Tag Archives: Academy Awards

Residente Partnering with Alexander Dinelaris to Co-Write the New Film “Porto Rico”

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Residente is bringing on the drama…

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican rapper, singer, and songwriter, whose real name is René Pérez Joglar, has teamed up with Academy Award-winner Alexander Dinelaris to co-write the new film Porto Rico.

ResidentePorto Rico is a historical drama based on the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary, José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca, set on the island in the late 19th century. Maldonado Román fought against colonialism by leading a gang of ex-convicts to vindicate Puerto Rico as it sought its identity as a country.

“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” said Residente in a statement about the screenwriter he was introduced to by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter. I found both in Alex, an amazing writer who is highly skilled at dialogues as was evident in Birdman,” he added.

Residente and Dinelaris found they shared a special cultural connection via Puerto Rico, the island where both Residente and Dinelaris’ grandmother were born. Dinelaris’ passion for his ancestral land helped cement the partnership.

“When Rene and I were introduced, I knew about him but wasn’t familiar with his body of work. When he sent me a treatment of his idea for Porto Rico, I was immediately hooked,” Dinelaris said. “My grandmother was from Ponce but I never got to meet my family there. I’ve always felt a connection to Puerto Rico, it’s where I often go to get away— and where I wrote Birdman and Still Life. I relish the opportunity to explore its history, my history.”

Along the way, Dinelaris has familiarized himself with Residente and his music, which helped him make the “easy decision” to partner with the artist. He said, “He and his work are defined by his courage, conviction, and artistry; which is also what I admire about Alejandro, who has been my mentor, brother, and partner.”

He continued, “I think we have an opportunity to tell a unique story and shed light on a corner of history that until now has been undiscovered by a large part of the world. It’s a story about the spectacular courage and resilience of someone unwilling to bend the knee at any price. I think that’s a story that now more than ever deserves to be told.”

The duo is already at work on the screenplay with plans to share bigger development news in the near future. In the meantime, Residente shared an update on how the story is shaping up.

“The writing sessions have been amazing so far, Residente said. “We’ve been taking our time shaping the story and focusing on being not only clever or interesting but also writing dialogue that generates an emotional connection, similar to how I create music.”

Porto Rico will be the first film from 1868 Studios, a multi-year joint venture between Residente and Sony Music Entertainment’s Premium Content Division that creates, produces, and globally distributes original content projects across multiple formats. Residente, who leads all creative aspects, focuses on properly representing cultural narratives on-screen, including Latinx stories, and most importantly for him, behind the camera.

Residente is a multiple award-winning Puerto Rican rapper, writer, filmmaker, and activist who has earned more Latin Grammys than any other artist as of 2022. In addition to music, he has gained recent success as a screenwriter and director. His projects include a self-titled documentary released in 2017 followed by the doc Rubén Blades Is Not My Name a year later.

Dinelaris is best known for his award-winning work as the screenwriter of Birdman, and as co-producer of the Academy Award-winning film, The Revenant. Additional credits include Benjamin Millepied’s film Carmen as well as writing and directing the film adaptation of his play, Still Life.

Ana de Armas Has Earned Her First-Ever Oscar Nomination

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Ana de Armas is celebrating her first Academy Awards nomination…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have revealed the nominations for the 95th Oscars, with the 34-year-old Cuban and Spanish actress earning a nod.

Ana de Armas, Blonde, Marilyn Monroede Armas is nominated in the Actress in a Leading Role category for her starring role in Netflix’s Marilyn Monroe film Blonde.

She is the first the Cuban to be nominated for a leading role at the Oscars. Fellow Cuban actor Andy Garcia was nominated for best supporting actor in 1990.

Guillermo del Toro has picked up a nod in a new category…

The 58-year-old Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker is nominated in the Animated Feature Film category for Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

del Toro previously won Best Picture and Best Direction Oscars for The Shape of Water.

Santiago Mitre, who recently won his first Golden Globe, has earned his first Oscar nod.

The 42-year-old Argentine film director and screenwriter is nominated in the International Feature Film category for directing the Argentine Spanish-language film Argentina, 1985.

Alfonso Cuarón has picked up another Academy Award nod.

The 61-year-old Mexican four-time Oscar winner is up for Live Action Short Film for producing Walt Disney’s Le Pupille.

Cuarón previously won Oscars for Best Director for Gravity and Roma, Best Film Editing for Gravity, and Best Cinematography for Roma. He is the first Mexican filmmaker to win the Best Director award and one of the two persons to have been nominated for Academy Awards in seven different categories

The Academy’s final voting runs March 2-7, with the Oscars set58 for Sunday, March 12 at the Dolby Theater in a ceremony airing live on ABC and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

Here’s the full list of 2023 Oscar nominees:

Best Picture

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
A Netflix/Amusement Park Film in co-production with Gunpowder Films in association with Sliding Down Rainbows Entertainment/Anima Pictures Production
Malte Grunert, Producer

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (Walt Disney)
A 20th Century Studios Production
James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight)
A Blueprint Pictures/Film4/TSG Entertainment Production
Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
A Bazmark Production
Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
A Hot Dog Hands Production
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers

“The Fabelmans” (Universal/Amblin Partners)
An Amblin Partners Production
Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers

“Tár” (Focus Features)
A Standard Film Company/EMJAG Production
Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
A Paramount Pictures/Skydance/Jerry Bruckheimer Films Production
Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers

“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)
A Plattform Production
Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers

“Women Talking” (Orion Pictures/United Artists Releasing)
A Plan B Entertainment / hear/say Production
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Austin Butler in “Elvis”
(Warner Bros.)

Colin Farrell in “The Banshees of Inisherin”
(Searchlight)

Brendan Fraser in “The Whale”
(A24)

Paul Mescal in “Aftersun”
(A24)

Bill Nighy in “Living”
(Sony Pictures Classics)

Actress in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett in “Tár”
(Focus Features)

Ana de Armas in “Blonde”
(Netflix)

Andrea Riseborough in “To Leslie”
(Momentum Pictures)

Michelle Williams in “The Fabelmans”
(Universal/Amblin Partners)

Michelle Yeoh in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
(A24)

Directing

Martin McDonagh
“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight)

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)

Steven Spielberg
“The Fabelmans” (Universal/Amblin Partners)

Todd Field
“Tár” (Focus Features)

Ruben Östlund
“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)

Actor in a Supporting Role

Brendan Gleeson in “The Banshees of Inisherin”
(Searchlight)

Brian Tyree Henry in “Causeway”
(Apple)

Judd Hirsch in “The Fabelmans”
(Universal/Amblin Partners)

Barry Keoghan in “The Banshees of Inisherin”
(Searchlight)

Ke Huy Quan in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
(A24)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Angela Bassett in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
(Walt Disney)

Hong Chau in “The Whale”
(A24)

Kerry Condon in “The Banshees of Inisherin”
(Searchlight)

Jamie Lee Curtis in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
(A24)

Stephanie Hsu in “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
(A24)

Animated Feature Film

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”
(Netflix)
Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley

“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
(A24)
Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”
(Universal)
Joel Crawford and Mark Swift

“The Sea Beast”
(Netflix)
Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger

“Turning Red” (Walt Disney)
Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Documentary Feature Film

“All That Breathes” (Submarine Deluxe and Sideshow in association with HBO Documentary Films)
A Kiterabbit Films and Rise Films in collaboration with HHMI Tangled Bank Studios Production
Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (Neon)
A Participant Production
Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov

“Fire of Love” (National Geographic)
A National Geographic Documentary Films/Sandbox Films/Intuitive Pictures & Cottage M Production
Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman

“A House Made of Splinters”
“A House Made of Splinters” A Final Cut For Real Production
Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström

“Navalny” (Warner Bros./CNN Films/HBO Max)
A Fishbowl Films/RaeFilm Studios/Cottage M Production
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

International Feature Film

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)
A Netflix/Amusement Park Film in co-production with Gunpowder Films in association with Sliding Down Rainbows Entertainment/Anima Pictures Production

“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)
A La Unión de los Ríos Production

“Close” (Belgium)
A Menuet Production

“EO” (Poland)
A Skopia Film Production

“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)
An Inscéal Production

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
Screenplay – Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” (Netflix)
Written by Rian Johnson

“Living” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Written by Kazuo Ishiguro

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks

“Women Talking” (Orion Pictures/United Artists Releasing)
Screenplay by Sarah Polley

Writing (Original Screenplay)

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight)
Written by Martin McDonagh

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

“The Fabelmans” (Universal/Amblin Partners)
Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

“Tár” (Focus Features)
Written by Todd Field

“Triangle of Sadness” (Neon)
Written by Ruben Östlund

Cinematography

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
James Friend

“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” (Netflix)
Darius Khondji

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
Mandy Walker

“Empire of Light” (Searchlight)
Roger Deakins

“Tár” (Focus Features)
Florian Hoffmeister

Film Editing

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight)
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
Paul Rogers

“Tár” (Focus Features)
Monika Willi

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
Eddie Hamilton

Music (Original Score)

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
Volker Bertelmann

“Babylon” (Paramount)
Justin Hurwitz

“The Banshees of Inisherin” (Searchlight)
Carter Burwell

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
Son Lux

“The Fabelmans” (Universal/Amblin Partners)
John Williams

Music (Original Song)

“Applause” from “Tell It like a Woman”
(Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick”
(Paramount)
Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop

“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
(Walt Disney)
Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR”
(Variance Films/Sarigama Cinemas)
Music by M.M. Keeravaani Lyric by Chandrabose

“This Is A Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
(A24)
Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

Production Design

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
(Netflix)
Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck
Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper

“Avatar: The Way of Water”
(Walt Disney)
Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter
Set Decorator: Vanessa Cole

“Babylon”
(Paramount)
Production Design: Florencia Martin
Set Decorator: Anthony Carlino

“Elvis”
(Warner Bros.)
Production Design: Catherine Martin, Karen Murphy
Set Decoration: Bev Dunn

“The Fabelmans”
(Universal/Amblin Partners)
Production Design: Rick Carter
Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

Costume Design

“Babylon” (Paramount)
Mary Zophres

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Walt Disney)
Ruth Carter

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
Catherine Martin

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” (A24)
Shirley Kurata

“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” (Focus Features)
Jenny Beavan

Makeup and Hairstyling

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová

“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Walt Disney)
Camille Friend and Joel Harlow

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti

“The Whale” (A24)
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

Live Action Short Film

“An Irish Goodbye” (Network Ireland Television)
A Floodlight Pictures Production
Tom Berkeley and Ross White

“Ivalu”
An M&M Production
Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan

“Le Pupille” (Walt Disney)
An Esperanto Filmoj and Tempesta Production
Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón

“Night Ride” (The New Yorker Studios)
A Cylinder Production
Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen

“The Red Suitcase”
A Cynefilms Production
Cyrus Neshvad

Documentary Short Film 

“The Elephant Whisperers” (Netflix)
A Netflix Documentary/Sikhya Entertainment Production
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

“Haulout” (The New Yorker Studios)
An Albireo Films Production
Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev

“How Do You Measure a Year?”
A Jay Rosenblatt Films Production
Jay Rosenblatt

“The Martha Mitchell Effect” (Netflix)
An Outspoken Films Production
Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison

“Stranger at the Gate” (The New Yorker Studios)
A Smartypants Pictures Production
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Animated Short Film

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” (BBC and Apple Original Films)
A NoneMore and Bad Robot Production
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud

“The Flying Sailor”
A National Film Board of Canada Production
Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

“Ice Merchants”
A COLA Animation Production
João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano

“My Year of Dicks”
An FX, Wonder Killer and Cat’s Pajamas Production
Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon

“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It”
A Griffith Film School Production
Lachlan Pendragon

Sound

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (Walt Disney)
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges

“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson

“Elvis” (Warner Bros.)
David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

Visual Effects

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Netflix)
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar

“Avatar: The Way of Water” (Walt Disney)
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

“The Batman” (Warner Bros.)
Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” (Walt Disney)
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick

“Top Gun: Maverick” (Paramount)
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Fernando Meirelles to Direct an Episode of Drama Series “The Sympathizer”

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Fernando Meirelles is sympathizing…

The 67-year-old Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter and Marc Munden will direct episodes of The Sympathizer, a drama series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Fernando MeirellesProduced by and co-starring Robert Downey Jr., the HBO/A24 series is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.

Described as a “blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping spy novel and a powerful story of love and friendship,” the novel is hailed as a new classic of war fiction and has been compared to the works of Kafka, Orwell, and le Carré.

Munden will direct episodes 5,6, and 7 and Meirelles will direct episode 4.

The main cast also includes Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh, Ky Duyen, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le  and Alan Trong.

The series is currently in production, with filming in Los Angeles and Thailand.

The series is a co-production between HBO, A24 and Rhombus Media in association with Cinetic Media and Moho Film.

Meirelles received a Best Director Academy Award nomination for his renowned film City of God. He most recently directed The Two Popes, which earned Academy Award, Golden Globes and British Film Academy nominations.

Buffalo 8 Acquires North American Rights to Javier Andrade’s Drama “Lo Invisible”

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Javier Andrade’s latest project won’t be invisible for long in North America…

Buffalo 8 has acquired the North American rights to the 45-year-old Ecuadorian filmmaker’s drama Lo Invisible, Ecuador’s candidate for the Academy Awards’ Best International Feature Film.

Javier AndradeDirected by Andrade, the film is scheduled for release on VOD in the second or third quarter of this year.

In Lo Invisible, a woman (Anahí Hoeneisen) returns from psychiatric care and finds herself in new confinement — a stunning mansion in Puembo, Ecuador. She’s unable to return to normalcy after a bout of severe postpartum depression and, alone amongst family and servants, must keep her struggles invisible — over time, sinking deeper and deeper into madness.

The first Ecuadorian film to be featured at the Toronto Film Festival in nearly 20 years, Lo Invisible also secured a nomination for Best Iberoamerican Film last year at the Málaga Spanish Film Festival.

Selena Gomez’s “My Mind & Me” Makes Oscars Short List for Best Original Song

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Selena Gomez is in the running for an Academy Award nomination…

The 30-year-old Mexican American actress/singer’s last single has been shortlisted for an Oscar for best original song.

 

Selena GomezGomez’s “My Mind & Me” from her documentary Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, is part of a list that includes Rihanna, Taylor Swift and Lady Gaga.

But Gomez isn’t the only Latin talent to make the short list…

Guillermo del Toro, who co-directed Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio with Mark Gustafson, is among the co-writers of “Ciao Papa,” which has earned a lot of Oscar buzz.

A total of 81 songs were eligible in the category. Members of the music branch voted to determine the shortlist and will ultimately choose the final nominees.

Here’s a complete list of the 15 songs that were shortlisted for best original song.

Per Academy custom, they are listed alphabetically by film title:

“Time”
Drake, Giveon Evans, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Daniel Pemberton
Amsterdam, 20th Century Studios 

“Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength)”
The Weeknd, Steve Angello Josefsson, Sebastian Ingrosso, Axel Hedfords, Simon Franglen
Avatar: The Way of Water, 20th Century Studios 

“Lift Me Up”
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Rhianna, Tems
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Marvel Studios 

“This Is a Life”
David Byrne, Ryan Lott, Mitski
Everything Everywhere All at Once, A24 

“Ciao Papa”
Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, Netflix 

“Til You’re Home”
Rita Wilson
A Man Called Otto, Sony Pictures

“Naatu Naatu”
Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani, Rahul Sipligunj
RRR, Variance Films 

“My Mind & Me”
Amy Allen, Jonathan Bellion, Selena Gomez, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Michael Pollack
Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me, Apple Original Films 

“Good Afternoon”
Benj Pasek, Justin Paul
Spirited, Apple Originals 

“Applause”
Diane Warren
Tell It Like a Woman, Samuel Goldwyn Films 

“Stand Up”
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, Jazmine Sullivan
Till, Orion/United Artists Releasing 

“Hold My Hand”
BloodPop (Michael Tucker), Lady Gaga
Top Gun: Maverick, Paramount Pictures 

“Dust & Ash”
Ralph
The Voice of Dust and Ash, Matilda Productions 

“Carolina”
Taylor Swift
Where the Crawdads Sing, Sony Pictures 

“New Body Rhumba”
Pat Mahoney, James Murphy, Nancy Whang
White Noise, Netflix

Nominations for the 95th Oscars will be announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2023.

The telecast, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place on Sunday, March 12, 2023, airing live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

HBO Releases First Footage of Issa Lopez-Directed “True Detective: Night Country”

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It’s a night (in the) country for Issa López…

HBO has unveiled the first footage from True Detective: Night Country, which is written, directed and showrun by Mexican producer, writer and film director.

Issa LópezThe anticipated fourth season of HBO’s Emmy-winning crime drama anthology series True Detective will debut on the premium cabler in 2023.

The new season starring two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster and actor-boxer Kali Reis picks up after the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, as the six men that operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.

The new True Detective footage came via a sizzle reel for HBO and HBO Max programming also teasing such upcoming shows as The Last of Us, The Idol and White House Plumbers, as well as new seasons of series like Perry Mason, Succession and Barry. While it reveals no new story information, it does offer a first look at Foster and Reis in uniform, and a sense of the thick winter atmosphere their Iceland-shot season is set against.

The newest season of the series created by Nic Pizzolatto was executive produced by Lopez alongside Foster, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak for Pastel, as well as Mari Jo Winkler, Chris Mundy, Alan Page Arriaga, Steve Golin, Richard Brown, Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Cary Joji Fukunaga and Pizzolatto.

Night Country also stars John Hawkes, Christopher Eccleston, Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Anna Lambe, Aka Niviâna, Isabella Star Lablanc and Joel D. Montgrand.

Catalina Sandino Moreno to Star in the John Wick Spinoff “Ballerina”

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Catalina Sandino Moreno will soon chaseé her way into a theater near you…

The 41-year-old Colombian Oscar-nominated actress is joining Ana de Armas in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina in a sizeable role.

Catalina Sandino MorenoMoreno’s part remains under wraps.

Sandino Moreno, whose deal just closed, joins Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick in the Lionsgate release.

Cameras are currently rolling on the Len Wiseman-directed, Shay Hatten-scripted title in the $586M-grossing John Wick universe.

Producer Erica Lee said: “One of the challenges of casting Ballerina is making sure that the new roles are played by actors with as much power, emotional presence, and physical skill as Ana has. After working with Catalina on John Woo’s Silent Night, it was clear that she belonged at the top of our list, and it’s a thrill to be reuniting with her.”

Moreno was Oscar nominated out of the gate for her debut performance in 2004’s Maria Full of Grace.

In her next film, Silent Night, she stars opposite Joel Kinnaman and Kid Cudi. She recently starred in the indie Barbarians opposite Iwan Rheon and Tom Cullen.

She also stars in the Epix horror series From, currently shooting its second season.

Other recent work includes a role as a series regular on Showtime’s The Affair and a starring role on the Duplass Brothers’ HBO series Room 104.

Claudio Miranda Wins Best Cinematography Prize from New York Film Critics Circle for “Top Gun: Maverick”

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Claudio Miranda is the New York critics choice.

The New York Film Critics Circle, the longest-acting film awards voting committee, has announced its 2022 winners, with the 57-year-old Chilean Oscar-winning cinematographer picking up an award.

Claudio MirandaMiranda claimed the Best Cinematography award for his work on the hit Top Gun sequel, Top Gun: Maverick.

Miranda previously won the Academy Award in 2012 for his cinematography on Ang Lee’s Life of Pi.

The NYFCC is known for bestowing wins to independent films and the organization can take as long as five hours to deliberate on the day they announce wins. Whatever film the group names as Best Picture doesn’t always translate to an Oscar Best Picture win; the last title to do so was 2011’s The Artist.

“NYFCC winners reflect the broad range of our tastes, as well as what’s exciting audiences at cinemas today,” stated NYFCC Chair Jordan Hoffman. “It’s a stimulating group of movies, and our gala event in January is bound to be a memorable one.”

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is the oldest critics group in the country. The NYFCC’s membership includes critics from daily and weekly newspapers, magazines and the web’s most respected online publications.

The group’s awards gala will be held in early January in New York City.

Here are all the winners of the New York Film Critics Circle Awards:

BEST FILM
Tár

BEST DIRECTOR
S.S. Rajamouli, RRR

BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett, Tár

BEST ACTOR
Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin and After Yang

BEST SCREENPLAY
Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
EO (Poland)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Claudio Miranda, Top Gun: Maverick

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Keke Palmer, Nope

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once

BEST NON-FICTION FILM
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

SPECIAL AWARDS
Jake Perlin, curator, distributor and publisher in recognition of his indispensable contributions to film culture.

dGenerate Films for its invaluable work bringing independent films to China.

Jafar Panahi, for “dogged bravery as an artist, and for the humanity and beauty of a body of work created under the most oppressive circumstances.

BEST FIRST FILM
Aftersun

STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS:
Undergraduate, Nico Pedrero-Setzer
Graduate, Greg Nussen

This year’s voting members include: Sam Adams (Slate), Siddhant Adlakha (freelance), Melissa Anderson (4 Columns), Michael Atkinson (freelance), Jason Bailey (Playlist), Richard Brody (New Yorker), Dwight Brown (NNPA Syndication), Kameron Austin Collins (Rolling Stone), Bilge Ebiri (New York), David Ehrlich (IndieWire), Kate Erbland (IndieWire), David Fear (Rolling Stone), Graham Fuller (freelance), Owen Gleiberman (Variety), Ed Gonzalez (Slant), Leah Greenblatt (EW), Steven D. Greydanus (National Catholic Register), Rafer Guzman (Newsday), Caryn James (BBC), Eric Kohn (IndieWire), Tomris Laffly (freelance), Richard Lawson (Vanity Fair), Violet Lucca (freelance), Soraya Nadia McDonald (Andscape), Sheila O’Malley (Rogerebert.com), Rex Reed (New York Observer), David Rooney (Hollywood Reporter), Nick Schager (Daily Beast), David Sims (The Atlantic), Kyle Smith (Wall Street Journal), Dana Stevens (Slate), Amy Taubin (Artforum), Peter Travers (ABC), Keith Uhlich (freelance), Elizabeth Weitzman (The Wrap), Stephen Whitty (freelance), Alissa Wilkinson (Vox), Alison Willmore (New York), Stephanie Zacharek (Time), and Esther Zuckerman (freelance).

Pablo Larraín to Direct Angelina Jolie in Biopic About Opera Legend Maria Callas

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Pablo Larraín has lined up his next biopic…

The 46-year-old Chilean filmmaker will direct Maria, a biopic about the life of American-born Greek soprano Maria Callas as his next feature, and he’s locked in Academy Award-winner Angelina Jolie in the starring role.

Pablo LarraínBased on true accounts, the film will tell the tumultuous, beautiful and tragic story of the world’s greatest opera singer, relived and reimagined during her final days in 1970s Paris.

The film was written by Oscar-nominee Steven Knight, who wrote Larraín’s Princess Diana biopic Spencer. The filmmaker’s brother and creative partner Juan de Dios Larraín will produce for Fabula Pictures, alongside Lorenzo Mieli for The Apartment Pictures, a Fremantle Company, and Jonas Dornbach for Komlizen Film.

“Having the chance to combine my two most deep and personal passions, cinema and opera, has been a long-awaited dream,” said Larraín. “To do this with Angelina, a supremely brave and curious artist, is a fascinating opportunity. A true gift.”

“I take very seriously the responsibility to Maria’s life and legacy. I will give all I can to meet the challenge,” added Jolie. “Pablo Larraín is a director I have long admired. To be allowed the chance to tell more of Maria’s story with him, and with a script by Steven Knight, is a dream.”

Larraín is best known for features including Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, and Jackie, which had Natalie Portman portraying Jackie Kennedy.

He also directed and executive produced the Apple series Liseys’ Story, based on the Stephen King novel. Other notable directorial credits include Ema, Neruda, The Club and No.

Chile Enters Fernando Guzzoni’s “Blanquita” into Oscars Best International Film Race

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Fernando Guzzoni may be contending for an Academy Award…

Chile has submitted the 39-year-old film director and scriptwriter’s Blanquita as its official entry for the Best International Film race at the Oscars.

Fernando GuzzoniGuzzoni’s film explores a real-life child prostitution scandal that rocked the country in the early 2000s.

The film was chosen as Chile’s official entry by members of the Chilean Film Academy, in its third selection since its creation in 2018.

“Once again we are witnessing both the quality and diversity of our cinema, as well as the criteria and commitment of our partners: 70% of them voted in this process, the most participatory since we as an Academy have been in charge of choosing the film that represents Chile at the Oscars”, said the body’s executive director Josefina Undurraga.

Blanquita, Fernando Guzzoni Blanquita world premiered in the Horizons section of the Venice Film Festival this year, winning the best screenplay prize for Guzzoni.

Big screen debutant Laura López stars as an 18-year-old resident of a foster home, who is a key witness in a trial against powerful politicians and businessmen implicated in a child sex scandal. As questions are asked, her role in the scandal becomes unclear.

Award-winning veteran actor Alejandro Goic co-stars as a priest who runs the home where the young woman lives. Other cast members include Amparo Noguera, Marcelo Alonso and Daniela Ramirez.

The feature is inspired by the real-life early 2000s Spiniak Case involving a paedophilia ring run by an entrepreneur and sports club owner, which provided services to a number of high-placed politicians and businessmen.

The case divided Chile as it went through the courts, with doubts being cast on the testimony of key witness who was caught up in the ring as a minor and accused two senators of abusing her.

Guzzoni spent a year investigating the case in-depth before writing his screenplay.

“I am very honored that Blanquita is Chile’s representative at the Oscars and grateful for the support of all my colleagues at the Film Academy,” said Guzzoni.

“The film puts forward in a thriller key an urgent issue about impunity and structural injustice in our country, therefore, it combines audience vocation and a story with high social sensitivity,” he continued.

“We believe that the film being awarded in Venice, the great reception from critics and the support of our international partners and distributors will allow us to carry out a campaign that seeks to make Blanquita’s message visible and position the film in the best possible way.”

Blanquita is Guzzoni’s fourth feature after La Colorina, Carne de Perro and Jesús, about a troubled, teenager who turns to violence in search of thrills.

“Blanquita is a powerful and current movie, which should make an impression on the Academy members. I can’t wait for them to see it,” said New Europe CEO Naszewski.

Chile won the Oscar for best international film in 2018 with Sebastían Lelio’s A Fantastic Woman, while Pablo Larrain’s No was nominated for the 2012-13 race and Maite Alberdi’s The Mole Agent was nominated in the Best Documentary category last year.

The deadline for the Best International Film category closed on October 3, with around 85 titles being publicly declared so far. Last year, there were submissions from 93 countries.