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  • DNEG receives two nominations for VFX at 94th Academy Awards

    DNEG receives two nominations for VFX at 94th Academy Awards

    Mumbai: The VFX and animation studio DNEG, led by Namit Malhotra, has received two nominations in the ‘Best Visual Effects’ category for the 94th Academy Awards, scheduled for 27 March in Los Angeles. DNEG has been nominated for its work on “Dune” and “No Time to Die.”

    “I am very grateful to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for these nominations and I am proud to see our teams receiving this well-deserved recognition,” said DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra. “These nominations validate our high ambitions for DNEG to become the foremost and most highly-regarded VFX and animation company in the world, and to make my country, my India, proud.”

    DNEG’s VFX work has previously won six Academy Awards for ‘Best Visual Effects’ including five of the last seven – for “Tenet,” “First Man,” “Blade Runner 2049,” “Ex Machina,” “Interstellar,” and “Inception.”

    Earlier this month, DNEG won a BAFTA for its VFX work on “Dune.” Four of the five 2022 BAFTA-nominated films in the ‘Special Visual Effects’ category feature DNEG-led VFX work including “Dune,” “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” and “No Time to Die.”

    DNEG also received 12 nominations for the 2022 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards, across six shows – “Dune,” “The Matrix Resurrections,” “No Time to Die,” “Last Night In Soho,” “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” and “Foundation.” The studio picked up seven awards out of 12 nominations.

    In the past, DNEG has won seven BAFTA Awards, 18 Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards and three Primetime Emmy Awards.

  • 20th VES Awards: DNEG sweeps seven awards for visual effects

    20th VES Awards: DNEG sweeps seven awards for visual effects

    Mumbai: The London-based VFX major Double Negative (DNEG) has received seven awards at the 20th Visual Effects Society (VES) Awards held in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The company is a technology-enabled visual effect and animation studio for the creation of feature film, television and multiplatform content.  This year’s seven VES awards bring The company’s all-time total to 18.

    The four of DNEG’s seven awards honoured its VFX work on Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar 2022 frontrunner “Dune,” including the main award for ‘Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature,’ which was presented by the filmmaker himself.

    DNEG also received two awards for its work on the Apple TV+ drama “Foundation,” as well as the award for ‘Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature” for Edgar Wright’s “Last Night In Soho.”

    DNEG’s dominant and expansive awards haul on the evening provides further evidence of the company’s leading capabilities in the visual effects and animation industries. This year’s extraordinary levels of success and the recognition of the Visual Effects Society add to DNEG’s impressive list of recent and historical accolades, said the statement.

    “Thank you to the Visual Effects Society for honouring the incredible work of our teams and congratulations to all of our winners, collaborators, global teams and clients on this epic achievement,” commented DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra. “It is important to note that these projects were all in production during the pandemic. Despite the challenges of finding new ways of working in this incredibly difficult time for the world, DNEG has produced work of a quality that has been recognised as outstanding by the VES – an industry body that provides a detailed and comprehensive gauge of the technology and artistry that makes this work so special.”

    “This, alongside the unprecedented number of awards that we won last night, is a massive testament to the capabilities of our teams, and the trust of our customers that DNEG will always deliver their vision to the highest possible standard. It is also a huge validation of DNEG’s ambitious growth plans as we go from strength to strength, scaling our business, and delivering great results across all of our global teams,” Malhotra further said.

    DNEG’s complete 2022 VES Award winners are:

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “Dune” – Paul Lambert, Brice Parker, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, Gerd Nefzer

    Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “Last Night in Soho” – Tom Proctor, Gavin Gregory, Julian Gnass, Fabricio Baessa

    Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: “Foundation” – The Emperor’s Peace – Chris MacLean, Addie Manis, Mike Enriquez, Chris Keller, Paul Byrne

    Outstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project: “Dune” – Royal Ornithopter – Marc Austin, Anna Yamazoe, Michael Chang, Rachael Dunk

    Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature: “Dune” – Dunes of Arrakis – Gero Grimm, Ivan Larinin, Hideki Okano, Zuny An

    Outstanding Effects Simulation in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project: “Foundation” – Collapse of the Galactic Empire – Giovanni Casadei, Mikel Zuloaga, Steven Moor, Louis Manjarres

    Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature: “Dune” – Attack on Arrakeen – Gregory Haas, Francesco Dell’Anna, Abhishek Chaturvedi, Cleve Zhu

    DNEG served as lead VFX partner on each of the above projects, with work completed throughout its worldwide studios, according to the company.

  • Nominations for Oscars 2022 announced: Here is the full list

    Nominations for Oscars 2022 announced: Here is the full list

    Los Angeles: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Tuesday announced nominations for the 94th annual Academy Awards which included films in a range of genres.

    “The Power of the Dog” led among nominated films with 12 nods. The drama’s director, Jane Campion, made history by becoming the first woman to be nominated more than once for best director. The acclaimed New Zealand filmmaker was previously nominated for the 1993 drama, “The Piano” (Last year, “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao became just the second woman to ever win the award.)

    The nine other best picture contenders are “Belfast,” “Coda,” “Don’t Look Up,” “Drive My Car,” “Dune,” “King Richard,” “Licorice Pizza,” “Nightmare Alley,” and “West Side Story.”

    Fellow directing nominee Steven Spielberg also set a new record. As the producer of “West Side Story,” which earned a total of seven nominations, Spielberg has now produced 11 films nominated for best picture, a new record for the Oscars.

    Denzel Washington extended the record he already holds as the most nominated Black actor, earning his tenth Oscar nomination for his performance in “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” In addition, Will Smith scored his third lead actor Oscar nomination for “King Richard,” a portrait of tennis stars Serena and Venus Williams’s ambitious father. Smith was previously nominated for his roles in “Ali” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.”

    The other performers recognised in the Best Actor category are Javier Bardem (“Being the Ricardos”), Benedict Cumberbatch (“The Power of the Dog”) and Andrew Garfield (“tick, tick…BOOM!”).

    The contenders vying for the best actress statuette are Jessica Chastain (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”), Olivia Colman (“The Lost Daughter”), Penélope Cruz (“Parallel Mothers”), Nicole Kidman (“Being the Ricardos”) and Kristen Stewart (“Spencer”).

    Netflix has conquered the world of streaming video but the company is still chasing Hollywood’s most coveted prize: The best picture award. However, the streaming giant has a good shot to win this year with “The Power of the Dog. “The company also distributed fellow best picture nominee “Don’t Look Up” as well as the Lin-Manuel Miranda-directed musical “tick, tick…BOOM!”

    As the above-listed contenders woke up to some welcome news Tuesday morning, other hopefuls were not so fortunate. Notable Oscar snubs this year included:

    Ridley Scott’s “House of Gucci” which failed to earn a Best Picture nod along with stars Lady Gaga, Adam Driver and supporting player Jared Leto who were all locked out of the acting races — potential casualties of the film’s mixed-to-negative reviews and so-so box-office performance.

    “West Side Story” breakout star Rachel Zegler, who won a Golden Globe last month for her performance as María Vasquez, got shut out of the best actress category.

    “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve, who was previously nominated for the sci-fi drama “Arrival” (2016), failed to pick up the best director nomination, although “Dune” racked up an impressive 10 nods.

    Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Rebecca Hall’s “Passing” and Asghar Farhadi’s “A Hero” — three of the year’s most critically venerated films — walked away empty-handed. While Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim, the two young stars of Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Licorice Pizza” fell short of acting honors.

    “Spider-Man: No Way Home” shattered box office records but failed to earn a nod for the Best Picture category.

    The Academy Awards ceremony is set to air live from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre on ABC Sunday, March 27. See the list of nominees below.

    Best Picture

    Belfast
    CODA
    Don’t Look Up
    Drive My Car
    Dune
    King Richard
    Licorice Pizza
    Nightmare Alley
    The Power of the Dog
    West Side Story

    Best Actress

    Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
    Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter
    Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
    Nicole Kidman, Being the Ricardos
    Kristen Stewart, Spencer

    Best Actor

    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

    Best Supporting Actress

    Jessie Buckley, The Lost Daughter

    Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
    Judi Dench, Belfast
    Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog
    Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

    Best Supporting Actor

    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

    Best Director

    Kenneth Branagh, Belfast
    Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car
    Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
    Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
    Steven Spielberg, West Side Story

    Best Adapted Screenplay

    CODA
    Drive My Car
    Dune
    The Lost Daughter
    The Power of the Dog

    Best Original Screenplay

    Belfast
    Don’t Look Up
    King Richard
    Licorice Pizza
    The Worst Person in the World

    Best Cinematography

    Dune
    Nightmare Alley
    The Power of the Dog
    The Tragedy of Macbeth
    West Side Story

    Best Animated Film

    Encanto
    Flee
    Luca
    The Mitchells vs. the Machines
    Raya and the Last Dragon

    Best Original Score

    Don’t Look Up, Nicholas Britell
    Dune, Hans Zimmer
    Encanto, Germaine Franco
    Parallel Mothers, Alberto Iglesias
    The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood

    Best Original Song

    “Be Alive” from King Richard, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Dixson
    “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto, Lin-Manuel Miranda
    “Down to Joy” from Belfast, Van Morrison
    “No Time to Die” from No Time to Die, Billie Eilish, Finneas O’Connell
    “Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days, Diane Warren

    Best Costume Design

    Cruella
    Cyrano
    Dune
    Nightmare Alley
    West Side Story

    Best Makeup & Hairstyling

    Coming 2 America
    Cruella
    Dune
    The Eyes of Tammy Faye
    House of Gucci

    Best Editing

    Don’t Look Up
    Dune
    King Richard
    The Power of the Dog
    Tick, Tick… Boom!

    Best Visual Effects

    Dune
    Free Guy
    No Time to Die
    Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
    Spider-Man: No Way Home

    Best Production Design

    Dune
    Nightmare Alley
    The Power of the Dog
    The Tragedy of Macbeth
    West Side Story

    Best Sound

    Belfast
    Dune
    No Time to Die
    The Power of the Dog
    West Side Story

    Best International Film

    Drive My Car
    Flee
    The Hand of God
    Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom
    The Worst Person in the World

    Best Documentary

    Ascension
    Attica
    Flee
    Summer of Soul
    Writing with Fire

    Best Documentary Short Subject

    Audible
    Lead Me Home
    The Queen of Basketball
    Three Songs for Benazir
    When We Were Bullies

    Best Animated Short Film

    Affairs of the Art
    Bestia
    Boxballet
    Robin Robin
    The Windshield Wiper

    Best Live-Action Short Film

    Ala Kachuu — Take and Run
    The Dress
    The Long Goodbye
    On My Mind
    Please Hold

  • Viacom to sell Paramount Pictures’ DreamWorks film library for $900 million

    Viacom to sell Paramount Pictures’ DreamWorks film library for $900 million

    MUMBAI: Soros Strategic Partners LP and Dune Entertainment II LLC, an affiliate of Dune Capital Management LP, have signed a definitive agreement with Viacom Inc. to purchase the film library of Paramount Pictures’ DreamWorks LLC for $900 million.

    The library sale, subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close in April. The transaction completes the second stage of the DreamWorks acquisition. After the conversion of certain commercial agreements from debt to advances, Viacom expects a net purchase price for DreamWorks of approximately $600 million.

    Under the terms of the library transaction Soros and Dune will acquire all 59 DreamWorks live action films released through 15 September 2005. Soros will enter into an exclusive five-year agreement with Paramount to distribute the library.

    Viacom will retain ownership of music publishing and certain other ancillary and derivative rights associated with the library including sequel and merchandising rights. In addition, Viacom will retain a minority interest in the entity holding the library assets.

    Viacom has retained certain rights to reacquire the library and Soros and Dune have the right to sell the library to Viacom, beginning at the end of the fifth year, at the then current fair market value. Additionally, the parties have certain rights to acquire the other’s interest in the library at fair market value at any time upon the triggering of certain events. In the event that Soros continues to own the library after the fifth year, the distribution agreement with Paramount will automatically renew.

    “After a thorough process that resulted in great interest for the DreamWorks film library, we’re pleased to have reached an agreement with Soros and Dune that has outstanding terms for all parties and is well within our expected sales price range. By significantly reducing our capital investment, this transaction materially increases our expected return on invested capital for the DreamWorks acquisition. Additionally, we retain all the strategic and operational benefits of the combination,” said Viacom executive vice president and chief financial officer Michael Dolan.