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Tag: Oscar

  • US congratulates Iranian director on Oscar win

    US congratulates Iranian director on Oscar win

    MUMBAI: The US government has congratulated Iranian director Asghar Farhadi after his film A Separation bagged the Oscar award in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

    "On behalf of all of us, to congratulate Iranian film director Asghar Farhadi on his Oscar win," said the US State Department in a statement. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the film was the first Iranian film to win an Oscar, "It really gives the world an invaluable picture of life in Iran. We applaud his achievement and celebrate the vibrancy and historical greatness of the independent film industry in Iran."
     
    The film was honoured at the 84th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles Sunday night.

    The only other Iranian film that was nominated in the Best Foreign Language Film category was Children of Heaven in 1998.

  • With no fight Journey 2 stands high

    With no fight Journey 2 stands high

    MUMBAI: Devoid of any serious competition, Warner Bros.’ Journey 2: The Mysterious Island maintained its No. 1 box office position for the third consecutive weekend by collecting $18.5 million from 8,500 screens in 48 offshore territories.

    A No. 1 opening in Italy, the film contributed $2.4 million from 418 screens and edged out French comedy blockbuster Intouchables that also made its debut in the market. The New Line/Walden Media family adventure has till yet grossed $159.2 million, $16.2 million more than foreign gross of the film’s 2008 predecessor Journey To The Center of the Earth.
     
    Foreign grosses for best-picture nominees at the Oscar like The Artist ($48 million versus $29 million domestic); The Help ($42 million versus $169.7 million domestic); The Tree of Life ($49 million versus $13.3 million domestic); Midnight in Paris ($98 million versus $56.5 million domestic); War Horse ($62.7 million versus $79 million domestic); Hugo ($46 million of which Paramount-handled markets account for $39.9 million, versus $69.4 million domestic); Moneyball ($34 million versus $75.6 million domestic); The Descendants ($77.7 million versus $79 million domestic); and Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close ($8.5 million versus $31.2 million domestic).

    No.2 on the weekend was Safe House, Universal’s thriller starring Denzel Washington, opened in 11 territories and roped in $13.6 million on the weekend overall from 3,389 sites in 46 markets. Standing out was the film’s No. 3 bow in the U.K., which drew $3.6 million from 425 locations. Openings in Italy, Korea, Mexico, Panama and Indonesia are on tap this week.

  • Dhanush-starrer 3 to be dubbed in Hindi & Telugu

    Dhanush-starrer 3 to be dubbed in Hindi & Telugu

    MUMBAI: Tamil star Dhanush-starrer 3 will be dubbed in Hindi.

    The movie will be released in Tamil, dubbed versions of Hindi and Telugu while for its overseas release, the film would be subtitled in English.

    Dhanush is known for his song Kolaveri Di that has till now recorded more than 25 million views on YouTube. According to the star, who is the son-in-law of Tamil star Rajinikant, there would be some delay in the film‘s release because they are planning a global release.

    Directed by wife and debut director Aishwarya Dhanush, the film stars Dhanush and Shruti Haasan in the lead. The film is being produced by Dhanush‘s father Kasthuri Raja.

    It may be interesting to note that Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pokutty is the sound engineer of 3.

  • ‘Bridesmaids’ cast to present at 84th Academy Awards

    ‘Bridesmaids’ cast to present at 84th Academy Awards

    MUMBAI: Six actresses – Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig – from the comedy ‘Bridesmaids‘ will be presenters at the 84th Academy Awards, telecast producers Brian Grazer and Don Mischer announced.
     
    McCarthy received her first Oscar nomination this year for her supporting role in the film, and Wiig also became a first-time nominee for the film‘s original screenplay. All six will be making their first Oscar show appearances.
     
    The Academy Awards will air on Star Movies on 27 February. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries, including on ABC in the US.

  • The Artist claims top spot at AACTA Intl awards

    The Artist claims top spot at AACTA Intl awards

    MUMBAI: The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts has announced the winners of the opening edition of the AACTA International Awards that recognises International achievements in films in the following five award categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress.
     
    Taking a step ahead to a possible Oscar win the black and white, silent film The Artist was pronounced the big winner. The AACTA International Awards awarded the ‘Best Film’ award to producer Thomas Langmann while the ‘Best Direction’ award was given to French director Michel Hazanavicius.

    The film’s lead actor, Jean Dujardin, was adjudged ‘Best Actor’ for his powerful performance as George Valentin.
     
    On the other hand, Meryl Streep took home the AACTA International Award for ‘Best Actress’ for her role in The Iron Lady edging out five other nominees in the category, with her impressive portrayal of former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
     
    The award for ‘Best Screenplay’ proved fiercely competitive with two joint winners. The winners were the adapted screenplay from The Ides of March for George Clooney, Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon and the original screenplay from Margin Call for first time writer and director J.C. Chandor.

    The AACTA International Awards recognise film excellence regardless of geography, as determined by a jury of eminent Australian screen practitioners from a cross-section of crafts, and with a wealth of local and international experience.

  • Razzies awards on April 1

    Razzies awards on April 1

    MUMBAI: Organisers of the Razzies Awards, termed as a spoof on the Academy Awards picks the year‘s worst films, have altered the schedule of their nominations and awards ceremony.

    Earlier, the Razzies used to announce contenders the night before the Oscar nominations, but this year the nominations will be released on February 25 a day before the Oscar ceremony.Winners of the Razzies will be announced on April 1.
     
    A news release announcing the change also says that it will give the 600 Razzies voters "additional time to see the dreck they will eventually nominate."

  • Prime Focus work among 5 films in Oscar fray

    Prime Focus work among 5 films in Oscar fray

    MUMBAI: Prime Focus has contributed to five of the ten films that are in the running for the 84th Academy Awards.

    The work involved ranges from creating complex VFX shots for Tree of Life and X-Men: First Class to being lead 3D conversion facility on Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, to completing 3D conversion and delivering stereoscopic VFX shots for Transformers: Dark of the Moon and supplying on-set equipment for Hugo.

    The Tree of Life saw the highly anticipated return of acclaimed director Terrence Malick. Prime Focus delivers a number of detailed sequences including the creation of stunningly realistic dinosaurs.

    The film, based on Malick‘s original screenplay, is an impressionistic story of a 1950‘s mid-Western American family. It explores difficult human issues, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Majority of the visual effects in the film come in the opening creation sequence that features subtle images from the prehistoric era and astronomy.

    The 50-strong Prime Focus team, spanning facilities in Los Angeles and Vancouver, worked closely with VFX Supervisor Dan Glass to determine the species of dinosaurs they would create as well as the environment around them. A huge amount of research was undertaken with specialist biologists and paleontologists brought in.

    The film picked up the prestigious Palme D‘Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and is expected to fare well in the upcoming awards season.

    Elsewhere, Prime Focus was called in to provide VFX shots for Matthew Vaughn‘s superhero adventure X-Men: First Class, with work on the Marvel and Twentieth Century Fox film being completed in London, Vancouver and Mumbai, using the Prime Focus Global Digital Pipeline.

    "Up against a tight deadline, having this span of resources available enabled the team to deliver a number of high quality shots in a short amount of time, proving that a company with a global reach can offer significant advantages," Prime Focus said.

    Prime Focus delivered stereoscopic 3D visual effects and converted 230 shots into 3D for Michael Bay‘s Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

    2011‘s highest grossing film was the final installment of Warner Bros‘ incredibly successful Harry Potter franchise – Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. Prime Focus was the lead vendor in the 3D conversion of this film, and working closely with director David Yates and studio stereographer Hugh Murray, the teams in London, LA and India took on the conversion of some of the biggest and most challenging VFX sequences in the movie, delivering 400 3D shots overall.

    The 84th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on 24 January, with the Awards ceremony taking place on 26 February at Hollywood‘s Kodak Theatre.

  • Chinese govt snubs Christain Bale

    Chinese govt snubs Christain Bale

    MUMBAI: The Chinese government has snubbed Dark Knight star Christian Bale of creating a story when government-backed guards stopped him from visiting blind activist Chen Guangcheng ineastern China last week.

    The government said that Bale should feel embarrassed for trying to visit a human rights activist while he was in China to promote a movie the country has submitted for an Oscar, a Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Weimin said.

    He said Bale was invited by director Zhang Yimou to attend the opening ceremony of the film The Flowers of War. “But he was not invited to create a story or shoot film in a certain village,” Liu observed. “I think if you want to make up news in China, you will not be welcome here.”

    Bale, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for last year‘s The Fighter, said he wanted to shake Chen‘s hand and tell him “what an inspiration he is.”
    Chen documented forced late-term abortions and sterilizations and other abuses by overzealous authorities trying to meet population control goals in his rural community.

    He was later imprisoned for allegedly instigating an attack on government offices and organizing a group of people to disrupt traffic.

  • Orson Welles’ Oscar goes for $ 861,1542

    Orson Welles’ Oscar goes for $ 861,1542

    MUMBAI: Among many other bidders, David Copperfield was one who was clamouring for Orson Welles‘ best original screenplay Oscar that he had won for Citizen Kane at an auction on Tuesday.


    Finally, the statuette ended up selling for $861,542 to a buyer, whose name was not disclosed.
     
    According to auction house owner Nate D. Sanders, bidders came from around the world. Sanders added that the statuette, that was previously put up for auction in 2007 by Sotheby‘s, failed to sell. “This is a testament to the popularity of Orson Welles and his magnum opus Citizen Kane,” Sanders has been quoted to have said.


    Copperfield told the auction house that he wanted the Oscar because “Orson Welles was not only a magician of the cinema but also a performing magician himself.”

  • Brazilian filmmaker Maron Filho breathes his last at IFFI

    Brazilian filmmaker Maron Filho breathes his last at IFFI

    MUMBAI: There was a sad news that engulfed the participants of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa yesterday when Brazilian filmmaker and journalist Oscar Maron Filho collapsed while speaking to the audiences in the open forum at the festival.

    After suffering a cardiac arrest, the 56-year old filmmaker was rushed to the Goa Medical College and Hospital where he expired. Filho was attending the festival with his documentary feature Mario Filho, The Creator of Crowds, about the legendary sports chronicler, who wrote about Brazilian football. The film was screening in a special section about soccer in cinema.

    Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1955, Filho was a director at Brazilian production companies Atlantida Cinematografica and Canal 100 Newsreel, under the banner of which he made short films such as Bye Bye Romario, Pelé, O Papa Da Bola and Pelé EO Gol Mil.

    Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamath said, "It is most unfortunate that we lost one of the most important delegates during the film festival. We condole his death."