to the voiceless” in her home country. In a modest floral theme red dress, and Nanfu Wang safe in the West, it’s a disconnect to imagine the gritty street fights she’s had to face, even under the pressure of a second language here. Nanfu Wang is definitely someone to watch for more powerful visual essays on film, with Hooligan Sparrow just a first salvo, hopefully.

The connector to the next hugely impactful documentary, Zero Days, is that ripple effect, when an issue for someone like Sparrow’s activist Ye Haiyan ignites a global reaction. In Zero Days, a few watchers on the wall of technology saw something odd, shared it amongst themselves, and didn’t realize they’d discovered the tail of international espionage-made virus that could literally crash the world.

Zero Days is my personal pic for Best Documentary because it reveals the inner workings and internecine fighting going on within the highly insulated and highly secure secret world of CyberSec, including cybersecurity operatives and the divisions between “three letter agencies” which later becomes writ large in the so-called “soft coup” shoot-out between the FBI and the CIA firing back with hacking allegations even you read this. It’s a very dangerous game of Spy Agency vs Spy Agency that has shaken some truly home-grown crazy out of the American woodwork. YouTube is replete with claims and counter-claims of hacking, spying, even purporting to reveal a laundry list of conspiracy theories. Some of these “theories” - from Clinton unspeakable evil-doing to Trump’s Jesus-like magic - make David Aaronvitch’s book “Voodoo Histories, The Role of Conspiracy Theory in Shaping Modern History” look tame. Aaronvitch makes compelling arguments that conspiracy theories actually serve a purpose in the pattern of history as it unfolds… but the 2016 Presidential Election crazy, especially where high-level official discussions and briefings included the possibility of “foreign actors” (read: Russia) hacking Democractic emails, the Election, and the polling machines, well it just went beyond rational human understanding.

Which makes Alex Gibney’s documentary on the events leading to the detection of a computer virus designed to destroy Iran’s nuclear centrifuges in order to sabotage their entire nuclear program, that much more important as an object lesson.

Zero Days stars a range of officials and high-level tech players who unravel the Stuxnet story. Starring Colonel Gary D. Brown, Eric Chien, Richard A. Clarke, General Michael Hayden, Olli Heinonen, Chris Inglis, Vitaly Kamluk, Eugene Kaspersky, Gibney’s “ZERO DAYS is a documentary thriller about the world of cyberwar.” 

Here’s the official description: “For the first time, the film tells the complete story of Stuxnet, a piece of self-replicating computer malware (known as a “worm” for its ability to burrow from computer to computer on its own) that the U.S. and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately spread beyond its intended target. ZERO DAYS is the most comprehensive accounting to date of how a clandestine mission hatched by two allies with clashing agendas opened forever the Pandora’s Box of cyber warfare. Beyond the technical aspects of the story, ZERO DAYS reveals a web of intrigue involving the CIA, the US Military's new cyber command, Israel's Mossad and Operations that include both espionage and covert assassinations but also a new generation of cyber weapons whose destructive power is matched only by Nuclear War.”

Some of this is a recap from my earlier coverage and interview with Eric Chien this year, but there’s a lot of implied geopolitics embedded here, and again, along with the hacking component, really cements it as my Best Doc pic for 2016. Before seeing ZERO DAYS, it’s critical to understand the US’s former relationship to the Shah of Iran. Before he was deposed, the Shah of Iran received a key first piece of their nuclear program from the US. It was supposed to be used for energy generation, power plants. The Christian Science Monitor did a round-up once that put dates on the whole mess. “In 1967, under the ‘Atoms for Peace’ program launched by President Eisenhower, the US sold the Shah of Iran’s government a 5-megawatt, light-water type reactor… the foundation of Iran’s nuclear power program.” The Shah reigned from Sept. 16, 1941 until Feb. 11, 1979, when he was toppled by the Iranian Revolution. However questionable the Shah’s regime was, it’s axiomatic that something would go wrong once the largely secular world of his rule fell into theological hands as the 1980’s began.

Next things go from theological to zealot by US estimations. And then there’s 9/11. Allegations are Iran is inching its way toward the “bomb,” because it’s not a huge stretch from power-reactor fuel to weapons grade material. You can see why the US government would consider cyber war in the wake of 9/11, especially since the hardware and software for their nuclear program comes mostly from the West (read: a way in via upgrades to the tech). Plus, would anyone ever find out? Someone high up likely gambled on the wrong side of “No.” So malware was secretly engineered, somewhere, to attack the centrifuges at Iran’s Natanz facility.

Alex Gibney’s take on it is, “I started out making a small film investigating ‘Stuxnet…’ What I discovered was a massive clandestine operation involving the CIA, the NSA, the US military and Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad to build and launch secret cyber ‘bombs’ that could plunge the world into a devastating series of… attacks on critical infrastructure, shutting down electricity… this science fiction scenario…” 

That’s Alex Gibney for you, outing the whole gamut of international players from “three-letter agencies” to nation states. But then you talk to someone like Eric Chien, Technical Director of Symantec’s Security Technology and Response division, who was among the first handful to discover and name the Stuxnet virus, and it becomes clear that the message of ZERO DAYS is not rehashing old news about the perils of technology. (As in the current alleged Russian slection hacking fracas, and the role of governments in controlling infighting among agencies tasked with cyber security.)

Although it is public record that Belorussian engineer Sergey Ulasen was the first responder to the then-unnamed Stuxnet virus as a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death) reboot over there in the Iranian nuke-related nest of computers; the message of this film is really about the knowledge gap between policy makers and digital purveyors, who, at the speed of technology, will reshape the world for us if we don’t watch out.

In person, Eric Chien is incredibly personable, a youthful exemplar of next-generation digital professionals. “We make Norton Anti-Virus,” he begins, to kind of define Symantec. He also apologies that colleague Liam O’Murchu couldn’t make it. “He had his hands on it first,” Chien adds, meaning Stuxnet. “Normally what we do, day-to-day, is we look at the latest (cyber) attacks. About one million a day. A lot of it is handled through automation, which automatically create fixes for them.”

“When we come across some big attacks, we share (with stakeholders)” pieces of the code for others to monitor or give feedback on. “Recently someone tried to transfer $1 BN from the Bank of Bangladesh,” he said, and this discovery brought back some similarities to the adrenaline of the Stuxnet discovery.

Chien mentions the possible government or shadowy players that he’s encountered in untangling the virus. “When you have black motorcycles, wearing all black following you, behind you, you start to wonder.” 

On why Stuxnet wasn’t part of the Snowden leak, he casually mentions, “Edward Snowden didn’t leak this because those files are stored on a different server.” Then, ironically, Chien says he is not under an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), because “we don’t have a two-tiered system. We share this information with our clients… we would never work for hostile nations.” Chien reveals that ‘zero-day’ is a term that basically means the virus is discovered at the same time the vulnerability is revealed that makes the exploit even possible. (Think of it as a hole-in-one golf shot, but nobody knew there was a hole there until the ball hit. Now you’ve got two problems.) 

“Stuxnet had not one, but four zero-days in it,” he emphasizes, “even one zero day is rare, but four?” This how “we knew nation states must be involved.” But breaking the code, finding out what this virus was supposed to do “was the needle in the haystack. I mean it had a (kill) date in it, but it was not easy to figure out.” 

With all the election brouhaha, the focus on Russia, Chien made a shocking remark that puts Moscow’s capabilities in perspective. “There’s something to be said for obsolesce,” he revealed. “Because when Russia tried to shut down (the gird) in the Ukraine, their technology was so old, they could actually go to each site and crank it back on by hand.” That’s not in Zero Days, but insider terms like Nitro Zeus is, and maybe what’s most important about this film is that it details the bones of contention, the lines of power, and the factions opposed to one another behind the scenes in our government agencies.

And this comes full circle to the opening focus on the current contested election results… agencies are infighting and all we can do is find our own way back up the rabbit hole, back into the reasonable margin of error that Democracy lives by.

A complete list of the Academy’s Best Documentary shortlist can be found on www.oscars.org. The 89th Academy Award presentation will be held Sunday, Feb. 26, 2017 and mediacast worldwide.

# # #

Nine features will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards^®.  Eighty-five films had originally been considered in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

     Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;
     Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;
     Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;
     Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;
     Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;
     Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;
     Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;
     Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;
     Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2016 are determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 12.  The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and London.  They will spend Friday, January 13, through Sunday, January 15, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

The competitive Foreign Language Film category was introduced in 1956 for the 29th Academy Awards.  In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Academy has created a complete playlist of acceptance speeches and a poster gallery of all the Foreign Language Film Oscar^® winners.

Nominations for the 89th Oscars^® will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2017.

The 89th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

Eighty-five countries have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 89th Academy Awards^®.  Yemen is a first-time entrant.

The 2016 submissions are:

Albania, “Chromium,” Bujar Alimani, director;

Algeria, “The Well,” Lotfi Bouchouchi, director;

Argentina, “The Distinguished Citizen,” Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat, directors;

Australia, “Tanna,” Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, directors;

Austria, “Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe,” Maria Schrader, director;

Bangladesh, “The Unnamed,” Tauquir Ahmed, director;

Belgium, “The Ardennes,” Robin Pront, director;

Bolivia, “Sealed Cargo,” Julia Vargas Weise, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Death in Sarajevo,” Danis Tanovic, director;

Brazil, “Little Secret,” David Schurmann, director;

Bulgaria, “Losers,” Ivaylo Hristov, director;

Cambodia, “Before the Fall,” Ian White, director;

Canada, “It’s Only the End of the World,” Xavier Dolan, director;

Chile, “Neruda,” Pablo Larraín, director;

China, “Xuan Zang,” Huo Jianqi, director;

Colombia, “Alias Maria,” José Luis Rugeles, director;

Costa Rica, “About Us,” Hernán Jiménez, director;

Croatia, “On the Other Side,” Zrinko Ogresta, director;

Cuba, “The Companion,” Pavel Giroud, director;

Czech Republic, “Lost in Munich,” Petr Zelenka, director;

Denmark, “Land of Mine,” Martin Zandvliet, director;

Dominican Republic, “Sugar Fields,” Fernando Báez, director;

Ecuador, “Such Is Life in the Tropics,” Sebastián Cordero, director;

Egypt, “Clash,” Mohamed Diab, director;

Estonia, “Mother,” Kadri Kõusaar, director;

Finland, “The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Mäki,” Juho Kuosmanen, director;

France, “Elle,” Paul Verhoeven, director;

Georgia, “House of Others,” Rusudan Glurjidze, director;

Germany, “Toni Erdmann,” Maren Ade, director;

Greece, “Chevalier,” Athina Rachel Tsangari, director;

Hong Kong, “Port of Call,” Philip Yung, director;

Hungary, “Kills on Wheels,” Attila Till, director;

Iceland, “Sparrows,” Rúnar Rúnarsson, director;

India, “Interrogation,” Vetri Maaran, director;

Indonesia, “Letters from Prague,” Angga Dwimas Sasongko, director;

Iran, “The Salesman,” Asghar Farhadi, director;

Iraq, “El Clásico,” Halkawt Mustafa, director;

Israel, “Sand Storm,” Elite Zexer, director;

Italy, “Fire at Sea,” Gianfranco Rosi, director;

Japan, “Nagasaki: Memories of My Son,” Yoji Yamada, director;

Jordan, “3000 Nights,” Mai Masri, director;

Kazakhstan, “Amanat,” Satybaldy Narymbetov, director;

Kosovo, “Home Sweet Home,” Faton Bajraktari, director;

Kyrgyzstan, “A Father’s Will,” Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhapar Uulu, directors;

Latvia, “Dawn,” Laila Pakalnina, director;

Lebanon, “Very Big Shot,” Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, director;

Lithuania, “Seneca’s Day,” Kristijonas Vildziunas, director;

Luxembourg, “Voices from Chernobyl,” Pol Cruchten, director;

Macedonia, “The Liberation of Skopje,” Rade Šerbedžija, Danilo Šerbedžija, directors;

Malaysia, “Beautiful Pain,” Tunku Mona Riza, director;

Mexico, “Desierto,” Jonás Cuarón, director;

Montenegro, “The Black Pin,” Ivan Marinović, director;

Morocco, “A Mile in My Shoes,” Said Khallaf, director;

Nepal, “The Black Hen,” Min Bahadur Bham, director;

Netherlands, “Tonio,” Paula van der Oest, director;

New Zealand, “A Flickering Truth,” Pietra Brettkelly, director;

Norway, “The King’s Choice,” Erik Poppe, director;

Pakistan, “Mah-e-Mir,” Anjum Shahzad, director;

Palestine, “The Idol,” Hany Abu-Assad, director;

Panama, “Salsipuedes,” Ricardo Aguilar Navarro, Manolito Rodríguez, directors;

Peru, “Videophilia (and Other Viral Syndromes),” Juan Daniel F. Molero, director;

Philippines, “Ma’ Rosa,” Brillante Ma Mendoza, director;

Poland, “Afterimage,” Andrzej Wajda, director;

Portugal, “Letters from War,” Ivo M. Ferreira, director;

Romania, “Sieranevada,” Cristi Puiu, director;

Russia, “Paradise,” Andrei Konchalovsky, director;

Saudi Arabia, “Barakah Meets Barakah,” Mahmoud Sabbagh, director;

Serbia, “Train Driver’s Diary,” Milos Radovic, director;

Singapore, “Apprentice,” Boo Junfeng, director;

Slovakia, “Eva Nová,” Marko Skop, director;

Slovenia, “Houston, We Have a Problem!” Žiga Virc, director;

South Africa, “Call Me Thief,” Daryne Joshua, director;

South Korea, “The Age of Shadows,” Kim Jee-woon, director;

Spain, “Julieta,” Pedro Almodóvar, director;

Sweden, “A Man Called Ove,” Hannes Holm, director;

Switzerland, “My Life as a Zucchini,” Claude Barras, director;

Taiwan, “Hang in There, Kids!” Laha Mebow, director;

Thailand, “Karma,” Kanittha Kwunyoo, director;

Turkey, “Cold of Kalandar,” Mustafa Kara, director;

Ukraine, “Ukrainian Sheriffs,” Roman Bondarchuk, director;

United Kingdom, “Under the Shadow,” Babak Anvari, director;

Uruguay, “Breadcrumbs,” Manane Rodríguez, director;

Venezuela, “From Afar,” Lorenzo Vigas, director;

Vietnam, “Yellow Flowers on the Green Grass,” Victor Vu, director;

Yemen, “I Am Nojoom, Age 10 and Divorced,” Khadija Al-Salami, director.

The competitive Foreign Language Film category was introduced in 1956 for the 29th Academy Awards.  In celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Academy has created a complete playlist of acceptance speeches and a poster gallery of all the Foreign Language Film Oscar^® winners.

The 89th Oscars^® will be held on Sunday, February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre^® at Hollywood & Highland Center^® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

THE KING’S CHOICE ON THE SHORTLIST FOR AN OSCAR NOMINATION

Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s historical epic, which had after last weekend sold 705,726 tickets in Norway, is among the nine candidates for the five nominations for Best Foreign-Language Feature

Norwegian director Erik Poppe’s The King’s Choice (Kongens nei) – this year’s No 1 Norwegian film on the charts, with 705,726 admissions after last weekend – is among the top candidates for the Oscar nomination as Best Foreign-Language Feature, after the Oscar Committee yesterday (15 December) published its shortlist of nine films from 85 entries.

Another two Scandinavian films were shortlisted for the award – Danish director Martin Zandvliet’s Land of Mine and Swedish director Hannes Holm’s A Man Called Ove) – with Bentley, Dean-Martin Butler’s Tanna (Australia), Xavier Dolan’s It’s Only the End of the World (Canada), Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann (Germany), Asghar Farhadi’s The Salesman (Iran), Andrei Konchalovsky’s Paradise (Russia) and Claude Barras’ My Life As A Zucchini (Switzerland).

Scripted by Norwegian writers Jan Trygve Røyneland and Harald Rosenløw Eeg, the film is set during Nazi Germany’s invasion of Norway in 1940. On these few days in April, King Haakon VII was faced with the Germans’ demand for capitulation, a passive government and a Crown Prince ready for action – when “the real events turned a brave man into the people’s King.” He refused.

Starring Danish actor Jesper Christensen as King Haakon VII and Norwegian actor Anders Baasmo Christiansen as Crown Prince Olav, with Tuva Novotny, Karl Markovics and Katharina Schuttler, The King’s Choice was produced by Finn Gjerdrum and Stein B Kvae, for Paradox. It was domestically released on 23 September by Nordisk Film Distribusjon and international sales is handled by Beta Film.

“The King’s Choice tells of a dramatic event for us as a nation, but also examines a part of history that affected large parts of the world. With its engaging themes and strong cinematic qualities, it is a strong and universal story about taking the right decisions under extreme conditions," said head of the Norwegian selection committee, CEO Sindre Guldvog, of the Norwegian Film Institute.

The US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will reduce the shortlist to five titles, after selection committees in New York, Los Angeles and London have watched the films on 13-15 January, 2017, and publish the nominations on 24 January, 2017; the awards ceremony will take place on 26 February, 2017. Last year’s winner was Hungarian director László Nemes’ Son of Saul.

Since the Oscar for Best Foreign-Language Film was instigated in 1956, five Norwegian films have been nominated for the award: Arne Skouen’s Nine Lives (Ni liv) in 1957; Nils Gaup’s Pathfinder (Veiviseren) in 1987; Berit Nesheim’s The Other Side of Sunday (Søndagsengler) in 1996; Petter Næss’ Elling in 2001; and Joachim Rønning-Espen Sandberg’s Kon-Tiki in 2012.

Read more about The King’s Choice HERE

Read news about Norwegian films HERE

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent for filmfestivals.com

...yes and who is going to win the red carpet beauty contest?

Time Inc.’s People and the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF) will come together to co-host the official SAG Awards® Post-Awards Gala, held immediately following the 23rd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday, January 29, 2017 in Los Angeles on a transformed Shrine Auditorium stage. This is the 21st year that People and EIF have united on the Gala, which honors the charitable efforts of actors in their communities and make an annual donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation. Tony Schubert of Event Eleven will design and produce the Gala for the ninth consecutive year.

People and EIF have collaborated on a variety of causes for more than a decade. Through their combined contributions, People and EIF support three SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs over the course of 2014-2019: Storyline Online, a free, streaming digital library of children’s literacy videos; and the Catastrophic Health Fund and the Scholarship Program for SAG-AFTRA artists in need of real support.

“We are honored once again to partner with EIF to support the SAG-AFTRA Foundation and its important initiatives in the entertainment community,” says Jess Cagle, Editor in Chief, People. “People has a history of celebrating the philanthropic efforts of Hollywood and supporting those charitable initiatives on all our platforms."

“The dedication of actors who lend their powerful voices to EIF initiatives are invaluable in raising awareness and making an impact,” says EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen. “We are honored to work with People and the SAG-AFTRA Foundation to be able to give back to the community of actors who consistently supports EIF’s work and are committed to charitable giving.”

Storyline Online is an award-winning children’s literacy resource featuring beloved actors reading children’s literature alongside creatively produced and enhanced original illustrations. Storyline Online currently receives nearly 12 million views a month in 228 countries and territories, having read to more than 190 million children worldwide.

The Catastrophic Health Fund provides financial grants to eligible SAG-AFTRA members who suffer from catastrophic illness or injury and, no longer able to work, need assistance with insurance premiums and/or significant medical costs.

The Foundation’s Scholarship Program awards $400,000 in scholarships annually to eligible SAG-AFTRA members and their dependents to pursue higher education. In addition, People and EIF are donors to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s state-of-the-art voiceover lab in New York, named the EIF Voiceover Lab, which provides free voiceover workshops and recording time in professionally equipped sound booths to thousands of union voice actors.

As a nonprofit, all SAG-AFTRA Foundation programs and resources are made possible through gifts, grants and sponsorships from generous supporters like People and EIF.

“In 2016, our children’s literacy website Storyline Online produced and released new videos featuring actors Ed O’Neill, Christian Slater, Allison Janney and Mary Steenburgen. We look forward to releasing several more videos in 2017. This tremendous growth is a direct result of the significant grant made by People and EIF,” said Cyd Wilson, SAG-AFTRA Foundation Executive Director. “Not only do these two organizations genuinely care about advancing children’s literacy, but also at a time when working artists are struggling more than ever to find real support when times are difficult, People and EIF have been outstanding patrons of our catastrophic health and scholarship programs, helping to keep these vital resources available and alive. We rely on industry leaders like People and EIF who understand the value of art and storytelling in our culture, and who have stepped up to champion our Foundation and the artists of our industry.”

For more than 30 years, the Foundation has granted more than $18.5 million in financial and medical assistance to SAG-AFTRA members and families. In addition, the nonprofit has offered over 7,000 free educational workshops, panels and classes to SAG-AFTRA artists nationwide.

 

The German film TONI ERDMANN by Maren Ade (DE/AT/MC, Komplizen Film, Missing Link Films) is on the short list of the last nine films for the 89th Oscar®  in the Best Foreign Language Film category. This was announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS).

The line-up also includes the German co-productions LAND OF MINE by Martin Zandvliet (DK/DE, Amusement Park Film) for Denmark with the German SHOOTING STAR Louis Hofmann and PARADISE by Andrei Konchalovsky (RU/DE, Drife Filmproduktion) for Russia.

Five titles will then be selected from the nine films and these will then receive a nomination and take part in the final selection for the Oscar® in this category. The Academy will announce the Oscar®  nominations on 24 January 2017. A total of 85 countries had submitted films for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The Oscar® ceremony is held in the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 26 February 2017. 

TONI ERDMANN was selected in August 2016 by an independent expert jury appointed by German Films to be the German candidate for the Best Foreign Language Film category.

The third feature film by Maren Ade is a veritable international success story which began with its world premiere in competition at the 2016 Festival de Cannes. Feted frenetically by the industry, audience and critics alike, the film received the international film critics association's FIPRESCI Prize as the Best Competition Film. During the rest of the year, TONI ERDMANN was also shown at other leading festivals, including Toronto, San Sebastian, London, Moscow, Karlovy Vary, the Venice Days, Telluride or New York, and there's been a steady flow of awards such as five European Film Awards (Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actress, Best Actor), the LUX Film Prize of the European Parliament and the FIPRESCI Prize - both for Best Film of the Year -, or the Prize for the Best Foreign Language Film of the New York Film Critics Circle as well as a Golden Globe® nomination. In addition, the film appears in the lists of the year's best films as published by leading international (film) media.

The sales company The Match Factory has sold TONI ERDMANN to over 100 territories. In France, it was seen by over 340,000 cinema-goers and has clocked up around 740,000 admissions in Germany. The film will be released theatrically in the USA on 25 December 2016.

All of the films on the short list and more information about the Oscars® can be found here.
 

Siraj Syed reviews Wajah Tum Ho: Rapists and therapists, aka Serial Killing on a News Channel

Some people just deserve to die.

There must be a mistake. Are you talking to me? Are you suggesting that I have done something that ...

No, not you.

Then who?

The corrupt Assistant Commissioner of Police who preys on young lovers in parking lots, and extorts sex the teenage girl-friend in a guest-house, in return for letting them off.

Isn’t this the same cop who is blackmailing a Mumbai-based real-estate magnate for larger instalments, to keep his trap shut, in a case where the tycoon got away scot free, after committing a basement rape?

Yes, the same guy. He is the reason.

For what?

Murder.

Murder? Whose murder? Who murders whom?

Somebody murders the ACP. Brutally. Heinously.

Well, there are a lot of corrupt cops around, so one less...But murder...?

On live TV.

What? Live TV? How? Why?

Wajah Tum Ho! You are the reason!

Look, ...me? I am a mere...

No no, not you.

Then who?

The builder, who conspired with three others in the rape case, including the TV channel-owner and the cop, and now enjoys high-rise bedroom floor-shows, as a full-time occupation.

Well, a lot of building activity is illegal, and real-estate developers are known to use any means to grab plots, including...

Murder.

Yes, murder. They do have killer instincts, we know.

It is the builder who gets murdered!

Oh my God! Then it must be the handiwork of some dispossessed slum-dweller, seeking vengeance against the land-grabber. Builders are a mafia alright.

Do you think any slum-dweller would be able to commit and broadcast a billionaire’s murder, live, on a top news channel?

Again on live TV? Unbelievable! What’s going on? How?

Ever heard of hacking?

Of course. Hacked to death. Is that how the builder gets killed?

Not that kind of hacking. Hacking has several meanings.

I get it. Some of our less principled journalists do hacking jobs. Was the TV channel attempting...?

Not that kind of hacking either. I am talking about IP and satellite-based hacking, uploading your own content, supplanting the TV programme being aired. The builder is frozen to death in a transparent container, while the whole of India watches, stunned.

Really? But how can anyone do that? Are you suggesting that this was done to boost viewership ratings?

Maybe.

What do mean maybe? What is the channel doing about it? Why has the killer...

Killer? How do you know it is one person?

Okay, killer oblique killers...why has oblique have, he oblique they, not been caught yet?

He? Could be sex, male or female, mixed doubles, or gang or a syndicate. How do you know that the killer or killers belong to the male gender?

I don’t know. I only know what you have told me. Anyway, what are the cops doing about it?

Trying to prevent the third live broadcast.

Third? You mean one more could cop out?

Yes. Unless the cop on the case finds out who is, or are, the serial killer or killers, hacking into the news channel, showing a victim drowned in petrol, being set on fire.

Fire? I thought you said he was frozen!

The second victim was frozen, the first was burnt.

Fire and ice! Oh my God! How gory! Yet, I fail to see the reason...

We are the reason.

We? Who is we?

Commoners. The common man. Like the senior citizen passer-by, who hears shouts, then catches glimpses of a horrible crime being committed, live, by bending down to the level of the gap left between the rolling shutter and the floor, cries foul, jumps on to his scooter, rushes to a police station, and gets an Inspector to the scene of crime, against his will.

Against whose will?

The Inspector’s. Funny!

What a brave, conscientious man! But how is the do-gooder responsible for the mayhem on TV?

He gets killed too!

On TV? Live? Is there is no justice in this world? Doesn’t the Inspector protect the whistle-blower, ...witness protection and all that?

No. But misdeeds catch-up with the rogue. One day, while speeding his car, he tries to strike a bigger bargain with a builder, on the mobile phone, as his  “moonh band rakhneykee qeemat”, adjusted for inflation. His speeding car is attacked with an iron rod, which is driven into his palm, after he falls out in the bushes. He is then dragged to a secret, hi-tech chamber and then...

The ACP? This is the same ACP!

Yes, indeed. The ACP.

There is some justice, after all. So the builder did it!

Builder? Why? To save some lakhs?

You’re right. They are miserly, but ...On second thought, a rival TV channel did it!

Why? Jealousy? But the ratings went soaring after the murders. Besides, such channels would be prime suspects.

That’s a point. You know what? The rape victim did it. That should have been obvious.

Wrong. She is ...let us say...incapacitated ... not around.

Hmmm..., by elimination, that leaves only the TV channel owner himself. What a master stroke! Kill your partner in crime, kill the Inspector who worked on the case, and see your ratings surge to an all-time high. All in one go.

Aren’t you dumb? The obvious, logical, apparent, evident suspect is never the killer. What is the mystery, the suspense, the fun, the thrill in such a story? And as I hinted, he could be the third to meet a gruesome death. Besides, as I keep pointing out, nobody knows whether the therapy, the rapist, and his co-conspiratorist were subjected to, was a solo effort, and not team-work? You forgot the two opposing lawyers who are lovers outside the courtroom, the rape victim’s distraught parents, the head of IT in the TV channel, the couple in the first scene, ......

Ok. I  get the fundas. So how do we find out?

We don’t. He will.

Who’s he?

There is widower cop on the case. He has a really cute daughter who wants him to get her to pole position in the school dance, leveraging his uniform. The committed policeman mouths clap-trap dialogue @ 1 one-upmanship line per shot, is usually in mufti, shows rippling muscles, walks with a swagger, compares the slow unravelling of the case to peeling onions, hopes to surmount the astrological hurdle of a malevolent Saturn in his way, and wears dark glasses.

So how will he solve the case?

With a little help from us.

Look, Miss Marple, who do you think I am? Hercule Poirot, Inspector Maigret or Sherlock Holmes?

You didn’t have to be either. Just look for the motive. The reason. The Wajah.

Meanwhile, here a lot of red ear-rings as clues.

Ear-rings? Did I hear that right? You meant herrings, obviously.

Obviously, but never fall for the obvious.

Okay. Start

A song in the film Hate Story 3

Erotic thriller

Derrières and cleavages

Georgia

Three old film songs--two originally sung by the legendary Kishore Kumar--‘Pal pal dil key paas’ (hit), ‘Aesey na mujhey tum dekho’ (moderate hit) and ‘Maahi ve’ (more recent, runaway hit), from Kaante, re-interpreted, incorporated

One singer furious

CBFC’s For Adults Only rating

Story, screenplay and dialogue ‘suspects’: Sammeer Arora (also an alternate healing therapist; some wounds take time to heal, surely), Rashmi Singh-Virag Mishra and the man whodunit: Vishal Pandya

Pandya from the Vikram Bhatt camp (no kidding)

Hate Story 3

Hate Story 2

Three: Love Lies Betrayal

Sana Khan as Siya (Zarine Khan was Siya  in Hate Story 3; see ya!), lawyer No.1

Pole dance by Zarine Khan

Gurmeet Choudhary of TV fame, as lawyer No. 2

Sharman Joshi as the Inspector

Rajniesh Duggal as the TV boss delighted to have another Dev Anand song picturised on him, after ‘Chhod do aanchal’, in the sweltering company of Sana Khan and Sherlyn Chopra

Sherlyn Chopra doing a Sunny Leone

Prarthana Behere perambulates on to the Hindi screen effortlessly as the hapless victim

Himmanshoo Malhotra comes from TV

Suhas Khandke seen after a long time, playing the good Samaritan, doing a good job

Prakash Kutty (cinematography) and Manish More (editing) by the Hate Story 3 team-members is luscious and gripping, in good measure

There is a ‘Making of’ video on the Net, and we are sworn not to reveal the ending—of the video, that is

Denouement

Shhhhhh.... Keep quiet. This is an erotic, glossy, music video style, suspense thriller, murder mystery, revenge drama. Why do you keep laughing all the time?

Laugh? Who? Me? Why would I laugh?

There has to be a reason for everything.

Rating: *

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFhKj-NaHTc

Hate Story 4 is scheduled to arrive on 13 Oct 2017

Call for Submissions: Somerset Community College Theatre & Film welcomes submissions of films no longer than fifteen minutes in length. There is no submission fee. Selected films will be showcased at the Festival on September 14 and 15. 2017. Awards will be presented for outstanding achievements by the official selections. There are no cash awards.

The official online entry form for the Autumn Shorts Film Festival can be found at Google Documents. All submissions will be accepted through the form linked below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWhCLuxpqjmn8orFIHHBWJ6iasH5R10X48f4Yc7yzwEPUzQA/viewform

A Downloadable Link: A link to a downloadable version of your film on such sites as Vimeo is a common mode of submission. We can also accept submissions via Dropbox and Wetransfer. NOTE: We must have the film file itself before your submission is complete. We cannot do initial screening from links to web players such as Youtube. We will not download files from Youtube or any other site via third party applications.

When transferring via Wetransfer list Steve.Cleberg@kctcs.edu as “friend.”

Submissions must be no longer than 15 minutes in length.

Submissions must be digital files in their final, viewing condition. Preferably in 1080p resolution, H.264 codec in a mp4 wrapper.

INTERNATIONAL FILMS: All films not rendered in the English language are required to include English subtitles that are embedded into the rendered file.

It is unlikely that submissions which contain graphic sexual or violent images and/or gratuitous profanity will be selected as official entries. Beyond this, we encourage flights of imagination and original artistry. We feel that the short film is an excellent vehicle for such experimentation and exploration.

Did I mention that there’s no submission fee?
Festival Time Frame
Submissions begin: January 1, 2017
Early Selection Deadline: April 30, 2017.
First Round Selections Announced: June 1, 2017
Early submissions not selected in the first round of selections are not necessarily excluded from the final selections. Early submissions that are not announced in the first round of selections will automatically be considered for the final official selections.

Final Deadline: June 30, 2017
Final Official Selections Announced: By August 1, 2017

Festival: Thursday and Friday; September 14 and 15, 2017 in SCC's Stoner Little Theatre.

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