Cuaron Named Best Director at the Britain’s Empire Awards

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

There seems to be no stopping Alfonso Cuaron when it comes to picking up prizes…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker, who took home two Academy Awards earlier this month, was named Best Director at the Jameson Empire Awards for helming the Sandra Bullock-starrer Gravity.

The mastermind behind the 3D sci-fi film beat out The World’s End’s Edgar Wright, Captain Phillips’ Paul Greengrass, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug’s Peter Jackson and 12 Years A Slave’s Steve McQueen for the honor.

In addition, Cuaron’s Gravity was named Best Film. It beat out 12 Years a Slave, Captain Phillips, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to win the coveted award.

The 2014 Jameson Empire Awards were held Sunday, March 30 at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.

The Empire Awards are an accolade bestowed by Empire, Britain’s biggest selling film magazine, to recognize excellence of professionals in the local and global film industry. The awards are voted for by readers of the magazine and in an annual ceremony

Here’s a look at the complete list of Empire Award winner:

The Legend of Our Lifetime: Tom Cruise
The Action Hero of Our Lifetime: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Empire Icon: Hugh Jackman
Empire Hero: Simon Pegg
Empire Inspiration: Paul Greengrass
Best Male Newcomer: Aidan Turner (“The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”)
Best Female Newcomer: Margot Robbie (“The Wolf of Wall Street”)
Best Horror: “The Conjuring”
Best Comedy: “Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa”
Best Thriller: “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Best Sci-Fi/Fantasy: “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender (“12 Years a Slave”)
Best Supporting Actress: Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”)
Best British Film: “The World’s End”
Best Actress: Emma Thompson (“Saving Mr. Banks”)
Jameson Best Actor: James McAvoy (“Filth”)
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”)
Best Film: “Gravity”

Lubezki Wins American Society of Cinematographers Award for “Gravity”

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

The (Oscars) future looks bright for Emmanuel Lubezki…

The Mexican cinematographer took home an ASC Award at the 28th annual American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Awards on Saturday at the Hollywood & Highland Ray Dolby Ballroom.

Lubezki earned the prize in the in the theatrical motion picture category for lensing Alfonso Cuarón’s 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity.

He topped a field of nominees that included Sean Bobbitt for 12 Years a Slave, Barry Ackroyd for Captain Phillips, Philippe Le Sourd for The Grandmaster, Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis, Phedon Papamichael for Nebraska and Roger Deakins for Prisoners.

It’s the third ASC feature award for Lubezki, who previously won for Children of Men and The Tree of Life.

The win puts Lubezki in some select company. In the event’s 28-year history, only one cinematographer, the late Conrad Hall, won the feature category an unprecedented four times. And, Lubezki now joins fellow nominee Deakins as the only cinematographers with three wins in the category.

Also this year, Lubezki received his sixth Oscar nomination, and is vying for his first Academy Award.

Here’s a complete list of winners:

Film
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC, Gravity

One-hour Episodic Television Series:
Jonathan Freeman, ASC, HBO’s Game of Thrones, “Valar Dohaeris”

Television Movie/Miniseries:
Jeremy Benning, CSC, National Geographic Channel’s Killing Lincoln

Half-Hour Episodic Series:
Blake McClure, Comedy Central’s Drunk History, “Detroit”

Spotlight Award
Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski, Ida

Cuarón Wins Directors Guild of America Award for “Gravity”

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

The prizes just keep coming for Alfonso Cuarón…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker took home the top honor at the 66th annual Directors Guild of America Awards, held Saturday.

Cuarón, who won his first-ever Producers Guild of America Award last weekend, was announced as the final winner of the night for his critically acclaimed work helming the 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity.

He beat out Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), David O. Russell (American Hustle), Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) and Martin Scorsese (Wolf of Wall Street) for the DGA Award.

During a special presentation to Cuarón, Gravity star Sandra Bullock made a few jokes about Cuaron’s thick accent during shooting, but then praised him for his bravery and imagination.

“You not only gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity but you gave it to me when I thought I had nothing left to offer as an actor,” she said.

Cuarón is now considered the frontrunner to take home the Oscar for Best Director at this year’s upcoming Academy Awards, where he’s up for three awards.

Cuarón Earns an ACE Eddie Award Nomination

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

The praise keeps rolling in in for Alfonso Cuarón this awards season… And, it’s coming for more than his directing skills.

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker, who has earned several awards and nominations for directing the 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity, has earned an ACE Eddie Awards nomination from the American Cinema Editors.

Cuarón & Mark Sanger are nominated in the Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) category. The pair are up against 12 Years a Slave’s Joe Walker, Captain Phillips’ Chris Rouse, Her’s  Eric Zumbrunnen and Jeff Buchanan and Saving Mr. Banks’  Mark Livolsi.

The winners will be announced in a special ceremony on February 7 at the Beverly Hilton.

Here’s the complete list of nominees:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):
12 Years a Slave Joe Walker
Captain Phillips Chris Rouse, A.C.E.
Gravity Alfonso Cuarón & Mark Sanger
Her Eric Zumbrunnen, A.C.E. & Jeff Buchanan
Saving Mr. Banks Mark Livolsi, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):
American Hustle Jay Cassidy, A.C.E., Crispin Struthers & Alan Baumgarten, A.C.E. August: Osage County Stephen Mirrione, A.C.E.
Inside Llewyn Davis Roderick Jaynes
Nebraska Kevin Tent, A.C.E.
The Wolf of Wall Street Thelma Schoonmaker, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:
Despicable Me 2 Gregory Perler, A.C.E.
Frozen Jeff Draheim
Monsters University Greg Snyder

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):
20 Feet from Stardom Douglas Blush, Kevin Klauber & Jason Zeldes
Blackfish Eli Despres
Tim’s Vermeer Patrick Sheffield

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):
American Masters: Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train a Comin’ Stephen Ellis, Gordon Mason & Phil McDonald
American Winter Aaron I. Butler
The Assassination of President Kennedy Chris A. Peterson

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:
30 Rock: “Hogcock! / Last Lunch” Meg Reticker / Ken Eluto, A.C.E.
Arrested Development: “Flight of the Phoenix” Kabir Akhtar & A.J. Dickerson
The Office: “Finale” David Rogers & Claire Scanlon

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Breaking Bad: “Buried” Skip MacDonald A.C.E. & Sharidan Williams-Sotelo
Breaking Bad: “Felina” Skip MacDonald A.C.E.
Breaking Bad: “Granite State” Kelley Dixon, A.C.E. & Chris McCaleb
Breaking Bad: “Ozymandias” Skip MacDonald A.C.E.
The Good Wife: “Hitting the Fan” Scott Vickrey, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:
Game of Thrones: “The Rains of Castamere” Oral Norrie Ottey
Homeland: “Big Man in Tehran” Terry Kelley, A.C.E.
House of Cards: “Chapter 1” Kirk Baxter, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:
American Horror Story: Asylum: “The Name Game” Stewart Schill, A.C.E.
Behind the Candelabra Mary Ann Bernard
Phil Spector Barbara Tulliver, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown: Tokyo Nick Brigden
Beyond Scared Straight: “The Return of Hustle Man” Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Jennifer Nelson, Martin Skibosh, Trevor Campbell
Deadliest Catch: “Mutiny on the Bering Sea” Josh Earl, A.C.E. Alex Durham, Rob Butler

Jonás Cuarón Earns His First BAFTA Awards Nomination

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Like father, like son…

Jonás Cuarón, the son of Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, has earned his first BAFTA Awards nomination.

The Mexican filmmaker has been nominated with his father in the original screenplay category, for writing their blockbuster hit Gravity.

It’s one of the whopping 11 nominations the 3D sci-fi film earned from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film and Best British Film.

Cuarón’s father also earned a Best Editing and Best Director nod, the latest nomination in that category for one of Entertainment Weekly’s 2013 Entertainers of the Year. He’s up against 12 Years A Slave’s Steve McQueen, American Hustle’s David O. Russell, Captain Phillips’ Paul Greengrass and The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Martin Scorsese in the director field.

Meantime, Cuarón’s longtime collaborator, Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, earned a Best Cinematography nod for his work on Gravity.

Lastly, Rush star Daniel Brühl continues to earn awards recognition for portraying real-life racing legend Niki Lauda in Ron Howard‘s Formula One racing drama. Following his SAG Award and Golden Globe nods, the 35-year-old half-Spanish actor will take on Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra), Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) in the race for the best supporting actor trophy.

The British Academy Film Awards will take place on February 16 at the Royal Opera House in London, with the ceremony broadcast exclusively on BBC One in the U.K. and in all major territories around the world.

Here’s the complete list of BAFTA nominations:

BEST FILM
12 YEARS A SLAVE
AMERICAN HUSTLE
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
GRAVITY
PHILOMENA

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
GRAVITY
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
PHILOMENA
RUSH
SAVING MR. BANKS
THE SELFISH GIANT

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
COLIN CARBERRY (Writer), GLENN PATTERSON (Writer) Good Vibrations
KELLY MARCEL (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
KIERAN EVANS (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
PAUL WRIGHT (Director/Writer), POLLY STOKES (Producer) For Those in Peril
SCOTT GRAHAM (Director/Writer) Shell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval
THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
METRO MANILA Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier
WADJDA Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer
THE ARMSTRONG LIE Alex Gibney
BLACKFISH Gabriela Cowperthwaite
TIM’S VERMEER Teller,Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Alex Ginny

ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Dan Scanlon

DIRECTOR
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN HUSTLE Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE Woody Allen
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 YEARS A SLAVE John Ridley
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Richard LaGravenese
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Billy Ray
PHILOMENA Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Terence Winter

LEADING ACTOR
BRUCE DERN Nebraska
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR 12 Years a Slave
CHRISTIAN BALE American Hustle
LEONARDO DICAPRIO The Wolf of Wall Street
TOM HANKS Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS American Hustle
CATE BLANCHETT Blue Jasmine
EMMA THOMPSON Saving Mr. Banks
JUDI DENCH Philomena
SANDRA BULLOCK Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
BARKHAD ABDI Captain Phillips
BRADLEY COOPER American Hustle
DANIEL BRÜHL Rush
MATT DAMON Behind the Candelabra
MICHAEL FASSBENDER 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
JENNIFER LAWRENCE American Hustle
JULIA ROBERTS August: Osage County
LUPITA NYONG’O 12 Years a Slave
OPRAH WINFREY The Butler
SALLY HAWKINS Blue Jasmine

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 YEARS A SLAVE Hans Zimmer
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Henry Jackman
GRAVITY Steven Price
SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 YEARS A SLAVE Sean Bobbitt
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Barry Ackroyd
GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
RUSH Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 YEARS A SLAVE Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
AMERICAN HUSTLE Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Howard Cummings
GRAVITY Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Ellen Mirojnick
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
SAVING MR. BANKS Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
AMERICAN HUSTLE Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
THE BUTLER Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
THE GREAT GATSBY Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Find later

SOUND
ALL IS LOST Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor,Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
RUSH Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
PACIFIC RIM Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyed

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT FILM
ISLAND QUEEN Ben Mallaby, Nat Luurtsema
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Megan Rubens, Michael Pearce, Selina Lim
ORBIT EVER AFTER Chee-Lan Chan, Jamie Stone, Len Rowles
ROOM 8 James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner
SEA VIEW Anna Duffield, Jane Linfoo

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
DANE DEHAAN
GEORGE MACKAY
LUPITA NYONG’O
WILL POULTER
LÉA SEYDOUX

Cuarón Earns First-Ever Producers Guild Awards Nomination

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Alfonso Cuarón is defying gravity this awards season…

The 52-year-old Mexican director has earned his first-ever Producers Guild Awards nomination, specifically the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures.

Cuarón earned the nod for his critically acclaimed hit film Gravity, which has earned him recognition in the director category from several film organizations, including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the London Critics Circle.

Cuarón, who wrote the film with his son Jonah, is credited as a producer alongside David Heyman on the 3D sci-fi thriller starring Sandra Bullock.

Other films nominated by the Producers Guild include American Hustle, 12 Years a Slave, Blue Jasmine, Captain Phillips, Dallas Buyers Club, Her, Nebraska, Saving Mr. Banks and The Wolf of Wall Street.

The winners will be announced on January 19, three days before the Oscar nominations are unveiled. The victors will be feted at a gala taking place at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Cuarón’s “Gravity” Nominated for Three Australian Academy Arts Awards

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Alfonso Cuarón’s gravity-defying awards season continues with some big-time recognition Down Under…

The 52-year-old Mexican director’s latest film, the Sandra Bullock-starrer Gravity, has received three AACTA Award nominations from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.

Cuarón is nominated in the AACTA International Award for Best Direction category for helming the blockbuster-hit 3D sci-fi thriller.

He’s up against Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave), David O. Russell (American Hustle), Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips) and Baz Luhrmann (The Great Gatsby).

Gravity is also nominated in the AACTA International Award for Best Film category, where it faces-off against 12 Years a Slave, American Hustle, Captain Phillips and Ron Howard’s Formula One drama Rush.

The AACTA International Awards will be held in Los Angeles on January 10th, 2014.

Trailer Released for Vazquez’s New Film with Tom Hanks “Captain Phillips”

Posted on August 9, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Yul Vazquez will soon be hitting the high seas with Tom Hanks…

The Cuban American actor, who currently appears on Starz’s Magic City, is starring as Captain Frank Castellano in the Hanks-headlined film Captain Phillips, which has been named the opening-night film at the prestigious New York Film Festival next month.

Directed by Paul Greengrass, the Sony Pictures film tells the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (portrayed by Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama.

Phillips was eventually rescued in a dangerous mission by a Navy SEAL team.

Along with Hanks and Vazquez, the film also stars Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Michael Chernus, Chris Mulkey, John Magaro and Angus MacInnes.

Captain Phillips is set to hit theaters on October 11.

Vazquez’s other upcoming projects include Runner Runner with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake, Blood Ties with Mila Kunis, Clive Owen and Marion Cotillard and Kill The Messenger directed by Michael Cuesta opposite Jeremy Renner.

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