News

Leave it to Jane Seymour to always have our backs when it comes to genius Mother’s Day gifts. If you surprised your mom with a piece of jewelry from Seymour’s Open Heart Collection last year, the actress and designer has you covered this year too (all the way through Father’s Day) with her new fragrance collection, Her Open Heart and His Open Heart.

We caught up with Seymour to learn more about what inspired the scents of her new fragrances and found out it’s all rooted in the idea of family and home. “The perfume house...

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is feeling a bit emotional.

After receiving a phone call from the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the Baywatch star took to Instagram on Wednesday to dedicate a sweet message to Taitusi, a young boy who lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and had asked to meet the 44-year-old actor.

Watch: Dwayne Johnson Gets 'Teary Eyed' Upon Meeting 1-Year-Old Fan Who Got Open Heart Surgery

"This is for Taitusi," Johnson said in a video. "You're a big fan of mine and I've been shooting -- we're here in Las Vegas, we're shooting downstairs on the set of Ballers, and they just came to me and said, 'Hey, Make-a-Wish just called and you have to make this video for Taitusi.'"

Getting a little choked up, Johnson continued, saying, "Look, you're there in Hawaii, I'm here in Las Vegas, I wish I could be there with you. I wish we could hang out and talk like your wish was...

Just days after the Leonardo DiCaprio climate change documentary Before the Flood hit the airwaves over on the National Geographic Channel, another feature executive produced by the Oscar-winning actor – and centering on a troublesome global issue — has arrived. However, rather than offering a look at how humanity’s actions are taking a toll on the environmental, The Ivory Game captures the ongoing illegal ivory trade, which is quickly robbing the world of its elephant population. Co-directed by Richard Ladkani (The Devil’s Miner) and Oscar nominee Kief Davidson (Open Heart), the film travels across the world to unravel the struggle involved in protecting these animals from the growing threat of extinction.

Following wildlife activists, frontline rangers, intelligence operatives and high-level conservationists all combating the ivory trade in their own ways, The Ivory Game delves impressively deep into the trafficking ring surrounding ivory, shedding light on an underground global network that most are blissfully unaware of.

With Luke Cage out and binged, Netflix is now helping you look ahead to their next Marvel series. The streaming platform just announced the release date of Iron Fist: March 17, 2017. Fans of all things Disney, plan to make time for both Danny Rand and Belle next St. Patty’s Day (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast remake premieres that day too). The March release date keeps up with the two-per-year (one in March or April and one in the fall) schedule Netflix has been keeping for their Marvel shows. The Defenders, which brings together Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, will premiere later in 2017. The first official photo from the series also hit Twitter this morning: Open heart. Closed fist. #IronFist pic.twitter.com/saG9dWFrYx — Iron Fist (@MarvelIronFist) October 4, 2016 Did Danny Rand use his closed fist to knock out all those guys sprawled on the floor behind him?...

You can't have Luke Cage without Iron Fist, you simply can't. And now Netflix is rectifying that: Marvel's Iron Fist has a premiere date and it's only five months away. The next Marvel series to hit Netflix arrives on Friday, March 17, 2017. But you don't have to wait that long to get an official first look. Netflix has released the mysterious trailer below and the first photo of Finn Jones in action as Danny Rand above. "Open heart. Closed fist. #IronFist," Netflix tweeted along with the photo. Game of Thrones star Jones will play Danny Rand, a man who returns to New York City after being missing for years. Now he's got some serious kung-fu prowess and, you know, the power of Iron...

Jane Seymour‘s Open Heart Foundation, inspired by her mother, recognizes the lesser known foundations that are having massive impacts on people’s lives. Jane Seymour On Open Heart Foundation “It really comes from my mother Mieke,” Seymour told uInterview, explaining the philosophy behind her Open Heart Foundation. “She was interned in a Japanese camp in World […]

The post Jane Seymour On Open Heart Foundation, Upcoming Acting Projects [Video Exclusive] appeared first on uInterview.

The winners of the 2015 nextMedia "Digi Awards" were revealed @ the 'MaRS Discovery District' in Toronto, recognizing digital content across 11 categories in video, marketing, advertising, mobile, and gaming and marketing, hosted by brothers Drew Scott and Jonathan Scott, from the Emmy Award-nominated "Property Brothers".

And the 2015 'Digi Awards' Winners are:

Branded Content

Carmilla

By Smokebomb Entertainment

In association with U by Kotex

Digital Series Fiction

Convos With My Two-Year-Old

By CocoMilk Productions

Digital Series Nonfiction

Do Not Track

By Upian, Arte France, National Film Board of Canada, and Br

In association with Akufen and with assistance from Radio-Canada and Rts

Gaming

Apotheon

By Alientrap

Interactive Content – Fiction

Murdoch Mysteries: The Infernal Device

By CBC

In association with Shaftesbury/Smokebomb

Interactive Content – Kids

Open Heart: Unlocked!

By marblemedia

In association with Epitome Pictures, Ytv, and TeenNick

Interactive Content – Nonfiction

Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women

By CBC News

Mobile Entertainment

The Incredible...

Read More: The 2015 Indiewire Nyff Bible: All the Reviews, Interviews and News Posted During The Festival After the Nyff world premiere of their three new short documentaries, Oscar-winning documentary director Ross Kauffman ("Born Into Brothels") and Oscar nominee Kief Davidson ("Open Heart") participated in a panel discussion moderated by Bob Garfield, host of NPR's "On The Media," and featuring Marjorie Schussel, Toyota Integrated Brand Communications Director -- Oscar-nominated filmmaker Steve James ("Life Itself") was not able to attend the panel, but his film "116 Innovators" did premiere. The panel explored how content marketing campaigns are marrying creative freedom with meaningful brand communications to tell stories that matter. The films were all received very well, with the overall audience agreement that they felt more like documentaries than commercials.  From the beginning, the directors were asked...

During our time at San Diego Comic-Con, we got the chance to sit down with the directors of the Lego Brickumentary and a Lego brick artist. Come inside to check out the interviews!

When I was contacted by their PR rep I immediately jumped at the chance to interview Oscar-Winning, Daniel Junge and Oscar-Nominated Director, Kief Davidson. As an added bonus I also got to speak with Lego brick artist, Nathan Sawaya.

In the past Daniel Junge has worked on documentary such as Iron Ladies of Liberia, They Killed Sister Dorothy, Saving Face and Fight Church to name a few. Co-director, Keif Davidson is best known for his work on The Devil’s Miner, Kassim the Dream and Open Heart. Check out my interview with them below.

As aforementioned, I also spoke to former former lawyer turned award-winning brick artist, Nathan Sawaya. Not only does he work on his own...

Ever since The Lego Movie hit theaters, the building block toy has been an even bigger sensation than it was before, and we've featured some cool Lego videos all paying tribute to our favorite films. Of course, Lego has been a toy brand that has been a huge part of generations of kids and their parents, time and time again. Now a new documentary called simply A Lego Brickumentary is coming to theaters this summer, narrated by Jason Bateman (who gets his own Lego minifigure to guide us), to dive into the history, legacy and limitless imagination that the Danish toy group has provided. Looks pretty cool. Watch! Here's the first trailer for Daniel Junge & Kief Davidson's A Lego Brickumentary, from Apple: A Lego Brickumentary (it's no longer "Beyond the Brick") is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and Oscar-nominated director Kief Davidson (Open Heart). Since the...

The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.

Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.

“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”

The 2014 invitees are:

Actors

Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”

Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”

Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”

Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”

Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”

Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”

Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”

Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...

Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.

Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.

RADiUS proudly announced it has acquired worldwide rights (excluding France, Germany, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China and Brazil) for Oscar winning Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and Oscar nominee Kief Davidson's (Open Heart) much buzzed about Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary that recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Produced by Chris Brown, Brendan Kiernan and Justin Moore-Lewy and executive produced by Jim Packer, Anthony Romano and Jill Wilfert, the film delves into all things that surround the Lego brick and the global phenomenon it has created. Gem Pictures, the film's financier, will be handling the excluded territory sales and implementing a novel distribution structure optimal for publicly listed companies. The structure allows a public company to use shares in lieu of cash payments when acquiring film rights.

Since the birth of their trademark toy in 1958, The Lego Group has produced over 400 billion bricks. But more and more, Lego bricks aren't just for kids,...

Apparently Lego is a hot property in both narrative and non-fiction filmmaking. RADiUS has clicked together worldwide rights for the first official, feature-length doc about the world of the Lego brick, “Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary.” Oscar winner Daniel Junge (“Saving Face”) and Oscar nominee Kief Davidson's (“Open Heart”) helmed the film, which recently premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Jason Bateman is the narrator.Here’s the official synopsis:Since the birth of their trademark toy in 1958, The Lego Group has produced over 400 billion bricks. But more and more, Lego bricks aren’t just for kids, and some take them very seriously. Adult Fans of Lego (AFOLs) around the globe are unashamedly declaring their love of the brick, brick artists are creating stunning and surprising creations, and Lego master builders are building human scale and larger structures. Lego bricks are being used educationally, therapeutically, and have provided a...

With "The Lego Movie" already turning into a big hit, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Kief Davidson should have no trouble finding an audience for his and co-director Daniel Junge's latest documentary. "Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary" explores the immense fan base of the classic children's toy, while depicting its awe-inspiring and endless possibilities that are used to create what can only be viewed as art. Tell us about yourself. I was born and raised in Brooklyn when rent was still cheap. While studying for some degree at school, I was fortunate enough to land my first job as a comedy and music video editor at a post-production facility. I then moved into editing documentaries, which then inspired me to make my own films. Some of them include "Open Heart," "Kassim The Dream," "The Devil’s Miner" and "Beyond The Brick." What was your biggest challenge in completing this project? The...

Since The Lego Movie re-built popular media interest in the legendary construction toy earlier this year, the notoriously Hollywood-shy Danish toy manufacturer has become a little more open to the approaches of filmmakers. Apart from partnering with The Simpsons for their 550th episode, Variety reports that The Lego Group have officially backed a documentary – Beyond The Brick: A Lego Brickumentary – narrated by Jason Bateman.

The film is co-directed by Academy-Award winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and Academy-Award nominee Kief Davidson (Open Heart). It aims to take an in-depth look at the cultural impact of the Lego brick by exploring themes such as its use in art installations, its use in therapy, and the world of ‘AFOLs’ (Adult Fans Of Lego). There is certainly plenty of material for them to draw upon from around the world, as Lego recently announced that – since their launch in 1949 – over 560 billion Lego parts have been produced.

• Brad Pitt (12 Years a Slave) is in early talks to star in an untitled World War II romantic thriller from Eastern Promises scribe Steven Knight. No director or distributor is attached yet. Graham King’s Gk Films will produce. [Deadline]

• Meryl Streep (August: Osage Country) will star as a rock-and-roll-loving mama in Rick and the Flash, written by Diablo Cody (Juno). Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) will direct the film, which finds Streep’s character reconciling with her estranged daughter. TriStar Productions will finance and distribute the movie, with shooting beginning in the fall. [Deadline]

• Rapper and Get Rich or...

At Comic-Con this past summer we learned that Cobie Smulders and Jonah Hill would voice Wonder Woman and Green Lantern in The Lego Movie, joining Channing Tatum as Superman and Will Arnett as Batman. The first trailer for the film from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller really sold us on the flick, but there's plenty more big screen action for the building blocks coming. First, The Lego Group is teaming with a pair of filmmakers for a documentary called Beyond The Brick: A Lego Brickumentary and the developing adaptation of the toy company's Ninjago line has just landed a promising director. Read on! Deadline has word that The Lego Group is working with Oscar winning filmmaker Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and Oscar nominated director Kief Davidson (Open Heart) for this new documentary which will take a closer look at the worldwide toy sensation. The film will "unspool through the lens of culture,...

The first toy brand I remember getting into was Lego. I liked that you could work from the step-by-step instructions or build your own world. They foster both design and creativity, and the brand has grown by leaps and bounds to eventually include licensed properties, which has been a point of contention among some (they say it diminishes imagination, which is a lot like saying anyone who ever played with licensed toys no longer has any creativity). In any case, it's one of the biggest brands in the world, and now it will get an official documentary with Beyond the Brick: A Lego Brickumentary. Oscar-winner Daniel Junge (Saving Face) and Oscar-nominee Kief Davidson (Open Heart) will make a big 180 from their serious documentaries to helm the presumably lighter Beyond the Brick. Hit the jump for more. According to Deadline, the movie "will unspool through the lens of culture, art, and education.

A burst pipe in a women's bathroom of the Dolby Theatre flooded the star-filled lobby about 30 minutes before the 85th Oscars kicked off. The pipe exploded when the mother of Kief Davidson, director of the Oscar-nominated documentary short "Open Heart," flushed a toilet, sending water into the lobby where nearly every nominee and studio head was walking in. Update: Davidson told TheWrap that the pipe behind the toilet ruptured suddenly, not as a result of flushing. "As she was about to use the toilet the pipe bust and it shot out...

If you didn't tune in for the Academy Awards last night, here's a short breakdown of what you missed: William Shatner showed up from the future, Jennifer Lawrence tripped and fell, and Michelle Obama co-presented the award for Best Picture. It was kind of a weird night, but for the most part, the hardware was handed out to all of the expected parties. Argo won Best Picture, Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor and Jennifer Lawrence won Best Actress. If there was a surprise, it was that Life of Pi walked away with the most awards (4) including Best Director for Ang Lee. Zero Dark Thirty got shut out of everything except for Best Sound Editing (in a rare tie with Skyfall). Quentin Tarantino was also a pleasant surprise for Best Original Screenplay. What did you think of this year's Oscars? What was the highlight of the night? How would you rate Seth McFarlane as host?...

Hollywood's most prestigious night is coming to an end inside the Dolby Theatre, and GossipCenter has the complete list of winners from Sunday's 85th Academy Awards.

Helmed by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, celebrities gathered inside to find out which films received the historic Oscar winner recognition.

The top prize went to "Argo" taking home Best Film, while Ang Lee scored a win in the Best Director category.

Jennifer Lawrence and Daniel Day-Lewis can add a new title to their name after taking home the win for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively.

Meanwhile, Adele, Norah Jones, and the cast of "Les Miserables" took to the stage to wow the crowd with amazing performances.

Take a look below for the complete list of the 2013 Academy Award winners!

Best Motion Picture of the Year

“Amour”

“Argo” Winner

“Beasts of the Southern Wild”

“Django Unchained”

“Les Misérables”

“Life of Pi”

“Lincoln”

“Silver Linings Playbook...

This evening’s Oscar ceremony is now over, and with the dust settling on the biggest awards ceremony of the entire year, and the winners and losers celebrating and commiserating together, we’ve put together a full list of the winners (as well as the beaten nominees) for this year’s awards.

Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain nailed the red carpet, apparently, and Sandra Bullock did wonderful things with a diamond hair-clip, while Bradley Cooper and Chris Pine both proved that beards are very much the hot thing right now. But the big events were yet to happen inside the La venue, as the audience sat ready to receive host Seth MacFarlane, and his inevitably cutting humour.

For the most part, MacFarlane was reserved, though a few barbs did land before the end of the night. He played his part also in the excellent musical staging throughout the ceremony, whose highlights featured Shirley Bassey,...

The 85th Annual Academy Awards took place earlier today, hosted by Seth MacFarlane. Take a look at all the big Academy Awards winners below.

Best Picture:

Argo

Amour

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director:

Ang Lee - Life of Pi

Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Michael Haneke - Amour

David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

Best Actor In A Leading Role:

Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Actress In A Leading Role:

Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Quvenzhan&#233 Wallis - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Naomi Watts - The Impossible

Best Actor In A Supporting Role:

Christoph Waltz...

Tonight, Hollywood's biggest stars are at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood for the 2013 Oscar Awards, and Et is bringing you all of the winners as they are announced! (Winners underlined).

Click here for full Oscar coverage.

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Alan Arkin, Argo

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Best Original Song

Before My Time, Chasing Ice

Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi

Suddenly, Les Miserables

Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Ted

Skyfall, Skyfall

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Amy Adams, The Master

Best Animated Film

Frankenweenie

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-It Ralph

ParaNorman

Brave

Best Foreign Language Film

Amour

No

War Witch

A Royal Affair

Kon-Tiki

Best Adapted Screenplay

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Argo

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Life of Pi

Best Original Screenplay

Flight

Zero Dark Thirty

[link...

Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling), created by Jeff Bayer.

Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.

This is a confidence list.

There are 24 categories.

How to play

Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.

This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...

Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling), created by Jeff Bayer.

Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.

This is a confidence list.

There are 24 categories.

How to play

Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.

This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor,...

Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling).

Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.

This is a confidence list.

There are 24 categories.

How to play

Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.

This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).

You...

On Wednesday evening, documentary Branch governor Michael Moore hosted the “Oscar Celebrates: Docs” event at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, CA. Moore won the 2002 Documentary Feature Oscar for “Bowling for Columbine” and also was nominated in 2007 for “Sicko.”

“Oscar Celebrates: Docs” spotlighted the work of the nominated filmmakers in the Documentary Short Subject and Documentary Feature categories. The program included clips from all of the nominated documentaries in both categories, and a panel discussion with filmmakers from each group.

Of this group of filmmakers, Moore said he was honored to be in the company of this international group making nonfiction cinema. He happily shared with the audience that all the voting members of the Academy voted in both documentary categories. “There were no groups or panels deciding the winners. The Academy sent all the voters these provocative, powerful and emotional films on DVD.”

Moore also touched on the 800lb gorilla in the room.

Are you sick of those ordinary Oscar office pools? Tired of only guessing the top 6 or 8 categories for the Academy Awards? Let your inner-movie geek shine with Bowl the Perfect Oscar Score (aka Oscar Bowling).

Try to nail 300 points on the 2013 Academy Awards.

This is a confidence list.

There are 24 categories.

How to play

Pick your winners in all 24 categories. Then, give each winner a confidence score. Your most confident pick gets 24 points, second most confident gets 23 points, third most confident gets 22 points, and eventually your least confident pick gets 1 point.

This is perfect for Oscar parties, because the lead keeps changing. The winner is the one with the most points at the end. A perfect score is 300. If there is a tie (there never is a tie), then the winner is the one with the most points in these three categories combined (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress).

You...

Kief Davidson was making a movie about life-saving operations, but death always hung in the air. For director Davidson, that was the black cloud over the filming of "Open Heart," his alternately wrenching and uplifting documentary about a group of children from Rwanda who were flown to the only free cardiac hospital in Africa, the Salam Center in Sudan, for surgery to treat their rheumatic heart disease. "I was very concerned that at least one of them, if not more, were going to die," Davidson said of the eight children whose conditions...

Vol. I Issue 6

Send us links to your sizzle reels and film sites.

Note: See Issues 1, 2, 3, and 4 for reviews and clips of the Academy documentary films and short films. Additional reviews of the documentary features follow in this issue.

Best documentary feature

5 Broken Cameras Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi

The Gatekeepers Nominees to be determined *See note below

How to Survive a Plague Nominees to be determined

The Invisible War Nominees to be determined

Searching for Sugar Man Nominees to be determined

Best documentary short subject

Inocente Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine

Kings Point Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider

Mondays at Racine Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan

Open Heart Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern

Redemption Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill

Best animated short film

Adam and Dog Minkyu Lee

Fresh Guacamole Pes

Head over Heels Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly

Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare David Silverman

Paperman John Kahrs

Best live action short film

Asad Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura

Buzkashi Boys Sam French and Ariel Nasr

Curfew Shawn Christensen

Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw) Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele

Henry Yan England

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song) from a documentary

Before My Time from The documentary feature Chasing Ice Music and Lyric by J. Ralph

Note: *Nominees to be determined* The Documentary Brand gives the nomination to the individual(s) most involved in the key creative aspects of the filmmaking process. A maximum of two persons may be designated as nominees, one of whom must be the credited director who exercised directorial control, and the other of whom must have a producer or director credit. If a producer is named, that individual must have performed a major portion of the producing functions, in accordance with Academy producer criteria. No more than two statuettes will normally be given in the Documentary Feature category. All individuals with a “Producer” or “Produced by” credit on films that reach the semifinal round will automatically be vetted.

The Documentary Branch Executive Committee will determine which producers, if any, are eligible to receive an Oscar. In the unlikely event of a dispute, filmmakers may appeal the committee’s decision. In extremely rare circumstances, a third statuette may be awarded.

Production companies or persons with the screen credit of executive producer, co-producer or any credit other than director or producer shall not be eligible as nominees for the motion picture.

DGA Documentary Award Nominations

Kirby Dick The Invisible War

This is Mr. Dick’s first DGA Award nomination.

Malik Bendjelloul Searching For Sugar Man

This is Mr. Bendjelloul’s first DGA Award nomination.

Lauren Greenfield The Queen of Versailles

This is Ms. Greenfield’s first DGA Award nomination.

David France How To Survive A Plague

This is Mr. France’s first DGA Award nomination.

Alison Klayman Ai WeiWei: Never Sorry

This is Ms. Klayman’s first DGA Award nomination.

Two Academy Nominated Documentary Features

& One Academy Short Listed Documentary Reviewed

The Gatekeepers, directed by Dror Moreh

Documentary Feature Nominee

Six former heads of Israel’s domestic secret service agency, the Shin Bet, share their insights and reflect publicly on their actions and decisions in The Gatekeepers, a film by Dror Moreh. These six heads of the Shin Bet stood at the center of Israel's decision-making process in all matters pertaining to security. They worked closely with every Israeli prime minister, and their assessments and insights had—and continue to have—a profound impact on Israeli policy. The Gatekeepers is an exclusive account of their successes and failures.

I find The Gatekeepers remarkable. Not for its craft but for its concept and vision. Imagine

J Edger Hoover talking about his tenure at the FBI, his successes and his failures, his interactions with the Presidents and members of Congress, and his critical self-evaluation of his mission and how his agency’s work affected our nation. Imagine. Dror Moreh accomplished this feat when he convinced these six surviving members of the Shin Bet, to speak on camera.

The film provides a historical perspective of Israel that is both candid and critical of the successive governments in this rare Middle Eastern democracy. The Shin Bet was created in 1949 by David Ben-Gurion’s government to focus on the internal affairs of Israel and evolved into dealing with counterterrorism and intelligence gathering in the West Bank and Gaza.

These intelligence heads, like ours, report to the President/Prime Minister. They are not part of the military complex. It is this context that gives this work its power. We hear the story of Israel’s struggle to protect itself from both its internal and external enemies; the bombers, terrorists, agents and others who worked to destroy this small country. These men are not glamorous or like the fictional heads of the spy agencies we have seen in James Bond and Bourne films. They are bald or balding grandfather-types. Articulate, highly educated, calm and yet we know that they protected Israel from its enemies even if they had them killed.

This is one of the strongest of the nominated docs. It raises significant issues of personal responsibilities. Despite the lack of oversight we don’t feel that this is an organization gone amuck like the Catholic Church not protecting children or the Us Military not protecting its members from sexual harassment. We see these articulate men as guardians and protectors of their nation steadfastly doing their duty within the confines of their moral beliefs. What is scary about The Gatekeepers is that clearly there could have been abuses and wrongs done by the Shin Bet if these six had less character or their mission was redefined by the government without regard to moral or ethical standards. The film on reflection is troubling for regardless of how the spectator might feel about Israel it forces us to look at this conflict through the lenses of these six guardians and we can only wonder what they don’t tell us about what they did in the name of their country.

Credits:

Director: Dror Moreh

Camera: Avner Shahaf

Producers: Dror Moreh, Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky

Co Producer: Anna Van Der Wee

Sound: Amos Zipori

Sound Design: Aex Claude

Music: Ab Ovo, Jérôme Chassagnard, Régis Baillet

Editor: Oron Adar

Production Companies: Dror Moreh Productions, Les Films du Poisson, Cinephil

In Co-Production with: Mac Guff, Wild Heart Productions, Arte France, Iba, Ndr, Rtbf

With the support of: Cnc, Media, Région Ile-de-France, Procirep, Angoa, The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts – Cinema Project

Distribution: Sony Classics

Trailer: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thegatekeepers/

The House I Live In, directed by Eugene Jarecki

Short Listed Documentary Feature for Academy Award nomination

The House I Live In looks at how America has waged war on some of its poorest citizens, costing countless lives, destroying families, and inflicting untold damage on future generations of Americans. It posits that over the last forty years, the War on Drugs has accounted for more than 45 million arrests and shows how America became the world’s largest jailer, damaging poor communities at home and abroad. Yet today drugs are cheaper, purer and more available than ever before. It shows that drug abuse is a public health issue. Despite this, it is treated by our society as a criminal matter and a vast machine has been created that feeds on the men and women who are incarcerated. Because of this, the prisoners are not offered help or a cure for their underlying problems, so they return to prison in a never ending cycle.

Eugene Jarecki, whose previous films looked at the military industrial complex (Why We Fight and The Trials of Henry Kissinger), won the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at Sundance in both 2005 and 2010. The film tackles difficult material. Material that has been in scores of documentaries and television shows over the years. Yet Jarecki, using his personal experience, a wealth of interviews and strong case studies, builds a compelling case for changing the sentencing guidelines for crack (and cocaine) and for dealing with both addiction and the underlying causes of addiction. Jarecki is a skillful filmmaker who has picked a vast and complex subject and has created a work that while rich in content moves along at a good pace although it might have been stronger if it had tried to do less. The film editor Paul Frost and the composer Robert Miller do an excellent job building strong sequences with evocative music. It was nicely shot by Sam Cullman and Derek Hallquist. Richard Abramowitz’s Abramorama handled the distribution and was successful getting the work out which is never easy for such an issue oriented film.

Credits:

Director, Producer, Screenwriter: Eugene Jarecki

Producers: Melinda Shopsin, Sam Cullman, Christopher St. John

Executive Producers: Eugene Jarecki, Nick Fraser, Joslyn Barnes, Danny Glover, Russell Simmons, Roy Ackerman, John Legend, Sally Jo Feifer, Nick Fraser

Camera: Sam Cullman, Derek Hallquist

Sound: Matthew Freed, Art Jaso

Music: Robert Milller

Editor: Paul Frost

Production Companies: Charlotte Street Films, Zdf Enterprises, Independent Television Services, BBC, Aljazeera Documentary Channel, Vpro, Special Broadcasting Service Corporation, Louverture Films, Nhk

Distribution (Us): Abramorama Entertainment, Snag Films

How to Survive a Plague, directed by David France

Documentary Feature Nominee

How to Survive a Plague by writer and filmmaker David France tells the story of how two coalitions came together to lobby for effective treatments and funding for treatments of AIDS in the late 1980s when it was evident that the Us government and its health and other agencies were not being very effective dealing with the AIDS epidemic. The coalitions, Act Up and Tag (Treatment Action Group) helped to make AIDS more treatable. While there is still no cure for AIDS and thousands of people globally still die from the virus, it is now possible to prolong life with treatments that have been developed.

Despite having no scientific training, these self-made activists infiltrated the pharmaceutical industry and helped identify promising new drugs, moving them from experimental trials to patients in record time. With access to never-before-seen archival footage from the 1980s and '90s, filmmaker David France puts the viewer smack in the middle of the controversial actions, the heated meetings, the heartbreaking failures, and the exultant breakthroughs. Faced with their own mortality an improbable group of young men and women, many of them HIV-positive took on Washington and the medical establishment.

While there have been a handful of outstanding films dealing with the AIDS epidemic including Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, The Broadcast Tapes of Dr. Peter and Silverlake Life, to name a few, How to Survive a Plague picks up on the story begun in the landmark Common Threads and updates the struggle, looking at the quest to find a treatment and possibly a cure for this vicious disease. The film weaves together stories of activism and shows how a small determined group can effect change not just nationally but globally. While the film is not as well made as Common Threads or Dr. Peter, it’s powerful. The archival footage manages to capture some of the key figures of Act Up and Tag showing actions as they take place. Instead of relying on talking heads to tell this amazing story, it is presented with footage shot as the story unfolded. This footage and its solid editing distinguishes this film from so many of the works that have tried to tell this story.

Few documentaries have such powerful antagonists, the government, incompetence, a lack of urgency on the part of the medical community and fear. Throw in homophobia and it is evident that the dramatic actions of these heroes saved hundreds of thousands of possible victims from this mostly sexually spread plague.

My only serious criticism of this documentary is its failure to be clearer that the plague continues, that there is no cure for HIV/AIDS and that the community continues to give a false sense of hope. Currently the Cdc states:

” ..estimates that 1,148,200 persons aged 13 years and older are living with HIV infection, including 207,600 (18.1%) who are unaware of their infection1. Over the past decade, the number of people living with HIV has increased, while the annual number of new HIV infections has remained relatively stable. Still, the pace of new infections continues at far too high a level—particularly among certain groups.

HIV Incidence(new infections): The estimated incidence of HIV has remained stable overall in recent years, at about 50,000 new HIV infections per year.2 Within the overall estimates, however, some groups are affected more than others. Msm (men who have sex with men) continue to bear the greatest burden of HIV infection, and among races/ethnicities, African Americans continue to be disproportionately affected.”

This information could have been contained in the last few minutes of this powerful work, to inspire and warn the audience that testing is critical and that safe sex is still the only way to contain AIDS.

The Filmmaker

David France, Director, Producer

David France is an award-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author who has been writing about AIDS since 1982 and today is one of the best-known chroniclers of the epidemic. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Newsweek, GQ, and New York magazine, where he is a contributing editor, and has received the National Headliner Award and the GLAAD Media Award, among others. Several films have been inspired by his work, most recently the Emmy-nominated Showtime film Our Fathers, for which he received a WGA nomination. He is at work on a major history of AIDS, due from Alfred A. Knopf in 2013. Based on decades of reporting, How to Survive a Plague is his directorial debut.

Credits

Director: David France

Writers: David France, Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk

Producers: David France, Howard Gertler

Executive Producers: Dan Cogan, Joy A. Tomchin

Co-Producer: Todd Woody Richman

Camera: Derek Wieshahn

Sound: Stuart Deutsch, Topher Reifeiss

Original Music: Stuart Bogie

Editor: Todd Woody Richman, Tyler H. Walk

Production Companies: Public Square Films, Ninety Thousand Words

Distribution (Us): Sundance Selects

Short Notes and Update:

The International Documentary Association in Los Angeles presents Doc U: The Doc Reporter

Navigating the Intersection of Documentary and Journalism

Moderated by: Karin Skellwagen (The Brooks Institute)

With Panelists:

Sarah Burns (The Central Park Five)

Michael Donaldson (Partner, Donaldson & Callif)

David France (How To Survive A Plague)

For information: http://doc-u-jan-2013-la.eventbrite.com/

Sundance Announces 2013 International Documentary Competition:

Fallen City/ China (Director: Qi Zhao) — Fallen City spans four years to reveal how three families who survived the 2008 Sichuan earthquake to embark on a journey searching for hope, purpose, identity, and to rebuild their lives in a new China torn between tradition and modernity. North American Premiere

Fire in the Blood/ India (Director: Dylan Mohan Gray) — In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Western governments and pharmaceutical companies blocked low-cost antiretroviral drugs from reaching AIDS-stricken Africa, causing 10 million or more unnecessary deaths. An improbable group of people decided to fight back. North American Premiere

Google and the World Brain/ Spain, United Kingdom (Director: Ben Lewis) — In the most ambitious Internet project ever conceived, Google is working to scan every book in the world. Google says it is building a library for mankind. But some are trying to stop it, claiming that Google may have other intentions. World Premiere

The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear/ Georgia, Germany (Director: Tinatin Gurchiani) — A film director casting a 15-23-year-old protagonist visits villages and cities to meet people who answer her call. She follows those who prove to be interesting enough through various dramatic and funny situations. North American Premiere

The Moo Man/ United Kingdom (Directors: Andy Heathcote, Heike Bachelier) — A year in the life of heroic farmer Steve, scene stealing Ida (queen of the herd), and a supporting cast of 55 cows. When Ida falls ill, Steve’s optimism is challenged and their whole way of life is at stake. World Premiere

Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer/ Russian Federation, United Kingdom (Directors: Mike Lerner, Maxim Pozdorovkin) — Three young women face seven years in a Russian prison for a satirical performance in a Moscow cathedral. But who is really on trial: the three young artists or the society they live in? World Premiere

A River Changes Course/ Cambodia, U.S.A. (Director: Kalyanee Mam) — Three young Cambodians struggle to overcome the crushing effects of deforestation, overfishing, and overwhelming debt in this devastatingly beautiful story of a country reeling from the tragedies of war and rushing to keep pace with a rapidly expanding world. World Premiere

Salma/ United Kingdom, India (Director: Kim Longinotto) — When Salma, a young girl in South India, reached puberty, her parents locked her away. Millions of girls all over the world share the same fate. Twenty-five years later, Salma has fought her way back to the outside world. World Premiere

The Square (Al Midan)/ Egypt, U.S.A. (Director: Jehane Noujaim) — What does it mean to risk your life for your ideals? How far will five revolutionaries go in defending their beliefs in the fight for their nation? World Premiere

The Stuart Hall Project/ United Kingdom (Director: John Akomfrah) — Antinuclear campaigner, New Left activist and founding father of Cultural Studies, this documentary interweaves 70 years of Stuart Hall’s film, radio and television appearances, and material from his private archive to document a memorable life and construct a portrait of Britain’s foremost radical intellectual. World Premiere

The Summit/ Ireland, United Kingdom (Director: Nick Ryan) — Twenty-four climbers converged at the last stop before summiting the most dangerous mountain on Earth. Forty-eight hours later, 11 had been killed or simply vanished. Had one, Ger McDonnell, stuck to the climbers' code, he might still be alive. International Premiere

Who is Dayani Cristal?/ United Kingdom (Director: Marc Silver) — An anonymous body in the Arizona desert sparks the beginning of a real-life human drama. The search for its identity leads us across a continent to seek out the people left behind and the meaning of a mysterious tattoo. World Premiere. Day One Film

Producer’s Guild Announces Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures and Non-Fiction Television:

A People Uncounted(Urbinder Films)

Producers: Marc Swenker, Aaron Yeger

The Gatekeepers(Sony Pictures Classics)

Producers: Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky, Dror Moreh

The Island President(Samuel Goldwyn Films)

Producers: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen

The Other Dream Team(The Film Arcade)

Producers: Marius Markevicius, Jon Weinbach

Searching For Sugar Man(Sony Pictures Classics)

Producers: Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

Nominations for the Award for Outstanding Producer of

Non-Fiction Television:

American Masters(PBS)

Producers: Prudence Glass, Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations(Travel Channel)

Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandy Zweig

Deadliest Catch(Discovery Channel)

Producers: Thom Beers, Jeff Conroy, Sean Dash, John Gray, Sheila McCormack, Bill Pruitt, Decker Watson

Inside the Actors Studio(Bravo)

Producers: James Lipton, Shawn Tesser, Jeff Wurtz

Shark Tank(ABC)

Producers: Rhett Bachner, Becky Blitz, Mark Burnett, Bill Gaudsmith, Yun Lingner, Brien Meagher, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Skowlund, Paul Sutera, Patrick Wood

BAFTA Short and Documentary Feature Nominations (British Academy of Film and Television Arts, London)

Documentary Feature

The ImposterBart Layton, Dimitri Doganis

Marley Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel

McCullin David Morris, Jacqui Morris

Searching for Sugar Man Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn

West of Memphis Amy Berg

Short Animation

Here to Fall Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath

I’m Fine Thanks Eamonn O'Neill

The Making of Longbird Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

Short Film

The Curse Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries

Good Night Muriel d'Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir

Swimmer Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw

Tumult Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews

The Voorman Problem Mark Gill, Baldwin Li

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (Bfca)

Documentary Feature Nominations

Bully

The Imposter

Queen of Versailles

Searching for Sugar Man (Winner)

The Central Park Five

West of Memphis

________________________________________________________________________

Credits: Editing by Jessica Just for SydneysBuzz

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Block Doc Workshops in Los Angeles February 2013 Ida Doc U

The International Documentary Association will be hosting Documentary Funding and Documentary Tune-Up Workshops with Block on February 9/10. http://www.documentary.org/news/february-documentary-producing-workshops-mitchell-block

Mitchell Block specializes in conceiving, producing, marketing & distributing independent features & consulting. He is an expert in placing both completed works into distribution & working with producers to make projects fundable. He conducts regular workshops in film producing in Los Angeles and most recently in Maine, Russia and in Myanmar (Burma).

Poster Girl, produced by Block was nominated for a Documentary Academy Award and selected by the Ida as the Best Doc Short 2011. It was also nominated for two Emmy Awards and aired on HBO. He is an executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Carrier, a 10-hour series that he conceived & co-created. Block is a graduate of Tisch School and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business. He is a member of Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Television Academy, a founding member of BAFTA-la and has been teaching at USC School of Cinematic Arts since 1979. Currently Block teaches a required class in the USC Peter Stark Producing Program.

______________________________________________________________________

©2013Mwb All Rights Reserved All Rights Reserved. All information and designs on the Sites are copyrighted material owned by Block. Reproduction, dissemination, or transmission of any part of the material here without the express written consent of the owner is strictly prohibited.All other product names and marks on Block Direct, whether trademarks, service marks, or other type, and whether registered or unregistered, is the property of Block.

After a couple months of various organizations and associations sharing their favorites of the year, (look for our own Jeff Bayer at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards tonight), the big kahuna has spoken – Oscar nominations are in.

Here are the nominees for the 85th annual Academy Awards, with the ceremony taking place on February 24, which will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane.

Best Picture

Nominees:

Amour (2012): To Be Determined

Argo (2012): Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney

Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012): Dan Janvey, Josh Penn, Michael Gottwald

Django Unchained (2012): Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone

Les Misérables (2012): Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh

Life of Pi (2012): Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark

Lincoln (2012): Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy

Silver Linings Playbook (2012): Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen, Jonathan Gordon

Zero Dark Thirty (2012): Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison

Best Performance by an Actor...

Contributors: Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson

It was a morning of Oscar surprises . both shocking and welcomed. Nominations for the 85th Academy Awards® were announced today (Thursday, January 10) by this year’s Oscar host (and nominee) Seth MacFarlane, and actress Emma Stone. Minus the usual podium, MacFarlane and Stone humorously unveiled the nominees at a 5:38 a.m. Pt live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. Wamg and the various outlets were greeted with a golden breakfast, strong coffee and Jamba Juice.

Let.s get right to it. Steven Spielberg.s Lincoln scored the most nominations with 12, followed by Life of Pi with 11, and Les Misérables and Silver Linings Playbook at 8 apiece.

The nominees for best motion picture of the year are:

“Amour” Nominees to be determined “Argo” Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney, Producers “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald,...

I've enjoyed watching the Academy Awards for as long as I can remember. Even though I don't always agree with their decisions, it's still a fun experience for me. This year Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane woke up at the buttcrack of dawn to give us the nominations for the 85th Academy Awards, I however didn't wake up to watch because I was just too damn tired.

There's a lot of great movies that were nominated this year and Lincoln leads the pack with 12 nominations which isn't surprising at all. Life of Pi ended up getting 11 noms, Les Miserables got 8, Silver Linings Playbook got 8 as well, Argo ended up with 7, Zero Dark Thirty has 5, Skyfall got 5, Django Unchained got 5 and The Avengers got 1.

There aren't many surprises this year, some might think that Beasts of the Southern Wild was a surprise, but there's been so much ridiculous hype for the...

Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone took the stage at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills this morning to announce this year's Academy Award nominations, and they played out almost exactly as everyone expected. Steven Spielberg's Lincoln led the way with 12 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director and another Best Actor nod for Daniel Day-Lewis. Ang Lee's Life of Pi was up for 11 awards, while David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook and Tom Hooper's Les Miserables received 8 nominations apiece. There were a total of 9 Best Picture nominees this year, and if there were any surprises they would probably be Beasts of the Southern Wild and Amour. Django Unchained was also in the mix, although Quentin Tarantino was ignored for Best Director. On the bright side, Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams were all recognized for their performances in The Master, although the movie itself received no love.

Nominations for the 85th Annual Academy Awards were announced today by Oscar host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

Best Picture:

Amour

Argo

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Django Unchained

Les Miserables

Life of Pi

Lincoln

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director:

Benh Zeitlin - Beasts of the Southern Wild

Ang Lee - Life of Pi

Michael Haneke - Amour

David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

Steven Spielberg - Lincoln

Best Actor In A Leading Role:

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Hugh Jackman - Les Miserables

Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

Denzel Washington - Flight

Best Actress In A...

The awards season is finally coming to its peak. The BAFTA nominations were announced yesterday. The Golden Globes ceremony will be held this Sunday. And now the Oscar nominations have been announced, cutting down the finalists that have been contending for the coveted awards over the past few months.

Waking up at an extremely early hour to announce the nominees at 5:30 a.m. Pt this morning, the brilliant duo of Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone were on hand to give us the below nominations.

Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln sweeps the nominations with an impressive 12 nods. Ang Lee’s Life of Pi follows swiftly behind it with 11. Tom Hooper’s Les Misérables and David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook each take 8 nominations. Ben Affleck’s Argo picks up 7, followed closely by Sam Mendes’ Skyfall with 6. Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty, and Michael Haneke...

Seth MacFarlane and Emma Stone announced the Oscar nominations Thursday, January 10. Powerhouse Steven Spielberg biopic Lincoln picked up 12 nominations, while Life of Pi picked up 11, and Silver Linings Playbook and Les Miserables got eight.

Click here for full Oscar coverage.

Read on to find out who picked up a nom!

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

Alan Arkin, Argo

Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Best Original Song

Before My Time, Chasing Ice

Pi's Lullaby, Life of Pi

Suddenly, Les Miserables

Everybody Needs a Best Friend, Ted

Skyfall, Skyfall

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Field, Lincoln

Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

Helen Hunt, The Sessions

Amy Adams, The Master

Best Animated Film

Frankenweenie

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Wreck-It Ralph

ParaNorman

Brave

Best Foreign Language Film

Amour

No

War Witch

A Royal Affair

Kon-Tiki

Best Adapted Screenplay

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Argo

Lincoln...

Nominations for the 85th annual Academy Awards will be announced today by host Seth MacFarlane and actress Emma Stone at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

You can now watch the nominations Live by using the video below and later on we will post all the nominations.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.

“Lincoln,” director Steven Spielberg’s film about the 16th president and his battle to end slavery, topped the nominations for the 85th Academy Awards on Thursday, receiving 12 nods, including best picture.

“Life of Pi” was second with 11 nominations, including best picture, best director (Ang Lee) and best adapted screenplay.

As usual, there were a handful of surprises.

Early, early this morning Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane were on hand to announce the nominations for this year's Academy Awards. Speculation and buzz began early as to who would even get a nod this year. Now we can put that to rest and being speculating on who's going to win.

As usual there's a fair number of "that's exactly what I expected", "what the Hell?", and snubs to go around. Here's the list:

Best Picture

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Lincoln

Les Misérables

Life of Pi

Amour

Django Unchained

Argo

Best Director

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Michael Haneke, Amour

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Actress

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis,...

Early, early this morning Emma Stone and Seth MacFarlane were on hand to announce the nominations for this year's Academy Awards. Speculation and buzz began early as to who would even get a nod this year. Now we can put that to rest and being speculating on who's going to win.

As usual there's a fair number of "that's exactly what I expected", "what the Hell?", and snubs to go around. Here's the list:

Best Picture

Beasts of the Southern Wild

Silver Linings Playbook

Zero Dark Thirty

Lincoln

Les Misérables

Life of Pi

Amour

Django Unchained

Argo

Best Director

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

Michael Haneke, Amour

Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Actress

Naomi Watts, The Impossible

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Actor

Daniel Day-Lewis,...

Let’s not pretend like anyone is any good at prognosticating which documentary short will emerge from the pack to stand on stage while the Get Off the Stage music swells. It’s one of the culprits that destroys everyone’s chances every year at rocking a perfect Oscar ballot prediction. But maybe, just maybe, you can get a head start on your co-workers by checking out the films that have the honor of just being nominated. The Education of Mohhamad Hussein Directed by: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady Synopsis: A look at the largest Muslim community in America, how they respond to an anti-Islamic preacher and how their children grow up a decade after 9/11 Inocente Directed by: Sean Fine, Andrea Nix Synopsis: A homeless, undocumented 15-year-old immigrant struggles to come of age and become a better artist under staggering odds Kings Point Directed by: Sari Gilman Synopsis: The humor and humanity of senior citizens living in a...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today its shortlist for the field of Documentary Short Subject. Those in the running for the 85th Annual Academy Awards include the following eight films:

The Education of Mohammad Hussein, Loki Films

Inocente, Shine Global, Inc.

Kings Point, Kings Point Documentary, Inc.

Mondays at Racine, Cynthia Wade Productions

Open Heart, Urban Landscapes Inc.

ParaÍso, The Strangebird Company

The Perfect Fit, Sdi Productions Ltd.

Redemption, Downtown Docs

Three to five of them will be nominated when the Oscar nominations are announced on Jan. 10. More to come.

read more...