The Academy Awards

[GeneChing]

And the nominees are…

THE 93RD ACADEMY AWARDS | 2021
Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center
Sunday, April 25, 2021
Honoring movies released in 2020

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
RIZ AHMED
Sound of Metal
CHADWICK BOSEMAN
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
ANTHONY HOPKINS
The Father
GARY OLDMAN
Mank
STEVEN YEUN
Minari

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
SACHA BARON COHEN
The Trial of the Chicago 7
DANIEL KALUUYA
Judas and the Black Messiah
LESLIE ODOM, JR.
One Night in Miami…
PAUL RACI
Sound of Metal
LAKEITH STANFIELD
Judas and the Black Messiah

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
VIOLA DAVIS
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
ANDRA DAY
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
VANESSA KIRBY
Pieces of a Woman
FRANCES MCDORMAND
Nomadland
CAREY MULLIGAN
Promising Young Woman

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
MARIA BAKALOVA
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
GLENN CLOSE
Hillbilly Elegy
OLIVIA COLMAN
The Father
AMANDA SEYFRIED
Mank
YUH-JUNG YOUN
Minari

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
ONWARD
Dan Scanlon and Kori Rae
OVER THE MOON
Glen Keane, Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou
A SHAUN THE SHEEP MOVIE: FARMAGEDDON
Richard Phelan, Will Becher and Paul Kewley
SOUL
Pete Docter and Dana Murray
WOLFWALKERS
Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young and Stéphan Roelants

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Sean Bobbitt
MANK
Erik Messerschmidt
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Dariusz Wolski
NOMADLAND
Joshua James Richards
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Phedon Papamichael

COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
EMMA
Alexandra Byrne
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Ann Roth
MANK
Trish Summerville
MULAN
Bina Daigeler
PINOCCHIO
Massimo Cantini Parrini

DIRECTING
NOMINEES
ANOTHER ROUND
Thomas Vinterberg
MANK
David Fincher
MINARI
Lee Isaac Chung
NOMADLAND
Chloé Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Emerald Fennell

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
NOMINEES
COLLECTIVE
Alexander Nanau and Bianca Oana
CRIP CAMP
Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder
THE MOLE AGENT
Maite Alberdi and Marcela Santibáñez
MY OCTOPUS TEACHER
Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed and Craig Foster
TIME
Garrett Bradley, Lauren Domino and Kellen Quinn

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
NOMINEES
COLETTE
Anthony Giacchino and Alice Doyard
A CONCERTO IS A CONVERSATION
Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
DO NOT SPLIT
Anders Hammer and Charlotte Cook
HUNGER WARD
Skye Fitzgerald and Michael Scheuerman
A LOVE SONG FOR LATASHA
Sophia Nahli Allison and Janice Duncan

FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
THE FATHER
Yorgos Lamprinos
NOMADLAND
Chloé Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Frédéric Thoraval
SOUND OF METAL
Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Alan Baumgarten

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
ANOTHER ROUND
Denmark
BETTER DAYS
Hong Kong
COLLECTIVE
Romania
THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN
Tunisia
QUO VADIS, AIDA?
Bosnia and Herzegovina

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES
EMMA
Marese Langan, Laura Allen and Claudia Stolze
HILLBILLY ELEGY
Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle and Patricia Dehaney
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson
MANK
Gigi Williams, Kimberley Spiteri and Colleen LaBaff
PINOCCHIO
Mark Coulier, Dalia Colli and Francesco Pegoretti

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
NOMINEES
DA 5 BLOODS
Terence Blanchard
MANK
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
MINARI
Emile Mosseri
NEWS OF THE WORLD
James Newton Howard
SOUL
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
NOMINEES
FIGHT FOR YOU
from Judas and the Black Messiah; Music by H.E.R. and Dernst Emile II; Lyric by H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas
HEAR MY VOICE
from The Trial of the Chicago 7; Music by Daniel Pemberton; Lyric by Daniel Pemberton and Celeste Waite
HUSAVIK
from Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga; Music and Lyric by Savan Kotecha, Fat Max Gsus and Rickard Göransson
IO SÌ (SEEN)
from The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se); Music by Diane Warren; Lyric by Diane Warren and Laura Pausini
SPEAK NOW
from One Night in Miami…; Music and Lyric by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

BEST PICTURE
NOMINEES
THE FATHER
David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers
MANK
Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers
MINARI
Christina Oh, Producer
NOMADLAND
Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers
SOUND OF METAL
Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers

PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
THE FATHER
Production Design: Peter Francis; Set Decoration: Cathy Featherstone
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Production Design: Mark Ricker; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara and Diana Stoughton
MANK
Production Design: Donald Graham Burt; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Production Design: David Crank; Set Decoration: Elizabeth Keenan
TENET
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
NOMINEES
BURROW
Madeline Sharafian and Michael Capbarat
GENIUS LOCI
Adrien Mérigeau and Amaury Ovise
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU
Will McCormack and Michael Govier
OPERA
Erick Oh
YES-PEOPLE
Gísli Darri Halldórsson and Arnar Gunnarsson

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
NOMINEES
FEELING THROUGH
Doug Roland and Susan Ruzenski
THE LETTER ROOM
Elvira Lind and Sofia Sondervan
THE PRESENT
Farah Nabulsi
TWO DISTANT STRANGERS
Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe
WHITE EYE
Tomer Shushan and Shira Hochman

SOUND
NOMINEES
GREYHOUND
Warren Shaw, Michael Minkler, Beau Borders and David Wyman
MANK
Ren Klyce, Jeremy Molod, David Parker, Nathan Nance and Drew Kunin
NEWS OF THE WORLD
Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller and John Pritchett
SOUL
Ren Klyce, Coya Elliott and David Parker
SOUND OF METAL
Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES
LOVE AND MONSTERS
Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt and Brian Cox
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
Matthew Kasmir, Christopher Lawrence, Max Solomon and David Watkins
MULAN
Sean Faden, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury and Steve Ingram
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN
Nick Davis, Greg Fisher, Ben Jones and Santiago Colomo Martinez
TENET
Andrew Jackson, David Lee, Andrew Lockley and Scott Fisher

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM: DELIVERY OF PRODIGIOUS BRIBE TO AMERICAN REGIME FOR MAKE BENEFIT ONCE GLORIOUS NATION OF KAZAKHSTAN
Screenplay by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Peter Baynham & Erica Rivinoja & Dan Mazer & Jena Friedman & Lee Kern; Story by Sacha Baron Cohen & Anthony Hines & Dan Swimer & Nina Pedrad
THE FATHER
Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller
NOMADLAND
Written for the screen by Chloé Zhao
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI…
Screenplay by Kemp Powers
THE WHITE TIGER
Written for the screen by Ramin Bahrani

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Screenplay by Will Berson & Shaka King; Story by Will Berson & Shaka King and Kenny Lucas & Keith Lucas
MINARI
Written by Lee Isaac Chung
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Written by Emerald Fennell
SOUND OF METAL
Screenplay by Darius Marder & Abraham Marder; Story by Darius Marder & Derek Cianfrance
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Written by Aaron Sorkin

The only one we’ve discussed at length here was Mulan. We have threads for Tenet and Promising Young Woman but I think that’s it, right?

[GeneChing]

Do Not Split

Mar 17, 2021 3:03am PT
China Tells Media to Stagger Oscars Telecast, Downplay Event (Report)

By Patrick Frater

Field of Vision
The Chinese government has reportedly told its local media channels not to transmit live coverage of the Oscars and to downplay the awards ceremony. The move follows the nomination of “Do Not Split,” a 35-minute chronicle of the pro-democracy struggles in Hong Kong, in the documentary short subject category.

The order reportedly came from the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party and instructed Chinese media to only report on non-controversial awards.

Such instructions are not intended for publication or dissemination overseas and are difficult to verify. The matter was first reported by Hong Kong’s Apple Daily and Radio Free Asia, and subsequently also by Bloomberg.

Directed by Norway’s Anders Hammer and produced by Hammer and Charlotte Cook for Field of Vision, the 35-minute film shows footage of the 2019 street protests in Hong Kong against the city government’s planned extradition law. Two marches in June 2019 were reported as attracting one million and two million participants, respectively, from a population of 7.5 million.

Field of Vision is a company under the First Look Media umbrella, along with The Intercept, Topic Studios and the Press Freedom Defense Fund. “Do Not Split” is the company’s third Oscar nomination after “In The Absence” (2020) and “A Night at the Garden” (2019).

The film follows the increase in physical violence and growing desperation by the pro-democracy camp after the extradition law was abandoned, only to be replaced in June 2020 with a Beijing-imposed National Security Law. It also discusses the erosion of rights of freedom of expression and the media.

Oscar nominations were announced on Monday this week. The winners will be revealed at a ceremony in Los Angeles on April 26.

The gag order illustrates how politics are complicating almost every aspect of entertainment, culture and the arts in mainland China and former British colony Hong Kong.

The Oscar nominations contained two other pieces of news that might otherwise have been cheered by Chinese authorities: six nominations, including best film, for “Nomadland” by Chinese-born director Chloe Zhao; and the nomination of Hong Kong’s representative “Better Days,” in the best international feature category.

Since Zhao’s Golden Globe directing prize win in February, “Nomadland” has sparked a storm of controversy in China. State media and social media alike initially blazed with pride and sought to claim Zhao’s historic success for China. But within days, social media users unearthed two previous interviews given by Zhao to foreign news outlets.

In the first, Zhao told the Australian website news.com.au that “the U.S. is now my country.” Zhao’s last three films have been U.S. productions and Chinese netizens took her comments to mean that Zhao may no longer hold a Chinese passport. That section of the interview was online in December 2020, but had been deleted some time before Feb. 16, 2021.

The second interview appeared in New York-based Filmmaker Magazine in 2013. Explaining why she chose to make a film (2015 drama “Songs My Brothers Taught Me”) about a Native American teen on a North Dakota reservation, Zhao said: “It goes back to when I was a teenager in China, being in a place where there are lies everywhere.” She added: “You felt like you were never going to be able to get out.

“A lot of info I received when I was younger was not true, and I became very rebellious toward my family and my background,” said the director. The comments had been removed from the magazine’s website by Feb. 15, 2021.

“Nomadland” has been penciled in for an April 23 release in China. But it’s no longer certain that it will go ahead.

The trajectory of “Better Days” is less controversial, but just as twisty.

Directed by Hong Kong-based director Derek Tsang, the film is a mainland China-set melodrama that mixes up a school bullying tale with a story of mismatched love. It was set to have its world premiere in February 2019 at the Berlin Film Festival, but at the last minute it was withdrawn by its production team, amid messages of regret from Tsang. No meaningful explanation was ever advanced, but it seems likely that the gutsy telling of disaffected youth caused Chinese authorities to rethink the permission given for it to screen overseas.

After a couple more false starts, “Better Days” was allowed to release in Chinese theaters, where it proved to be a smash hit, earning RMB1.55 billion ($238 million).

That does not mean authorities were cool with the film. Mainland China favored an overtly patriotic sports drama “Leap” as its Oscar contender. That left Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Area belonging to China, to select “Better Days.”

In recent days, arts and culture have become the center of another storm in Hong Kong, where pro-Beijing forces are politically ascendant.

On Monday, under pressure from Beijing-loyal newspapers, cinemas and arts centers in Hong Kong canceled planned commercial screenings of “Inside the Red Brick Wall,” another award-winning documentary about the pro-democracy protest movement. It was accused of breaching the National Security Law by stirring up hatred for the Hong Kong police and for China.

On Wednesday, it was the turn of broadcaster RTHK and the West Kowloon Cultural District’s museums to be attacked by Beijing supporters.

New People’s Party lawmaker Eunice Yung claimed that upcoming shows at the WKCD’s M+ Museum are causing great concern to many members of the public, because they are “spreading hatred” against China. “How come there will be display of art pieces that are suspected to have breached the national security law and also are an insult to the country?” Yung asked in the Legislative Council.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam responded by saying that authorities will be “on full alert” to make sure museum exhibitions in Hong Kong do not undermine national security.

“I’m sure staff are able to tell what is freedom of artistic expression and whether certain pieces are really meant to incite hatred or to destroy relations between two places (Hong Kong and mainland China) and undermine national security,” Lam said.

threads
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[GeneChing]

And the winner is…

It’s nearly impossible to be a-political anymore, but when a doc is very political, well, we’ll see what the Academy thinks tonight…

Film on 2019 Hong Kong protests vies for Oscars, riles China
Do Not Split does not shy away from the violence of the protests, but at its heart is the emotional toll on the young people struggling to protect the city they love.

Do Not Split’s Oscar nomination has riled China [Anders Hammer/Courtesy of Sundance Institute]
By
Kate Mayberry
25 Apr 2021
Growing up in Hong Kong, Joey Siu imagined she might become a secondary school teacher, but two years ago, as pro-democracy protesters filled the streets of the Chinese-ruled city, she found herself taking a different path.

Siu joined the rallies as a student activist, but quickly took on a more prominent role in the movement, advocating for international help and speaking regularly to the media.

Then, in June last year, China imposed the National Security Law – broadly worded legislation it said was necessary to deal with secession, terrorism, subversion and “collusion with foreign powers”.

Overnight, social media accounts were closed, pro-democracy groups shut down. The protests, already quietened by the coronavirus pandemic, evaporated.

Some chose exile. Siu agonised for weeks about what to do.

“I never really thought about leaving Hong Kong this soon,” the now-21-year-old told Al Jazeera from Washington, DC, where she eventually settled in October last year. “I always thought I would have a career in Hong Kong, and a future and that it would be the city I would live in permanently.

“[But] I realised if I chose to leave Hong Kong, I could do more for Hong Kong.”

The tumultuous political developments in the Chinese territory, Siu’s own growth as an activist and the emotional toll on the protesters as they struggle for the city they love are at the heart of Do Not Split, the 35-minute film by Norwegian director Anders Hammer that is in contention for best short documentary at the Oscars on Sunday.

‘No way to defend ourselves’
Described by Variety as “visceral, up close and personal”, Hammer went down to the streets to film alongside the protesters and capture not only the unpredictability of the protests, but their raw emotion.

A still from Do Not Split by Anders Hammer, which has been nominated for an Academy Award [Anders Hammer/Courtesy of Sundance Institute]
From its opening with a group of black-clad protesters breaking into a Chinese-owned bank, to a group of police officers pushing a protester to the ground, flattening his cheek to the tarmac, his shirt ripped off, and his belly exposed, the film does not flinch from the increasing violence of the confrontations between police and protesters.
Throughout there are clouds of tear gas, sprays of water cannon and the putt-putt of rubber bullets.

Siu remembers how the protesters struggled with how to deal with the police’s escalating response.

“When the movement first broke out most of the protesters, including myself, were new,” she said. “We did not know how to deal with tear gas, rubber bullets and everything.”

At first, the police gave the crowds the space to disperse and return home, but then their tactics changed, she remembers.

Protesters often found themselves boxed in under volleys of tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets. Some protesters were shot with live ammunition.

The government had also made clear those arrested could be charged with rioting, an offence punishable with a jail term of as many as 10 years.

“There was really no way to defend ourselves, other than by also deploying a certain level of force,” Siu said.

Emotional toll
Hammer arrived in Hong Kong in June 2019, and – apart from a quick trip back to Norway to collect more gear – spent weeks on the ground.

While some of the violence was disturbing – Hammer points to the standoff with police at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, which was besieged in November – it was the spirit and determination of the protesters that most affected him.

“Seeing the stress, the desperation and how protesters were trying to still keep hope even though it was becoming more and more difficult for them to protest and they could see very clear signs that Hong Kong was developing in the opposite way than they were fighting for,” he told Al Jazeera.

Anders Hammer on location in Hong Kong filming, Do Not Split. He decided to go onto the streets, build trust with the protesters and film alongside them [Courtesy of Oliver Haynes]
“They wanted to protect and keep the city as they knew it and they were fighting against this closer relationship with Beijing. And they were protesting because they felt their basic democratic rights were disappearing.”
Hammer gives space for the protesters to talk about their motivations and their sense of betrayal.

“The British handed us over to China like a bag of potatoes,” one says of the United Kingdom, which ruled Hong Kong as a colony until 1997.

Siu is shown wrestling with the psychological impact of the unfolding events.

“When our own city is decayed, [and] falling apart,” she tells Hammer. “What is the point of us thinking about our future.”

The 2019 protests began against a Hong Kong government plan to allow suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China, where the courts are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party.

A million people marched through the streets of the city on June 9, and nearly double that the following week – the biggest protest in the territory’s history – but it was not until September that chief executive Carrie Lam finally withdrew the bill.

‘Dark times’
The rallies did not emerge out of nowhere, however. Hong Kong people had long been chafing at Beijing’s tightening grip.

At the handover, the country’s Communist Party leaders had promised to respect the territory’s rights and freedoms – unknown in the mainland – for at least 50 years.

Before the 2019 protests, the biggest demonstration in the territory had been 16 years earlier against plans to introduce a national security law, which were then dropped by the government.

Demands for universal suffrage – a key demand of the 2019 protests – and the right to choose the city’s leader have periodically erupted into mass demonstrations, notably in 2014 when tens of thousands joined a peaceful 79-day sit-in in the heart of the city, after Beijing declared the territory did not have autonomy.

“I felt this was one of the most important events in international politics at the time,” Hammer said of why he decided to go to Hong Kong in 2019. “I still think it is.”

The protests had already cooled even before the National Security Law was imposed, but critics have said the legislation has effectively criminalised even legitimate forms of political dissent.
continued next post

[GeneChing]

continued from previous post

Protesters with a petrol bomb in a still from, Do Not Split. While Anders Hammer’s film shows the violence of the protests, he says he was most affected by the emotional and psychological stress that the protesters felt [Anders Hammer/Courtesy of Sundance Institute]
In January, some 50 politicians, activists and academics were arrested in police raids over a primary election they had organised in July 2020 to help the democratic camp choose the strongest candidates for a Legislative Council election that was then delayed.

Since then, Beijing has rewritten the rules on the territory’s elections to ensure only “patriots” can hold office.

“I feel sorry for Hong Kong,” Hammer said, noting that two of those arrested appeared in his film. “These are dark times. The developments we are covering in the documentary in the sense that the room for democracy is shrinking have just continued.”

The continuing crackdown, which has even ensnared veteran lawyer and politician Martin Lee who helped draft Hong Kong’s post-colonial constitution, has further deepened divisions between China and western democracies including the United States, the UK and European Union.

China anger at Oscars
Unsurprisingly, the Oscar nomination for Do Not Split has caused upset in Beijing.

An article in the Global Times, a Communist Party-controlled tabloid, dismissed the film as a “fake” documentary that “lacked artistry” and was “full of biased political stances”. Nominating such a film would “hurt the feelings” of Chinese audiences, it said.

The Oscars will not be shown on the mainland, while the Hong Kong broadcaster TVB blamed “commercial” reasons for its decision not to broadcast the ceremony for the first time in more than half a century.

“Our main aim in making this documentary was to bring attention to the critical situation in Hong Kong,” Hammer said. “Ironically, the censorship of the Oscars and the attention brought to our documentary has resulted in more stories about the critical situation in Hong Kong so Beijing is helping us.”

Joey Siu testifies during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration in December. The hearing was held to examine Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement through US refugee policy [Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images via AFP]
Siu now works at international advocacy group Hong Kong Watch, where she has addressed politicians in the US and further afield on the situation in Hong Kong, which she is convinced China wants to make into just “another, ordinary mainland Chinese city”.
She is worried about the place she was forced to flee, but finds comfort in the new ways people in Hong Kong are resisting, and that democratic governments appear increasingly willing to defend and stand up for their values and way of life.

“I am pretty motivated and encouraged to see, that either here in the States or in other countries, like in Europe, people are starting to realise that this strategy we have been taking for years is wrong and that we have to be taking a much tougher and also more comprehensive approach to deal with China,” she said.

It is a long way from the quiet life of a teacher.

SOURCE: AL JAZEERA

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[GeneChing]

International Feature Film

Oct 22, 2021 4:38am PT
Oscars Race: ‘The Stranger’ Selected by Palestine as International Feature Candidate, Intramovies Takes Sales (EXCLUSIVE)
By Patrick Frater, Nick Vivarelli, Leo Barraclough, K.J. Yossman, Rebecca Davis, Jazz Tangcay

Courtesy Intramovies
“The Stranger,” a first feature by writer-director Ameer Fakher Eldin about a doctor going through an existential crisis in the occupied Golan Heights, has been selected as Palestine’s official entry in the International Feature Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards.

Italy’s Intramovies has announced that it is taking world rights to the picture shot on location which recently launched from the Venice Film Festival’s independently run Venice Days section where it won the Edipo Re Award.

“The Stranger” stars Palestine’s Ashraf Barhoum (“The Kingdom,” “Paradise Now”) playing an unlicensed doctor whose life takes an unlucky turn when he rescues a wounded man upon his return from the war in Syria.

Producers are Palestine’s Fresco Films (Tony and Jiries Copti) and Germany’s Red Balloon Film (Dorothe Beinemeier). The film is co-produced by Metafora Production (Qatar) and executive producers are Gwen G. Wynne and Carol Ann Shine.

“We’ve been impressed by the terrific directorial vision of this very young director,” said Intramovies head of acquisitions and production Marco Valerio Fusco in a statement.

“The Stranger” is intended to be the first installment of a trilogy directed by Ameer Fakher Eldin. His second feature with the provisional title “Nothing of Nothing Remains” is being developed by Red Balloon. Intramovies is discussing the possibility of a continued collaboration with the director’s team.

HONG KONG
Hong Kong has selected “Zero to Hero,” a sports and family drama film as its contender in the Academy Awards’ best international feature category. The decision was announced Friday by the territory’s Motion Picture Industry Association.

Directed by Jimmy Wan Chi-man, the film is a biopic of the Paralympic athlete So Wa-wai who was born with cerebral palsy but went on to win 12 medals between 1996 and 2012, and break world records.

With production handled by One Cool Films, the film premiered at the Udine festival of Asian films and was released commercially in Hong Kong on August 12. Leading Hong Kong actor Sandra Ng, who plays the pivotal role of So’s mother, is credited as one of the film’s producers.

Still on release in the city, “Zero” is the highest-grossing local film this year with a cumulative box office to Oct. 21, 2021, of HK$27.5 million ($3.53 million).

IRAN
Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero” has been selected by Iran to represent the country at the upcoming Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

The widely expected decision by the Iranian Film Board was announced on Thursday by the Farabi Cinema Foundation, which is the country’s international film body.

Farhadi has previously won two international Oscars for, respectively, “A Separation” in 2011 and “The Salesman” in 2016, the former of which was also nominated for original screenplay.

“A Hero,” which launched positively in July from the Cannes Film Festival where it tied for the Grand Prix, the fest’s runner-up prize, is the story of Rahim (Amir Jadidi), who is in prison for a debt that he was unable to pay. During a two-day leave, an act of kindness provides him with an opportunity to convince his creditor to withdraw the complaint so he can go free, but not everything goes as planned.

It will be released by Amazon in the U.S.

MEXICO
Tatiana Huezo’s “Prayers for the Stolen” (“Noche de Fuego”) has been selected by Mexico’s Oscar committee to represent the country in the international feature film race.

The drama, which follows three girls as they come of age in a village rampant with human trafficking and the drug trade, competed in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section and was awarded a special mention. “Prayers for the Stolen” also took home the best Latin American film award at San Sebastian. The film stars Mayra Batalla, Norma Pablo and Olivia Lagunas and was produced by Nicolás Célis and Jim Stark. “Prayers for the Stolen” has been acquired by Netflix.

FRANCE
Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or Winning “Titane” has been selected by France’s Oscar committee to represent the country in the international feature film race.

“Titane” recently won the people’s choice award at Toronto, where is played in the Midnight Madness section.
This year’s French Oscar committee includes Julie Delpy; Zeller; producers Iris Knobloch and Alain Goldman, whose credits include the Oscar-winning film “La Vie En Rose”; Emilie Georges, the Oscar-winning producer of “Call Me by Your Name” and founder of Memento International; and Grégory Chambet, co-founder of the sales company WTFilms. The committee also has three permanent members: Cannes Film Festival director Thierry Frémaux; UniFrance president Serge Toubiana; and Elisabeth Tanner, talent agent and representative of the Cesar Academy.

ICELAND

Valdimar Jóhannsson’s “Lamb” has been selected by Iceland’s Oscar committee to represent the country in the international feature film race.

The body horror film, which was recently released domestically by Neon across 562 screens, was chosen over Audrey Diwan’s “Happening,” winner of Venice’s Golden Lion, and Cedric Jimenez’s “The Stronghold.” “Lamb” is Jóhannsson’s debut feature film, and he co-wrote the screenplay with Icelandic poet Sjón. The film follows a childless couple in rural Iceland who make an alarming discovery one day in their sheep barn.

AUSTRIA
Austria has picked director Sebastian Meise’s drama “Great Freedom” as its official submission for Best International Feature Film Oscars race.

The decision was announced by Austrian Films and the Film and Music Austria industry association of the Austrian Economic Chambers, and confirmed by the film’s distributor MUBI.

The somber drama world premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, where it won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, before going on to win the award for best feature at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

Set in Germany after World War II, it tells the story of Hans, a man repeatedly sent to prison over multiple decades for his ****sexuality. With each return, he grows ever-closer with his cellmate Viktor, a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, and what begins as revulsion blossoms over time to something far more tender.

The film stars Franz Rogowski (“Victoria,” “Undine,” “Transit,” “A Hidden Life”) and Silver Bear winner Georg Friedrich (“Helle Nächte,” “The Piano Teacher”) and was produced by Sabine Moser, Oliver Neumann, and Benny Drechsel. Meise co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Reider.

“Great Freedoms” also opened Filmfest Hamburg in late September and had its U.K. premiere at the BFI London Film Festival in early October. It film will continue to screen at festivals globally this fall and winter, including Chicago International Film Festival, Montclair Film Festival, Philadelphia Film Festival, Denver Film Festival, and others, before releasing theatrically in the U.S. and U.K. on March 4, 2022.

JAPAN
Japan has selected Hamaguchi Ryusuke’s “Drive My Car” as its contender for the Academy Awards’ best international film category.

The selection was made by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren). The news was first reported by Japan’s Sankei News organization and confirmed by the film’s local distributor Bitters End.

The three-hour film debuted in competition at the Cannes film festival in July, where it won a handful of prizes including the best screenplay award for Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe’s adaptation of Murakami Haruki short story. It tells the tale of a widower director and his stoical female chauffeur as they drive to Hiroshima.

It is now a star attraction on the fall festival circuit, with appearances at Toronto, San Sebastian, New York, Busan, London, Sydney and the New Zealand festivals. International sales are handled by Germany’s The Match Factory. Japanese theatrical distribution began in August.

For nearly two decades, a group of slightly more established Japanese directors– Kore-eda Hirokazu, Kawase Naomi, Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Kitano Takeshi – collectively referred to as the “4K” directors have garnered the lion’s share of major festival invitations and prizes, leaving a younger generation of Japanese filmmakers in relative obscurity internationally. With his two films this year “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” debuted in Berlin) and huge international acclaim for “Drive My Car” Hamaguchi has decisively broken through the “4K” barrier.

Japan has been submitting Oscar contenders since the beginning of the foreign-language category. A dozen Japanese films have gone on to earn nominations, and one, “Departures” won the Oscar in 2008.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Sports biopic “Zatopek” has been selected to represent the Czech Republic. The film is directed by David Ondricek and had its world premiere at this year’s 55th Karlovy Vary International Festival. The selection was announced by the Czech Film and Television Academy, which said that it had weighed up 13 eligible fiction, documentary, and animated films. Nicknamed the Czech Locomotive, the real life Emil Zatopek was one of the most famous long distance runners of all time. He won the 5,000 metre, 10,000 metre races and the marathon at the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki. The achievement has never been repeated.
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[GeneChing]

continued from previous post

TAIWAN

Taiwan has selected Chung Mong-hong’s pandemic-set drama “The Falls” as its contender in the international feature film race at the 94th Academy Awards. It is the third time that a film by Chung has represented Taiwan and the second time in succession.

In the 2019—20 race Taiwan selected Chung’s family drama “A Sun,” which was retained on the Oscars shortlist, but ultimately did not receive a nomination.

“The Falls” premiered in the Horizons section at last month’s Venice Film Festival followed by an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival. In recent days, it received 11 nominations at the 58th Golden Horse Awards, including best feature film and two best actress nominations for its female leads.

Set against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, “The Falls,” starring Gingle Wang (“Detention”) and Alyssa Chia (“The World Between Us”), depicts how an unexpected home quarantine can take a strained relationship between a mother and a daughter on a different direction.

The Oscar shortlist will be announced on Dec. 21.

HUNGARY
Péter Bergendy’s period horror film “Post Mortem” has been selected to represent Hungary in the international feature film race of the 94th Academy Awards. The film tells the supernatural story of a post-mortem photographer and a young girl confronting ghosts in a haunted village after World War I.

The decision to select the film was made by the Hungarian Oscar Committee, whose members included Csaba Káel, the government commissioner for the development of the Hungarian motion picture industry, and chairman of the National Film Institute, director Csaba Bereczki, director Kristóf Deák, screenwriter Tibor Fonyódi, film distribution expert András Kálmán, producer Ákos Pesti and Emil Novák, a cinematographer.

“Post Mortem” premiered at the Warsaw and Sitges film festivals last year, and went on to screen at more than 20 genre festivals. The film picked up prizes at the Trieste, Fantasporto, Sombra and Parma genre festivals, and was the winner of this year’s Hungarian Motion Picture Awards for cinematography, editing, production design and make-up.

The film’s producers are Tamás Lajos and Ábel Köves of Szupermodern Stúdió. The story was by Bergendy and Gábor Hellebrandt, and the screenplay was written by Piros Zánkay.

International sales are handled by NFI World Sales, which has scored deals for major territories in Europe, including France, Italy, Germany and Poland, South Korea, Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong, for India and Latin America. In North America, Black Mandala acquired distribution rights. — Leo Barraclough.

SOMALIA
On Tuesday, “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” Khadar Ahmed’s drama which opened at Cannes’ Critics Week, was chosen as the first official submission from Somalia at the Oscars.

The critically acclaimed movie was unanimously selected by Somalia’s first Oscar selection committee, which was created this year with six artists working in different entertainment fields.

The film, directed by Khadar Ayderus Ahmed, was inspired by a personal tragedy that happened in the filmmaker’s family 10 years ago in Helsinki, and follows a gravedigger (Omar Abdi) and family man living in the outskirts of Djibouti city who sets off to save his wife who needs expensive surgery. It was produced by Misha Jaari, Mark Lwoff and Risto Nikkilä at Helsinki-based Bufo.

“The Gravedigger’s Wife” will screen at the BFI London Film Festival in October ahead of its U.S. premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival. The film will then have its African premiere at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso.

The film will be released in Finland and Norway on Nov. 12, and in France in 2022 with Urban Distribution handling. Orange Studio is handling international sales on “The Gravedigger’s Wife,” which played at Toronto following Cannes and won the Amplify Voices Award. — Patrick Frater

SOUTH KOREA
On Tuesday, South Korea selected action drama “Escape From Mogadishu” as its contender.

Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, “Escape From Mogadishu” is based on real events in the 1990s when normally antagonistic diplomats from North and South Korea joined forces to escape civil war in Somalia.

The film has been one of the few bright spots for local movies this year at a depressed and battered Korean box office. It is the year’s highest-grossing film, local or international, with a gross of $28.9 million.

The Korean Film Council, which announced the selection, said that it had picked “Mogadishu” from a shortlist of six. Last year Korean film “Parasite” won the international feature category and a total haul of four Oscars, including best picture. — Patrick Frater

SPAIN
Also on Tuesday, Spain picked Javier Bardem-starring “The Good Boss” as its hopeful in the Oscars category.

Directed by Fernando León de Aranoa, “The Good Boss” (aka “El Buen Patron”) is the story of an industrial scales manufacturer who races to try to resolve his workers’ problems ahead of a factory visit by an awards committee.

It recently enjoyed its world premiere at the San Sebastian Film Festival and followed that with an appearance at the Zurich festival last week. It will enjoy its commercial debut later this month in Spain (Oct. 15). Its selection was a major surprise in some quarters, as Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers” which debuted last month as the opening title of the Venice Film Festival, had been the overwhelming favorite. — John Hopewell

CANADA
On Monday, Canada announced that “Drunken Birds” [a.k.a. “Les Oiseaux Ivres], by director and co-writer Ivan Grbovic and co-writer Sara Mishara, will be its flagbearer.

The film premiered last month in the Platform section of the Toronto Film Festival. Telefilm Canada, which announced the selection, said that “Birds” was the Canadian film “with the best chance of being nominated for this prestigious award.”

“It is a film with which we wanted to celebrate the power of film, while taking the audience on a journey through the beauty, absurdity and injustice of our lives today. We would like to share this honor with the rest of the film team, but also with the seasonal workers who leave their families every year to better their lives,” said Grbovic on behalf of himself and Mishara. — Patrick Frater

KYRGYZSTAN
“Shambala,” written and directed by Artykpai Suyundukov, was recently selected as Kyrgyzstan’s entry. The film is a portrait of a boy living with his family in a protected mountain forest, whose childhood world of myths and legends begins to clash with the harsh realities of the adult world.

The film is based on Chingiz Aitmatov’s novella “The White Ship,” and was developed by Suyundukov over the course of 40 years. It was produced by National Film Studio Kyrgyzfilm in collaboration with Aitysh Film.

It had its premiere at the Shanghai Film Festival. It won the best director award at the Kolkata Film Festival and best film of the CIS and Baltics prize at the Nika Awards in Russia. — Leo Barraclough.

IRELAND
As previously reported, Seán Breathnach’s “Shelter” was chosen by the Irish Film and Television Academy as Ireland’s competitor in the race for the Oscar for International Feature Film.

“Shelter,” titled “Foscadh” in Irish, follows the story of John Cunliffe, an overprotected recluse who must learn to navigate the world at the age of 28 after his parents die. Friendless and naive, Cunliffe, played by Dónall Ó Héalai (“Arracht”), must also learn to deal with trust and vengeance as he finds his mountain land inheritance is impeding a profitable wind-farm development.

Breathnach wrote and directed the feature, which is based on Donal Ryan’s novel “The Thing About December.” Fionnuala Flaherty (“An Klon****”) and Cillian O’Gairbhí (“Blood”) also star.

“Shelter” was produced by Paddy Hayes (“Cumar: A Galway Rhapsody”) via his company Magamedia. The Yellow Affair is handling international sales.

The film won the Best First Film award at the Galway Film Fleadh. — K.J. Yossman

GERMANY
Maria Schrader’s screwball romantic comedy “I’m Your Man” (“Ich Bin Dein Mensch”) was selected as Germany’s Oscar contender.

The film’s premise is that of a scientist who, in order to obtain research funds, agrees to live for three weeks with a humanoid robot specifically engineered for her happiness.

The film had its world premiere earlier this year at the Berlinale, where star Maren Eggert won the Silver Bear for her performance.

Its German theatrical release in July, handled by Majestic Filmverleih, saw it achieve more than 100,000 ticket sales. The film had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival. It has been licensed to more than 60 countries. Its U.S. release through Bleecker Street kicks off on Friday.

At the German Film Prizes, “I’m Your Man” was nominated in five categories: film, directing, screenplay (Schrader and Jan Schomburg), actress (Eggert) and actor (Dan Stevens). — Patrick Frater

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[GeneChing]

Continued from previous post

Submissions for the 2021-22 Oscars
Austria: “Great Freedoms” dir. Sebastian Meise

Cambodia: “White Building” dir. Kavich Neang.

Canada: “Drunken Birds” dir. Ivan Grbovic

Czech Republic: “Zatopek” dir. David Ondricek

Ecuador: “Submersible” dir. Alfredo Leon Leon

Georgia: “Brighton 4th” dir. Levan Koguashvili

Germany: “I’m Your Man” dir. Maria Schrader

Hong Kong: “Zero to Hero” dir. Wan Chi-man

Hungary: “Post Mortem” dir. Péter Bergendy

Iceland: “Lamb” dir Valdimar Jóhannsson

Iran: “A Hero” dir. Asghar Farhadi

Ireland: “Shelter” dir. Seán Breathnach

Japan: “Drive My Car” dir. Hamguchi Ryusuke

Kosovo: “Hive” dir. Blerta Basholli

Kyrgyzstan: “Shambala,” dir. Artykpai Suyundukov

Morocco: “Casablanca Beats” dir. Nabil Ayouch

Mexico: “Prayers for the Stolen” dir. Tatiana Huezo

Palestine: “The Stranger” dir. Ameer Fakher Eldin

Poland: “Leave No Traces” dir. Jan P. Matuszynski

Serbia: “Oasis” dir. Ivan Ikic

South Korea: “Escape From Mogadishu” dir. Ryoo Seung-wan.

Spain: “The Good Boss” dir. Fernando de Leon Aranoa.

Sweden: “Tigers” dir. Ronnie Sandahl

Switzerland: “Olga” dir. Elie Grappe

Taiwan: “The Falls” dir. Chung Mong-hong

I don’t think we’ve covered any of these here this year.

[GeneChing]

The 94th academy awards | 2022

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
JAVIER BARDEM
Being the Ricardos
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
The Power of the Dog
ANDREW GARFIELD
tick, tick…BOOM!
WILL SMITH
King Richard
DENZEL WASHINGTON
The Tragedy of Macbeth

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
CIARÁN HINDS
Belfast
TROY KOTSUR
CODA
JESSE PLEMONS
The Power of the Dog
J.K. SIMMONS
Being the Ricardos
KODI SMIT-MCPHEE
The Power of the Dog

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
JESSICA CHASTAIN
The Eyes of Tammy Faye
OLIVIA COLMAN
The Lost Daughter
PENÉLOPE CRUZ
Parallel Mothers
NICOLE KIDMAN
Being the Ricardos
KRISTEN STEWART
Spencer

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
JESSIE BUCKLEY
The Lost Daughter
ARIANA DEBOSE
West Side Story
JUDI DENCH
Belfast
KIRSTEN DUNST
The Power of the Dog
AUNJANUE ELLIS
King Richard

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
ENCANTO
Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer
FLEE
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
LUCA
Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
DUNE
Greig Fraser
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Dan Laustsen
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Ari Wegner
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Bruno Delbonnel
WEST SIDE STORY
Janusz Kaminski

COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
CRUELLA
Jenny Beavan
CYRANO
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran
DUNE
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Luis Sequeira
WEST SIDE STORY
Paul Tazewell

DIRECTING
NOMINEES
BELFAST
Kenneth Branagh
DRIVE MY CAR
Ryusuke Hamaguchi
LICORICE PIZZA
Paul Thomas Anderson
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jane Campion
WEST SIDE STORY
Steven Spielberg

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)
NOMINEES
ASCENSION
Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell
ATTICA
Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry
FLEE
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein
WRITING WITH FIRE
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)
NOMINEES
AUDIBLE
Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean
LEAD ME HOME
Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk
THE QUEEN OF BASKETBALL
Ben Proudfoot
THREE SONGS FOR BENAZIR
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei
WHEN WE WERE BULLIES
Jay Rosenblatt

FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
DON’T LOOK UP
Hank Corwin
DUNE
Joe Walker
KING RICHARD
Pamela Martin
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Peter Sciberras
TICK, TICK…BOOM!
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
DRIVE MY CAR
Japan
FLEE
Denmark
THE HAND OF GOD
Italy
LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM
Bhutan
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Norway

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES
COMING 2 AMERICA
Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer
CRUELLA
Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon
DUNE
Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr
THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh
HOUSE OF GUCCI
Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
NOMINEES
DON’T LOOK UP
Nicholas Britell
DUNE
Hans Zimmer
ENCANTO
Germaine Franco
PARALLEL MOTHERS
Alberto Iglesias
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jonny Greenwood

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
NOMINEES
BE ALIVE
from King Richard; Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter
DOS ORUGUITAS
from Encanto; Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda
DOWN TO JOY
from Belfast; Music and Lyric by Van Morrison
NO TIME TO DIE
from No Time to Die; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
SOMEHOW YOU DO
from Four Good Days; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

BEST PICTURE
NOMINEES
BELFAST
Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, Producers
CODA
Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers
DON’T LOOK UP
Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers
DRIVE MY CAR
Teruhisa Yamamoto, Producer
DUNE
Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, Producers
KING RICHARD
Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, Producers
LICORICE PIZZA
Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers
WEST SIDE STORY
Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
DUNE
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos
NIGHTMARE ALLEY
Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH
Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
WEST SIDE STORY
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
NOMINEES
AFFAIRS OF THE ART
Joanna Quinn and Les Mills
BESTIA
Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz
BOXBALLET
Anton Dyakov
ROBIN ROBIN
Dan Ojari and Mikey Please
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER
Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
NOMINEES
ALA KACHUU - TAKE AND RUN
Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger
THE DRESS
Tadeusz ysiak and Maciej lesicki
THE LONG GOODBYE
Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed
ON MY MIND
Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson
PLEASE HOLD
K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

SOUND
NOMINEES
BELFAST
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri
DUNE
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett
NO TIME TO DIE
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb
WEST SIDE STORY
Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy

VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES
DUNE
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
FREE GUY
Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick
NO TIME TO DIE
Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould
SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME
Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder
DRIVE MY CAR
Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe
DUNE
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Written by Jane Campion

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
BELFAST
Written by Kenneth Branagh
DON’T LOOK UP
Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota
KING RICHARD
Written by Zach Baylin
LICORICE PIZZA
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD
Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier
From THE 94TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2022

[GeneChing]

Well ****…

The one year that I kinda tune out of the Oscars and look what happens… :eek:

[GeneChing]

The Academy Awards

Sep 20, 2022 10:43am PT[URL=“https://variety.com/2022/awards/awards/rrr-india-oscars-snub-1235378109/”]
RRR Team Reacts to India Not Selecting It for Oscars, Urges Academy to Vote for It in Other Categories
Variance Films will launch a full awards campaign and will seek the best picture nomination
By Clayton Davis

DVV Entertainment

India has selected Pan Nalins Last Film Show (Chhello Show) to represent the country in the best international feature category at the upcoming 95th Academy Awards, but its not going over well in social media circles. Thats due to the popularity and love for the historical epic, RRR from S.S. Rajamouli, which has been a fan-favorite and box office hit stateside.

The good news is the U.S. distributor for the film has opted to launch a full awards campaign for the action drama and is calling on the 10,000 Academy members to consider voting for the film in all categories.

RRR will be submitted for best picture, director (S.S. Rajamouli), original screenplay (Rajamouli and V. Vijayendra Prasad), lead actor (for both N.T. Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan), supporting actor (Ajay Devgn), supporting actress (Alia Bhatt), original song (Naatu Naatu), original score (M.M. Keeravaani), cinematography, production design, film editing, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, sound and visual effects.

The film is not yet available on the Academy Streaming Room, which is part of a strategy to get as many voters to see it on the big screen in order to highlight its epic scale and breathtaking visuals.

Over the last six months, we have seen the joy that S.S. Rajamoulis RRR has brought to global audiences, says the president of Variance Films, Dylan Marchetti. We have seen the film gross over $140 million worldwide to become one of Indias highest grossing films of all time and become the first film in history to trend globally on Netflix for over 14 weeks. We have seen the film fill up theaters with cheering audiences months after its initial release, including the historic TCL Chinese IMAX theater in Hollywood, where it will play next Friday to an audience that sold out of one of the largest theaters in the country in just 15 minutes. Most importantly, we have heard fans from around the world tell us that they believe this is one of the best films of the year from any nation. We agree. We proudly invite the Academy to consider RRR in all categories.

The three-hour action epic follows two patriotic but philosophically opposed men (Ram Charan and N.T. Rama Rao Jr.), who team up to rescue a girl from British colonial officials in 1920s Delhi. A global smash with huge box office receipts, the film found a pathway to the American cultural zeitgeist with consumers discovering it on Netflix. The film, distributed by Variance Films in the U.S., has been one of the most popular titles of the year, becoming a trending topic on social media over the past few months.

With 240 crores (US $30 million) worldwide on its first day, RRR broke the record for the biggest opening day collectively earned by an Indian film.

Spoken in the Telugu language, it would have represented the first Tollywood film to enter the Oscar race, but politics can play a role in what the country has submitted over the years. In Oscar history, only three Indian films have been nominated for best international feature Mother India (1957), Salaam Bombay! (1988) and Lagaan (2001), and none have won.

Full disclosure: I havent seen Last Film Show, a partly autobiographical drama set against the backdrop of Indian cinemas witnessing a massive transition from celluloid to digital a story that seems to be fitting with a common trend of humanitys love for cinema with films like The Fabelmans and Empire of Light in the Oscar mix.

As weve seen with nearly every Academy Awards ceremony, its not always about what is the best but rather what theyve seen. So Indias missteps of not selecting The Lunchbox (2013) or The Disciple (2020), which many presumed to be slam dunk choices, fit their most recent move.

With the film out of the running for international feature, the studio is hopeful that Academy voters will be more inclined to check it off. In addition, Variance Films is hoping it can make waves like other non-English language films not representing its countries, such as City of God (2003), which was nominated for directing, or last years Parallel Mothers, which nabbed mentions for Penelope Cruz and original score.

Rajamouli also did Baahubali. I’ve seen RRR and loved it. Maybe I’ll post a review later…

Rrr
The-Academy-Awards

[GeneChing]

coulda been a contender…

Sep 26, 2022 10:13pm PTSamuel Goldwyn Head Weighs in on Controversial India Oscar Selection and ‘RRR’ Snub, Calls ‘The Last Film Show’ a ‘Strong Contender’
By Patrick Frater

Pan Nalin

U.S distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films president Peter Goldwyn has weighed in on the backlash to India’s selection of its competitor for this year’s best international film race at the Oscars, calling candidate “The Last Film Show,” which it will release in North America, “a really strong contender.”

Directed by Pan Nalin (“Samsara,” “Valley of Flowers”), the Gujarati-language film is the story of a nine-year old boy pursuing his dreams in cinema. It debuted at the Tribeca Festival in 2021 and has since played fests in Palms Springs, Seattle and Mill Valley. “Last Film Show” will have its commercial release in Gujarat, India on Oct. 14, 2022, giving it the necessary qualifying theatrical run in its home territory.

The selection by the Film Federation of India was announced last week, immediately sparking a backlash, led by cries that popular blockbuster musical “RRR” was snubbed. Director SS Rajamouli’s action film has done huge business worldwide, with some arguing it would offer a more accessible experience to Oscar voters.

Variance Films, the stateside distributor of “RRR,” still plans to mount an Oscar campaign urging Academy voters to consider the film in other categories.

“Last Film Show” has also attracted its own backlash, with online claims suggesting that it hews too closely to Giuseppe Tornatore’s 1988 Italian classic “Cinema Paradiso.”

BN Tiwari, president of the Federation of Western India Cine Employees, has even claimed that “Last Film Show” is foreign-produced and should not be considered as an Indian work. The film is represented in international markets by France’s Orange Studios and is structured as a majority Indian-minority French co-production using the bilateral treaty between the two countries. Indian companies involved in the production include: Jugaad Motion Pictures, Monsoon Films, Chhello Show LLP and Roy Kapur Films. The French co-producer is Virginie Films.

“We believe that ‘Last Film Show’ speaks to the heart and soul of cinema, which will be appealing not only to moviegoers in the United States but also Academy members,” said SGF president Peter Goldwyn. “We believe that the film is a really strong contender this year, and we’re excited to bring it to American audiences. We are also eager to bring our expertise with Academy Awards campaigns to the release of this title.”

“Orange Studio was the first believer in Pan Nalin’s beautiful film ‘Last Film Show.’ We acquired the movie at the script level and came on board to handle the world sales of the film. The film has been sold to multiple territories and we are looking forward to its release in Italy on 24th November and Japan on 20th January (2023). However, the most important releases will be in India on 14th October and in the U.S. with our distributor Samuel Goldwyn Films towards the end of the year, which coincides with the Oscar campaign,” said Kristina Zimmerman, CEO of Orange Studio (“The Father,” “The Artist”).

“Our years of experience tells us that ‘Last Film Show’ has a huge chance of winning the hearts of moviegoers around the world and especially Academy Award members. And we plan to dedicate our total attention to running a successful Oscar campaign in coordination with our partners at Samuel Goldwyn Films for ‘Last Film Show,'” she said.

Variance said that “RRR” will be submitted for best picture, director (S.S. Rajamouli), original screenplay (Rajamouli and V. Vijayendra Prasad), lead actor (for both N.T. Rama Rao Jr and Ram Charan), supporting actor (Ajay Devgn), supporting actress (Alia Bhatt), original song (“Naatu Naatu”), original score (M.M. Keeravaani), cinematography, production design, film editing, costume design, makeup and hairstyling, sound and visual effects.

Rrr
The-Academy-Awards

[GeneChing]

Hollywood Chinese

Academy Museum to Present Monthlong ‘Hollywood Chinese’ Screening Series
The program, curated by documentarian and Academy member Arthur Dong, features both celebration and critique of the first century of depicting Chinese in cinema.
BY REBECCA SUN

Clockwise from top left: Big Trouble in Little China, Enter the Dragon, M. Butterfly, The Joy Luck Club, Charlie Chan in Honolulu and Flower Drum Song 20THCENTFOX/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (2); COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION (3); TAKASHI SEIDA/GEFFEN PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION

The Academy Museum is dedicating November to a monthlong reflection on the history of Chinese depictions in cinema.

“Hollywood Chinese: The First 100 Years,” programmed by documentarian and longtime Academy member Arthur Dong, is a screening series of features and shorts – some classics, some obscurities – that mark both highlights and lowlights of how Chinese have been portrayed in film, particularly in the Western studio system. The series is an evolution of Dong’s 2007 documentary, which kicks off the series Nov. 4, and 2019 book of the same name.

“When people see a film like Hollywood Chinese, they’re really only seeing snippets. We really need to see the whole, because it’s not fair to the artists and the creators that we critique and examine the work based on 30 seconds,” Dong, who previewed his series Oct. 23 as part of his ongoing Hollywood Chinese exhibition at West Hollywood’s famous Formosa Café, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Here’s a chance for these questions about representation and the development of the Chinese persona in Hollywood films to go further now, with a full-fledged screening of entire films. I took it on as a responsibility and a burden to contextualize certain films, like [1937’s] Lost Horizon and [1964’s] 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.”

As part of the series, Dong has programmed seven double features, films that may be separated by decades but are connected by certain similarities. For example, in Nov. 12’s “The Tong Wars,” both The Tong-Man (1919) starring Sessue Hayakawa and Michael Cimino’s Year of the Dragon (1985) spotlight Chinatown gang violence that drew ire from real-life Chinese American groups about the stereotypically violent portrayal of their community. “The Tong-Man was the catalyst for, as far as we know, the very first legal protest by a Chinese American organization against racist images in Hollywood films. The organizers in San Francisco wanted to file an injunction against it being shown,” says Dong, adding that 60 years later, MGM/UA settled a lawsuit from the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association in L.A. by agreeing to add a disclaimer to Year of the Dragon. “This is the legacy of uprising from the Asian American community, but it’s also the legacy of racist portrayals that are still happening today. Even in series like the current Kung Fu, whenever there are Chinese American or Chinese characters, there’s still this fallback to the more exotic and dangerous ‘vice’ of Chinatown.”

The series also will look to celebrate underappreciated gems, particularly those that were made by venturing outside the Western studio system. In “Escape From Hollywood” on Nov. 27, Dong will screen 1968’s The Arch, considered one of Hong Kong’s first art films, and 1998 indie Xiu Xiu: The Sent-Down Girl. Both directed by Chinese women (Tang Shu Shuen and Joan Chen, respectively), the movies also represent examples of Chinese American talent having to leave America in order to expand their creative and professional horizons. “Joan Chen had the breakthrough role in The Last Emperor and was the ingénue who should have burst out, but she was mainly offered roles that exploited her sexualized exoticness,” says Dong, adding that Lisa Lu, who starred in The Arch, also faced typecasting in Hollywood before she made a name for herself in Chinese film. “That to me is Hollywood Chinese, too. It’s not just the films that we can trash. It’s also about the experience of the Chinese or Chinese American artist and what they went through and accomplished and the legacy they left us.”

In his programming of the series, Dong intends to help attendees reckon with the complicated and sometimes contradictory legacy of Chinese portrayals in Hollywood, sometimes within the same film, such as Charlie Chan in Hollywood, The Sand Pebbles (which earned Makoto Iwamatsu an Oscar supporting actor nomination) and even Flower Drum Song. “Flower Drum Song is one of my all-time favorite films, it’s celebratory, but as David Henry Hwang says, it’s a film that has a lot of guilty pleasures. Sand Pebbles is beautifully made and kickstarted Mako’s decades-long career on screen and stage and put him on the map. But it’s about colonialism and white saviors and Chinese prostitutes and lecherous Chinese men played by James Hong,” says the programmer. “Most if not all the films have questions but also levels of celebration, of saying that we should be proud of what we’ve accomplished – within context – and we should take the critique in context and move forward and learn from all that.”

Arthur Dong MATTHEW SIMMONS/GETTY IMAGES
Several screenings will be accompanied by conversations with special guests, including Hong for Big Trouble in Little China (screening Nov. 5), Chen for both Xiu Xiu and The Last Emperor (which will be shown Nov. 27 as part of the museum’s ongoing Oscar Sundays series), Nancy Kwan (discussing both her starring role in Flower Drum Song, screening Nov. 25, and her experiences working with early leading men James Shigeta and Bruce Lee as part of Nov. 11’s double feature for Walk Like a Dragon and Enter the Dragon) and Academy president Janet Yang, who produced The Joy Luck Club (screening Nov. 26).

For some of the selections, the Hollywood Chinese screenings will represent the highest-quality exhibitions some films have received in quite a while, or ever. “So much hard work has been done to put this series together, scouring archives, working with filmmakers and their families to secure the best available copies of these films,” says Bernardo Rondeau, the museum’s senior director of film programs, who first discussed the possibility of this screening series with Dong, a member of the organization’s inclusion advisory committee, several years ago before the museum even opened. “Some of these are rarely shown, like [David] Cronenberg’s M. Butterfly and The Arch, certainly not in [a setting with] the caliber of the Ted Mann Theater.”

“To me, this series is one of the hallmark series for the museum. It contains in its methodology, approach and subject matter the DNA of what this museum and our film programming is about: focused on inclusion and expansion,” Rondeau says. “It’s a bittersweet story of film history. We’re going back in the past and hopefully, in rediscovery, reshaping our understanding of film and the future of film.”

This sounds very intriguing

[GeneChing]

95

THE 95TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2023
Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood
Sunday, March 12, 2023
Honoring movies released in 2022

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
AUSTIN BUTLER
Elvis
COLIN FARRELL
The Banshees of Inisherin
BRENDAN FRASER
The Whale
PAUL MESCAL
Aftersun
BILL NIGHY
Living

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
BRENDAN GLEESON
The Banshees of Inisherin
BRIAN TYREE HENRY
Causeway
JUDD HIRSCH
The Fabelmans
BARRY KEOGHAN
The Banshees of Inisherin
KE HUY QUAN
Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
CATE BLANCHETT
Tár
ANA DE ARMAS
Blonde
ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
To Leslie
MICHELLE WILLIAMS
The Fabelmans
MICHELLE YEOH
Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
ANGELA BASSETT
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
HONG CHAU
The Whale
KERRY CONDON
The Banshees of Inisherin
JAMIE LEE CURTIS
Everything Everywhere All at Once
STEPHANIE HSU
Everything Everywhere All at Once

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
GUILLERMO DEL TORO’S PINOCCHIO
Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey
PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH
Joel Crawford and Mark Swift
THE SEA BEAST
Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger
TURNING RED
Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
James Friend
BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS
Darius Khondji
ELVIS
Mandy Walker
EMPIRE OF LIGHT
Roger Deakins
TÁR
Florian Hoffmeister

COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
BABYLON
Mary Zophres
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Ruth Carter
ELVIS
Catherine Martin
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Shirley Kurata
MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS
Jenny Beavan

DIRECTING
NOMINEES
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Martin McDonagh
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
THE FABELMANS
Steven Spielberg
TÁR
Todd Field
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Ruben Östlund

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
ALL THAT BREATHES
Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer
ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED
Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov
FIRE OF LOVE
Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman
A HOUSE MADE OF SPLINTERS
Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström
NAVALNY
Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
THE ELEPHANT WHISPERERS
Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga
HAULOUT
Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev
HOW DO YOU MEASURE A YEAR?
Jay Rosenblatt
THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT
Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison
STRANGER AT THE GATE
Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
ELVIS
Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Paul Rogers
TÁR
Monika Willi
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Eddie Hamilton

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Germany
ARGENTINA, 1985
Argentina
CLOSE
Belgium
EO
Poland
THE QUIET GIRL
Ireland

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová
THE BATMAN
Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Camille Friend and Joel Harlow
ELVIS
Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti
THE WHALE
Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Volker Bertelmann
BABYLON
Justin Hurwitz
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Carter Burwell
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Son Lux
THE FABELMANS
John Williams

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
NOMINEES
APPLAUSE
from Tell It like a Woman; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
HOLD MY HAND
from Top Gun: Maverick; Music and Lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop
LIFT ME UP
from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever; Music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; Lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler
NAATU NAATU
from RRR; Music by M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric by Chandrabose
THIS IS A LIFE
from Everything Everywhere All at Once; Music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; Lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

BEST PICTURE
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Malte Grunert, Producer
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers
ELVIS
Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, Producers
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, Producers
THE FABELMANS
Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, Producers
TÁR
Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, Producers
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, Producers
WOMEN TALKING
Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, Producers

PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Production Design: Christian M. Goldbeck; Set Decoration: Ernestine Hipper
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter; Set Decoration: Vanessa Cole
BABYLON
Production Design: Florencia Martin; Set Decoration: Anthony Carlino
ELVIS
Production Design: Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy; Set Decoration: Bev Dunn
THE FABELMANS
Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Karen O’Hara

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
NOMINEES
THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE
Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud
THE FLYING SAILOR
Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby
ICE MERCHANTS
João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano
MY YEAR OF DICKS
Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon
AN OSTRICH TOLD ME THE WORLD IS FAKE AND I THINK I BELIEVE IT
Lachlan Pendragon

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
NOMINEES
AN IRISH GOODBYE
Tom Berkeley and Ross White
IVALU
Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan
LE PUPILLE
Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón
NIGHT RIDE
Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen
THE RED SUITCASE
Cyrus Neshvad

SOUND
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges
THE BATMAN
Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson
ELVIS
David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar
AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER
Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
THE BATMAN
Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy
BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
Screenplay - Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY
Written by Rian Johnson
LIVING
Written by Kazuo Ishiguro
TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Screenplay by Ehren Kruger and Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; Story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks
WOMEN TALKING
Screenplay by Sarah Polley

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
Written by Martin McDonagh
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Written by Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
THE FABELMANS
Written by Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner
TÁR
Written by Todd Field
TRIANGLE OF SADNESS
Written by Ruben Östlund

The-Academy-Awards
Everything-Everywhere-All-At-Once
Rrr
Black-Panther-Wakanda-Forever

[GeneChing]

And the winner is…

Mar 12, 2023 4:59pm PT
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ Dominates Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture (Full Winners List)
By Brent Lang, William Earl

Getty Images

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” was named best picture at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday, capping off an improbable awards season run by winning the movie business’s highest honor.

The film, a gonzo adventure about a Chinese-American laundromat owner grappling with an IRS audit and inter-dimensional attackers, earned seven statues, including original screenplay and directing honors for its creators Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (collectively known as the Daniels). The victory is a triumph for A24, the indie studio that pushed the zany film to an impressive $100 million at the box office, a stunning achievement at a time when the market for arthouse movies has shriveled. The studio also managed the rare feat of nabbing all four acting honors — three of which were won by “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and one by “The Whale.”

It was a night of comebacks and reassessments. “Everything Everywhere All at Once’s” Michelle Yeoh became the first Asian woman to be recognized as best actress. The honor came after a long career in martial arts and action movies like “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon” and “Yes, Madam.”

“Ladies, don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are past your prime,” Yeoh said. “For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities,” she added.

Brendan Fraser took best actor honors for his performance as a morbidly obese man trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter in “The Whale.” Fraser, once a prominent actor known for his work in popcorn flicks such as “George of the Jungle” and “The Mummy,” had spent the last decade and change away from the spotlight dealing with health and personal struggles. His win continues his remarkable resurgence.

“I started in this business 30 years ago, and this – they certainly didn’t come easily to me, but there was a facility that I didn’t appreciate at the time until it stopped,” Fraser said, acknowledging his career setbacks. He thanked his director Darren Aronofsky for “throwing me a creative lifeline and hauling me aboard.”

Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor for his performance as Yeoh’s frazzled husband in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” A former child star who appeared in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” Quan had given up on acting in recent years, frustrated by his lack of opportunities. Accepting his award, he fought back tears while sharing his personal history.

“My journey started on a boat,” he said. “I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it’s happening to me. This is the American dream.”

“Dreams are something that you have to believe in,” he added. “I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”

Jamie Lee Curtis, a veteran headliner of horror hits such as “Halloween” and the daughter of Hollywood legends Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, won best supporting actress for her turn as an IRS inspector in “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

Curtis dedicated her statue “to all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I’ve made for all these years” and also acknowledged her family history in entertainment, noting, “my mother and my father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories.” Choking up, she ended with: “I just won an Oscar.”

With its multiverse storyline, and off-beat touches such as a character with hot dog hands and weaponized *****s, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” represents a radical departure from the kind of staid prestige fare that historically dominated the Oscars, but the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has changed dramatically in recent years. In the wake of the#OscarsSoWhite controversy after no actors of color were nominated in two consecutive years, the Academy made a big push in 2016 to diversify the pool of voters. In subsequent years its membership has gotten younger, and now includes more people of color and women.

The ceremony unfolded at a tense time for Hollywood. As consumers have shifted away from cable and towards subscription streaming services, major studios and their corporate parents have spent a lot of time and coin launching their own in-house Netflix challengers. The entertainment industry has also undergone a period of consolidation, with Discovery merging with WarnerMedia, Disney buying much of 21st Century Fox and Amazon snatching MGM, deals that in the first two cases left the purchaser with a lot of debt on their balance sheet. Investors have become increasingly concerned that major media companies are over-leveraged and that the new ways that they are making money with streaming have failed to replace the old ways they once profited from such as cable subscriptions and movie ticket sales. That’s hurt the share prices of everyone from Netflix to Disney to the newly rechristened Warner Bros. Discovery, sparking a period of layoffs and cost-cutting. With a possible recession looming and studios facing tangled labor negotiations with the unions representing writers, directors and actors that could lead to strikes, there were dark clouds gathering that could have overshadowed the Oscars’ celebratory air.

Presiding over it all and (mostly) keeping things light and breezy was Jimmy Kimmel, returning for the third time as the host of the Oscars. The late night comic wasted no time bringing up the big moment from last year’s ceremony, when Will Smith charged the stage and slapped Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head (Pinkett Smith suffers from alopecia which leads to hair loss).

“If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during this show you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech,” Kimmel joked.

“If anything unpredictable or violent happens during the ceremony, just do what you did last year — nothing,” he added. “Sit there and do absolutely nothing. Maybe even give the assailant a hug.”

continued next post

[GeneChing]

Continued from previous post

“All Quiet on the Western Front,” an adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel about trench life during World War I, picked up four Oscars, including the prize for best international features. Other major winners included “Pinocchio,” Guillermo del Toro’s stop-motion musical, which was named best animated film, as well as “Women Talking,” which earned best adapted screenplay for Sarah Polley.

“Navalny,” a look at Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, won best documentary. Yulia Navalny, the imprisoned politician’s wife, came to the stage after the award was announced with a message aimed at Vladimir Putin. “I’m dreaming of the day when you will be free and our country will be free,” she said.

The Oscars did opt not to wade fully into international affairs. For the second year in a row, the program turned down overtures by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to address the global audience about his country’s struggles against Russia’s illegal invasion.

This year’s crop of best picture nominees included smaller films such as “Triangle of Sadness” and “Tár,” but also several popular favorites like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water.” It’s unclear how much the inclusion of these blockbusters will lift this year’s viewership, but the Oscars have been on a ratings nosedive. Last year’s telecast drew an audience of 16.6 million, the second-lowest ratings in its history. In contrast, in 2014, the Oscars drew 43 million viewers, a sign of the telecast’s precipitous drop in popularity.

The Oscars made some notable cosmetic changes, subbing in a champagne-colored carpet for the usual red one. That choice, however, led to some last minute scrambling after a rainy weekend left organizers cutting up sections of the carpet that had been ruined by the bad weather and dirty shoe soles. However, some near disasters were averted. On Saturday, Ovation Hollywood, the shopping center and entertainment complex that hosts the Academy Awards, suffered power outages. By Sunday, though, the skies cleared and the only sign of flickering lights were the flashbulbs greeting the stars as they made their way into the auditorium.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

continued from previous post

Here is the full list of Oscar winners:

Best Picture

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and Jonathan Wang, producers

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Malte Grunert, producer

“Avatar: The Way of Water” — James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers

“The Banshees of Inisherin” — Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, producers

“Elvis” — Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Gail Berman, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss, producers

“The Fabelmans” — Kristie Macosko Krieger, Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, producers

“Tár” — Todd Field, Alexandra Milchan and Scott Lambert, producers

“Top Gun: Maverick” — Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie, David Ellison and Jerry Bruckheimer, producers

“Triangle of Sadness” — Erik Hemmendorff and Philippe Bober, producers

“Women Talking” — Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Frances McDormand, producers

Best Lead Actress

Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Cate Blanchett (“Tár”)

Ana de Armas (“Blonde”)

Andrea Riseborough (“To Leslie”)

Michelle Williams (“The Fabelmans”)

Best Lead Actor

Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”)

Austin Butler (“Elvis”)

Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Paul Mescal (“Aftersun”)

Bill Nighy (“Living”)

Best Director

Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Martin McDonagh (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Steven Spielberg (“The Fabelmans”)

Todd Field (“Tár”)

Ruben Östlund (“Triangle of Sadness”)

Best Film Editing

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Paul Rogers

“The Banshees of Inisherin” — Mikkel E.G. Nielsen

“Elvis” — Matt Villa and Jonathan Redmond

“Tár” — Monika Willi

“Top Gun: Maverick” — Eddie Hamilton

Best Original Song

“Naatu Naatu” from “RRR” — music by M.M. Keeravaani, lyric by Chandrabose

“Applause” from “Tell It Like a Woman” — music and lyric by Diane Warren

“Hold My Hand” from “Top Gun: Maverick” — music and lyric by Lady Gaga and BloodPop

“Lift Me Up” from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — music by Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Goransson; lyric by Tems and Ryan Coogler

“This Is a Life” from “Everything Everywhere All at Once” — music by Ryan Lott, David Byrne and Mitski; lyric by Ryan Lott and David Byrne

Best Sound

“Top Gun: Maverick” — Mark Weingarten, James H. Mather, Al Nelson, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Viktor Prášil, Frank Kruse, Markus Stemler, Lars Ginzel and Stefan Korte

“Avatar: The Way of Water” — Julian Howarth, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Dick Bernstein, Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers and Michael Hedges

“The Batman” — Stuart Wilson, William Files, Douglas Murray and Andy Nelson

“Elvis” — David Lee, Wayne Pashley, Andy Nelson and Michael Keller

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Women Talking” — Sarah Polley

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell

“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” — Rian Johnson

“Living” — Kazuo Ishiguro

“Top Gun: Maverick” — screenplay by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer and Christopher McQuarrie; story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks

Best Original Screenplay

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

“The Banshees of Inisherin” — Martin McDonagh

“The Fabelmans” — Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner

“Tár” — Todd Field

“Triangle of Sadness” — Ruben Östlund

Best Visual Effects

“Avatar: The Way of Water” — Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Frank Petzold, Viktor Müller, Markus Frank and Kamil Jafar

“The Batman” — Dan Lemmon, Russell Earl, Anders Langlands and Dominic Tuohy

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — Geoffrey Baumann, Craig Hammack, R. Christopher White and Dan Sudick

“Top Gun: Maverick” — Ryan Tudhope, Seth Hill, Bryan Litson and Scott R. Fisher

Best Original Score

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Volker Bertelmann

“Babylon” — Justin Hurwitz

“The Banshees of Inisherin” — Carter Burwell

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Son Lux

“The Fabelmans” — John Williams

Best Production Design

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — production design by Christian M. Goldbeck, set decoration by Ernestine Hipper

“Avatar: The Way of Water” — production design by Dylan Cole and Ben Procter, set decoration by Vanessa Cole

“Babylon” — production design by Florencia Martin, set decoration by Anthony Carlino

“Elvis” — production design by Catherine Martin and Karen Murphy, set decoration by Bev Dunn

“The Fabelmans” — production design by Rick Carter, set decoration by Karen O’Hara

Best Animated Short Film

“The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse” — Charlie Mackesy and Matthew Freud

“The Flying Sailor” — Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

“Ice Merchants” — João Gonzalez and Bruno Caetano

“My Year of Dicks” — Sara Gunnarsdóttir and Pamela Ribon

“An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It” — Lachlan Pendragon

Best Documentary Short Film

“The Elephant Whisperers” — Kartiki Gonsalves and Guneet Monga

“Haulout” — Evgenia Arbugaeva and Maxim Arbugaev

“How Do You Measure a Year?” — Jay Rosenblatt

“The Martha Mitchell Effect” — Anne Alvergue and Beth Levison

“Stranger at the Gate” — Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones

Best International Feature Film

“All Quiet on the Western Front” (Germany)

“Argentina, 1985” (Argentina)

“Close” (Belgium)

“EO” (Poland)

“The Quiet Girl” (Ireland)

Best Costume Design

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — Ruth E. Carter

“Babylon” — Mary Zophres

“Elvis” — Catherine Martin

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” — Shirley Kurata

“Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris” — Jenny Beavan

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“The Whale” — Adrien Morot, Judy Chin and Anne Marie Bradley

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — Heike Merker and Linda Eisenhamerová

“The Batman” — Naomi Donne, Mike Marino and Mike Fontaine

“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” — Camille Friend and Joel Harlow

“Elvis” — Mark Coulier, Jason Baird and Aldo Signoretti

Best Cinematography

“All Quiet on the Western Front” — James Friend

“Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths” — Darius Khondji

“Elvis” — Mandy Walker

“Empire of Light” — Roger Deakins

“Tár” — Florian Hoffmeister

Best Live Action Short

“An Irish Goodbye” — Tom Berkeley and Ross White

“Ivalu” — Anders Walter and Rebecca Pruzan

“Le Pupille” — Alice Rohrwacher and Alfonso Cuarón

“Night Ride” — Eirik Tveiten and Gaute Lid Larssen

“The Red Suitcase” — Cyrus Neshvad

Best Documentary Feature Film

“Navalny” — Daniel Roher, Odessa Rae, Diane Becker, Melanie Miller and Shane Boris

“All That Breathes” — Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer

“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” — Laura Poitras, Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin and Yoni Golijov

“Fire of Love” — Sara Dosa, Shane Boris and Ina Fichman

“A House Made of Splinters” — Simon Lereng Wilmont and Monica Hellström

Best Supporting Actress

Jamie Lee Curtis (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Angela Bassett (“Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”)

Hong Chau (“The Whale”)

Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Stephanie Hsu (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Best Supporting Actor

Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”)

Brendan Gleeson (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Brian Tyree Henry (“Causeway”)

Judd Hirsch (“The Fabelmans”)

Barry Keoghan (“The Banshees of Inisherin”)

Best Animated Feature Film

“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” — Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson, Gary Ungar and Alex Bulkley

“Marcel the Shell With Shoes On” — Dean Fleischer Camp, Elisabeth Holm, Andrew Goldman, Caroline Kaplan and Paul Mezey

“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” — Joel Crawford and Mark Swift

“The Sea Beast” — Chris Williams and Jed Schlanger

“Turning Red” — Domee Shi and Lindsey Collins

Michelle-Yeoh
The-Academy-Awards
Everything-Everywhere-All-At-Once
Rrr
Black-Panther-Wakanda-Forever

[GeneChing]

Fan at the Oscars

Chinese film star Fan Bingbing makes rare appearance at the Oscars
Fan was ordered to pay US$130 million in taxes and penalties by the Chinese government in 2018 and has largely disappeared from public view
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s indie hit Anything Everywhere All at Once has 11 nominations, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan

Published: 6:40am, 13 Mar, 2023

China’s Fan Bingbing arrives at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: AP
Disgraced Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who appeared in X-Men films before disappearing amid a tax case in China, is at the Oscars.
Fan was becoming a crossover star with roles lined up in a Bruce Willis film and appeared in a pair of films based on Marvel Comics characters before she was ordered to pay US$130 million in taxes and penalties by the Chinese government in 2018.
Before the fine was levied, Fan went dark on social media, her management offices closed and she largely disappeared from public view.
Fan has had a few recent credits, including the spy thriller The 355, which was released in 2022.
She has re-emerged this year, appearing at the Berlin Film Festival last month with a new film, Green Night.

Will Smith, right, hits presenter Chris Rock on stage at the Oscars in March last year, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo: AP
Last year’s Oscars ceremony was arguably eclipsed by Will Smith, who strode on stage and slapped Chris Rock in the face over a comment Rock had made about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, in his speech.
Jimmy Kimmel, the show’s first solo emcee in five years, is hosting for the third time. The late-night comedian has promised to make some jokes about The Slap; it would be “ridiculous” not to, he said.
Bill Kramer, chief executive of the film academy, has said that it was important, given what happened last year, to have “a host in place who can really pivot and manage those moments.”
“Nobody got hit when I hosted the show,” Kimmel boasted, tongue in cheek, on Good Morning America on Thursday. “Everybody was well-behaved at my Oscars.”
Kimmel will preside over a ceremony that could see big wins for the best-picture favourite, Everything Everywhere All at Once. Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s action-comedy indie hit comes in with a leading 11 nominations, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan.
Producers are giving some aspects of the Oscars a makeover. The carpet is champagne-coloured, not red. The broadcast has been planned to be more interactive than ever.
There were surprises before the show even got started. Just days after producers had said Lady Gaga would not be performing her nominated song Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, a person close to the production with knowledge of the performance confirmed on Sunday afternoon that the pop superstar would perform, after all.
And presenter Glenn Close told Associated Press that she would no longer present at the show because she had tested positive for Covid-19.
But the academy, still trying to find its footing after several years of pandemic and ratings struggles, is also hoping for a smoother ride than last year. A crisis management team has been created to help better respond to surprises. The academy has called its response to Smith’s actions last year “inadequate.”

Harry Shum Jnr, whose mother is from Hong Kong and whose father is from Guangzhou, arrives at the Oscars on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Shum Jnr plays Chad in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Photo: Invision / AP
Neither Rock, who recently made his most forceful statement about the incident in a live special, nor Smith, who’s been banned by the academy for 10 years, are expected to attend.
The Academy Awards will instead attempt to recapture some of its old lustre. One thing working in its favour: This year’s best picture field is stacked with blockbusters. Ratings usually go up when the nominees are more popular, which certainly goes for Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water and, to a lesser extent, Elvis and Everything Everywhere All at Once.
But the late-breaking contender that may fare well in the technical categories – where bigger films often reign – is Netflix’s top nominee this year: the German WWI epic All Quiet on the Western Front. It is up for nine awards, tied for second most with the Irish dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin. Netflix’s Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio also looks like a shoo-in for best animated film.
The awards will also have some star wattage in the musical performances. Fresh off her Super Bowl performance, Rihanna will perform her Oscar-nominated song, Lift Me Up, from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. This Is Life, from Everything Everywhere All at Once will be sung by David Byrne and supporting actress nominee Stephanie Hsu with the band Son Lux. Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava will perform Naatu Naatu from the Indian action epic RRR. Lenny Kravitz will perform during the In Memoriam tribute.
Last year, Apple TV’s CODA became the first streaming film to win best picture. But this year, nine of the 10 best picture nominees were theatrical releases. After the film business cratered during the pandemic, moviegoing recovered to about 67 per cent of pre-pandemic levels. But it was an up and down year, full of smash hits and anxiety-inducing lulls in cinemas.
At the same time, the rush to streaming encountered new setbacks as studios questioned long-term profitability and re-examined their release strategies. This year, ticket sales have been strong thanks to releases such as Creed III and Cocaine Bear. But there remain storm clouds on the horizon.

Chinese-American veteran actor James Hong, part of the Everything Anywhere All at Once cast, with April Hong at the Oscars in Los Angeles on Sunday. Photo: Invision / AP
The Writers Guild and the major studios are set to begin contract negotiations March 20, a looming battle that has much of the industry girding for the possibility of a work stoppage throughout film and television.
The Oscars, meanwhile, are trying to reestablish their position as the premier award show. Last year’s telecast drew 16.6 million viewers, a 58 per cent increase from the scaled-down 2021 edition, watched by a record low 10.5 million.
Usually, the previous year’s acting winners present the awards for best actor and best actress. But that will not be the case this time. Who will replace Smith in presenting best actress is just one of the questions heading into the ceremony.

Where-in-the-world-is-Fan-Bingbing
The-Academy-Awards
Everything-Everywhere-All-At-Once

[GeneChing]

cyber-bullying?

More of the protest call

Martial arts star Donnie Yen claims Oscars petition was ‘cyber-bullying’
Petition author says Yen is a public figure, and his comments could mislead the global public.
By Jojo Man for RFA Cantonese
2023.04.04

Donnie Yen arrives at the Oscars on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.
Credit: Associated Press
Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen has hit back at more than 100,000 people who signed a petition calling for his removal from last month’s Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing, claiming the move was part of “cancel culture.”

“Im allowed to love my own culture, love my own country,” Yen said in a recent interview with Variety. “Why cannot I be patriotic?”

“This whole online cyber-bullying/cancel culture has got to stop,” he said of the petition calling on the Academy Awards to remove him as an award presenter after he called the 2019 pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong “a riot.”

“You cant own somebodys thoughts. And you want to silence them? Its totally hypocritical,” Yen said.

Yen presented an award at the March 12 ceremony despite public criticism and street protests from pro-democracy activists and Chinese dissidents, who displayed photos of Yen shaking hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in a celebrity line-up.

The protest, which was attended by former 1989 student leader Wang Dan, came as more than 110,000 people signed a petition on Change.org calling for Yen to be dropped from the ceremony.

Yen had earlier told GQ Hype magazine in a recent interview after being asked about the boycott of his movies and his view of the 2019 protest movement: It wasnt a protest, OK, it was a riot.

A lot of people might not be happy for what Im saying, but Im speaking from my own experience, said Yen, using very similar language to official descriptions of the protests.

Form of silencing

Taiwan-based petition co-author Tong Wai Hong, who was acquitted of rioting charges linked to his role in the 2019 protest movement, said creating and signing a petition was just a way for people to express their opinions, and didn’t amount to cyber-bullying.

“He has the freedom to say what he likes, and we citizens are also free to use such methods to express our opposition to his remarks and his actions,” Tong said.

Activists and Chinese dissidents demonstrate outside the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles on March 12, 2023, with banners satirizing actor Donnie Yens support for the Chinese Communist Party. Credit: Provided by Wang Dan

“As an artist, he is a public figure, so his comments could mislead a lot of people and distort the truth, and were therefore irresponsible,” he said.

Tong said the aim of the petition had never been to silence Yen.

“Instead, I would like to ask people in Hong Kong, people in the movie industry … why they can’t even talk about not being able to make [certain] movies, and why some films the public want to see can’t be screened,” he said.

“If the voices of the poorest and of all citizens aren’t being heard, is that not also a form of silencing?” Tong said. “I think he should consider that instead.”

Tong said that while the petition hadn’t been successful in getting Yen removed from the Oscars ceremony, it was a rare example of a Hong Kong rights issue making world headlines.

“Usually, it’s very rare for a Hong Kong human rights issue to make an international appearance,” he said.

100% Chinese

Yen was born in the southern city of Guangzhou, settling in Hong Kong at the age of 2, and emigrating to the United States at 12.

He renounced his American citizenship in 2010, saying publicly that he was “100% Chinese.”

He was admitted as a delegate to the Communist Party’s Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in January 2023, following in the footsteps of Jackie Chan.

Many Hong Kongers started boycotting Yen’s movies over his pro-Beijing stance during the 2019 protest movement against the erosion of Hong Kong’s promised freedoms and judicial independence.

An online petition at Change.org called for removing Hong Kong actor Donnie Yen from last month’s Oscars ceremony due to his public support for Beijing. Credit: RFA screenshot
They grew into pitched street battles between protesters armed with bricks, Molotov cocktails, catapults and other makeshift weapons against riot police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and occasionally live rounds of ammunition at protesters and journalists.

Rights groups and protesters alike criticized the unsafe and indiscriminate use of tear gas and other forms of police violence during the months-long protest movement, as well as rampant abuses of police power and abuse of detainees.

Police violence against young and unarmed protesters early in the movement brought millions onto the city’s streets and prompted the occupation of its international airport.

In other incidents, unarmed train passengers were attacked by both armed riot police at Prince Edward station and by white-clad mobsters at Yuen Long, who laid into passengers and protesters with rods and poles while police took 39 minutes to answer hundreds of distress calls from the scene.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Donnie Yen: Uber Awesome !!
The-Academy-Awards

[GeneChing]

And the nominees are…

THE 96TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2024
Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Honoring movies released in 2023

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
BRADLEY COOPER
Maestro
COLMAN DOMINGO
Rustin
PAUL GIAMATTI
The Holdovers
CILLIAN MURPHY
Oppenheimer
JEFFREY WRIGHT
American Fiction

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
STERLING K. BROWN
American Fiction
ROBERT DE NIRO
Killers of the Flower Moon
ROBERT DOWNEY JR.
Oppenheimer
RYAN GOSLING
Barbie
MARK RUFFALO
Poor Things

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
ANNETTE BENING
Nyad
LILY GLADSTONE
Killers of the Flower Moon
SANDRA HÜLLER
Anatomy of a Fall
CAREY MULLIGAN
Maestro
EMMA STONE
Poor Things

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
EMILY BLUNT
Oppenheimer
DANIELLE BROOKS
The Color Purple
AMERICA FERRERA
Barbie
JODIE FOSTER
Nyad
DA’VINE JOY RANDOLPH
The Holdovers

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
THE BOY AND THE HERON
Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
ELEMENTAL
Peter Sohn and Denise Ream
NIMONA
Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary
ROBOT DREAMS
Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
EL CONDE
Edward Lachman
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Rodrigo Prieto
MAESTRO
Matthew Libatique
OPPENHEIMER
Hoyte van Hoytema
POOR THINGS
Robbie Ryan

COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
BARBIE
Jacqueline Durran
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Jacqueline West
NAPOLEON
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
OPPENHEIMER
Ellen Mirojnick
POOR THINGS
Holly Waddington

DIRECTING
NOMINEES
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Justine Triet
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Martin Scorsese
OPPENHEIMER
Christopher Nolan
POOR THINGS
Yorgos Lanthimos
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Jonathan Glazer

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT
Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek
THE ETERNAL MEMORY
FOUR DAUGHTERS
Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha
TO KILL A TIGER
Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim
20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
THE ABCS OF BOOK BANNING
Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic
THE BARBER OF LITTLE ROCK
John Hoffman and Christine Turner
ISLAND IN BETWEEN
S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien
THE LAST REPAIR SHOP
Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
NI NAI & WÀI PÓ
Sean Wang and Sam Davis

FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Laurent Sénéchal
THE HOLDOVERS
Kevin Tent
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Thelma Schoonmaker
OPPENHEIMER
Jennifer Lame
POOR THINGS
Yorgos Mavropsaridis

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
IO CAPITANO
Italy
PERFECT DAYS
Japan
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW
Spain
THE TEACHERS’ LOUNGE
Germany
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
United Kingdom

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES
GOLDA
Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue
MAESTRO
Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
OPPENHEIMER
Luisa Abel
POOR THINGS
Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
SOCIETY OF THE SNOW
Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
NOMINEES
AMERICAN FICTION
Laura Karpman
INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY
John Williams
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Robbie Robertson
OPPENHEIMER
Ludwig Göransson
POOR THINGS
Jerskin Fendrix
MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

NOMINEES
THE FIRE INSIDE
from Flamin’ Hot; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
I’M JUST KEN
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
IT NEVER WENT AWAY
from American Symphony; Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
WAHZHAZHE (A SONG FOR MY PEOPLE)
from Killers of the Flower Moon; Music and Lyric by Scott George
WHAT WAS I MADE FOR?
from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

BEST PICTURE
NOMINEES
AMERICAN FICTION
Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers
BARBIE
David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers
THE HOLDOVERS
Mark Johnson, Producer
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers
MAESTRO
Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
OPPENHEIMER
Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, Producers
PAST LIVES
David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers
POOR THINGS
Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
James Wilson, Producer

PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
BARBIE
Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
NAPOLEON
Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff
OPPENHEIMER
Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman
POOR THINGS
Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
LETTER TO A PIG
Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter
NINETY-FIVE SENSES
Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess
OUR UNIFORM
Yegane Moghaddam
PACHYDERME
Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius
WAR IS OVER! INSPIRED BY THE MUSIC OF JOHN & YOKO
Dave Mullins and Brad Booker

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
THE AFTER
Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham
INVINCIBLE
Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron
KNIGHT OF FORTUNE
Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk
RED, WHITE AND BLUE
Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane
THE WONDERFUL STORY OF HENRY SUGAR
Wes Anderson and Steven Rales

SOUND
NOMINEES
THE CREATOR
Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
MAESTRO
Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
OPPENHEIMER
Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O’Connell
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn

VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES
THE CREATOR
Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould
GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould
NAPOLEON
Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
AMERICAN FICTION
Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
BARBIE
Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
OPPENHEIMER
Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
POOR THINGS
Screenplay by Tony McNamara
THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Written by Jonathan Glazer

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
ANATOMY OF A FALL
Screenplay - Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
THE HOLDOVERS
Written by David Hemingson
MAESTRO
Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
MAY DECEMBER
Screenplay by Samy Burch; Story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
PAST LIVES
Written by Celine Song
Did we discuss any of these beyond Godzilla Minus One?

[GeneChing]

The 97th academy awards

THE 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS | 2025
Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Honoring movies released in 2024

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
ADRIEN BRODY
The Brutalist
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET
A Complete Unknown
COLMAN DOMINGO
Sing Sing
RALPH FIENNES
Conclave
SEBASTIAN STAN
The Apprentice

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
YURA BORISOV
Anora
KIERAN CULKIN
A Real Pain
EDWARD NORTON
A Complete Unknown
GUY PEARCE
The Brutalist
JEREMY STRONG
The Apprentice

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
NOMINEES
CYNTHIA ERIVO
Wicked
KARLA SOFÍA GASCÓN
Emilia Pérez
MIKEY MADISON
Anora
DEMI MOORE
The Substance
FERNANDA TORRES
I’m Still Here

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
NOMINEES
MONICA BARBARO
A Complete Unknown
ARIANA GRANDE
Wicked
FELICITY JONES
The Brutalist
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI
Conclave
ZOE SALDAÑA
Emilia Pérez

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
FLOW
Nominees to be determined
INSIDE OUT 2
Kelsey Mann and Mark Nielsen
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
Adam Elliot and Liz Kearney
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
Nominees to be determined
THE WILD ROBOT
Chris Sanders and Jeff Hermann

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
BEAUTIFUL MEN
Nicolas Keppens and Brecht Van Elslande
IN THE SHADOW OF THE CYPRESS
Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
MAGIC CANDIES
Daisuke Nishio and Takashi Washio
WANDER TO WONDER
Nina Gantz and Stienette Bosklopper
YUCK!
Loïc Espuche and Juliette Marquet

CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES
THE BRUTALIST
Lol Crawley
DUNE: PART TWO
Greig Fraser
EMILIA PÉREZ
Paul Guilhaume
MARIA
Ed Lachman
NOSFERATU
Jarin Blaschke

COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Arianne Phillips
CONCLAVE
Lisy Christl
GLADIATOR II
Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
NOSFERATU
Linda Muir
WICKED
Paul Tazewell

DIRECTING
NOMINEES
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Brady Corbet
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
James Mangold
EMILIA PÉREZ
Jacques Audiard
THE SUBSTANCE
Coralie Fargeat

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
BLACK BOX DIARIES
Shiori Ito, Eric Nyari and Hanna Aqvilin
NO OTHER LAND
Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal and Yuval Abraham
PORCELAIN WAR
Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska and Paula DuPre’ Pesmen
SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT
Johan Grimonprez, Daan Milius and Rémi Grellety
SUGARCANE
Nominees to be determined

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
DEATH BY NUMBERS
Kim A. Snyder and Janique L. Robillard
I AM READY, WARDEN
Smriti Mundhra and Maya Gnyp
INCIDENT
Bill Morrison and Jamie Kalven
INSTRUMENTS OF A BEATING HEART
Ema Ryan Yamazaki and Eric Nyari
THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ORCHESTRA
Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington

FILM EDITING
NOMINEES
ANORA
Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
David Jancso
CONCLAVE
Nick Emerson
EMILIA PÉREZ
Juliette Welfling
WICKED
Myron Kerstein
I
NTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
NOMINEES
BRAZIL
I’m Still Here
DENMARK
The Girl with the Needle
FRANCE
Emilia Pérez
GERMANY
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
LATVIA
Flow

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES
A DIFFERENT MAN
Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado
EMILIA PÉREZ
Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini
NOSFERATU
David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton
THE SUBSTANCE
Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli
WICKED
Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
NOMINEES
THE BRUTALIST
Daniel Blumberg
CONCLAVE
Volker Bertelmann
EMILIA PÉREZ
Clément Ducol and Camille
WICKED
John Powell and Stephen Schwartz
THE WILD ROBOT
Kris Bowers

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
NOMINEES
EL MAL
from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard
THE JOURNEY
from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
LIKE A BIRD
from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada
MI CAMINO
from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol
NEVER TOO LATE
from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin

BEST PICTURE
NOMINEES
ANORA
Alex Coco, Samantha Quan and Sean Baker, Producers
THE BRUTALIST
Nominees to be determined
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Fred Berger, James Mangold and Alex Heineman, Producers
CONCLAVE
Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell and Michael A. Jackman, Producers
DUNE: PART TWO
Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Tanya Lapointe and Denis Villeneuve, Producers
EMILIA PÉREZ
Nominees to be determined
I’M STILL HERE
Nominees to be determined
NICKEL BOYS
Nominees to be determined
THE SUBSTANCE
Nominees to be determined
WICKED
Marc Platt, Producer

PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES
THE BRUTALIST
Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia
CONCLAVE
Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter
DUNE: PART TWO
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
NOSFERATU
Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová
WICKED
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
NOMINEES
A LIEN
Sam Cutler-Kreutz and David Cutler-Kreutz
ANUJA
Adam J. Graves and Suchitra Mattai
I’M NOT A ROBOT
Victoria Warmerdam and Trent
THE LAST RANGER
Cindy Lee and Darwin Shaw
THE MAN WHO COULD NOT REMAIN SILENT
Nebojša Slijepevi and Danijel Pek

SOUND
NOMINEES
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco
DUNE: PART TWO
Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill
EMILIA PÉREZ
Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta
WICKED
Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis
THE WILD ROBOT
Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts

VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES
ALIEN: ROMULUS
Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan
BETTER MAN
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs
DUNE: PART TWO
Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke
WICKED
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks
CONCLAVE
Screenplay by Peter Straughan
EMILIA PÉREZ
Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi
NICKEL BOYS
Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
SING SING
Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
NOMINEES
ANORA
Written by Sean Baker
THE BRUTALIST
Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
A REAL PAIN
Written by Jesse Eisenberg
SEPTEMBER 5
Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David
THE SUBSTANCE
Written by Coralie Fargeat

I think the only nominee we discussed was DUNE: PART TWO
The-Academy-Awards