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As expected -by me- The Sapphires won the most awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Lead Actress, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay, bringing the tally to a total of 11 awards including the five previously announced. Believe that all honors are well-deserved as is good movie with a better story. To learn winners in all categories go here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

1/27/13
In the second year the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) celebrates Australian cinema -as a substitution of the previous Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards that run since 1958- we find expected nominations and some films that seem to be worth to watch.

Awards ceremony will be on January 30 at The Star Event Centre in Sydney, will be hosted by Russell Crowe and expect to see Geoffrey Rush (AACTA President), Cate Blanchett and many more. Ceremony will be broadcast live on Network Ten.

As expected crowd-pleaser The Sapphires leads with 12 nominations followed by Burning Man, Lore, Wish You Were Here and Mental each with 8 nominations. Here are the nominations for top film categories.

Best Film
Burning Man
Lore
*The Sapphires
Wish You Were Here

Best Direction
Jonathan Teplitzky for Burning Man
Cate Shortland for Lore
*Wayne Blair for The Sapphires
Kieran Darcy-Smith for Wish You Were Here

Best Lead Actress
Toni Collette in Mental
*Deborah Mailman in The Sapphires
Felicity Price in Wish You Were Here
Sarah Snook in Not Suitable For Children

Best Lead Actor
Joel Edgerton in Wish You Were Here
Matthew Goode in Burning Man
*Chirs O'Dowd in The Sapphires
Guy Pearce in 33 Postcards

To check nominees in all film plus television categories go here. International awards already have been announced and Silver Linings Playbook took almost all the awards if you wish to check the nominations as well as the award winners please go here.

In this morning press conference the festival full program was announced and was going to do one post for all sections, but this year each section will have their own post. We start with the Official Program that this year has 24 films.

Films in main competition include 19 movies with a few well-known directors and some of the most extraordinary actresses: Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve and Nina Hoss. Obviously those films have instantly become must be seen for me.

Also as expected the last installment in the Ulrich Seidl's Paradise trilogy, Paradise: Hope, will premier in competition; but perhaps the film that many of us have been anxiously waiting for -since more than a year- is what makes this fest edition most interesting. I'm talking about the film by this year festival Jury President, master extraordinaire Wong Kar Wai, The Grandmaster starring none other than his regular most admired by me, Tony Leung.

Remarkably after reading about each of the following films became absolutely impressed by the quality of some of them as some of the few images available are really breathtaking.

Official Program

In Competition

Camille Claudel 1915, Bruno Dumont, France (photo)
Долгая счастливая жизнь Dolgaya schastlivaya zhizn (A Long and Happy Life), Boris Khlebnikov, Russia (photo)
Elle s'en va (On my Way), Emmanuelle Bercot, France
Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker), Danis Tanović, Bosnia and Herzegovina, France and Slovenia
Gloria, Sebastián Lelio, Chile and Spain
Gold, Thomas Arslan, Germany
Layla Fourie, Pia Marais, Germany, South Africa, France and Netherlands
The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman, Fredrik Bond, USA
누구의 딸도 아닌 해원 Nugu-ui Ttal-do Anin Haewon (Nobody's Daughter Haewon), Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
Paradies: Hoffnung (Paradise: Hope), Ulrich Seidl, Austria, France and Germany
Pardé (Closed Curtain), Jafar Panahi and Kamboziya Partovi, Iran
Poziţia Copilului (Child's Pose), Călin Peter Netzer, Romania
Prince Avalanche, David Gordon Green, USA
Promised Land, Gus Van Sant, USA
La Religieuse (The Nun), Guillaume Nicloux, France, Germany and Belgium
Side Effects, Steven Soderbergh, USA
Уроки гармонии Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons), Emir Baigazin, Kazakhstan and Germany
Vic+Flo ont vu un ours (Vic+Flo Saw a Bear), Denis Côté, Canada
W imię… (In the Name of), Małgośka Szumowska, Poland

Out of Competition
Opening Film: Yi dai zong shi (The Grandmaster), Wong Kar Wai, Hong Kong and China
Before Midnight, Richard Linklater, USA and Greece
The Croods, Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders, USA (Animation)
Dark Blood, George Sluizer, Netherlands
Night Train to Lisbon, Bille August, Germany, Switzerland and Portugal

International Jury
President: Wong Kar Wai, director, China
Susanne Bier, director, Denmark
Athina Rachel Tsangari, director and producer, Greece
Adreas Dresen, director, Germany
Ellen Kuras, director and cinematographer, USA
Shirin Neshat, artist and director, Iran and USA
Tim Robbins, actor, USA

Again I'm impressed with the quality of the international jury, especially for the first three. Besides the actresses already mentioned, there are many more international and American actors/actresses that definitively call my attention. Perhaps I'm a bit award season burnt but find that many of this year films are especially worth watching, hope I'm right.

Among the films out of competition and besides the festival opening film the most intriguing movie absolutely is George Sluizer's Dark Blood as has a great cast but the leading actor is none other than River Phoenix. Yes, is Joaquin Phoenix brother, a great young actor that passed away in 1993. As took so many years for film to be released, here is a brief film story.

"When Dark Blood’s leading actor River Phoenix died suddenly ten days before the end of the shoot in 1993, the film’s insurance company became the owner of the unfinished material. Years later, director George Sluizer managed to save his footage from being destroyed. In January 2012 he decided to finish the film by reading aloud off-screen the missing scenes from the screenplay. The resulting work is an existentialist latter-day Western which derives much of its evocative power from the presence of its leading man, who was himself teetering on the brink of death."

Can't help to comment that from the American films there is one that is the remake of an Icelandic comedy, Á annan veg (Either Way) by Hafsteinn Gunnar; what pop-up is one of the stars, Paul Rudd, that usually does the kind of comedy I really dislike. Festival praises movie to have "visual poetry" of early David Gordon Green movies so perhaps movie can be different to regular Paul Rudd's fare. But have to admit that I highly enjoy Emile Hirch performances, so probably will end up watching film for sure. The name of the movie: Prince Avalanche.

I'm looking forward to see many of these films hopefully in the very near future.

Cheers!!!

Watch some trailers, all synopsis/images @MOC

Since January 25th and until February 4th one of the most famous Swedish film festivals has been running and as soon, on Saturday February 2 will be the awards ceremony, I'm sharing with you all some of the great films that are in the two main competitions.


Dragon Award for Best Nordic Film

8-Pallo (8-Ball), Aku Louhimies, Finland
Djúpið (The Deep), Baltasar Kormákur, Iceland
Faro, Fredrik Edfeldt, Sweden
Før snøen faller (Before Snowfall), Hisham Zaman, Norway
Kapringen (A Hijacking), Tobias Lindholm, Denmark
Nordvest (Northwest), Michael Noer, Denmark
Som du ser meg (I Belong), Dag Johan Haugerud, Norway
Uskyld (All that matters is past), Sara Johnsen, Norway

The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award

36, Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit, Thailand
Carne de Perro (Dog Flesh), Fernando Guzzoni, Chile, Germany and France
Crawl, Hervé Lasgouttes, France
Gözetleme Kulesi (Watchtower), Pelin Esmer, Turkey
It Felt Like Love, Eliza Hittman, USA
Lemale et ha'halal (Fill the Void), Rama Burshtein, Israel
Wadjda, Haifaa al-Mansour, Saudi Arabia and Germany
Zwei Leben (Two Lives), Georg Maas, Germany and Norway

To watch trailers for the above and more movies go here. This year the fest is larger than ever as the program includes almost 500 films from 84 countries and to check films in the many sections please go here.

Last night the guild had their award ceremony and to be honest was not much entertaining and waiting for top film awards was impossible for me as went to sleep like a baby while the television awards were given. Still today was able to watch videos of the awards I missed.

The show opened with film supporting roles with the first award going to Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln which was very unexpected and now opens Oscar supporting actor race even more plus makes guessing winner harder. Many were already speculating that Lincoln was the top contender to win Oscar Best Picture but with tonight's results is obvious that Argo is still a top contender; for me race is still between Argo and Lincoln.

Believe that with this win Daniel Day-Lewis secured his third Oscar which probably will be a record for the stats book. It is a safe bet to say that Anne Hathaway will win an Oscar in the supporting actress category and still believe that Best Actress race is open with Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain competing for the award.

Can't help but to comment that in the television categories there were some surprises, like great Downton Abbey beating Homeland and Bryan Cranston beating Damian Lewis, so if you wish to check winners go here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

12/12/12
The first industry group to announce their nominations will give us an idea of how close or far away critics' are from those that actually vote for the Academy Awards and represent the largest group in all guilds, so their vote matters.

Award ceremony will be on Sunday, January 27, 2013 and will be simulcast live from Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Centre on TNT and TBS starting at 8pm EST.

These are the nominees announced by Busy Philipps and Taye Diggs a few minutes ago.

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
*Argo (Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, Kerry Biche, Kyle Chandler, Rory Cochrane, Bryan Cranston, Christopher Denham, Tate Donovan, Clea Duvall, Victor Garber, John Goodman, Scoot McNairy, Chris Messina)
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Judi dench, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Ronald Pickup, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Penelope Wilton)
Les Misérables (Isabelle Allen, Samantha Barks, Sacha Baron Cohen, Helena Bonham Carter, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Huttlestone, Hugh Jackman, Eddie Redmayne, Amanda Seyfried, Aaron Tveit, Colm Wilkinson)
Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones, James Spader, David Strathairn)
Silver Linings Playbook (Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Anupam Kher, Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Tucker, Jacki Weaver)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone
*Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
Naomi Watts in The Impossible

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Sally Field in Lincoln
*Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy
Maggie Smith in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
*Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
John Hawkes in The Sessions
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Denzel Washington in Flight

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin in Argo
Javier Bardem in Skyfall
Robert De Niro in Silver Linnings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
*Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Bourne Legacy
The Dark Knight Rises
Les Misérables
*Skyfall

Have to comment that TV nominations were extremely predictable and repetitive from last year, can even predict some winners this moment; but check them anyway right now in the press release as later all nominations will be in the Awards tab.

Now I'm almost certain that Marion Cotillard will get an Oscar nomination again and in my opinion she truly deserves the honor as she was outstanding in Rust and Bone. Do not know if Emmanuelle Riva was eligible (meaning if she's a SAG member) but definitively she is a strong contender for Oscar Best Actress.

Most surprising are Nicole Kidman's two nominations (Paperboy and TV Hemingway & Gellhorn) and definitively this year belongs to Maggie Smith with a whooping four (4) nominations (2 for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and 2 for Downton Abbey).

Cast category has movies that already have strong Oscar buzz with the exception of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel; most surprising is Zero Dark Thirty cast not being in this category but will find out the reason why.

There are no surprises in both Male actors categories (was expecting Bardem to get a nod), even if they snubbed Joaquin Phoenix and Robert De Niro got a slot. For those questioning why Beasts of the Southern Wild has no nominations I remind you that film had non-actors and was not eligible.

In general critics and this guild are not that far from each other as films plus actors with more buzz and critics' honors are alike, almost the same.

Last night the Sundance Institute announced the award winners in a ceremony hosted by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and the following is what the director of the fest, John Cooper, commented:

"The films at our Festival this year truly reflect the unbridled passion, immense talent and diverse stories coming from the independent filmmaking community. I am confident that the awards presented this evening will fuel those films with special promise and that audiences will continue to champion the films they have discovered here.”

These are the winners.

U.S. Competition

Dramatic
Grand Jury Award: Frutivale, Tom Rothman
Directing Award: Jill Soloway for Afternoon Delight
Screenwriting Award: Lake Bell for In a World..., Lake Bell
Cinematography Award: Bradford Young for Ain't Them Bodies Saints and Mother of George
Special Jury Award for Acting: Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley in The Spectacular Now, James Ponsoldt
Special Jury Award for Sound Design: Shane Carruth and Johnny Marshall for Upstream Color, Shane Carruth

Documentary
Grand Jury Award: Blood Brother, Steve Hoover
Directing Award: Zachary Heinzerling for Cutie and the Boxer
Editing Award: Matthew Hamacheck for Gideon's Army, Dawn Porter
Cinematography Award: Richard Rowley for Dirty Wars, Richard Rowley
Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking: Inequality for All, Jacob Kronbluth
Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking: American Promise, Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson

World Cinema Competition

Dramatic
Grand Jury Award: 지슬 Jiseul, Muel O, South Korea
Directing Award: Sebastián Silva for Crystal Fairy, Chile and USA
Screenwriting Award: Barmak Akram for Wajma (An Afghan Love Story), Barmak Akram, Afghanistan
Cinematography Award: Nieulotne (Lasting), Jacek Borcuch, Poland and Spain
Special Jury Award: Krugovi (Circles), Srdan Golubović, Serbia, Germany, France, Croatia and Slovenia

Documentary
Grand Jury Award: ក្បង់ទឹកទន្លេ A River Changes Course, Kayanee Mam, Cambodia and USA
Directing Award: Tinatin Gurchiani for Manqana, romelic kvelafers gaaqrobs (The Machine Which Makes Everything Disappear), Georgia and Germany
Editing Award: The Summit, Nick Ryan, Ireland and UK
Cinematography Award: Who is Dayani Cristal?, Marc Silver, UK
Special Jury Award for Punk Spirit: Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer, Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin, Russia and UK

Short Film Competition
Grand Jury Prize: The Whistle, Grzegorz Zariczny, Poland
U.S. Fiction Jury Award: Whiplash, Damien Chazelle, USA
U.S. Non-Fiction Jury Award: Skinningrove, Michael Almereyda
International Fiction Award: The Date, Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland
Animation Jury Award: Irish Folk Furniture, Tony Donoghue, Ireland
Special Jury Award for Acting: Joel Nagle in Palimpsest, Michael Tyburski, USA
Special Jury Award: Until the Quiet Comes, Kahlil Joseph, USA

Audience Awards
US Dramatic: Frutivale, Tom Rothman
US Documentary: Blood Brother, Steve Hoover
World Cinema Dramatic: Metro Manila, Sean Ellis, UK and Philippines
World Cinema Documentary: Al Midan (The Square), Jehane Noujaim, Egypt and USA
Best of NEXT <=>: This is Martin Booner, Chad Hartigan, USA
Short Film: Catnip: Egress to Oblivion?, Jason Willis, USA

Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize: Computer Chess, Andrew Bujalski, USA

To learn other special awards check press release. What somehow surprises me is the many female filmmakers present in different competitions and the very low percentage of them that got an award. In the US Dramatic competition only 2 female directors won awards, one for directing and another for screenwriting. Do not know what this fact really means but just hope that these female directors were not chosen because their gender or to fulfill a festival "quota" as IF their work was NOT award-quality then should not be in competition. Sigh.

Post has become Final. As we know this year Oscar nominations behaved a bit different to what critics honored, especially in the Best Director category, so wonder if whoever got more critics' honors will win something in Oscar.

Nevertheless, in theory based on the tally, we can assume that Oscar Best Picture race could be between Argo and Zero Dark Thirty, but know our assumption will be wrong as ZD30 got so much negative buzz that there is no race between them and Argo will prevail above Kathryn Bigelow's movie. After seeing all nominated movies my best guess is that the race will be between Argo and Lincoln.

Perhaps the category were critics' and Academy members will agree is Best Actor as Daniel Day-Lewis is the big favorite to win Oscar by far. Still wonder how ZD30 negative buzz will influence Academy members but critics' tally suggests that Best Actress race will be between Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence.

As commented every year critics' are NOT Academy members and main difference could be the average age which makes them differ often. This year seems that again what critics praise will not be similar to what AMPAS could/will honor. Sigh.

Still, I am one that this year agree more with critics than with AMPAS nominations, as believe that Affleck and Bigelow should have gotten a nod as their work deserves recognition.

12/8
As every year this post will begin today when we have the first non-major film critics' group announcing their winners; remember that will be a work in progress until the last group of critics do their announcement around the second week of next January. Most groups are American but also you will find in one post info from some groups in Canada, Ireland and UK.

As last year, will publish the link to read all winners and will list winners in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and new this year, Best Documentary.

But, before the list and to have ALL in one post, first is the summary for the major film critics' groups.

Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Winners: Post
Best Film: Amour, Michael Haneke
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Best Actress: (tie) Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: The Gate Keepers

Critics' Choice Movie Awards
Winners: Post
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

International Press Academy
Winners: Post
Best Film: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Documentary: Chasing Ice

National Board of Review
Winners: Post
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugarman

New York Film Critics Circle
Winners: Post
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Central Park Five

The List

African-American Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Emayatzy Corinealdi in Middle of Nowhere
Best Actor: Denzel Washington in Flight
Best Documentary: (tie) The House I Live In and Versailles '73

Alliance of Women Film Journalists (EDA Awards)
Nominees: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

Austin Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: The Imposter

Black Film Critics Circle
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Central Park Five

Boston Society of Film Critics
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: How To Survive a Plague

Boston Online Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: How To Survive a Plague

Central Ohio Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Moonrise Kingdom
Best Director: Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: How to Survive a Plague

Chicago Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor:Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Invisible War

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: Lincoln
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis In Lincoln
Best Documentary: Seaching for Sugarman

Denver Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Detroit Film Critics Society
Nominations: News
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Silver Linings Playbook
Best Director: David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Dublin Film Critics Circle (*NOT added to tally)
Winners: News
Best Film: The Artist
Best Director: Michael Haneke for Amour
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present

Florida Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck in Argo
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Queen of Versailles

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Dorian Awards)
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Not Awarded
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: How to Survive a Plague

The Guardian UK Top 10 films
Article with opportunity for audience vote: Official Site
Number 1 Film: The Master

The Houston Film Critics Society
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor:Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Imposter

Indiana Film Journalist Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Safety Not Guaranteed
Best Director: Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: (tie) Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook and Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

Indiewire Annual Critics Survey (204 Critics)
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Holy Motors
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty
Best Performance: Denis Lavant in Holy Motors
Best Documentary: In film nist (This is Not a Film)

Iowa Film Critics Association
Winners: News
Best Film: Lincoln
Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

Kansas City Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: The Master
Best Director: Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Imposter

Las Vegas Film Critics Society
Winners: News
Best Film: Life of Pi
Best Director: Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Bully

National Society of Film Critics
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Amour
Best Director: Michael Haneke for Amour
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Gatekeepers

Nevada Film Critics Society
Winners: Offficial Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: (tie) Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty and Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: (tie) Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook and Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Best Actor: John Hawkes in The Sessions
Best Documentary: Not awarded.

New York Film Critics Online
Winners: Official Site or Board
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor:  Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Central Park Five

North Texas Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Lincoln
Best Director: Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Bully

Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
Winners: News
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty.
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

Online Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: In film nist (This is Not a Film)

Phoenix Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor:Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

St. Louis Film Critics
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

San Diego Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Invisible War

San Francisco Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: The Master
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress:Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: The Waiting Room

Sight&Sound Film Magazine (90 international critics poll)
Article with Top 11 Films of 2012: Official Site
Number 1 Film: The Master

Southeastern Film Critics Association
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: Argo
Best Director: Ben Affleck for Argo
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: The Queen of Versailles

Toronto Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: The Master
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Best Actress: Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea
Best Actor:Denis Lavant in Holy Motors
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

Utah Film Critics Association
Winners: News
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom
Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: Indie Game: The Movie

Vancouver Film Critics Circle
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man

The Washington DC Area Film Critics
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Best Documentary: Bully

Women Film Critics Circle (*NOT added to Tally)
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film by a Woman: Zero Dark Thirty by Kathryn Bigelow
Best Actress: Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables
Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln

As we know there are a few exceptions that will get their own post. For reference this is the link to what critics honored last year, which the Best Film winner among them was none other than The Artist that went to win an Oscar.

Please remember that links usually work for a limited time, meaning that if you wish to look for nominations/winners from last year you probably will have to browse site to find them and some sites simply delete previous years.

*Some groups are added for information but due to specialization or including last year movies, will NOT be added to tally.

Tally

The following is a summary with the winners in the five main categories. Tally will be updated from now on when a new group makes their announcement.

Best Film
13 - Zero Dark Thirty (NBR, NYFCC, AAFC, BSFC, BOFCA, NYFCO, WDCAFC, CFCA, AFCA, UFCA, BFCC, EDA, VFCC)
12 - Argo (SDFCS, SLFCA, SEFCA, PFCS, FFCC, OFCC, NFCS, HFCS, OFCS, DFCS, CCMA)
5 - The Master (TGUK, KCFCC, SFCC, S&SFM, TFCA, GALECA)
3 - Lincoln (DFWFCA, NTFCA, IFCA)
2 - Amour (LAFCA, NSFC)
2 - Silver Linings Playbook (IPA, DFCS)
1 - Holy Motors (IW)
1 - Life of Pi (LVFCS)
1 - Moonrise Kingdom (COFCA
1 - Safety Not Guaranteed (IFJA)

Best Director
15 - Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty (NBR, NYFCC, BSFC, BOFCA, NYFCO, SFFCC, WDCAFC, CFCA, DFWFCA, PFCS, IW, BFCC, NFCS, EDA, VFCC)
10 - Ben Affleck for Argo (AAFCA, SDFCS, SLFCA, SEFCA, FFCC, OFCC, NFCS, HFCS, DFCS, CCMA)
4 - Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master (LAFCA, TFCA, AFCA, OFCS)
2 - Wes Anderson for Moonrise Kingdom (UFCA, COFCA)
2 - Ang Lee for Life of Pi (KCFCC, LVFCS)
2 - David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook (IPA, DFCS)
2 - Steven Spielberg for Lincoln (NFTCA, IFCA)
1 - Michael Haneke for Amour (NSFC)
1 - Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained (IFJA)

Best Actress
16 - Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty (NBR, BOFCA, WDCAFC, IFJA, CFCA, SLFCA, DFWFCA, PFCS, FFCC, BFCC, OFCC, OFCS, EDA, VFCC, IFCA, CCMA)
13 - Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook (LAFCA, IPA, DFCS, KCFCC, LVFCS, SEFCA, AFCA, UFCA, NFCS, HFCS, NTFCA, COFCA, DFCS)
5 - Emmanuel Riva in Amour (LAFCA, BSFC, NYFCO, SFFCC, NSFC)
2 - Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea (NYFCC, TFCA)
1 - Emayatzy Corinealdi in Middle of Nowhere (AAFCA)
1 - Michelle Williams in Take This Waltz (SDFCS)
1 - Helen Hunt in The Sessions (NFCS)
1 - Anne Hathaway in Les Miserables (GALECA)

Best Actor
28 - Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln (NYFCC, BSFC, BOFCA, DFCS, KCFCC, LVFCS, NYFCO, SDFCS, WDCAFC, IFJA, CFCA, SLFCA, SEFCA, DFWFCA, PFCS, FFCC, BFCC, OFCC, NSFC, HFCS, OFCS, NTFCA, EDA, COFCA, IFCA, DFCS, CCMA, GALECA)
5 - Joaquin Phoenix in The Master (LAFCA, SFFCC, AFCA, UFCA, VFCC)
3 - Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook (IPA, NBR, IFJA)
2 - Denis Lavant in Holy Motors (TFCA, IW)
1 - Denzel Washington in Flight (AAFCA)
1 - John Hawkes in The Sessions (NFCS)

Best Documentary
9 - Searching for Sugarman (NBR, IFJA, SLFCA, DFWFCA, PFCS, OFCC, EDA, VFCC, CCMA)
4 - How to Survive a Plague (BSFC, BOFCA, COFCA, GALECA)
3 - Bully (LVFCS, WDCAFC, NTFCA)
3 - The Central Park Five (NYFCC, NYFCO, BFCC)
3 - The Imposter (KCFCC, AFCA, HFCS)
2 - The Gatekeepers (LAFCA, NSFC)
2 - In film nist (This is Not a Film) (IW, OFCS)
2 - The Invisible War (SDFCS, CFCA)
2 - Jiro Dreams of Sushi (DFCS, DFCS-Denver)
2 - The Queen of Versailles (SEFCA, FFCC)
1 - Chasing Ice (IPA)
1 - The House I Live In (AAFCA)
1 - Indie Game: The Movie (UFCA)
1 - Stories We Tell (TFCA)
1 - Versailles '73 (AAFCA)
1 - The Waiting Room (SFFCC)

As we can see Best Actor category is the less dispersed while Best Documentary is the most dispersed; as of today (12/17) Best Director is the category that lists the most probable five Oscar nominees; oops! Indiana ruined the category but Quentin is always welcome.

Last night the guild had their award ceremony and from Twitter winners are in *BLUE. Winners are not yet at official site, but soon they will be; use link at bottom of post to check television categories.

These awards usually predict possible Oscar winners, so in theory Argo has good chances to win Best Picture but since nominations brought us so many unpleasant surprises, I do not dare to guess if Academy members will replicate what happened here. Still, I am hoping that the best documentary that I have seen "ever", Searching for Sugar Man, gets the Oscar as truly deserves it.

1/13/13

The Producers Guild of America (PGA) announced late yesterday the motion picture and long-form television nominations which complement the documentary film and other television categories previously announced. Now the over 5,000 members will have to vote to define winners in each category.

All 2013 Producers Guild Award winners will be announced on January 26th at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. This year, the Producers Guild will also present special honors to Bob and Harvey Weinstein (Milestone Award), Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures), J.J. Abrams (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television), Russell Simmons (Visionary Award) and Bully (Stanley Kramer Award).

These are the nominations for Theatrical Motion Pictures, including documentary.

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

*Ben Affleck, George Clooney and Grant Heslov for Argo (Warner Bros.)
Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey and Josh Penn for Beasts of the Southern Wild (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Reginald Hudlin, Pilar Savone and Stacey Sher for Django Unchained (The Weinstein Company)
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh for Les Misérables (Universal Pictures)
Ang Lee, Gil Netter and David Womark for Life of Pi (Fox 2000 Pictures)
Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg for Lincoln (Touchstone Pictures)
Wes Anderson, Scott Rudin, Jeremy Dawson and Steven Rales for Moonrise Kingdom (Focus Features)
Bruce Cohen, Donna Gigliotti and Jonathan Gordon for Silver Linings Playbook (The Weinstein Company)
Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson Skyfall (MGM/Columbia Pictures)
Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal and Megan Ellison for Zero Dark Thirty (Columbia Pictures)

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Katherine Sarafian for Brave (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Allison Abbate and Tim Burton for Frankenweenie (Walt Disney Pictures)
*Travis Knight and Arianne Sutner for ParaNorman (Focus Features)
Nancy Bernstein and Christina Steinberg for Rise of the Guardians (Paramount Pictures)
Clark Spencer for Wreck-It Ralph (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

Marc Swenker and Aaron Yeger for A People Uncounted (Urbinder Films)
Estelle Fialon, Philippa Kowarsky and Dror Moreh for The Gatekeepers (Sony Pictures Classics)
Richard Berge and Bonni Cohen for The Island President (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
Marius Markevicius and Jon Weinbach for The Other Dream Team (The Film Arcade)
*Malik Bendjelloul and Simon Chinn for Searching For Sugar Man (Sony Pictures Classics)

To check nominations in television categories go here.  As we know these awards gives us an idea of the possible Oscar nominations for the Best Film category; most films have already buzz and maybe the huge surprise is the absence of The Master, however we know that film got great critics reviews but after started to lag in current award season. Now we have the best guess for the Best Film Oscar category IF 10 films get nominated, but if you check last year nods you will notice that NOT all PGA's honored films went to get an Oscar nod.

On January 21st the Swedish Film Institute held the gala ceremony for the 48th Annual Guldbaggen filmpris and Gabriela Pichler's Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die) was the big winner as came with five nominations and won four. Winners are in *BLUE.

1/13/13
The Swedish Film Institute announced today the nominations for the 18 categories that will be honored this year (7 are new) and Mikael Marcimain's Call Girl leads with 11 nominations followed by Jan Troell's Dom över död man (The Last Sentence) with 6 nods and Malik Bendjelloul's Searching for Sugar Man with 5 nominations.

Awarded annually since 1964, the Guldbagge, or Golden Beetle, is the Swedish Film Institute's award for achievements in film from the previous year. The beetle-shaped award was designed by Swedish sculptor Karl Axel Pehrson. Award ceremony will include the Gullspira (for extraordinary contribution in films for children plus the Audience Award and will be on January 21, 8pm, at Cirkus in Stockholm; hope that will be streamed live as they did last year but for those living in Sweden Swedish Television (SVT) will be broadcasting the event live.

The nominations.

Best Film
*Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die) by Gabriela Pichler
Call Girl by Mikael Marcimain
Searching for Sugar Man by Malik Bendjelloul

Best Director
Mikael Marcimain for Call Girl
*Gabriela Pichler for Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die)
Jan Troell for Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)

Best Actress
Pernilla August in Call Girl
*Nermina Lukač in Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die)
Linda Molin in Bitchkram (Bitch Hug)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Léonore Ekstrand in Avalon
Yohanna Idha in Katinkas Kalas (Certain People)
*Ulla Skoog in Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)

Best Actor
*Johannes Brost in Avalon
Bengt C.W. Carlsson in Lycka till och ta hand om varandra (Good Luck. And Take Care of Each Other)
Matias Varela in Snabba cash II (Easy Money II)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
*Peter Carlberg in Avalon
Milan Dragišić in Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die)
Fares Fares in Snabba cash II (Easy Money II)

Best Screenplay
*Malik Bendjelloul for Searching for Sugar Man
Marietta von Hausswolff von Baumgarten for Call Girl
Gabriela Pichler for Äta sova dö (Eat Sleep Die)

Best Cinematography
*Hoyte van Hoytema for Call Girl
Måns Månsson for Avalon
Jan Troell and Mischa Gavjusjov for Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)

Best Editing
*Andreas Jonsson, Hanna Lejonqvist and Niels Pagh Andersen for Palme
Kristofer Nordin for Call Girl
Malik Bendjelloul for editing Searching for Sugar Man

Best Costume Design
*Cilla Rörby for Call Girl
Katja Watkins for Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)
Jaana Fomin for Mammas pojkar (Metal Brothers)

Best Sound
Jonas Jansson for Snabba cash II (Easy Money II)
*Petter Fladeby and Per Nyström for Call Girl
Malik Bendjelloul and Per Nyström for Searching for Sugar Man

Best Make-up/Hair
Eros Codinas for Call Girl
*Jenny Fred for Snabba cash II (Easy Money II)
Maria Strid Zackrisson for Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)

Best Music
*Benny Andersson for Palme
Malik Bendjelloul and Sixto Rodriguez for Searching for Sugar Man
Johan Söderqvist and Andreas Unge for El Médico: The Cubaton Story

Best Production Design
*Lina Nordqvist for Call Girl
Sandra Lindgren for Bitchkram (Bitch Hug)
Pernilla Olsson for Dom över död man (The Last Sentence)

Best Visual Effects
Tim Morris for Call Girl
Torbjörn Olsson for Hamilton – I nationens intresse (Agent Hamilton - In the Interest of the Nation)
*Andreas Hylander for Isdraken (The Ice Dragon)

Best Foreign Language Film
*Amour, Michael Haneke
Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan
Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson

Best Documentary
Palme, Kristina Lindström and Maud Nycander
Pojktanten (She Male Snails), Ester Martin Bergsmark
*Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul

Best Short Film
*Dance Music Now, Johan Jonason
Fotografen (The Photographer), Vanja Sandell Billström
Gläntan (The Clearing), Peter Grönlund

I'm so glad that Searching for Sugar Man is being honored as is the best EVER documentary I have seen up to date and definitively is better than many feature films (non-documentary) I have seen in recent years. The honors include a nomination in Best Documentary but also as Best Film, both are highly well-deserved as well as the other four nominations it got (editing, music, script and sound).

But Malik Bendejelloul debut film has strong competition in the Best Film category from great Jan Troell with his period drama and most of all from also first timer Mikael Marcimain (have done mainly TV movies/series/miniseries) with his fictional recount of a real-life Swedish political scandal known as Bordellhärvan which linked underage prostitution with powerful customers believed to come from the highest levels of society.

If you wish to check info plus watch trailers check the new Guldbaggen website here and to read the official press release go here.

On January 20, the critics' group had their award ceremony and Michael Haneke's Amour was triumphant as won three awards including the top honor, film of the year as well as Actress and Screenplay. To read the full press release go here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

12/18/12
A few minutes ago the British group announced their nominations that seem somehow to follow the trend of what we have seen from across the pond. But it's official, this is the best list of films, filmmakers and actors I have seen up to this moment; there may be a few exceptions, but in general this is a fantastic list with many extraordinary films and master directors. Absolutely agree with the following excerpt from the official announcement.

In all categories, the films are of outstanding quality this year, indicating how the London critics view all films from around the world on a level footing - brilliance is the only benchmark. Choosing winners will be harder than ever, but never will they have been more deserving.

Michael Haneke's Amour and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master lead the nominations with seven (7) nods each. And just take a look at the honored directors, especially the their category -all right miss Jacques Audiard- nevertheless is a great list of five. Most interesting is to see the actresses that are honored with a nomination as list can't be better as includes Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Helen Hunt, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Emmanuelle Riva, Anne Hathaway, and more. Also remarkable is that they didn't forgot to honor Mads Mikkelsen.

This edition their highest honor, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film goes to Helena Bonham Carter. Award ceremony will take place on January 20, 2013 at May Fair Hotel; worth mention is that this group characterizes for tying their annual event to charity and this year their charity partner is Missing People, a 24/7 lifeline when someone disappears.

The nominations in full.

Film of the Year
*Amour
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Life Of Pi
The Master

British Film of the Year
*Berberian Sound Studio
The Imposter
Les Miserables
Sightseers
Skyfall

Foreign Language Film of the Year
Amour
Holy Motors
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
*Rust and Bone
Tabu

Director of the Year
Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
Michael Haneke for Amour
*Ang Lee for Life Of Pi

Actress of the Year
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
*Emmanuelle Riva in Amour

Supporting Actress of the Year
Amy Adams in The Master
Judi Dench in Skyfall
Sally Field in Lincoln
*Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Isabelle Huppert in Amour

Actor of the Year
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt
*Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour

Supporting Actor of the Year
Alan Arkin in Argo
Javier Bardem in Skyfall
Michael Fassbender in Prometheus
*Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln

Screenwriter of the Year
Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty
*Michael Haneke for Amour
Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Chris Terrio for Argo

British Actress of the Year
Emily Blunt in Looper and Your Sister's Sister
Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Alice Lowe in Sightseers
Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
*Andrea Riseborough in Shadow Dancer

British Actor of the Year
Daniel Craig in Skyfall
Charlie Creed-Miles in Wild Bill
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
*Toby Jones in Berberian Sound Studio
Steve Oram in Sightseers

Young British Performer of the Year
Samantha Barks in Les Misérables
Fady Elsayed in My Brother The Devil
*Tom Holland in The Impossible
Will Poulter in Wild Bill
Jack Reynor in What Richard Did

Breakthrough British Film-Maker
Ben Drew, writer/director of Ill Manors
Sally El Hosaini, writer/director of My Brother The Devil
Dexter Fletcher, co-writer/director of Wild Bill
Bart Layton, writer/director of The Imposter
*Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, writers of Sightseers

Documentary of the Year
*The Imposter
London: The Modern Babylon
Nostalgia For The Light
Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man

Technical Achievement Award
Jaqueline Duran for costumes in Anna Karerina
William Goldenberg for film editing in Argo
Ben Richardson for cinematography in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Joakim Sundstrom and Stevie Haywood for sound design in Berberian Sound Studio
Bernard Floch for makeup in Holy Motors
Claudio Miranda for cinematography in Life of Pi
*Bill Westenhofer for visual effects in Life of Pi
Jack Fisk and David Crank for production design in The Master
David Raedeker for cinematography in My Brother the Devil
Alexandre Desplat for music in Rust and Bone

Have to close by commenting that even the technical nominees are especially remarkable for the movies they are honoring but most important the tech areas they point-out in each movie. Great.

List is suggesting me that, in current award season, maybe BAFTA could be a lot more interesting than Oscar.

On January 18 the foreign press based in Paris had their award ceremony and winners are in *BLUE.

It's unfortunate that the group has not updated their official site, so even this late the award winners are not posted but if you wish to check the news go here, available only in French.

12/20/12
Yesterday l’Académie des Lumières announced the nominations for the current edition and to remind you, this award is given by the foreign press based in Paris to honor French and Francophone films.

De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone) by Jacques Audiard and Camille Redouble by Noémie Lvovsky lead with five (5) nominations each, closely followed by Michael Haneke's Amour and Leos Carax's Holy Motors with four (4) each. Each category has almost the same nominees that I could think of and only wish good luck to Academy members when voting as know will be a hard decision to choose between so many great movies and performances.

Awards ceremony will be on January 18 and hope soon we get details as in previous years ceremony has been streamed live. Nominations plus news are not posted yet at official site, but will be checking to update accordingly.

These are the nominations.

Best Film
*Amour (Love), Michael Haneke
De rouille et d’os (Rust and Bone), Jacques Audiard
Camille redouble (Camille Rewinds), Noémie Lvovsky
Holy Motors, Leos Carax
Les Adieux à la reine (Farewell, My Queen), Benoît Jacquot

Best Foreign Film in French
A perdre la raison (Our Children), Joachim Lafosse
Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan
*La pirogue (The Pirogue), Moussa Touré
L’enfant d’en haut (Sister), Ursula Meier
Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau

Best Director
*Jacques Audiard for De rouille et d’os
Leos Carax for Holy Motors
Michael Hanekef or Amour
Noémie Lvovsky for Camille redouble
Cyril Mennegun for Louise Wimmer

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard in De rouille et d’os
Catherine Frot in Les saveurs du palais (Haute Cuisine), Christian Vincent
Noémie Lvovsky in Camille redouble
Corinne Masiero in Louise Wimmer
*Emmanuelle Riva in Amour

Best Actor
Guillaume Canet in Une vie meilleure (A Better Life), Cédric Kahn
Denis Lavant in Holy Motors
Jérémie Renier in Cloclo (My Way), Florent Emilio Siri
Mathias Schoenaerts in De rouille et d’os
*Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour

Best Female Newcomer
Agathe Bonitzer in Une bouteille à la mer, Thierry Binisti
*Judith Chemla, Julia Faure and India Hair in Camille redouble
Izia Higelin in Mauvaise fille, Patrick Mille
Sofiia Manousha in Le noir (te) vous va si bien, Jacques Bral
Soko in Augustine, Winocour

Best Male Newcomer
Clément Métayer in Après mai (Something in the Air), Olivier Assayas
Stéphane Soo Mongo in Rengaine (Hold Back) Rachid Djaïdani
Pierre Niney in Comme des frères, Hugo Gélin
Mahmoud Shalaby in Une bouteille à la mer, Thierry Binisti
*Ernst Umhauer in Dans la maison (In the House), François Ozon

Best Screenplay
*Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain for De rouille et d’os
Leos Carax for Holy Motors
Benoît Jacquot, Gilles Taurand for Les Adieux à la Reine
Noémie Lvovsky, Maud Ameline, Pierre-Olivier Mattei and Florence Seyvos for Camille redouble
Valérie Zenatti and Thierry Binisti for Une bouteille à la mer

The list is the best I have seen in current award season because it doesn't have the infamous movie that France sent to Oscar. The reason: was in last year list!!! But won nothing more than Best Actor for Omar Sy; then The Artist got the top awards.

To update post winners are in *BLUE.

The awards ceremony was very entertaining with several very funny moments but for me the limelight was stolen by Jodie Foster. Great!

12/13/12
This morning the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced current year nominees and Lincoln leads with seven nominations followed by Argo and Django Unchained with 5 nods each.

Golden Globe winner Tina Fey (30 Rock) and Golden Globe nominee Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) will host the 70th Annual Golden Globe Awards, to be held January 13 at 5pm PST at the International Ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Again NBC will do the live broadcast.


Best Motion Picture - Drama
*Argo
Django Unchained
Life of Pi
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty

Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
*Les Misérables
Moonrise Kingdom
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Silver Linings Playbook

Best Animated Feature Film
*Brave
Frankenweenie
Hotel Transylvania
Rise of the Guardians
Wreck-It Ralph

Best Foreign Language Film
*Amour
A Royal Affair
The Intouchables
Kon-Tiki
Rust and Bone

Best Director
*Ben Affleck for Argo
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg for Lincoln
Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
*Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone
Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
Naomi Watts in The Impossible
Rachel Weisz in The Deep Blue Sea

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Emily Blunt in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
*Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Maggie Smith in Quartet
Meryl Streep in Hope Springs

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams in The Master
Sally Field in Lincoln
*Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Nicole Kidman in The Paperboy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
*Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Richard Gere in Arbitrage
John Hawkes in The Sessions
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical
Jack Black in Bernie
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
*Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Ewan McGregor in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Bill Murray in Hyde Park on Hudson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Alan Arkin in Argo
Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln
*Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained

Best Screenplay
Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty
Tony Kushner for Lincoln
David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook
*Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Chris Terrio for Argo

Best Original Score
*Michel Dana for Life of Pi
Alexandre Desplat for Argo
Dario Marianelli for Anna Karenina
Tom Tyker, Johnny Klimek and Reinhold Heil for Cloud Atlas
John Williams for Lincoln

Best Original Song
For You in Act of Valor, Music and Lyrics by Monty Powell and Keith Urban
Not Running Anymore in Stand Up Guys, Music and Lyrics by Jon Bon Jovi
Safe and Sound in The Hunger Games, 
Music and Lyrics by Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams, T Bone Burnett
*Skyfall in Skyfall, Music and Lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth
Suddenly in Les Misérables, Music by Claude-Michel Schonberg
. Lyrics by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg.

To read TV categories nominations and winners go official site. The Master and Beasts of the Southern Wild are perhaps the most notable snubs in any film category (actors got nods for the first); but also ignoring Javier Bardem was a big surprise. Most notorious is that had NO idea that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was a comedy (lol); but these nominations, for a huge change, doesn't seem as "ridiculous" as have been in past editions as honored films are movies that already have strong Oscar buzz.

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