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Tag: Oscars

  • 10 Animated Shorts advance in Oscar Race, finale on 22 February next year

    10 Animated Shorts advance in Oscar Race, finale on 22 February next year

    NEW DELHI:  Ten animated shorts have been shortlisted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today for the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards. 58 pictures had originally qualified in the category.

     

    The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by the title along with their production companies:

     

    1.      ‘The Bigger Picture’ director Daisy Jacobs and producer Christopher Hees. (National Film and Television School)

     

    2.      ‘Coda,’ director Alan Holly. (And Maps And Plans)

     

    3.      ‘The Dam Keeper’. Directors Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (Tonko House)

     

    4.      ‘Duet’. Director Glen Keane (Glen Keane Productions and ATAP)

     

    5.      ‘Feast’. Director Patrick Osborne and producer Kristina Reed (Walt Disney Animation Studios)

     

    6.      ‘Footprints’. Director Bill Plympton. (Bill Plympton Studio)

     

    7.      ‘Me and My Moulton’. Director Torill Kove (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)

     

    8.      ‘The Numberlys’. Directors William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg (Moonbot Studios)

     

    9.      ‘A Single Life’ Director Joris Oprins (Job, Joris and Marieke)

     

    10.  ‘Symphony No. 42’ Director Réka Bucsi (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest)

     

    The Academy’s short films and feature animation branch reviewing committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting at screenings held in New York and Los Angeles. The branch members will now select three to five nominees from among the 10 titles on the shortlist.  Branch screenings will be held in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on 15 January in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

    The Oscars will be held on 22 February at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood and Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

  • ‘Liar’s Dice’ chosen as India’s entry for Oscars

    ‘Liar’s Dice’ chosen as India’s entry for Oscars

    MUMBAI: National Award winning Hindi film Liar’s Dice, starring Geetanjali Thapa and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, has been chosen as India’s entry for the ‘Best foreign film’ category at the 87th Academy Awards.

     

    Directed by the film debutant Geetu Mohandas the film has been chosen by a 12-member jury appointed by the Film Federation of India (FFI). The film has been shortlisted out of 30 contenders, the largest number FFI has ever considered including Priyanka Chopra’s Mary Kom,  Kangna Ranaut starrer Queen, Hansal Mehta’s acclaimed Shahid and Riteish Deshmukh-produced Marathi film Yellow, Rani Mukherji’s comeback Mardaani  among others.

     

    The movie tells the story of a young tribal mother who, along with her three-year-old daughter, embarks on a journey in search of her missing husband. On the way, she meets an army deserter, who decides to accompany them to their destination.

     

    Early this year, Liar’s Dice won the special jury award at the Sofia International Film Festival in Bulgaria. In addition to traveling at various festivals, it went on to win the National Awards honor for best actress (Geetanjali Thapa) and cinematography (Rajeev Ravi).

     

    The last Indian film that made it to the final five nominees at the Oscars was Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan. Mother India and Salaam Bombay are the only other two Indian films to have made it to the top five.

     

    The 87th Academy awards will take place on 22 February.

  • HBO strengthens movie library with 2014 Oscar winners

    HBO strengthens movie library with 2014 Oscar winners

    MUMBAI: The Home of Box Office (HBO) is all set scorch television sets this summer with some of the best award winning movies of 2013.

     

    The channel has acquired Gravity, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, The Great Gatsby and many other path-breaking 86th Academy Award winning movies and will be premiering them on its 100 per cent Ad-Free HBO premium channels HBO Defined and HBO Hits.

     

    The 86th Academy Award celebration was a spectacular affair, and saw many unexpected, unbelievable wins. Hence, the mesmerising event has now escalated the Oscar fever more than ever and has got everyone clamouring to watch the award-winning movies. HBO is giving its viewers the best movies that swept the most number of Academy Awards.

  • Ellen’s star-studded selfie at Oscars 2014 crashes Twitter

    Ellen’s star-studded selfie at Oscars 2014 crashes Twitter

    MUMBAI: Topping President Barack Obama’s iconic “four more years” tweet, Ellen’s star-studded selfie twitpic at the 86th Annual Academy Awards a.k.a. Oscars that included Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyung’o, Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Kevin Spacy, Jared Leto, Julia Roberts, Channing Tatum and Ellen DeGeneres broke Twitter records as the most retweeted tweet with over 2 million retweets and counting. Also photobombing the twitpic was Lupita’s younger brother, Junior.

     

    From Liza Minneli’s wardrobe malfunction to Jennifer Lawrence’s embarrassing fall, host Ellen DeGeneres wasted no time in poking fun at the stars in her opening monologue. “If you win tonight, I think we should bring you the Oscar,” DeGeneres joked to 22-year-old Lawrence. Ellen also refused to be drawn into who dressed best before declaring that Jared Leto was “the prettiest”.

     

    Starting off the big wins was Jared Leto who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his portrayal as a transvestite in Dallas Buyers Club, while Lupita Nyung’o took home her first Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 12 Years a Slave.

     

    Later, Frozen was awarded the Best Animated Feature with producers Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee and Peter Del Vecho appearing utterly unsurprised. Gravity topped the Oscar winning list 7 wins including Best Visual Effects, Best Film Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score and Best Director Award for Alfanso Cuaron.

     

    In addition to Best Supporting Actor and Best Hairstyle and Makeup, Dallas Buyers Club also took home the third Oscar with Matthew McConaughey winning the Best Actor Oscar. 12 Years a Slave won the big Best Picture Oscar and Best Adapted Screenplay.

     

    For comic relief, host Ellen DeGeneres dressed herself as the White Witch to pay an homage to The Wizard of Oz which was continued with a delightful rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by P!NK. Other memorable music performances included Karen O and Ezra Koenig’s duet of “The Moon Song” from Her, with Pharell Williams performing the peppy number “Happy” from Despicable Me 2 and Idina Menzel serenaded the extremely popular “Let It Go” from Frozen, which won the Best Original Song Oscar.

     

    The Oscar winners:

    Best Picture: “12 Years a Slave”

    Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Gravity”

    Lead Actor: Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

    Lead Actress: Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”

    Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

    Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”

    Best Adapted Screenplay: “12 Years a Slave,” John Ridley

    Best Original Screenplay: “Her,” Spike Jonze

    Achievement in Costume Design: “The Great Gatsby,” Catherine Martin

    Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: “Dallas Buyers Club,” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews

    Best Animated Short Film: “Mr. Hublot” Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares

    Best Animated Feature Film: “Frozen”

    Achievement in Visual Effects: “Gravity,” Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk and Neil Corbould

    Best Live Action Short Film: “Helium,” Anders Walter and Kim Magnusson

    Best Documentary Short Subject: “The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life,” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed

    Best Documentary Feature: “20 Feet from Stardom,” Morgan Neville, Gil Friesen and Caitrin Rogers

    Best Foreign Language Film: “The Great Beauty,” Italy 

    Achievement in Sound Mixing: “Gravity” Skip Lievsay, Niv Adiri, Christopher Benstead and Chris Munro

    Achievement in Cinematography: “Gravity,” Emmanuel Lubezki

    Achievement in Sound Editing: “Gravity,” Glenn Freemantle

    Achievement in Film Editing: “Gravity,” Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger

    Achievement in Production Design: “The Great Gatsby,” Catherine Martin; Set Decoration: Beverley Dunn

    Best Original Score: “Gravity”, Steven Price

    Best Original Song: “Let It Go” from “Frozen,” Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and performed by Idina Menzel

  • The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    The Oscars to stream live on Watch ABC

    MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the Oscars preshow and full awards telecast will stream live for verified Watch ABC viewers online and on mobile devices.  The Watch ABC app allows viewers with participating TV subscription services access to 24/7 live viewing of the network, as well as next day on demand access to most series, making it possible for fans to watch the entire the Oscars experience – including Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars – in more places and at more times than ever before.

     

    Live streaming is currently available through Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse in ABC’s eight Owned Station markets – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno.  Once aired, the full Oscars telecast and pre-show will be available on demand via WATCH ABC for verified viewers for three days, through Wednesday, March 5.  WATCH ABC can be accessed from Oscar.com, ABC.com, and WATCHABC.com or via the WATCH ABC app, which is free on select Android devices and iOS and can be downloaded at Google Play, the Amazon Appstore, and the App Store.  Verified viewers then log in using their cable or satellite subscription username and password.

     

    The Academy and Disney/ABC Television Group’s Digital Media team are also unveiling the talent line up for their Emmy Award-winning Oscar second screen experience, The Oscars Backstage, which will also be streamed this year to all viewers – regardless of whether they are verified – via Watch ABC.  Hosts and correspondents include: 

     

    •Entertainment Reporter and Film Critic Ben Lyons (Yahoo, “Extra!,” ESPN Radio, “E! News,” among others) and fashion retail correspondent and author Hitha Prabhakar (who has contributed to ABC World News, Good Morning America, Nightline, Bravo, CNN, E! Entertainment television, among others) will co-host from the red carpet and backstage.

    •PEOPLE’s Managing Editor Peter Castro will once again report from the fan bleachers on the red carpet.  The bleachers are sponsored by Time Inc.’s PEOPLE, which invites 700 fans and PEOPLE VIP subscribers to watch and cheer nominees, presenters and film’s biggest stars as part of the PEOPLE Oscar Fan Experience.

    •Good Morning America and ESPN contributing editor Chris Connelly is returning as the official greeter of the Oscars Red Carpet, which includes welcoming nominees, presenters and performers to the show.  

     

    Presented again this year by Samsung Galaxy, The Oscars Backstage is designed to be the ultimate complement to the live telecast. All Oscar viewers who visit WATCH ABC will be able to select from three channels that will pull from more than 15 live cameras strategically placed on the Red Carpet and throughout the backstage areas of the Dolby Theatre, providing fans with insider views into the most memorable moments of the night. Popular cameras positions include the Thank You cam, Winners Walk, Audience and Press Room.   Fans will also be able to access the official Oscar Buzz social feed and popular photo galleries from within the app.   The Oscars Backstage experience launched in 2011 to much acclaim and has been recognized with an Emmy for Creative Achievement in Interactive Arts and an Industry Star Mobile Excellence Award.  It remains unprecedented in terms of live event second screen access. 

     

    “We’re extremely proud of how much the Oscar Digital Experience has evolved,” said Albert Cheng, EVP and Chief Product Officer, Digital Media, Disney/ABC Television Group in a press release. “This year more people than ever before will have access to the backstage streams and verified WATCH ABC viewers will be able to participate in the most interactive Oscars to date, seamlessly navigating between the pre-show, telecast and The Oscars Backstage experience on their mobile devices.”

     

    “We’re excited to once again bring viewers backstage and allow them to experience all of the action on Oscar Sunday – not just what happens on stage, but the stories that play out behind-the-scenes as well”, said Josh Spector, Managing Director of Digital Media and Marketing at Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in a statement.

     

    Additionally, video highlights from the telecast and The Oscars Backstage will be available as embeddable clips on Oscar.com almost immediately after they air at Oscar.com/blogs. Full  performances of the shows musical performances, including Pharrell (Happy), Idina Menzel, (Let It Go),  Karin O (The Moon Song) and U2 (Ordinary Love) will be featured in a dedicated “Musical Moments” section sponsored by Pepsi that includes in-depth video and photo coverage of past music winners. 

     

    The site is also showcasing nominees “in their own words,” a collection of official nominee questionnaires, including Bradley Cooper (American Hustle), Bruce Dern (Nebraska), Michael Fassbender (Shame), June Squibb (Nebraska), Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine), among others.  To add to the fun, insanely addicting quizzes from past year’s awards shows are featured, including: “Guess Who Won Best Actress”, “Guess the Dress”, “Who Starred In?”, and “Script to Screen”.  The hugely popular “My Picks” interactive ballot is also live.  Friends can view and share the ballot on Facebook, which will update in real time on Oscar Night, ensuring that the most competitive Oscar handicappers are instantly aware of their ranking among friends. 

     

    Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The presentation, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

     

    The 9th annual Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars airs Sunday, 2 march in the US after the late local news ET/CT and at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time on ABC. It will also be available live and on demand via the WATCH ABC app.  Broadcasting from Disney’s El Capitan Theater located on Hollywood Boulevard in the heart of L.A.’s star-studded Walk of Fame, the studio is just steps away from Dolby Theater, home to the “Academy Awards.” Past guest appearances on Kimmel’s post-Oscar specials have included Tom Cruise, Ben Affleck, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Ellen DeGeneres, Jessica Chastain, Jude Law, Channing Tatum, John Krasinski, Samuel L. Jackson and many more. Additionally, previous comedy bits featured include the epic trailers for Movie: The Movie, which has been viewed over 24 million times on YouTube, the follow-up Movie: The Movie: 2V as well as Toddlers and Tiaras with Tom Hanks and Kimmel pitching show ideas to Oprah. Last year’s Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars marked the most-watched post-Oscar telecast in the franchise’s history.

  • Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    Oscars to broadcast exclusively on STAR Movies for the 15th year consecutively

    MUMBAI: Star Movies announced that it will broadcast the eminent awards ceremony honoring achievements in the film industry, Oscars Live and Exclusive’, in India. Known as the Hollywood destination of India, Star Movies will be airing the Oscars for the 15th year in succession reinforcing its commitment to bringing its viewers the very best of American cinema.  Set to take place on 2 March, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, the 86th Academy Awards ceremony will honor the actors, technical achievements, and films of 2013.

     

    Star Movies gives its viewers another reason to look forward to the Oscars this year with the return of Ellen DeGeneres as host of the celebrated ceremony for the second time. DeGeneres hosted the 79th Academy Awards in 2007, for which she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for “Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.”  Star Movies has aired a special video that the affable daytime chat show host has made for her fans in India. The promo has her donning a tux and putting on a special Oscars themed performance.

     

    Star Movies will exclusively showcase all the celebrity interviews and excitement from the Red Carpet to the performances of the most coveted awards night to the winners of the most prestigious trophy. The channel is dedicated to bringing an authentic Oscars experience right into their viewers living rooms. The channel will also be broadcasting the entire ceremony in Dolby 5.1 surround sound to create the best audio experience possible. In addition to this, the channel has introduced a month long movie festival featuring Oscar winning movies titled, ‘Oscar Fever’. The ‘Oscar Fever’ segment will air from Monday to Friday, at 7 pm and presents its audiences a spectacular Oscars experience with a variety of films nominated for the prestigious awards in the past years.

     

    The channel has also conducted a Predict and Win contest where the winners are given an chance to win a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the Oscars Red Carpet 2015 in LA from the bleacher seats! To participate all the viewers need to do is log on to the STARMovies.in/Oscars2014 and predict the winners for this year’s categories.

     

    Commenting on the occasion, Kevin Vaz, General Manager – English channels, Star India said, “Star Movies is the go-to destination for Hollywood in India and we want to ensure that our viewers get the best of the Oscars experience possible. The Oscar Fever festival will air a host of excellent Oscar nominated films and the Predict and Win contest will grant two lucky winners a chance to attend the grand event in person.”

     

    The star-studded 86th Academy Awards will be telecast ‘Live’ on March, 3 February at 5:30am and a repeat telecast at 8 pm.

  • ’12 Years a Slave’ set to release in India on 31 January

    ’12 Years a Slave’ set to release in India on 31 January

    MUMBAI: PVR Pictures, one of the largest independent distributor of Hollywood movies in India, is all set to bring the much awaited drama 12 Years a slave to India. Based on the memoirs of Solomon Northup, the movie stars award winning actors Chiwetel Ejifor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano and features a special appearance by Brad Pitt. The historical drama is directed by Steve Mcqueen (Hunger) and brings on board Brad Pitt as producer.

     

    Set in the 1900’s. 12 Years a Slave is the poignant story of Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, who is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty at the hands of a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon’s chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

     

    Commenting on the release of the movie, PVR Pictures president Kamal Gianchandani said, “12 Years a Slave is meaningful cinema and acting prowess at its best. The movie handles sensitive subjects of slavery and racial discrimination beautifully winning accolades at across film festivals and award ceremonies. We are proud to bring the movie for our Indian audiences who are certain to appreciate good cinema.” 

     

    12 Years a Slave has won Golden Globe award for the Best Picture Drama and has received nine Oscar nominations.

     

    Release Date in India – 31 January, 2013

    Director – Steve McQueen

    Writers – Matt Whitely

    Producer – Mark Hulme & Marcos A. Rodriguezs

    Starring – Chiwetel Ejifor, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt

  • Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Gravity’ returning to wide release on 17 January

    Warner Bros. Pictures’ ‘Gravity’ returning to wide release on 17 January

    MUMBAI: Following months of overwhelming critical and audience acclaim and numerous year-end awards, Warner Bros Pictures is bringing Alfonso Cuarón’s cinematic achievement Gravity back to big screens in the US. The film, which stars Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, will be re-released on more than 900 screens on 17 January 2014, it was announced today by Warner Bros Pictures Domestic Distribution President Dan Fellman.

     

    Originally released on 4 October 2013, Gravity instantly became a favourite of both critics and audiences. It has since become one of the most honoured films of the year, most recently bringing a Golden Globe Award for Best Director to Alfonso Cuarón. The film has also received 11 BAFTA Award nominations and 10 Critics’ Choice Award nominations, both including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress (Bullock). It has also won Best Picture awards from several prestigious critics organisations, including the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and has been included on 395 critics’ and critics groups’ top ten lists, as well as being named one of the AFI’s ten best films of the year. It was also announced as the year’s best reviewed film by the website Rotten Tomatoes.

     

    In addition, the talents behind the film have been recognised by their peers, with a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for Cuarón; a Producers Guild of America Award nomination for David Heyman and Cuarón; a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Bullock; a American Society of Cinematographers Award nomination for Emmanuel Lubezki; an Art Directors Guild Award nomination for Andy Nicholson; and an American Cinema Editors’ Eddie Award nomination for Cuarón and Mark Sanger.

     

    Gravity has also been a smash hit at the box office, earning more than $670 million worldwide and counting, with most moviegoers opting to view it in 3D. In making the announcement, Fellman stated, “We are thrilled by the many accolades for Gravity, which has generated renewed word-of-mouth and interest in seeing the film, whether for the first time or to experience it again. We wanted to give audiences everywhere another opportunity to see it the way it was meant to be seen—on the big screen.”

     

    Academy Award winners Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side) and George Clooney (Syriana) star in Gravity, a heart-pounding thriller that pulls one into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film is directed by Oscar nominee Alfonso Cuarón (Children of Men).

  • The Lunchbox, Monsoon Shootout travelling to more festivals overseas

    The Lunchbox, Monsoon Shootout travelling to more festivals overseas

    NEW DELHI: The Lunchbox directed by Ritesh Batra appears to be garnering much more attention than it would have got at the Oscars. The film has visited many international festivals and is set to go to two more soon.

     

    The Lunchbox will compete at the 24th Stockholm Film Festival being held from 6 to 17 November, and at the American Film Institute Festival from 7 to 14 November.

     

    Amit Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout and Remo D’Souza’s Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) will screen under the Asian Images section in Stockholm.

     

    The Lunchbox, making its Nordic Premiere at the festival, will compete with films like Paul Wright’s For Those in Peril, Anthony Chen’s Ilo Ilo and Amat Escalante’s Heli. The section showcases directors making their first, second or third feature film. 

     

    Monsoon Shootout has earlier been screened at Cannes, Durban, Sydney, Jerusalem and London Indian Film Festivals. Remo D’Souza’s Any Body Can Dance (ABCD) is a 3D dance film directed and choreographed by Remo D’Souza and produced by UTV.

     

    Meanwhile, a total of 32 titles will be screened in the World Cinema section of the AFI. The complete programme includes 119 films (83 features, 36 shorts) from 43 countries.

     

    The Lunchbox, featuring Irrfan Khan, Nimrat Kaur and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, had its world premiere at the International Critics’ Week of the Cannes Film Festival and has since travelled to several important festivals including Telluride, Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Zurich and BFI London.

  • E-voting for Oscars simplified

    E-voting for Oscars simplified

    MUMBAI: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is making significant changes to simplify its electronic voting system, which got almost as much flack last awards season as the Obamacare website is currently receiving. The changes involve reducing the number of passwords required, making the VIN number assigned to each member invisible to users and making it easier to change passwords.

     

    The changes, developed over the past eight months since e-voting was used by the Academy for the first time to determine winners of the 85th Oscars, come in response to gripes from members who found the online voting website, offered as an alternative to a traditional paper ballot, difficult to navigate.

     

    The Academy also is encouraging its members to log on to their member accounts on Monday to pay their annual dues and to register how they wish to vote this year, either electronically or by paper ballot. The email outlined the improvements that have been made to the online voting process.

     

    The biggest change to e-voting this year is that members will now be able to use a single user name and password for both sites. Also, the Academy is making it easier to change passwords.

     

    In spite of last year’s e-voting challenges, the Academy eventually reported, at an unprecedented all-members meeting on 4 May that there had been record voting-participation of 90 per cent in large part because of e-voting.