Lin-Manuel Miranda Earns DGA Awards Nod from Directors Guild for “Tick, Tick…Boom!”

Posted on January 29, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s has earned a special recognition…

The Directors Guild has announced the nominations for its 74th annual DGA Awards, with the 42-year-old actor, singer-songwriter, playwright, and film director earning a nod.

Miranda earned the nomination in the First-Time Feature Film category for Tick, Tick…Boom!, an adaptation of Jonathan Larson‘s semi-autobiographical musical.

But he’s not the only Latinx nominee in the category…

Tatiana Huezo is also nominated for her feature debut as a director, Prayers for the Stolen.

Huezo’s award-winning film is representing Mexico in the International Feature Film Oscars race, making the category short list.

Winners will be announced March 12 during a planned in-person ceremony at the Beverly Hilton.

Here’s the full list of DGA Awards nominees:

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT IN THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM

Paul Thomas Anderson
Licorice Pizza
(Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures/United Artists Releasing)

Unit Production Manager: Sue McNamara
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
Second Assistant Director: Trevor Tavares
Second Second Assistant Directors: Kasia Trojak, Bob Riley, David Marnell

Kenneth Branagh
Belfast
(Focus Features)

Jane Campion
The Power of the Dog
(Netflix)

Steven Spielberg
West Side Story
(20th Century Studios)

Unit Production Managers: Carla Raij, Daniel Lupi
First Assistant Director: Adam Somner
Second Assistant Director: Jeremy Marks
Assistant Unit Production Manager: Robert T. Striem
Second Second Assistant Director: Josh Muzaffer
Additional Second Assistant Director: Billy Brennan
Location Managers: Robert T. Striem, Katherine Delaney

Denis Villeneuve
Dune
(Warner Bros. Pictures)

Unit Production Managers: Joe Caracciolo, Jr., James Grant
First Assistant Director: Chris Carreras
Second Assistant Director: Tom Rye

OUTSTANDING DIRECTORIAL ACHIEVEMENT OF A FIRST-TIME FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR

Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Lost Daughter
(Netflix)

Rebecca Hall
Passing
(Netflix)

Tatiana Huezo
Prayers for the Stolen
(Netflix)

Lin-Manuel Miranda
Tick, Tick… Boom!
(Netflix)

Unit Production Manager: Deb Dyer
First Assistant Director: Mariela Comitini
Second Assistant Directors: Josh A. Muzaffer, Luca Waldman
Second Second Assistant Directors: Melissa Morphet, Lincoln Major
Additional Second Assistant Director: Zach Citarella
Location Manager: Ryan Smith

Michael Sarnoski
Pig
(Neon)

Emma Seligman
Shiva Baby
(Utopia)

Tatiana Huezo’s “Prayers for the Stolen” Wins FIPRESCI Prize at the Palm Springs Film Festival

Posted on January 22, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Tatiana Huezo’s prayers are being celebrated…

The 50-year-old Mexican Salvadoran filmmaker’s Prayers for the Stolen has won the FIPRESCI Prize for Best International Feature Film at the Palm Springs Film Festival, which revealed its juried winners this week despite being forced to cancel its 2022 edition.

Huezo’s film, which has made this year’s Oscars short list for the Best International Feature Film category. was released by Netflix in theaters and on the streaming platform in November.

It centers on three young girls in a mountain town who take over the houses of those who have fled, dress up as women when no one is watching, and have a hiding place as their mothers train them to flee from those who turn them into slaves or ghosts. Until one day, when one of the girls doesn’t make it to her hideout in time.

The jury awarded it the top prize “for a miraculously vivid portrayal of girlhood under siege told with visual exuberance and powerful intimacy from the ensemble cast.”

The film also took the festival’s Ibero-American Award, the top prize in its Ibero-American sidebar devoted to the best films from Latin America, Spain or Portugal.

Special mentions in the Ibero-American sidebar were given to Anita Rocha da Silveira’s Medusa and Víctor Escribano’s 7 Lives, 7 Lakes.

The Palm Springs Film Festival, which had been scheduled to run January 6-17 before being scrapped amid the latest COVID surge, is considered a must-stop for International Feature Oscar contenders, with 36 of the 93 official submissions this year slated for the lineup.

Here’s the full list of winners:

FIPRESCI Prize: Best International Feature Film

Prayers For the Stolen (Mexico)
Directed by Tatiana Huezo

FIPRESCI Prize: Best Actor in an International Feature Film

Amir Jadidi
A Hero (Iran)

FIPRESCI Prize: Best Actress in an International Feature Film

Agathe Rousselle
Titane (France/Belgium)

FIPRESCI Prize: International Screenplay

A Hero (Iran)
Screenplay by Asghar Farhadi

Best Documentary Award

Flee (Denmark)
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen

Special Mention
The Caviar Connection (France)
Directed by Benoît Bringer

New Voices/New Visions Award

Happening (France)
Directed by Audrey Diwan

Special Mention
Wildhood (Canada/Germany)
Directed by Bretten Hannam

Ibero-American Award

Prayers For the Stolen (Mexico)
Directed by Tatiana Huezo

Special Mentions
Medusa (Brazil/USA)
Directed by Anita Rocha da Silveira

7 Lives, 7 Lakes (Spain)
Directed by Víctor Escribano

Local Jury Award

Escape from Mogadishu (South Korea)
Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan.

Special Mention
Mission: Joy – Finding Happiness in Troubled Times (USA)
Directed by Louie Psihoyos, Peggy Callahan

MOZAIK Bridging the Borders Award

A Hero (Iran)
Director Asghar Farhadi

Special Mentions
Fear (Bulgaria)
Directed by Ivaylo Hristov

Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (USA)
Directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler

Young Cineastes Award

Yuni (Indonesia)
Directed by Kamila Andini

Special Mention
Any Day Now (Finland)
Directed by Hamy Ramezan

Abner Benaim’s “Plaza Catedral” Makes Oscars Short List in International Feature Film Category

Posted on December 26, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Abner Benaim is celebrating a special first for Panama…

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled its shortlist of 15 films that will advance to the next stage of voting in the International Feature Film category at the Academy Awards, with the 50-year-old Panamanian filmmaker’s latest film making the cut.

Benaim’s thriller Plaza Catedral becomes the country’s first film to make the short list.

Starring Ilse Salas, Xavier de Casta and Manuel Cardona, explores the relationship between a melancholy divorcee and a poor street child.

As a co-production between Panama, Mexico and Colombia, it’s Benaim’s second fiction feature film after his 2009 comedy Chance.

But Benaim’s Plaza Catedral isn’t the only Latin film making the short list…

Mexico’s Prayers For The Stolen, directed by Tatiana Huezo, and Spain’s The Good Boss, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem, have also made the cut.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category.

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

Nominations voting begins on January 27, 2022, and concludes on February 1, 2022. They will be announced on February 8, 2022 with the ceremony held on March 27.

Here’s the shortlist in full:

Austria: Great Freedom
Belgium: Playground
Bhutan: Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
Finland: Compartment No. 6
Denmark: Flee
Germany: I’m Your Man
Iceland: Lamb
Iran: A Hero
Italy: The Hand of God
Japan: Drive My Car
Kosovo: Hive
Mexico: Prayers For The Stolen
Norway: The Worst Person In The World
Panama: Plaza Catedral
Spain: The Good Boss

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Names “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose Best Supporting Actress

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Ariana DeBose is the LA critics’ choice…

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Saturday on the best films and performances of 2021, with the 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer earning a shout out.

DeBose, who earned her first-ever Golden Globes nod earlier this month, was named Best Supporting Actress for her acclaimed performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Penélope Cruz claimed the Best Actress award for her starring role in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress beat out runner-up Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) for the honor.

Meanwhile, Alberto Iglesias took home the Best Music/Score honor.

The 66-year-old Spanish composer claimed the award for his score to Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers, a score that already earned him a Hollywood Music in Media Award.

Tatiana Huezo, meantime, tied for the New Generation award with Shatara Michelle Ford.

The 49-year-old Mexican Salvadoran filmmaker earned the recognition for her latest film Prayers for the Stolen.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association is a group made up of L.A. area print and digital journalists, which today deliberated on winners and runners-up in a total of 14 categories.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Picture
Winner: Drive My Car
Runner-up: The Power of the Dog

Best Director
Winner: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Best Actress
Winner: Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World

Best Actor
Winner: Simon Rex, Red Rocket
Runner-up: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Best Documentary
Winner: Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Procession

Best Screenplay
Winner: Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe
Runner-up: Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Animation
Winner: Flee
Runner-up: Belle

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Runner-up: Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Supporting Actor
Winner (tie): Vincent Lindon, Titane and Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Editing
Winner: Joshua L. Pearson, Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen, Licorice Pizza

Best Production Design
Winner: Steve Saklad, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar
Runner-up: Tamara Deverell, Nightmare Alley

Best Music/Score
Winner: Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog and Spencer

Best Cinematography
Winner: Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Greig Fraser, Dune

Best Film Not in the English Language
Winner: Petite Maman
Runner-up: Quo Vadis, Aida?

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize
The Works And Days (Of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)

New Generation
Winner (tie): Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern and Tatiana Huezo, Prayers for the Stolen

Career Achievement Award
Mel Brooks

Tatiana Huezo Named to Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch List for 2022

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

All eyes are on Tatiana Huezo…

The 49-year-old Mexican Salvadoran filmmaker has been named to Variety’s 10 Directors to Watch list for 2022.

Huezo is a standout from the recent festival circuit. A documentary veteran, her powerful Prayers for the Stolen, about girls growing up in the shadow of an opium cartel, is representing Mexico in the Oscar international feature competition.

Aitch Alberto — the first trans director ever to make the list — is also guaranteed to surprise, with her sensitive and surreal adaptation of the beloved queer YA romance Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. She is directing the film, with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eugenio Derbez producing.

Overall, it’s a decidedly forward-looking — and female-driven — group of visionaries for the upcoming year, spanning genres, languages and a wide variety of backgrounds.

The 10 Directors to Watch are:

Aitch Alberto (“Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe”)
Mariama Diallo (“Master”)
Audrey Diwan (“Happening”)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Lost Daughter”)
Tatiana Huezo (“Prayers for the Stolen”)
Nikyatu Jusu (“Nanny”)
Megan Park (“The Fallout”)
Cooper Raiff (“Cha Cha Real Smooth”)
Goran Stolevski (“You Won’t Be Alone”)
Krystin Ver Linden (“Alice”)

The selection process relies on Variety editors screening dozens of new and upcoming features, and curating a mix of the most promising emerging talents from among those first and second films.

The directors selected for this year’s list will be honored in person at a brunch event on January 7 at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, which resumes in-person screenings, panels and parties in early January, following a COVID-19-impacted virtual edition in 2020.

“We’re very excited to continue our partnership with Variety to co-host the ’10 Directors to Watch’ brunch at the Festival,” said PSIFF artistic director Lili Rodriguez. “This year’s directors are an exceptionally gifted group of emerging talents, and we congratulate all of them for being selected on this distinguished list.”

The Class of 2022 will be profiled in full with Variety’s first print edition of the new year.

Previous directors to make the “watch” list include Cary Joji Fukunaga, Wes Anderson, Sean Baker, David Lowery, Julia Ducournau and Mia Hansen-Løve.

Netflix Releases Trailer for Tatiana Huezo’s Mexican Film “Prayers for the Stolen”

Posted on October 24, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tatiana Huezo’s Prayers have been revealed…

Netflix has released the official trailer for the Mexican film Prayers For The Stolen, written and directed by the 49-year-old Salvadoran and Mexican filmmaker.

The film is liberally adapted from Jennifer Clement’s 2014 novel of the same name.

The film stars Ana Cristina Ordóñez González, Marya Membreño, Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, Eileen Yáñez, and Memo Villegas, and is produced by Nicolás Celis and Jim Stark.

Prayers For The Stolen takes place in a solitary town nestled in the Mexican mountains, the girls wear boyish haircuts and have hiding places underground. Ana and her two best friends take over the houses of those who have fled and dress up as women when no one is watching. In their own impenetrable universe, magic and joy abound; meanwhile, their mothers train them to flee from those who turn them into slaves or ghosts. But one day, one of the girls doesn’t make it to her hideout in time.

Mexico recently selected Prayers for the Stolen as its submission to this year’s International Feature Film Oscar race.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival this year, receiving a special mention in the Un Certain Regard program. The film was also a multi-award-winner at the San Sebastian and Athens film festivals.

Netflix picked up rights and will release in select theaters in November and will be available on the streaming service November 17.

Mexico Enters Tatiana Huezo’s “Prayers For The Stolen” into International Feature Film Oscars Race

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Tatiana Huezo is praying for Oscar glory…

Mexico has entered the 49-year-old Salvadoran and Mexican filmmaker’s Prayers For The Stolen as its submission to this year’s International Feature Film Academy Awards race.

The film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival this year, receiving a special mention in the Un Certain Regard program. The film was also a multi-award-winner at the San Sebastian and Athens film festivals. Netflix picked up rights and will release in select theaters and online in November.

Vaguely based on Jennifer Clement’s 2014 novel, the film is set in a solitary town nestled in the Mexican mountains, where the girls wear boyish haircuts and have hiding places underground. Ana and her two best friends take over the houses of those who have fled and dress up as women when no one is watching. In their own impenetrable universe, magic and joy abound; meanwhile, their mothers train them to flee from those who turn them into slaves or ghosts. But one day, one of the girls doesn’t make it to her hideout in time.

Ana Cristina Ordóñez González, Marya Membreño, Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo, Eileen Yáñez, and Memo Villegas star.

Huezo wrote the screenplay. Producers are Nicolás Celis (Roma) and Jim Stark (Mystery Train).

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