Tag Archives: Oscars

Spain Selects J.A. Bayona’s “Society of Snow” as Its Entry for the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film Race

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J.A. Bayona is in the running for a potential Academy Award…

Spain has selected the 48-year-old Spanish filmmaker’s latest film, Society of the Snow as its entry for the Best International Feature Film race at the 2024 Oscars.

J.A. BayonaThe announcement marks the first time a Netflix-backed film has been selected by Spain and the second time J.A. Bayona has made the cut following his 2007 film The Orphanage.

Society of the Snow closed this year’s Venice Film Festival. Based on the book of the same name by Pablo Vierci, first published in 2008, the film charts the story of the 45 people who, on October 13, 1972, boarded Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 from Montevideo to Chile. There were five crew members on board and 40 passengers, including 19 members of the Old Christians Club rugby team. Tragedy struck when the pilot began his descent too early, crashing into the Andes and killing 12 immediately. The survivors clung to the belief that help was coming, but none did. After weeks of hunger, having exhausted everything in the plane’s hold, they were forced to do the unthinkable and eat the flesh of those who had died. The story was told by Frank Marshall in the 1993 film Alive.

J.A. Bayona, La Sociedad De La Nieve, Society of the SnowStarring in the Spanish-language film are Enzo Vogrincic, Matías Recalt, Agustín Pardella, Esteban Kukuriczka and Tomas Wolf.

The film is produced by Belén Atienza, Sandra Hermida and Bayona. The screenplay comes from Bayona, Bernat Vilaplana, Jaime Marques and Nicolás Casariego from the novel by Pablo Vierci. The director of photography is Pedro Luque.

Last year Spain selected Carla Simón’s Berlinale winner Alcarràs for the Best International Feature Film race. The film didn’t make the final shortlist.

Angelique Cabral Added to Voice Cast of Disney Animation’s Feature Film “Wish”

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Angelique Cabral’s wish has come true…

The 44-year-old part-Mexican American actress will star in the Disney Animation feature Wish.

Angelique CabralShe’ll voice Queen Amaya opposite Chris Pine, who stars as King Magnifico, ruler of the magical kingdom of Rosas, where wishes really do come true.

Wish follows Asha (Oscar winner Ariana DeBose), a sharp-witted idealist who makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force: a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star set out to prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Alan Tudyk also stars as a talking goat, Valentino Hall.

The film opens in theaters on November 22.

Oscar-winning director Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn are directors, with Peter Del Vecho producing and Juan Pablo Reyes co-producing. Allison Moore is also a co-writer.

Original songs are by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Julia Michaels and Grammy-winning producer-songwriter-musician Benjamin Rice, with a score by Dave Metzger.

Cabral most recently recurred on Season 3 of ABC’s Big Sky in the role of Carla. Her other notable television credits include Fox’s Enlisted, CBS’ Life in Pieces and Prime Video’s Undone.

Her film credits include 2011’s The Perfect Family alongside Kathleen Turner and Emily Deschanel; Friends with Benefits that same year opposite Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake; 2017’s Band Aid; and All About Nina in 2018. In 2021, she starred in How It Ends written, directed and produced by Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones.

Max Releases Trailer for Scott Mescudi’s Animated Series “Young Love”

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Scott Mescudi is getting animated…

Max has released the official trailer for Young Love, the animated series spinoff of the Oscar-winning short Hair Love that stars the 39-year-old rapper/singer and actor also known as Kid Cudi.

Kid CudiThe 12-episode season premieres with four episodes on Thursday, September 21 on Max and continues with four episodes weekly, leading up to the season finale on October 5.

From creator Matthew A. Cherry and Sony Pictures Animation, Young Love takes a look into the lives of African American millennial parents Stephen Love (Mescudi) and Angela Young (Issa Rae) as they experience the relatable ups and downs of modern life.

In remission following a battle with cancer, Angela struggles to balance her work as a stylist with the demands of parenthood, while Stephen attempts to carve out a career as a musician in an ultra-competitive industry. Along with their fearless daughter Zuri (Brooke Monroe Conaway), this tight-knit Chicago family juggles careers, marriage, parenthood, social issues, and multi-generational dynamics while striving to make a better life for themselves.

“Welcome to my castle,” Zuri tells one of her friends as they enter her apartment. “You can drop your bag on the floor. My mom and dad will get them.”

“Are we the help?” Stephen asks. “Worse,” Angela responds. “We’re parents.”

Voice cast also includes Loretta Devine (Gigi Young), Harry Lennix (Russell Young), Tamar Braxton (Star), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Sheree), Debra Wilson (Additional Voices) and others.

The series is produced in partnership with Sony Pictures Animation.

Brazil Selects Kleber Mendonça Filho’s “Pictures of Ghosts” as its Best International Feature Film Entry at Oscars

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Kleber Mendonça Filho’s latest project is Brazil’s best bet for an international film Oscar.

The South American country has selected the 54-year-old Brazilian film director and screenwriter’s documentary Pictures of Ghosts as its entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Kleber Mendonca Filho

Mixing archive and contemporary footage, the deeply personal work revisits the director’s hometown of Recife through the cinemas he once frequented.

The film world premiered as a Special Screening at Cannes Film Festival in May and had its North American premiere on September 9 in Toronto, before heading to New York.

Grasshopper Films acquired U.S. rights to the film this summer. Paris-based Urban Sales handles international sales.

The Brazilian Cinema Academy selected the film on Tuesday from a shortlist, which also included Guto Parente’s A Strange Path, Sergio de Carvalho’s Alien Nights, Eduardo Albergaria’s Nosso Sonho, Carolina Markowicz’s Toll and Claudio Borrelli’s Vultures.

The selection was made by a 23-member committee, chaired by distributor and exhibitor Ilda Santiago.

Mendonça Filho thanked the academy for selecting the film in a media post, re-enacting his taking the call on the phone as he stroked his cat.

Carlos Saldanha’s Disney Comedy Series “How to be a Carioca” to Screen at Iberseries & Platino Industria

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Carlos Saldanha’s latest project will get its first screening next month.

The 58-year-old Brazilian animator, director, producer and voice actor’s Disney comedy series How to be a Carioca will screen for the first time at the Iberseries & Platino Industria event in October.

Carlos SaldanhaThe first episode of the Star Original Productions-badged comedy will play at the fest, which is held in Madrid.

Saldanha and co-creator Joana Mariani will feature on a panel for the show alongside Leonardo Aranguibel, VP of Production, Head of Production Operations and Strategy, The Walt Disney Company Latin America.

The Portuguese-language comedy series follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the city. It stars the likes of Seu Jorge and Douglas Silva, and marks one of the first live-action Brazilian series the Oscar-nominated Saldanha has made in some years. He’s known for directing two of the Ice Age and Rio movies and picked up an Academy Award nom for 2017’s Ferdinand.

The show is set to launch on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+’s streaming services, including Disney+ worldwide.

How to be a Carioca follows an American writer who has to learn the quirks of Rio de Janeiro’s people after moving to the Brazilian city. Saldanha is creating the show with Mariani and Diogo Dhal with scriptwriters Rodrigo Nogueira, Sabrina Rosa and Felipe Scholl. Moovie is producing.

The series will screen as part of the Chapter One strand of Iberseries.

Amazon Studios Releases First Trailer for Jacob Elordi-Starrer “Saltburn”

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Jacob Elordi is feelin’ the (salt)burn…

Amazon Studios has released the first teaser for Saltburn, starring the 26-year-old half-Spanish Australian actor.

Jacob Elordi, SaltburnFrom Academy Award-winning writer and director Emerald Fennell, the film also stars Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike.

Plot details have been kept under wraps, with the only hint being that Saltburn is a “story of obsession.”

Now, with the trailer, we learn a little bit more.

Keoghan’s character Oliver meets Felix (Elordi) at a swanky boarding school. Felix, finding out his new acquaintance might not have the greatest situation at home, says, “Why don’t you come home with me? Come to Saltburn.”

Saltburn, it turns out, is the estate of Felix’s family, complete with a butler, a snobby mom and an upper-crust ingenue who may or may not be complementing Oliver when she tells him, “You’re so…real.”

What follows is a fish-out-of-water story in which Oliver takes a journey inside the access and excess that the 1% enjoy. At one point Keoghan’s character enthuses, “I can honestly say that these these past few months have been the happiest of my life.” We get a sense that happiness, however, may not hold.

Saltburn is Fennell’s follow-up to Promising Young Woman, which was nominated for several Oscars and won Best Original Screenplay for Fennell.

The film is produced by Fennell, MRC and LuckyChap Entertainment’s Josey McNamara, Tom Ackerley and Margot Robbie. World rights to the film were picked up by Amazon Studios in a pact with Knives Out outfit MRC.

Colman Domingo to Receive TIFF Tribute Performer Award at Toronto International Film Festival

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Colman Domingo is getting a special tribute…

The 53-year-old Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and social justice activist will be honored with the Toronto International Film Festival‘s TIFF Tribute Performer Award, an accolade that has gone to many eventual Academy Award winners in the recent past.

Colman DomingoThough the honor is billed as one for his overall career and for his performance in TIFF’s presentation of the new film Sing Sing, Domingo’s name has been heavily touted as one to watch in the upcoming race for the Best Actor Oscar, particularly for his work in director George C. Wolfe‘s Bayard Rustin biopic Rustin, which will also premiere at TIFF this year.

TIFF’s Tribute Awards have gone to significant contenders in past Oscar races, including Joker‘s Joaquin Phoenix, The Father star Anthony Hopkins, Nomadland director Chloé Zhao, The Eyes of Tammy Faye performer Jessica Chastain, and The Whale‘s Brendan Fraser — all of whom went on to win Oscars for their respective projects.

In Rustin, Domingo plays the titular queer activist as he plans the 1963 March on Washington, with Chris Rock, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, CCH Pounder, Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald co-starring.

“Colman Domingo’s performances are a masterclass in the art of storytelling,” said TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey in a press statement. “Domingo’s presence, on stage and on screen, is a gift to audiences, and his work continues to resonate, leaving an indelible impact. He is a true visionary in the world of performance, and we’re excited to honor him this year.”

The 2023 Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7-17, with the TIFF Tribute Awards ceremony occurring on Sunday, September 10.

Rustin debuts in select theaters on November 3, 2023 and hits Netflix on November 17.

“Barbie,” Starring America Ferrera, Becomes Highest-Grossing Movie of the Year in North America

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America Ferrera is a box office champ…

Barbie, starring the 39-year-old Honduran American Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress, is officially the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America.America Ferrera, BarbieGreta Gerwig’s fantasy-comedy, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has generated $575.4 million at the domestic box office, overtaking the previous champion, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has collected $574 million domestically.

Barbie has grossed $1.3 billion globally and will soon surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie (with $1.35 billion globally) as the biggest worldwide release of 2023 as well.

Only two Hollywood blockbusters this year have crossed the $1 billion mark and, notably, neither were superhero adventures or sequels in popular franchises.

Barbie started its record-breaking theatrical run in July with the best debut of the year ($162 million) and remained the No. 1 movie for four consecutive weekends. It also landed the biggest opening weekend for a film directed by a woman and became the highest-grossing movie directed solely by a woman.

At this point, Barbie is the 14th-biggest domestic release and 20th-biggest global release of all time.

Barbie also recently surpassed Christopher Nolan’s superhero epic The Dark Knight ($536 million) as the highest-grossing domestic release in Warner Bros. history. It could eventually eclipse 2011’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($1.34 billion) as the studio’s highest-grossing worldwide release in 100 years.

Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of Lady Bird and Little Women, co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach. The cotton candy-colored blockbuster follows the popular doll as she leaves behind the seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land to discover the highs and lows of life in the real world. The cast also includes Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu and Michael Cera.

Guillermo del Toro’s “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” Wins Humanitas Prize

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Guillermo del Toro is a Humanitas prize winner…

The 58-year-old Mexican filmmaker and author’s Oscar-winning project Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has won the Family Feature Film prize from Humanitas, the organization that annually honors film and television writers whose work best explores the human condition.

Guillermo del Toro, Pinocchio,Following a win at the Golden Globes, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards on Sunday, March 12 in Los Angeles.

Humanitas will not hold its usual awards show this year in solidarity with the WGA and SAG-AFTRA, opting for a party to celebrate winners on November 2 at the Avalon Hollywood.

Here’s the list of year’s winners and nominees:

DRAMA TELEPLAY

Winner
Craig Mazin: The Last of Us, “Long, Long Time”

Nominees
Peter Gould: Better Call Saul, “Saul Gone”
D.J. Nash & James Roday Rodriguez: A Million Little Things, “One Big Thing”
Ben Vanstone: All Creatures Great and Small, “Surviving Siegfried”

COMEDY TELEPLAY

Winner
Amy Sherman-Palladino: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, “Four Minutes”

Nominees
Francesca Sloane & Karen Joseph Adcock: Atlanta, “The Goof Who Sat by the Door”
Sterlin Harjo & Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs: Reservation Dogs, “Mabel”
Garrett Werner: Abbott Elementary, “Read-A-Thon”

CHILDREN’S TELEPLAY (Live Action or Animation)

Winner
Hernán Barangan: Life By Ella, “Prison or Palace”

Nominees
Gigi D.G.: Pinecone & Pony, “A Life of Adventure”
Kwame Alexander & Damani Johnson: The Crossover, “X’s and 0’s”
Lisa Muse Bryant: Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, “Hair Today Gone Tomorrow”

DRAMA FEATURE FILM

Winner
Tyler Perry: A Jazzman’s Blues

Nominees
Rebecca Lenkiewicz: She Said
Michael Reilly & Keith Beauchamp and Chinonye Chukwu: Till

COMEDY FEATURE FILM

Winner
Cooper Raiff: Cha Cha Real Smooth

Nominees
Peter Farrelly & Brian Currie & Pete Jones: The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Mark Rizzo: Champions
Tom Huang: Dealing with Dad

FAMILY FEATURE FILM

Winner
Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Nominees
Paul Fisher and Tommy Swerdlow: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
David Hudgins: Gigi & Nate

LIMITED SERIES, TV MOVIE OR SPECIAL

Winner
Tony Phelan & Joan Rater: A Small Light, “Pilot”

Nominees
Brian Savelson: Little America, “Paper Piano”
Lee Eisenberg & Idil Ibrahim: Little America, “Camel on a Stick”
Michael Nankin and Barbara Nance: An Amish Sin

DOCUMENTARY

Winner
Ondi Timoner: Last Flight Home

Nominees
Lisa Hepner: The Human Trial
Razelle Benally and Matthew Galkin: Murder In Big Horn, “Episode 1”
Stefan Forbes: Hold Your Fire

SHORT FILM

Winner
Sabina Vajrača: Sevap/Mitzvah

Nominees
Joseph Lee: Other Homes
Felicia Pride: Look Back At It
Chris Bowman and Hubbel Palmer: Ninety-five Senses

VOICE FOR CHANGE

WGA

NEW VOICES FELLOWSHIP

2023 Fellows
Jordan Guingao, Max Asayesh-Brown, Julia Weisberg Cortés, Terron Jones, and Luis Antonio Aldana & Miguel Angel Caballero

Finalists
Feyza Safoglu, Luke Hart-Moynihan, Adrien Callahan, Callie Waligora, and Lane Stanley

Semifinalists
Marina Kato, Emma Demorest, Kaelan Dickinson, Natasha Trotter, Jon Lazar, April Wright, AP Hello, Dennis Gonzalez, Nadine Pequeneza, Gina Young, Nia Ashley, Chaseedaw Giles, Ziyao Liu, Yeon Jin Lee, and Julia Bergeron

CAROL MENDELSOHN COLLEGE DRAMA AWARD

Awardee
Lara Palmqvist, “The Garden”

Finalists
Feyza Safoglu, AJ Currie, and Liz Beall

Semifinalists
Victor Adame, Carrie Finn, Anthony Poon, Aaron Lopez, Sophia Lin, Ahmed Uthman, Jacqueline Olivé, Tracy Kowalski, Marcus Crawford Guy, Alex Marsha Sylvia, Noah Arjomand, Charmaine Colina, María Cristina Marrero-Morales, Christopher Lukens, Cynda Wang, Renee Cunningham

DAVID AND LYNN ANGELL COLLEGE COMEDY AWARD

Awardee
Emma Fiske-Dobell, “Shakespeare Sister”

Finalists
Jules Crosby, Reid Pope, and Kevin Walsh

Semifinalists
Gabrielle Ruiz, Juwairiya Syed, Aadrise Johnson, Kareem El Arab, Hayley Zablotsky, Alexia Valentina Ureña, Isabela Aquino, Straton Rushing, Catherine Loerke, Ari Shapiro, Adrien Callahan, Callie Waligora, Chandler Moore, Tia Phillip, Cara-Lynn Branch, and Melina Maraki

Helena Bonham Carter to Star in Audible’s Series Adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield”

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Helena Bonham Carter is helping breathe new life into a Charles Dickens classic…

The 57-year-old part-Spanish English Oscar-nominated actress will star in David Copperfield, a new all-star Audible series executive-produced by Oscar winner Sam Mendes.

Helena Bonham CarterNcuti Gatwa will star as the title character,

In addition to Bonham Carter and Gatwa, the series will also star Theo James, Jessie Buckley, Richard Armitage , Jack Lowden, Toby Jones, Indira Varma, Ralph Ineson and newcomer Reece Kenwyne Mpudzi.

David Copperfield is the second in Sam Mendes’ Charles Dickens collaborations with Audible, following Oliver Twist, which was released last year.

Dickens himself referred to David Copperfield as his “favorite child” and the series will explore the life and loves of a gentle orphan in an indifferent adult world.

Characters will include the novel’s eccentric Aunt Betsey, the faithful Peggotty and loquacious Mr.Micawber, the villainous Micawbers and Uriah Heep, Little Em’ly, Dora and Agnes, as well as old school friend James Steerforth, dashing, daring and seductive.

According to Audible, this dramatization “explores the complexities and intimacies of the Steerforth relationship beyond anything possible in Dickens’ day”.

As with Mendes’ Oliver Twist, David Copperfield will be released globally by Audible and is being recorded in Audible’s London studio, as well as in the Charles Dickens Museum. Release is slated for November 30. Directors are Daniel Jewel and Mariele Runacre-Temple.

Mendes said: “I’m thrilled to continue my collaboration with Audible after the success of Oliver Twist and where better to go next than to David Copperfield, which for so many – and indeed for Dickens himself – is a favorite amongst his canon. We have an outstanding cast, led by the incomparable Ncuti Gatwa whose amazing comic timing brings new dimensions to the character of David. In the sound design we’ve leaned into hyper realism so that the listener really feels like they’re on the journey with David through his misfortunes and triumphs. Another feast for the ears.