News

With another week ending, the Bam Smack Pow team is here once again to share the biggest anime news of the past week. The week that was brings some noteworthy theatrical debuts, along with confirmation of new entries coming for long-running series.

Unfortunately, we have some sad news for anime and video fans to begin with.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure on Netflix Voice actor Dave Mallow dies, aged 76

As reported by Anime News Network, veteran voice actor Dorothy Elias-Fahn has shared that prolific fellow voice actor Dave Mallow has died. He was 76. Mallow will be well-known to fans of anime and video games of the 1990s and early 2000s. Over the course of a decades-long career, Mallow voiced roles in many well-known series across English dubbed anime, video games and, in particular, was a recurring voice in various iterations of Power Rangers over the years.

Before his retirement in 2019, Mallow's voice...

Exclusive: Veteran producer and film executive Jonathan King is joining Zhang Xin at Closer Media in the newly created role of president. With 25 years of experience developing and producing award-winning films, King brings a background shepherding narrative and documentary storytelling to the company’s portfolio.

Launched in 2021 by billionaire entrepreneur Zhang Xin and most recently run by William Horberg, the production and finance company has been growing quickly in the independent space and is leaning more into its narrative side. King’s resume included a slate of more than 50 films over his years at Concordia Studio, Participant, Focus Features and Miramax Films.

Coming in 2025 for Closer Media are Justin Lin’s Last Days, and Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine’s documentary Middletown, both of which premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. New titles this year include Oliver Hermanus’ The History of Sound, starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Conner, recently...

During a recent appearance on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Will Ferrell playfully told Oscar documentary branch voters to “suck it” for snubbing “Will & Harper” in the best doc feature race. Although Ferrell was joking, he voiced a sentiment held by a number of doc branch members.

Netflix acquired “Will & Harper” for a reported eight figures after the film’s acclaimed premiere at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. The doc centers on a road trip Ferrell took with Harper Steele after she came out as transgender 30 years into their friendship. Although it covers a controversial, timely subject matter – gender transition – the film was, thanks in large part to Ferrell’s celebrity status, a success. But that success, depending on who you speak to in the doc branch, could be one reason why the film was not nominated.

Over the last several years, some of the most critically acclaimed,...

Exclusive: Fremantle has taken global rights on the BBC’s Roger Moore feature doc.

My Life as Roger Moore gives an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the charismatic Bond star and will air on the BBC later this year. It takes viewers back to a golden age of cinema, tracing Moore’s unlikely rise from a young knitwear model to an era-defining icon, while showing how Moore refined his persona as a debonair, seasoned man-about-town, and finally won his breakthrough role as Bond. Beyond Bond, the documentary explores Moore’s life as an A-List star, friends with the Sinatra family, as well as Tony Curtis, Elizabeth Taylor and countless other Hollywood legends. Fremantle is also selling a BBC doc about Hollywood leading lady Taylor at MIPCOM this week, which is produced by Kim Kardashian.

Behind-the-scenes shows about actors have been performing well recently, with Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie and...

The Critics Choice Association unveiled the nominees for its 9th annual documentary awards on Oct. 14. “Sugarcane” leads with eight bids including Best Documentary Feature, Best Director for Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, Cinematography, and Editing. This film about child abuse at an Indian residential school also contends in the historical, political, and true crime categories while the helmers are up for the newcomers prize.

Three films netted a half dozen nominations each: “Billy & Molly: An Otter Love Story,” “Daughters,” and “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.” All three contend for Best Documentary Feature. That race is rounded out by “The Greatest Night in Pop,” “Jim Henson Idea Man,” “Music by John Williams,” “Piece by Piece,” “The Remarkable Life of Ibelin,” and “Will & Harper.”

Last year, “American Symphony” earned a leading six nominations from the Ccda but was then snubbed by the documentary branch of the academy. The big...

Given that Donald Trump has been in politics for more than eight years, his rallies are pretty recognizable to most Americans — but the one in Johnstown, Pennsylvania last week was different. Trump wasn’t introducing a sheriff or a Maga mayor. Instead, he surprised the crowd and all viewers by bringing out two reggaeton artists: Puerto Rican star Anuel AA and singer-and songwriter Justin Quiles.

Following his usual approach, Trump shamelessly laid out his cards upon introducing the artists. Calling them “Puerto Rican musical legends,” Trump asked the crowd, “Do...

“Jim Henson Idea Man” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 18 ahead of its worldwide premiere on Disney+ on May 31, just in time to qualify for the 2024 Emmys. The film ultimately racked up eight nominations and leads our racetrack odds for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special based on the combined predictions of Gold Derby users. But not everyone agrees with that consensus. The Expert journalists we’ve surveyed from major media outlets think differently.

Helmed by Oscar winner Ron Howard, “Idea Man” chronicles the life and career of Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets. It’s the most nominated film in its Emmy race, with bids for its cinematography, directing, picture editing, music composition, sound editing, sound mixing and writing in addition to its nom in the top category. It’s backed by five out of 11 Gold Derby Editors, 21 of our Top 24 Users and 20 of our All-Star Top 24, giving...

Three years after “Boys State” won the Emmy for Best Documentary Special, its first companion film, “Girls State,” is competing for the same honor. While it has solid potential to directly follow “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” as the third Apple TV+ special to take this prize, it will have to stand out from a crowd of strong contenders, including the same platform’s “Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces.”

Unlike most Primetime Emmys, Best Documentary Special is a non-competitive area award that is bestowed upon any nominee that earns the approval of 90% of the members of the TV academy’s documentary peer group. This means that the five programs in the 2024 lineup are not vying for a single trophy and could all potentially prevail. However, if no nominees hit said 90% threshold, only the highest-rated one will win.

In order to determine which of this year’s nominees...

Since 2020, Apple TV+ has won 39 Primetime Emmys across 31 unique categories. Nine of its victories came in 2024 and were spread among six different series and specials. Scroll through our photo gallery showcasing all 17 Emmy-winning Apple TV+ original programs.

Having scored Emmy gold 13 times over its three seasons, “Ted Lasso” remains Apple TV+’s biggest winner by far. The two-time Best Comedy Series honoree is one of the streamer’s three programs credited with at least one main program award, along with “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” and “Carpool Karaoke.”

This gallery is presented in descending chronological order and notes each show’s unsuccessful nominations, if any.

Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can...

Since 2020, Apple TV+ has won 39 Primetime Emmys across 31 unique categories. Nine of its victories came in 2024 and were spread among six different series and specials. Scroll through our photo gallery showcasing all 17 Emmy-winning Apple TV+ original programs.

Having scored Emmy gold 13 times over its three seasons, “Ted Lasso” remains Apple TV+’s biggest winner by far. The two-time Best Comedy Series honoree is one of the streamer’s three programs credited with at least one main program award, along with “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” and “Carpool Karaoke.”

This gallery is presented in descending chronological order and notes each show’s unsuccessful nominations, if any.

Exclusive: Alex Creasia has joined management and production company Navigation Media Group as a Literary Manager.

Coming aboard after a little over three years at Sugar23, Creasia has spent over a decade working in literary management and production. He often works with on-the-rise multi-hyphenates from diverse backgrounds, helping them build careers in film and TV, and has a passion for discovering and helping to expose out-of-the-box IP. Creasia also works with artists and producers in unscripted, often in the arena of sports.

In the past, Creasia has helped produce and sell such indies as Still starring Madeline Brewer, and Only starring Leslie Odam Jr and Frieda Pinto, both of which were written and directed by client Takashi Doscher. Other clients he brings with him to Navigation Media Group include Marcus Stokes, Spencer Paysinger, Mercedes Bryce Morgan, Mary Pilon, Alex Ebel, Spenser Starke, Daniel Brown, Hannah Mescon & Dreux Moreland, Sterling Brown,...

Michael J. Fox was once one of Hollywood’s brightest young stars. However, after his breakout on the TV show Family Ties and the Back to the Future trilogy, his career ground to a halt. While starring in Spin City as the lead, he revealed to the world he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Doctors told him he had about 10 years left of being functional.

Over 25 years later, Michael J. Fox is talking about beating the odds.

Michael J. Fox Defied Odds After Parkinson’s Diagnosis

Michael J. Fox was only 30 when doctors delivered the news he had Parkinson’s Disease. The diagnosis came in 1991, the year after he concluded the Back to the Future trilogy. He still had a few starring roles coming after that. including Doc Hollywood (1991) and The Frighteners (1996). He also had the starring role in Spin City, which he started in 1996.

However, Fox had...

Michael J. Fox is open to returning to acting if the right role comes along, despite retiring in 2020 due to Parkinson's disease. The documentary "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" explores Fox's life and career, earning critical acclaim and awards. While dedicated to Parkinson's research, Fox expressed interest in acting again if he can incorporate his challenges into roles.

Back to the Future star Michael J. Fox has said he would be open to a return to acting, despite the star retiring back in 2020 due to complications stemming from Parkinson's disease. Now, speaking with Et, Fox revealed that, should the right role be put in front of him, he would certainly consider a return to screens.

"If someone offers me a part and I do it and I have a good time, great. I mean, the documentary was a big thrill."

The documentary he mentions is Still: A Michael J.

When it comes to Apple’s Hollywood ambitions, it’s all about spending big to win big.

On March 10, the tech giant has 13 shots to take home an Oscar via two historical epics, “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Napoleon,” which nabbed 10 and three nominations, respectively. That’s given Apple the second-biggest haul among the major studios and streamers, just behind Netflix’s 18 nods and tied with Universal and Searchlight.

But at what price? Sources say the Martin Scorsese-helmed “Killers” cost an eye-popping $215 million (that includes about $40 million in Covid-related costs). In fact, Apple spent at least $700 million to make and market just three films: “Killers,” Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon” and Matthew Vaughn’s “Argylle.” The trio have earned a combined $466 million worldwide at the box office, with “Napoleon” leading the pack at $221 million, followed by “Killers” ($157 million) and “Argylle” ($88 million).

Apple isn’t complaining, at least not about “Killers” or “Napoleon.

Best Picture favorite “Oppenheimer” and “The Holdovers” were the drama and comedy editing winners at the 74th Ace Eddie Awards, March 3 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. “Oppenheimer” editor Jennifer Lame is now a step closer to winning the Oscar for deftly balancing Christopher Nolan’s interlocking, subjective POVs of J. Robert Oppenheimer (Best Actor nominee Cillian Murphy) in color and adversary Admiral Lewis Strauss (Best Supporting Actor nominee Robert Downey Jr.) in black-and-white.

The other Oscar nominees are “The Holdovers” (edited by Ace president Kevin Tent), Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Anatomy of Fall,” and “Poor Things.”

“Spider-Man: Across the Universe” won the animation award, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” earned theatrical documentary honors, and “Escaping Twin Flames” took the non-theatrical prize.

TV editing winners included “The Last of Us” for drama series, “Beef” for limited series, “How I Met Your Father” for multi-camera comedy series, “The Bear” for single-camera comedy series,...

Oppenheimer took the marquee Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic) honor and The Holdovers landed the top Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy) award at the 74th Ace Eddie Awards Sunday. Hosted by Nina West, the winners were announced live in a ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Jennifer Lame Ace, edited Oppenheimer, a film that has so far swept awards season with recent SAG Awards, PGA, DGA, for director Christopher Nolan, BAFTA, and more. The honor puts Oppenheimer and The Holdovers in frontrunner status in the Best Film Editing Oscar race, for which both are nominated, along with Anatomy of a Fall, Killers of the Flower Moon and Poor Things.

Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has gone on to score the Academy Award for Best Editing 13 of 23 times — but none of the past four years. In a twist, it was the Eddies’ 2023 comedy winner,...

Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” topped the dramatic feature editing category at the American Cinema Editors’ 74th Ace Eddie Awards, while “The Holdovers” won the category for best edited comedic feature during Sunday’s ceremony at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Jennifer Lame edited “Oppenheimer,” which also took top honors at last week’s SAG Awards and Producers Guild Awards. The recent honor further cements the film’s position to take top prize at the Oscars next weekend. But she faces competition from Kevin Tent, who won here for “The Holdovers.”

Should Lame go on to win the Oscar, it will mark nine years since a woman has won. Margaret Sixel won in 2015 for “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Tent, also president of Ace, kicked off the ceremony addressing last year’s labor strikes, saying, “It’s great to look out and see so many rock star editors…Last year was an extraordinarily...

The Cinema Audio Society Awards gave a boost to the Oscar hopes of “Oppenheimer” on Saturday. The film took top honors at these precursor prizes that honor sound mixing over one of its Oscar rivals for Best Sound — “Maestro”– as well as “Barbie,” “Ferrari,” “and “Killers of the Flower Moon.”

The upcoming Oscars mark the fourth year for the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The Cas honors the latter while the Motion Picture Sound Editors salute achievements in the former.

Last year all five of the society’s favorites — “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Batman,” “Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick” — sounded good to the academy’s sound branch. “Top Gun: Maverick” won both awards.

In 2022, four of the five Cas nominees — “Dune,” “No Time to Die,” “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story” — went on to contend at the Oscars.

The Cinema Audio Society Awards took place on Saturday, honoring Oppenheimer, The Last of Us and The Bear with winning trophies this year.

The sound mixing team behind Oppenheimer took home the award in the live-action competition, beating the teams behind Barbie, Ferrari, Killers of the Flower Moon and Maestro.

Cinema Audio Society, which honors outstanding sound mixing in film and television, also handed out awards in the television categories to The Last of Us for best one-hour series and The Bear for best half-hour series.

In its animated feature competition, Cas awarded the trophy to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Other nominees included the teams behind Elemental, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, The Boy and the Heron and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. As for feature documentaries, 32 Sounds took home the award, beating out American Symphony, Little Richard: I Am Everything, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.

Gkids will bring the 1997 animated feature “End of Evangelion” to select theaters for event screenings on March 17 and 20, marking the first time the film has been shown in theaters in North America. It will screen in Japanese with English subtitles.

Created by Hideaki Anno, the “Neon Genesis Evangelion” TV series has become a global phenomenon since its 1995 premiere in Japan.

The “End of Evangelion” movie was created as an alternative ending to the TV series, remaking the final two episodes.

Gkids released the original 26 episode TV series in 2022, as well as the films “Evangelion: Death (True)2 and “The End of Evangelion” on Blu-ray and digital download in North America. Gkids also released the final installment of the new theatrical editions of the Evangelion franchise, “Evangelion:3.0+ Thrice Upon a Time,” in theaters and on Blu-ray and digital download.

‘Poor Things,’ ‘The Last of Us’ Among ASCAP Composers’ Choice Awards Nominees

The American Society of Composers,...

It’s the biggest day in the British Film Industry’s calendar as the 2024 BAFTA Awards Ceremony is held at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank in London. Hosted by David Tennant and attended by British Academy of Film and Television Arts President Hrh Prince William, Hannah Waddingham will deliver an exclusive live music performance, in addition to Sophie Ellis-Bextor who will perform her iconic hit ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’. Samantha Morton to receive BAFTA Fellowship and June Givanni to receive Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award.

A full list of BAFTA winners can be found below the interviews.

Scott Davis and Colin Hart were on the red carpet for HeyUGuys. All the red carpet interviews follow.

2024 BAFTA Red Carpet + Winners Room Interviews

BAFTA 2024 Winners Room Interviews

BAFTA 2024 Winners Best Film

“Anatomy of a Fall” — Marie-Ange Luciani, David Thion

“The Holdovers” — Mark Johnson

“Killers of the Flower Moon” — Dan Friedkin,...

Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell won the award for Original Song for a Comedy or Musical for their Oscar-nominated “Barbie” tune “What Was I Made For?” while past Academy Award winner and 2024 nominee Ludwig Göransson took home the Original Score for a Studio Film honor for “Oppenheimer” to pace the Society of Composers & Lyricists Scl Awards tonight at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles in a ceremony hosted by singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett.

Also picking up trophies were Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro for Original Song for a Drama or Documentary for their tune “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes,” while John Powell was awarded the prize for Original Score for an Independent Film for scoring the documentary feature “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.”

SEE5th Annual Scl Awards Nominations: Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Lenny Kravitz among contenders [Full List]

Director...

Billie Eilish, Finneas, Ludwig Göransson and Nicholas Britell were among the winners Tuesday evening at the 5th annual Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards.

Eilish and Finneas took home the award for outstanding original song for a comedy or musical for “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie.” The win continued their sweep of the season from the Golden Globes and the Grammy Awards.

Olivia Rodrigo and Dan Nigro won outstanding original song for a drama or documentary for “Can’t Catch Me Now” from “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” Britell took home the prize for outstanding original score for a television production for “Succession.”

Göransson, who was honored with Variety’s Artisans Award in Santa Barbara this past weekend, won outstanding original score for a studio film for “Oppenheimer.” John Powell won outstanding original score for an independent film, “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,” and Stephen Barton...

Christopher Nolan has won the feature-film prize from the Directors Guild of America for “Oppenheimer,” reinforcing his film’s status as the heavy favorite this awards season. The honor went to Nolan at the end of the 76th annual DGA Awards, which took place on Saturday night in Beverly Hills.

In the other film categories, Celine Song won the award for first-time directing for her gentle drama “Past Lives” and Mstyslav Chernov won the documentary award for “20 Days in Mariupol,” his on-the-ground report from the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Peter Hoar won the drama-series award for “The Last of Us,” in a category in which the other four nominees were all from different episodes of “Succession.”

The award for Comedy Series directing went to Christopher Storer for the “Fishes” episode of “The Bear.” Sarah Adina Smith won the award for TV movie or limited series for...

The 76th Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, February 10 at 7:30 p.m. Pt with Judd Apatow hosting the in-person, non-televised ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in movies and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down for the 2024 DGA Awards winners list in three film and eight TV categories.

As always, the all-important feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the eventual Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed for Best Director eight times over the past seven decades, with the last three years lining up perfectly for Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert (2022’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once”), Jane Campion (2021’s “The Power of the Dog”) and Chloé Zhao (2020’s “Nomadland”).

This year, just three of the DGA’s nominees also reaped directing Oscar bids: Yorgos Lanthimos...

More than a week after this year’s Oscar nominees were unveiled, the documentary world is still reeling from this year’s selections and trying to figure out what they might mean for the struggling sector. Notably, all filmmakers were international and the majority lacked distribution by major streamers; presumed favorites backed by Netflix, Apple TV+ and Max all failed to score a slot on the final Oscar ballot.

Doc branch voters no longer seem impressed by the major streamers’ ability to spend millions during campaign season, documentary film leaders tell Variety, and in the view of several notables, could harbor resentment towards those who have benefited from big spending by streamers.

This year’s feature nominees are: Mstyslav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol” (PBS), Kaouther Ben Hania’s “Four Daughters” (Kino Lorber), Nisha Pahuja’s “To Kill a Tiger”, Maite Alberdi’s “The Eternal Memory” (MTV Documentary Films...

Sundance documentaries are alive and well. And it looks like there’s some acquisition action this year, too. Which Sundance documentaries have the best shot at landing in Oscar contention this year? It helps to get bought early or to have an international footprint.

A rickety theatrical market for non-fiction features and a dwindling number of active documentary buyers meant that many Sundance 2023 films did not get picked up for distribution, or met serious delays before companies came through. As the top American film festival for docs, Sundance usually supplies as many as four out of the final five Oscar nominees each year.

And usually, by late summer, Oscar promotion is well underway. But last year, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” which was rumored to be an HBO Documentary Films pickup for months, wasn’t announced until August 29, when other Sundance grads had been campaigning all summer.

One...

The American Cinema Editors (Ace) have nominated “Anatomy of a Fall,” Killers of the Flower Moon,”

“Maestro,” “Oppenheimer” and “Past Lives” in the category of feature film drama for the 74th annual Ace Eddie Awards. “Air,” “Barbie,” “American Fiction,” “Poor Things” and “The Holdovers” received nominations in the best edited comedic feature category.

The TV nominees include “The Bear,” “Barry,” “Succession,” Only Murders in the Building” and “Ahsoka.” Also landing a nomination for editing was the team behind “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.”

As previously announced, John Waters will receive the Ace Golden Eddie Filmmaker of the Year award. Film editors Kate Amend, Ace and Walter Murch, Ace will receive career achievement awards for their outstanding contributions to film editing. Stephen Lovejoy, Ace will receive the Heritage award for his unwavering commitment to Ace.

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” alumni and star of “Hairspray” Nina West will emcee the event. The winners...

Many factors drive an Oscar nomination, but a film’s release strategy can make the crucial difference.

“Oppenheimer” (13 nominations) and “Barbie” (8 nominations) stand out as brilliantly handled releases. Shutouts like “Origin” (Neon), “All of Us Strangers” (Searchlight), “Air” (Amazon), “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” (Apple), and “Saltburn” (MGM) prove that no distributor is immune.

However, when it comes to the distributors with the best track record, there are two: Disney had 20 nominations across Searchlight (12), 20th Century Studios (2), and 1 each for National Geographic Documentary Films, Pixar, Searchlight/Hulu/Disney+, Marvel, Lucasfilm, and Disney Branded Television and Disney+.

And then there’s Netflix, a behemoth that doesn’t do sub-brands. It had 18 nominations: 7 for “Maestro,” 2 each for “Nyad” and “Society of the Snow,” and 1 each for “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” “May December,” “American Symphony,” “The After,” “El Conde,” “Rustin,” and “Nimona.” Theatrical releases for all of these films were modest at best,...

Please Note: This forecast, assembled by Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor of awards coverage, reflects Scott’s best attempt to predict the behavior of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not his personal preferences. He arrives at these projections by drawing upon conversations with voters and other industry insiders, analysis of marketing and awards campaigns, results of awards ceremonies that precede the Oscars and the history of the Oscars itself. There will be regular updates to reflect new developments.

* * *

Best Picture

Projected Nominees

1. Oppenheimer (Universal)

2. Barbie (Warner Bros.)

3. Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple)

4. The Holdovers (Focus)

5. The Zone of Interest (A24)

6. Poor Things (Searchlight)

7. Maestro (Netflix)

8. Past Lives (A24)

9. Anatomy of a Fall (Neon)

10. American Fiction (Amazon/MGM)

Alternate

Saltburn (Amazon/MGM)

Potential Surprise

Rustin (Netflix)

Shoulda Been a Contenda

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony)

Best Director

Projected Nominees

1. Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

2. Greta Gerwig...

The nominations for the 96th Oscars will be revealed on Tuesday, January 23, with the corresponding awards ceremony set to take place nearly seven weeks later on Sunday, March 10. As usual, the various branches of the film academy voted for the finalists in their artistic areas over a five-day period (Jan. 11-16). Scroll down to see our official nominations predictions in all 23 Oscar categories.

Close to 9,000 Gold Derby users – some of whom are classified as Experts, Editors, Top 24 Users, or All-Star Top 24 Users – have logged their forecasted Oscar lineups and thus collectively shaped our official odds, as listed below. In each category, the anticipated contenders are ranked in order of likelihood, with the projected winner highlighted in gold.

Do your own expectations match the consensus? Be sure to head to our predictions center and make or update your picks before time runs out.

Best Picture

“Oppenheimer” – 13/2

“Killers of the Flower Moon...

Given the current dismal political and cultural climate as well as streaming services’ massive appetite for celebrity driven content, it comes as no surprise that the 40th edition of the Sundance Film Festival is chock full of portrait documentaries. Frida Kahlo, Christopher Reeve, Luther Vandross and Tammy Faye are just a few of the boldface names that are being examined in various docus featured in the Sundance nonfiction lineup.

The festival is no stranger to star-driven docus. In recent years, films about Ruth Bader Ginsburg (“Rbg”), Fred Rogers (“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”), Harvey Weinstein (“Untouchable”), Michael Jackson (“Leaving Neverland”), Kanye West (“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy”), Bill Cosby (“We Need to Talk About Cosby”) and most recently Judy Blume (“Judy Blume Forever”) and Michael J. Fox (“Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie”) had world premieres in Park City.

But unlike films self-produced by their star subjects, the profile docus selected...

Martin Scorsese’s epic Killers of the Flower Moon was named Best Picture at the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, which were revealed today. The pic also took Best Supporting Actor for Robert De Niro. See the full winners list below.

Annette Bening and Colman Domingo scooped the respective Best Actress and Actor awards for playing real people in the biopics Nyad and Rustin. Bening’s co-star Jodie Foster won Supporting Actress.

Flower Moon and Nyad are the lone double winners on the film side, with the wealth being spread among eight other films.

Christopher Nolan took Best Director for his commercial and awards-season juggernaut Oppenheimer, while Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach won Best Screenwriter for 2023’s No. 1 movie, Barbie. Best Ensemble went to The Color Purple. Other winners include The Holdovers, Maestro, Still: A Michael J. Fox movie and The Zone of Interest.

The White Lotus’ Jennifer Coolidge and...

Jim LeBrecht is the Oscar-nominated co-director of “Crip Camp,” co-directed by Nicole Newman, about a summer camp for teens with disabilities that inspires advocacy and legislative changes. LeBrecht is also a sound designer and mixer and Disability Rights Activist. Davis Guggenheim’s “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and has won five Critics Choice Documentary Awards (including Best Documentary Feature), was the National Board of Review’s Best Documentary, won Best Editing at the Cinema Eye Honors, and is nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Documentary at the DGA Awards.

As someone with a disability, who works in the entertainment industry, when I hear about a documentary or narrative about someone with a disability, I immediately get suspicious. And that suspicion comes from knowing what the history of disability representation has been in the past. Many times, the stories and characters have been problematic and harmful.

Sam Green‘s 32 Sounds took the top honor of Best Feature at the 2024 Cinema Eye Honors Awards. Will this acknowledgement help raise the film’s profile for next week’s Oscar voting? The doc which premiered at the 2022 edition of the Sundance Film Festival beat out Mstyslav Chernov’s 20 Days in Mariupol, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson’s Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, Davis Guggenheim’s Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie, Maite Alberdi’s The Eternal Memory, Kaouther Ben Hania’s Four Daughters and D. Smith’s Kokomo City which had the most noms of all docs with six.…...

Because the Primetime Emmys and the DGA Awards are operating on two different schedules, nominations often have little overlap. However, with the Director Guild of America (DGA) coincidentally releasing the TV nominations for its DGA Awards the same week as the postponed 75th Primetime Emmys, it’s become even more noticeable the ways in which the two awards bodies aligned and differed on shows from 2023.

For instance, DGA Awards favorite “Succession” once again dominates the Drama Series category, receiving four nominations (one less than the last time the show was eligible). While the guild was on the same page about honoring directors Andrij Parekh and Mark Mylod (a past winner) for their work on the fourth and final season of the HBO awards juggernaut, DGA voters opted to recognize Becky Martin and duo Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman for their “Succession” Season 4 episodes over Lorene Scafaria, the show’s...

Four of our five predicted Oscar nominees for Best Sound number among the contenders for the Cinema Audio Society Awards for sound mixing announced on Jan. 9. Oscar frontrunner “Oppenheimer” reaped a bid as did three of its closest competitors –“Ferrari,” “Maestro,” “and “Killers of the Flower Moon.” The fifth nominee at the Cas is “Barbie,” which we have in 7th place on our Oscars chart. It bumped our fourth-place contender “The Zone of Interest.”

The upcoming Oscars mark the fourth year for the Best Sound category, which combines Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing. The Cas honors the latter while the Motion Picture Sound Editors salute achievements in the former.

Last year all five of the society’s favorites — “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Batman,” “Elvis” and “Top Gun: Maverick” — sounded good to the academy’s sound branch. “Top Gun: Maverick” won both awards.

Oscar-shortlisted sound contenders “Barbie,” “Ferrari,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Maestro,” and the frontrunning “Oppenheimer” (boasting a massive atomic blast and other creative subatomic and cosmic sounds) were nominated by The Cinema Audio Society (Cas) for sound mixing. The 60th Cas Awards will be held March 2 at the Beverly Hilton.

As previously announced, multi-award-winning sound mixer Joe Earle, will be honored with the prestigious Cas Career Achievement Award. In addition, five finalists are vying for the Student Recognition Award. The winner will be announced at the awards gala. Also, the Cas will announce its newly elected Board of Directors.

Shortlisted films that didn’t make the cut were “The Creator,” “The Killer,” “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Napoleon,” and “The Zone of Interest.” However, they still have a shot with the Motion Picture Sound Editors (Mpse) nominations on January 15. The 71st Annual Golden Reel Awards will be held...

The second consecutive day of the 2023 Creative Arts Emmys took place at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live on Sunday, where awards were handed out in variety, nonfiction and reality programming categories.

Welcome to Wrexham collected five Emmys, for unstructured reality series, directing, cinematography, picture editing and sound mixing.

Oscar-shortlisted documentary Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie won four Emmys for outstanding documentary or nonfiction special, directing, editing and music composition. Accepting the award for outstanding doc, the team saluted Fox, saying he “took Parkinson’s out of the shadows. He created a thriving community, and he built the most respected foundation in the world.”

Saturday Night Live won awards for directing and production design, taking the long running series’ total number of Emmys to 89. The production design team dedicated its award to “guiding light” Eugene Lee, who had been a production designer on the series since its 1975 premiere...

Night two of the Creative Arts Emmys got underway at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

Night one saw “The Last of Us” dominate the night with eight wins. “The White Lotus” and “The Bear” won four apiece, with “Beef” going home with three.

The evening focused on competition, unscripted and documentary programs. Hulu’s “Welcome to Wrexham” dominated the evening with five wins. “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” took home four Emmys.

Stephanie Filo made history as the first editor to be nominated in a single year for three different shows and the first Black female editor to be nominated three times in a single year. She won the Emmy for picture editing for variety programming for HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” alongside fellow editors Malinda Zehner Guerra and Taylor Joy Mason.

Speaking backstage about working with Robin Thede and on a show with a predominantly female cast and crew,...

Barbie led all films with eight wins at the Astra Film Awards on Saturday night, but the biggest winner of all may have been the Hca — an organization of “critics, entertainment journalists, content creators, industry insiders and creatives” formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association and recently rebranded as the Hollywood Creative Alliance — which appears to have weathered external criticisms and internal dissension, given the sizable talent turnout at its flagship event.

Among those who came to the Biltmore in downtown L.A. to collect honors during a weekend packed with awards season activities leading up to the Golden Globe Awards: Barbie’s Greta Gerwig, who collected the best picture and best original screenplay prizes, the former with producer David Heyman, who, in turn, collected Margot Robbie’s best actress prize; Mark Ronson, who accepted best original song (“I’m Just Ken”) and, on behalf of Ryan Gosling, best supporting...

Updated 12/22/2023 with details on shortlisted A Still Small Voice. Updated with quotes, 1:37 Pm: American Symphony, the Obamas-executive produced documentary about Grammy-winning musician Jon Batiste, scored a remarkable hat trick today as the Oscar shortlists were revealed, but a couple of documentary icons were left on the bench.

In more headlines from the announcement, a beloved documentary filmmaker who died unexpectedly in August earned a place on the nonfiction feature shortlist. And the film about cherished actor Michael J. Fox, directed by Oscar winner Davis Guggenheim, made the list. Two films earned double recognition – making shortlists for doc feature and International Feature Film. [See full shortlists for doc feature and doc short below].

Suleika Jouad and Jon Batiste in ‘American Symphony’

The most eye-popping takeaway is the recognition for American Symphony, the Netflix film directed by Oscar nominee Matthew Heineman and produced by Higher Ground, the production company of former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It made the...

Shortlists announced in 10 categories for 96th Academy Awards.

The Academy has announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 96th Oscars in March 2024, with The Taste Of Things (France), Fallen Leaves (Finland), The Zone Of Interest (UK), Totem (Mexico), and for the first time Armenia (Amerikatsi) among those making the cut in the international feature film category.

The international contest also sees Pawo Choyning Dorji’s Bhutanese drama The Monk And The Gun become the country’s second film to make the shortlist after his Oscar nominee from two seasons ago.

A strong showing by European films besides the aforementioned comprises J.A. Bayona...

The academy released the 2043 Oscars shortlists in 10 categories on Thursday, December 21. The hopefuls in a wide range of races found out if they remain in contention for the 96th annual Academy Awards. Among these are the marquee categories for Best International Feature Film (which was pared down to 10 films from the 88 submitted) and Best Documentary Feature (which went from 167 to 15).

Both music awards – Best Original Song and Best Original Score — were winnowed down to just 15 contenders from 94 and 148 submissions respectively. Likewise for the three awards for shorts: animated (93), documentary (114) and live-action (187). The Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects races were culled from dozens of entries to 10 apiece.

Documentary Feature

One hundred and sixty-seven films were eligible for consideration; there are 15 on the shortlist. Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees. The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“American Symphony”

“Apolonia,...

Just in time for the holiday season, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has gifted a slew of films the honor of being included on the 2024 Oscars shortlists in a range of categories.

The annual shortlists for International Feature Film, Documentary, Sound, Original Score, Original Song, Makeup and Hairstyling, Visual Effects, Live-Action Short Film, Documentary Short Subject, and Animated Short Film were unveiled December 21, almost one month exactly before the complete Oscar nominations will be announced.

Anticipated inclusions for Oscar frontrunners like “Barbie,” “Poor Things,” and “Maestro” made the cut in a variety of categories. Ukrainian documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” and Tunisian Isis saga “Four Daughters” are both pulling double duty with shortlist inclusions in the International Feature and Documentary Feature categories.

Academy Award nomination voting runs from January 11 – 16, with the official nominations announced on January 23. Final voting will then run from February 22 – 27, with the 96th annual...

As we wrap up our year-end coverage, IndieWire looks back at the people, projects, and ideas that defined 2023 — and what’s coming next.

As golden ages go, this one was more of a blip.

Five years ago, the box office celebrated nonfiction films: $22 million for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” $14 million for “Rbg,” $17.5 million for “Free Solo.” Critical favorites and Oscar nominees included films from exciting American first-time directors, including RaMell Ross’s lyrical breakthrough about life in rural Alabama, “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” and Bing Liu’s moving personal exposé of domestic abuse in northern Illinois, “Minding the Gap.”

2023 lacked documentary touchstones. A few faith-based documentaries succeeded by preaching to the choir, but the most successful (non-concert) documentary released in theaters this year was the Yogi Berra baseball portrait “It Ain’t Over”. You also could include Magnolia Pictures’ “Joan Baez: I Am A Noise” or — if you...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences branches began voting today to determine the shortlists in 10 categories for the upcoming 96th Academy Awards. These categories, along with the number of films to be named, are: documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (15), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), sound (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (15), live action short film (15), and visual effects (10).

The shortlist voting period runs from Dec. 14-18, with the finalists announced on Dec. 21. Nominations voting will occur from Jan. 11-16, and the official nominees in all categories will be revealed on Jan. 23.

The Academy comprises nearly 10,000 eligible voting members, each belonging to one of 18 branches. Each branch nominates for its respective category. However, four branches (as of now) don’t represent specific awards categories: casting directors, executives, marketing/public relations and the recently created production and technology.

Of note is that each branch member casts a ballot for best picture,...

IndieWire’s longtime commitment to highlighting boundary-pushing documentary filmmaking reached new heights this fall during the inaugural Art of the Doc screening series. Presented in partnership with National Geographic, Art of the Doc showcased six of the best nonfiction films of 2023 at the Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles. Each screening featured in-person conversations with filmmakers and documentary subjects moderated by IndieWire editors.

“Our editors gave careful consideration in selecting these films for our inaugural screening series, Art of the Doc,” IndieWire senior VP and editor in chief Dana Harris-Bridson said in a statement announcing the series. “We’re excited to have the in-person opportunity to share IndieWire’s perspective with the work of great filmmakers.”

“We’re thrilled to be launching our first documentary screening series with our partner National Geographic,” said IndieWire senior VP and publisher James Israel. “Nat Geo’s support of the art of current documentary filmmaking...

Updated with details about the next and final screening, which is “Stamped from the Beginning” on November 20. Learn more here.

This Monday, November 20, the next and concluding screening in our Art of the Doc series will be of Roger Ross Williams’ acclaimed “Stamped from the Beginning” at the Landmark Westwood. Doors open at 6:30pm with a pre-reception featuring beer, wine, and conversations with other documentary fans. Then at 7:30, the screening will begin, after which there will be a Q&a moderated by IndieWire’s Marcus Jones with director Roger Ross Williams himself. The film, based on the book by Ibram X. Kendi about how racist tropes permeate American culture, debuted to extraordinary acclaim at TIFF in September, and IndieWire’s Anne Thompson considers it a frontrunner in the Best Documentary Feature race at the Oscars.

New to our Art of the Doc series? Well, IndieWire has celebrated the...

Cinema Eye Honors, a group the recognizes excellence in the artistry and craft of nonfiction filmmaking, announced the nominees for its 17th annual awards on Thursday, November 16th. The seven films nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature are “20 Days in Mariupol,” “32 Sounds,” “The Eternal Memory,” “Four Daughters,” “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” “Kokomo City,” and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie.” Ceh will present the winners at the annual awards ceremony to be held on January 12, 2024.

Leading the pack with six overall nominations is “Kokomo City,” a debut film from director D. Smith about the lives of four black trans sex workers. Smith was nominated for Outstanding Debut and Outstanding Direction. The film’s other three nominations were for Cinematography and Sound Design, as well as among The Unforgettables selection.

See Key dates for Best Documentary Feature contenders

Also earning nominations for their debut film was Mstyslav Chernov...