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The International Documentary Association Announces Nominees For 2014 IDA Documentary Awards

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Emerging Documentary Award, Pare Lorentz Award, Creative Recognition Award Winners Named

The International Documentary Association (IDA) announced nominations for the 2014 IDA Documentary Awards today. This 30th edition of the world’s most prestigious awards for nonfiction filmmaking will take place on Friday, December 5th at the Paramount Theatre at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.

The five films nominated in IDA’s Feature category are: CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras’ portrait of whistleblowers, including Edward Snowden, and the disturbing state of surveillance of civilians in the post 9/11 age; FINDING VIVIAN MAIER, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s accounting of the discovery in an abandoned storage locker of what would turn out to be the work of one of the 20th Century’s greatest photographers; POINT AND SHOOT from Marshall Curry, the firsthand account of Matt Van Dyke’s personal odyssey in North Africa including fighting and imprisonment during the revolution in Libya; THE SALT OF THE EARTH, directors Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado’s poetic examination of the life and work of photographer Sebastião Salgado; and TALES OF THE GRIM SLEEPER, Nick Broomfield’s investigation of the notorious serial killer who terrorized South Central Los Angeles over a twenty-five year span.

The five nominated films in the Short category are GHOST TRAIN, a film from James Fleming and Kelly Hucker about love, death, fantasy and the horror and mystery of growing old; OUR CURSE from director Tomasz Śliwiński – a personal doc chronicling his family’s struggle with Ondine’s Curse; Edgar Barens’ PRISON TERMINAL: THE LAST DAYS OF PRIVATE JACK HALL, the story of Jack Hall’s final months in prison hospice being cared for by fellow inmates; THE QUEEN from Manuel Abramovich, the portrait of 11-year-old Memi and the rigors and honor of being a Queen of the Carnival; and TASHI AND THE MONK from Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke, the tale of 5-year-old Tashi who joins a community of orphaned and unwanted children founded by former Buddhist monk Lobsang Phuntsok.

Winners in the Best Feature and Best Short categories are selected by IDA’s international membership. Screening committees of industry professionals based in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles determine other award categories.

“This year’s nominated and award-winning films and series are further testament to the growing importance of documentary storytelling in today’s rapidly changing and increasingly conflicted world,” said IDA Executive Director Michael Lumpkin. “Our expansion of awards honoring excellence in series production echoes the increased demand for nonfiction broadcast programming and online content.”

Five productions are nominated for the Curated Series Award: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE (PBS), AMERICAN MASTERS (PBS), INDEPENDENT LENS (ITVS/PBS), POV (American Documentary | POV) and REAL SPORTS WITH BRYANT GUMBEL (HBO Sports). Limited Series nominees are: CHICAGOLAND (CNN), COSMOS: A SPACETIME ODYSSEY (FOX), THE SIXTIES (CNN), TIME OF DEATH (Showtime Networks, Inc.) and YEARS OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY (Showtime Networks, Inc). Nominees in the Episodic Series category are ANTHONY BOURDAIN: PARTS UNKNOWN (CNN), MORGAN SPURLOCK INSIDE MAN (CNN), OPRAH’S MASTER CLASS (OWN), OUR AMERICAN WITH LISA LING (OWN) and VICE (HBO). In the Short Form Series category, A SHORT HISTORY OF THE HIGHRISE (National Film Board of Canada and The New York Times), LAST CHANCE HIGH (VICE News), OP-DOCS (The New York Times), PLANET MONEY MAKES A T-SHIRT (NPR) and RUSSIAN ROULETTE (VICE News) are nominated.

Nominees for the HUMANITAS Documentary Award, given to a documentarian whose film strives to unify the human family by exploring and transcending cultural barriers, are: HOW I GOT OVER (Nicole Boxer, director), KEEP ON KEEPIN’ ON (Alan Hicks, director), and LIMITED PARTNERSHIP (Thomas G. Miller, director).

Five student films are nominated for the David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award: CAST IN INDIA, (Natasha Raheja, director), EVAPORATING BORDERS (Iva Radivojevic, director), HOTEL 22 (Elizabeth Lo, director), MY DAD’S A ROCKER (Zuxin Hou, director) and SOLITARY PLAINS (J. Christian Jensen, director).

Nominees for the ABCNews VideoSource Award, which recognizes compelling use of news footage in documentary filmmaking, include: 1971 (Johanna Hamilton, director), CAPTIVATED THE TRIALS OF PAMELA SMART (Jeremiah Zagar, director), CONCERNING VIOLENCE (Göran Hugo Olsson, director), THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT KENNEDY (Gary Goeztman, Tom Hanks, Mark Herzog, executive producers) and THE JOE SHOW (Randy Murray, director).

The IDA Creative Recognition Awards honor excellence in cinematography, composing, editing, and writing in documentary feature films. The recipients of these awards represent the highest achievements in their respective crafts, and highlight the importance of their work in compelling documentary storytelling. ELEVATOR (cinematography by Hatuey Viveros Lavielle) will be recognized with the Best Cinematography Award presented by Canon, LAST DAYS IN VIETNAM (edited by Don Kleszy) will receive the Best Editing award; ALFRED AND JAKOBINE (music by Nick Urata) will be presented with the Best Music award, and FINDING VIVIAN MAIER (written by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel) will receive the Best Writing award.

Darius Clark Monroe, director of EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, will receive IDA’s Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award, which recognizes the achievements of a filmmaker who has made a significant impact at the beginning of his or her career in documentary film. The winner of the Emerging Documentary Award receives $5,000 in cash and a donation of post-production services valued at $50,000, made possible by sponsors Red Fire Films and Modern VideoFilm.

EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, Monroe’s feature film debut, premiered at SXSW 2014. It won the Reva and David Logan Grand Jury Award and The Center for Documentary Studies Filmmaker Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and was selected for a Spike Lee Production Fellowship and a Warner Bros. Film Award. The film has received a grant from Cinereach and other significant support. Monroe is a MFA Graduate from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. He has won screenplay awards including one from the National Board of Review, and has been selected to participate in the Screenwriters Colony and as a fellow at the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Intensive.

The Pare Lorentz Award is given at the IDA Documentary Awards to recognize films that demonstrate exemplary filmmaking while focusing on environmental and social issues. This year’s Pare Lorentz Award recognizes the film TASHI AND THE MONK, co-directed by Andrew Hinton and Johnny Burke. Also nominated for Best Short, TASHI AND THE MONK tells the story of Buddhist monk Lobsang Phuntsok and 5-year-old Tashi Drolma, the newest arrival to the community for abandoned and orphaned children that Phuntsok established in the foothills of the Himalayas.

In addition to recognizing the year’s best in documentary filmmaking and nonfiction programming, the 2014 IDA Documentary Awards will honor Robert Redford, acclaimed filmmaker and actor, ardent conservationist and environmentalist, and founder of the world-renowned Sundance Institute with its Career Achievement Award. Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, award-winning filmmakers and founders of World of Wonder, will receive the Pioneer Award and Rithy Panh, Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker and founder of the Bophana Audiovisual Resources Center in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, will receive IDA’s Preservation and Scholarship Award.

The 30th Annual IDA Documentary Awards will take place on Friday, December 5th at the Paramount Theater at Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, CA 90038, starting at 8pm. The Awards presentation will be followed by the IDA Documentary Awards After-Party, the year’s most exciting documentary celebration, on the Bronson Plaza.

For more information, tickets and sponsorship opportunities for the 2014 IDA Documentary Awards go to: documentary.org/awards.

About the IDA Documentary AwardsFor thirty years, IDA has produced the annual IDA Documentary Awards, the world’s most prestigious award event solely dedicated to documentary film. In addition to honoring both individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements in documentary filmmaking and contributions to the field, the IDA Documentary Awards also recognize the best documentary films and nonfiction series of the year.

About the International Documentary AssociationFounded in 1982, the International Documentary Association (IDA) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides resources, creates community, and defends rights and freedoms for documentary artists, activists, and journalists. Our major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmmaker Services, Education, and Public Programs and Events. We provide up-to-date news, information and community through our website, documentary.org , our various special events, and our quarterly publication, Documentary Magazine.
Follow us at
Documentary.org
Twitter.com/IDAorg
Facebook.com/Documentary.org


2014 IDA Documentary Awards Nominations and Awards


BEST FEATURE AWARD
CitizenfourDirector: Laura Poitras
RADiUS-TWC, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films
Finding Vivian MaierDirectors: John Maloof, Charlie Siskel
Sundance Selects
Point and ShootDirector: Marshall Curry
The Orchard
The Salt of the EarthDirectors: Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Sony Pictures Classics
Tales of the Grim SleeperDirector: Nick Broomfield
HBO and SKY ATLANTIC

BEST SHORT AWARD
Ghost TrainDirectors: Kelly Hucker, James Fleming
Premium Films (France)
Our CurseDirector: Tomasz Śliwiński
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack HallDirector: Edgar Barens
HBO Documentary Films
Tashi and the MonkDirectors: Andrew Hinton & Johnny Burke
The QueenDirector: Manuel Abramovich

BEST CURATED SERIES AWARD
American ExperienceExecutive Producer: Mark Samels
Senior Producer: Sharon Grimberg
PBS
American MastersExecutive Producer: Susan Lacy
PBS
Independent LensExecutive Producer: Sally Jo Fifer
Deputy Executive Producer: Lois Vossen
Independent Television Service (ITVS) in association with PBS
POVExecutive Producer: Simon Kilmurry
Series Producer: Chris White
POV/ PBS
Real Sports with Bryant GumbelExecutive Producer: Rick Bernstein
HBO Sports

BEST LIMITED SERIES AWARD
ChicagolandExecutive Producers: Mark Benjamin, Marc Levin, Laura Michalchyshyn, Robert Redford
CNN/ BCTV and Sundance Productions
COSMOS: A SpaceTime OdysseyExecutive Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Ann Druyan, Seth MacFarlane
FOX/ National Geographic Channel
The SixtiesExecutive Producers: Gary Goeztman, Tom Hanks, Mark Herzog
CNN/ Playtone and Herzog & Co
Time of DeathExecutive Producers: Cynthia Childs, Dan Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Alexandra Lipsitz, Jane Lipsitz
Co-Executive Producer: Miggi Hood
Showtime
Years of Living DangerouslyExecutive Producers: Daniel Abbasi, Joel Bach, James Cameron, David Gelber, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jerry Weintraub
Showtime

BEST EPISODIC SERIES AWARD
Anthony Bourdain Parts UnknownExecutive Producer and Host: Anthony Bourdain
Executive Producers: Chris Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig
CNN
Morgan Spurlock Inside ManExecutive Producer and Host: Morgan Spurlock
Executive Producers Jeremy Chilnick, Mathew Galkin
Warrior Poets/CNN
Oprah’s Master ClassExecutive Producers: Jon Kamen, Jonathan Sinclair, Justin Wilkes, Oprah Winfrey
OWN/ Harpo Studios
Our America with Lisa LingExecutive Producers: Amy Bucher, Gregory Henry, Lisa Ling, David Shadrack Smith
OWN
VICEExecutive Producer: BJ Levin, Bill Maher, Eddy Moretti, Shane Smith
HBO

BEST SHORT FORM SERIES AWARD
A Short History of the Highrise
Executive Producers: Jason Spingarn-Koff, Silva Basmajian
National Film Board of Canada and The New York Times
Last Chance HighExecutive Producer: Jason Mojica
VICE News
Op-DocsExecutive Producer: Jason Spingarn-Koff
The New York Times
Planet Money Makes a T-shirtExecutive Producer: Alex Blumberg
NPR
Russian RouletteExecutive Producers: Jason Mojica, Kevin Sutcliffe
VICE News

HUMANITAS AWARD
How I Got Over
Director: Nicole Boxer
Keep On Keepin’ OnDirector: Alan Hicks
RADiUS-TWC
Limited PartnershipDirector: Thomas G. Miller
PBS / Independent Lens

DAVID L. WOLPER STUDENT DOCUMENTARY AWARD
Cast in IndiaDirector: Natasha Raheja
New York University
Evaporating BordersDirector: Iva Radivojevic
CUNY – Hunter College
Hotel 22Director: Elizabeth Lo
Stanford University
My Dad’s a RockerDirector: Zuxin Hou
University of Southern California
Solitary PlainsDirector: J. Christian Jensen
Stanford University

ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE AWARD
1971Director: Johanna Hamilton
Independent Lens/ PBS
The Assassination of President KennedyExecutive Producers: Gary Goeztman, Tom Hanks, Mark Herzog
CNN/ Playtone and Herzog & Co
Captivated The Trials of Pamela SmartDirector: Jeremiah Zagar
HBO Documentary Films
Concerning ViolenceDirector: Göran Hugo Olsson
Kino Lorber
The Joe ShowDirector: Randy Murray
Investigation Discovery/ Film Buff

CREATIVE RECOGNITION AWARDS

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY presented by Canon
ElevatorCINEMATOGRAPHY BY: Hatuey Viveros Lavielle

BEST EDITING
Last Days in VietnamEDITING BY: Don Kleszy

BEST MUSIC
Alfred and JakobineMUSIC BY: Nick Urata

BEST WRITING
Finding Vivian MaierWRITTEN BY: John Maloof & Charlie Siskel

PARE LORENTZ AWARD
Tashi and the MonkDirectors: Andrew Hinton, Johnny Burke

EMERGING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER AWARD sponsored by Red Fire Films and Modern VideoFilm
Darius Clark Monroe

CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Robert Redford

PIONEER AWARD
Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato

PRESERVATION AND SCHOLARSHIP AWARD
Rithy Panh



134 Documentary Features submitted for 2014 Oscar 2014

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One hundred thirty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 87th Academy Awards®.

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules in order to advance in the voting process. A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.

Films submitted in the Documentary Feature category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case
Algorithms
Alive Inside
All You Need Is Love
Altina
America: Imagine the World without Her
American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs
Anita
Antarctica: A Year on Ice
Art and Craft
Awake: The Life of Yogananda
The Barefoot Artist
The Battered Bastards of Baseball
Before You Know It
Bitter Honey
Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
Botso The Teacher from Tbilisi
Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart
The Case against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Citizen Koch
CitizenFour
Code Black
Concerning Violence
The Culture High
Cyber-Seniors
DamNation
Dancing in Jaffa
Death Metal Angola
The Decent One
Dinosaur 13
Do You Know What My Name Is?
Documented
The Dog
E-Team
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
Elena
Evolution of a Criminal
Fed Up
Finding Fela
Finding Vivian Maier
Food Chains
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden
Getting to the Nutcracker
Glen Campbell…I’ll Be Me
Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia
The Great Flood
The Great Invisible
The Green Prince
The Hacker Wars
The Hadza: Last of the First
Hanna Ranch
Happy Valley
The Hornet’s Nest
I Am Ali
If You Build It
The Immortalists
The Internet’s Own Boy
Ivory Tower
James Cameron’s Deepsea Challenge
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Journey of a Female Comic
Keep On Keepin’ On
Kids for Cash
The Kill Team
Korengal
La Bare
Last Days in Vietnam
Last Hijack
The Last Patrol
Levitated Mass
Life Itself
Little White Lie
Llyn Foulkes One Man Band
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles
Manakamana
Merchants of Doubt
Mission Blue
Mistaken for Strangers
Mitt
Monk with a Camera
Nas: Time Is Illmatic
National Gallery
Next Goal Wins
Next Year Jerusalem
Night Will Fall
No Cameras Allowed
Now: In the Wings on a World Stage
Occupy the Farm
The Only Real Game
The Overnighters
Particle Fever
Pay 2 Play: Democracy’s High Stakes
Pelican Dreams
The Pleasures of Being Out of Step
Plot for Peace
Point and Shoot
Poverty Inc.
Print the Legend
Private Violence
Pump
Rabindranath Tagore – The Poet of Eternity
Red Army
Remote Area Medical
Rich Hill
The Rule
The Salt of the Earth
Shadows from My Past
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
A Small Section of the World
Smiling through the Apocalypse – Esquire in the 60s
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
The Supreme Price
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Tanzania: A Journey Within
This Is Not a Ball
Thomas Keating: A Rising Tide of Silence
Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People
True Son
20,000 Days on Earth
Unclaimed
Under the Electric Sky
Underwater Dreams
Virunga
Waiting for August
Walking the Camino: Six Ways to Santiago
Warsaw Uprising
Watchers of the Sky
Watermark
We Are the Giant
We Could Be King
Whitey: United States of America v. James J. Bulger
A World Not Ours

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & 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.



20 Animated Features submitted to 2014 Oscars

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Twenty features have been submitted for consideration in the Animated Feature Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®.

Several of the films have not yet had their required Los Angeles qualifying run. Submitted features must fulfill the theatrical release requirements and comply with all of the category’s other qualifying rules before they can advance in the voting process. At least eight eligible animated features must be theatrically released in Los Angeles County within the calendar year for this category to be activated.

Films submitted in the Animated Feature Film category also may qualify for Academy Awards in other categories, including Best Picture, provided they meet the requirements for those categories.

The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:

Big Hero 6
The Book of Life
The Boxtrolls
Cheatin’
Giovanni’s Island
Henry & Me
The Hero of Color City
How to Train Your Dragon 2
Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
The Lego Movie
Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants
Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Penguins of Madagascar
The Pirate Fairy
Planes: Fire & Rescue
Rio 2
Rocks in My Pockets
Song of the Sea
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & 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.

Shortlist of 10 animated shorts announced for 2014 Oscars

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards. Fifty-eight pictures had originally qualified in the category.

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.

Short Films and Feature Animation 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 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

The Bigger Picture, Daisy Jacobs, director, and Christopher Hees, producer (National Film and Television School)
Coda, Alan Holly, director (And Maps And Plans)
The Dam Keeper, Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi, directors (Tonko House)
Duet, Glen Keane, director (Glen Keane Productions & ATAP)
Feast, Patrick Osborne, director, and Kristina Reed, producer (Walt Disney Animation Studios)
Footprints, Bill Plympton, director (Bill Plympton Studio)
Me and My Moulton, Torill Kove, director (Mikrofilm in co-production with the National Film Board of Canada)
The Numberlys, William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, directors (Moonbot Studios)
A Single Life, Joris Oprins, director (Job, Joris & Marieke)
Symphony No. 42, Réka Bucsi, director (Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest)

The 87th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & 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.



Nominations and first winners announced for the EFA (European Film Awards) 2014

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At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy and EFA Productions proudly announced the nominations for the 27th European Film Awards. The more than 3,000 EFA Members will now vote for the winners who will be presented during the awards ceremony on 13 December in Riga, European Capital of Culture 2014.

Pawel Pawlikowski’s black-and-white film Ida led the field with five nominations. They were for Best European Film, Director, Screenplay, and Actress nominations for its co-stars Agata Trzebuchowska and Agata Kulesza. Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski were named European Cinematographer by a jury selecting winners for the craft/technical categories.

Russian director Andrey Zvyagintsev‘s Leviathan was next with four nominations. It was also nominated for Best European Film, Director and Screenplay, and Aleksei Serebryakov was nominated for European Actor.

Tied with three nominations were Lars von Trier's Nymphomaniac (Director’s Cut – Volume I & II), Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Winter Sleep, and Steven Knight's Locke.


Complete list of nominations for the 2014 European Film Awards

EUROPEAN FILM
Force Majeure; Sweden/Denmark/France/Norway
Ida; Poland/Denmark
Leviathan; Russia
Nymphomaniac (Director’s Cut – Volume I & II); Denmark/Germany/France/Belgium
Winter Sleep; Turkey/France/Germany

EUROPEAN COMEDY
Carmina & Amen; Spain
Le Week-End; U.K.
The Mafia Only Kills in the Summer; Italy

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Winter Sleep
Steven Knight for Locke
Ruben Ostlund for Force Majeure
Paweł Pawlikowski for Ida
Paolo Virzì for Human Capital
Andrey Zvyagintsev for Leviathan

EUROPEAN ACTRESS
Marián Álvarez, for Wounded
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, for The Human Capital
Marion Cotillard, for Two Days, One Night
Charlotte Gainsbourg, for Nymphomaniac
Agata Kulesza, for Ida
Agata Trzebuchowska, for Ida

EUROPEAN ACTOR
Brendan Gleeson, for Calvary
Tom Hardy, for Locke
Aleksei Serebryakov, for Leviathan
Stellan Skarsgard, for Nymphomaniac
Timothy Spall, for Mr Turner

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER
Ebru Ceylan & Nuri Bilge Ceylan, for Winter Sleep
Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, for Two Days, One Night
Steven Knight, for Locke
Oleg Negin & Andrei Zvyagintsev, for Leviathan
Pawel Pawlikowski & Rebecca Lenkiewicz, for Ida

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY – FIPRESCI PRIZE
10,000 Km (Long Distance)
'71
Party Girl
The Tribe
Wounded

EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY
Just the Right Amount of Violence by Jon Bang Carlsen
Master Of The Universe by Marc Bauder
Of Men And War by Laurent Bécue-Renard
Sacro GRA by Gianfranco Rosi
Waiting for August by Teodora Ana Mihai
We Come as Friends by Hubert Sauper

EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Jack and The Cuckoo Clock Heart by Mathias Malzieu and Stéphane Berla
Minuscule — Valley Of the Lost Ants by Thomas Szabo and Helene Giraud
The Art of Happiness by Alessandro Rak


EFA JURY AWARDS 2014

A special seven-member jury convened in Berlin and, based on the EFA Selection list, decided on the following awards recipients:

EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
Lukasz Zal & Ryszard Lenczewski, for Ida

EUROPEAN EDITING
Justine Wright, for Locke

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Claus-Rudolf Amler, for The Dark Valley

EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER
Natascha Curtius-Noss, for The Dark Valley

EUROPEAN MUSIC COMPOSER
Mica Levi, for Under The Skin

EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER
Joakim Sundström, for Starred Up

20th Anniversary MTV Europe Music Awards (EMA) – winners

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One of the biggest global annual music events celebrating the hottest artists from around the world, the 2014 MTV EMA (Europe Music Awards) was punctuated with outrageous, unexpected moments, once-in-a-lifetime collaborations and rousing performances that will undoubtedly go down in history. This year's show transformed Glasgow's SSE Hydro into an unforgettable time-travelling extravaganza, catapulting viewers through memories of the most outlandish moments in the MTV EMA's 20-year history.

The show kicked-off by transporting viewers back to 1994, where a young Nicki Minaj watched the first-ever MTV EMA from her bedroom before traveling into the future, making a grand entrance into the 2014 MTV EMA in a frilled ball gown and sequined bra . "Her Royal Minajesty" truly commandeered the evening, taking home the award for Best Hip Hop, and even giving the audience a show-stopping, jaw-dropping blend of her biggest hits including 'Super Bass', 'Anaconda' and a global debut performance of her new track 'Bed of Lies', which featured a surprise appearance by Skylar Grey. The host also made it rain, telling the Glasgow crowd, "it's my round!" before showering them with enough "Minaj money" for 1,000 free drinks.

One of the greatest rock bands of all time, U2 took to the MTV EMA stage for a fourth time with a poignant, understated rendition of 'Every Breaking Wave', accompanied by a strings section. Alicia Keys serenaded the crowd from the nearby viewing party at the O2 Academy Glasgow, with an inspired performance of her Best Song with a Message-nominated track 'We Are Here' being beamed into the SSE Hydro and to MTV EMA viewers the world over. Best Song and Best Female winner Ariana Grande flew over the audience in a perspex bubble chair, treating fans to a Barbarella-esque medley of her smash hits 'Problem' and 'Break Free', and Ed Sheeran brought his chart-topping track 'Thinking Out Loud' to life, lighting up the stage with an elaborate music box.

Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne made his triumphant return to MTV to accept this year's Global Icon Award. In a surprise closing performance, Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil joined guitar legend Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators to pay tribute to Ozzy with an epic rendition of his classic hit 'Crazy Train'.

Electro-pop songstress Kiesza teleported from Glasgow's Royal Exchange Square into the arena via a classic red phone booth to perform her track 'Hideaway' surrounded by popping dancers. British songstress Charli XCX set the arena ablaze with a glam-rock / punk rendition of her hits 'Boom Clap' and 'Break The Rules', and UK rock duo Royal Blood rocked the house, playing 'Figure It Out' in front of a two-storey wall of screaming fans in the middle of the auditorium. Best World Stage winner Enrique Iglesias called on the crowd to be part of his medley of 'Freak' and 'Bailando', with thousands of fans donning xylobands to light up the floor of the SSE Hydro.

True to form, madness prevailed. Katy Perry revealed an unusual obsession with Minaj's "pillows", and the show further honoured the host's rear with a "butt putt" mini-golf green in the middle of the arena. Redfoo took to the stage dressed in a kilt to present the award for Best Pop to One Direction, having earlier revealed he was going commando on the MTV EMA red carpet, which was chosen by fans via social media with the hashtag #UnderFoosKiltEMA. In another nod to the heritage of the 2014 host city, David Hasselhoff dressed up in blue face paint to become "BraveHoff".

Before closing out the evening, Queen Nicki announced that the 2015 MTV EMA will take place in Milan, Italy at the Mediolanum Forum on Sunday, 25 October 2015. Italy and the city of Milan will serve as the official location for Expo 2015, the Universal Exhibition, and the MTV EMA will close out a year of international events taking place in Milan.


Complete list of 2014 MTV EMA winners

Best Song
Ariana Grande, Problem ft Iggy Azalea

Best Pop
One Direction

Best Female
Ariana Grande

Best Male
Justin Bieber

Best Live
One Direction

Best New
5 Seconds of Summer

Best Video
Katy Perry, Dark Horse ft Juicy J

Best Rock
Linkin Park

Best Alternative
Thirty Seconds To Mars

Best Hip Hop
Nicki Minaj

Best Electronic
Calvin Harris

Biggest Fans
One Direction

Best Look
Katy Perry

Best PUSH
5 Seconds of Summer

Best World Stage
Enrique Iglesias, MTV World Stage Isle of MTV Malta

Worldwide Act
Bibi Zhou

Global Icon
Ozzy Osbourne


2014 Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal, Nov 12–23

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The 17th annual Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal / Montreal International Documentary Festival is coming up from November 12 to 23. With 141 films from 44 countries and more than a hundred guests, this year’s RIDM is more exciting than ever.

The festival will present 21 world premieres, 19 North American premieres, 21 Canadian premieres and 47 Quebec premieres. Quebec has pride of place in the line-up with no fewer than 35 local films of all lengths by our most accomplished filmmakers and our most promising up-and-comers.

The RIDM is honoured to open with the world premiere of Le nez by Quebec filmmaker Kim Nguyen. The Rebelle (War Witch) director takes us on a fascinating journey through the mysterious world of the sense of smell. Closing the festival is another world premiere: the new documentary Spartiates by Swiss filmmaker Nicolas Wadimoff (Clandestins and Aisheen - Still Alive in Gaza). We travel to the outskirts of Marseille, where a mixed martial arts instructor - a larger-than-life personality and a strict taskmaster - is struggling to keep his school open.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

Eleven awards will be presented to the winning films in the RIDM's four competitive sections.

International feature competition
With 13 films of wildly diverse styles and origins, the international feature competition is a testament to the variety and innovation found in documentary cinema. From a Turkish documentary tale (Once Upon a Time) and direct cinema from the Democratic Republic of Congo (Examen d'État), to essays touching on the personal and the political in Cyprus (Evaporating Borders) and a dizzying ethnographic experience in Lebanon, these stories all inspire us to see the world in a new light.

The use of novel directing techniques gives rise to unique, unforgettable films such as Tour of Duty, the story of former "comfort women" from South Korea; N - The Madness of Reason, a deep, visually arresting reflection on the legacy of colonialism in Africa; and Actress, a portrait - part documentary, part performance - of an actress known mainly for her work on The Wire.

The RIDM will also reconnect with some favourite artists, such as Joshua Oppenheimer with The Look of Silence, the eagerly anticipated companion piece to The Act of Killing. The new film is a devastating look at the Indonesian genocide from the victims' point of view. J.P. Sniadecki, whose work came to our attention last year in the Sensory Ethnography Lab retrospective, returns with The Iron Ministry, a fascinating immersion in Chinese life, filmed entirely aboard the country's trains. The festival also has the latest from Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd (Les tourmentes) and Fernand Melgar (L'abri), both former recipients of the RIDM's Grand Prix.

Canadian feature competition
A strong field of Canadian films includes new works by several well-known directors: Claude Demers (D'où je viens), Bruno Baillargeon (L'œuvre des jours), Jean-François Caissy (La marche à suivre), Paul Cowan (Les 18 fugitives, co-directed by Palestinian filmmaker Amer Shomali), Marie-Hélène Cousineau (Sol, co-directed by Inuit director Susan Avingaq), Diane Poitras (Nuits) and Alanis Obomsawin (Trick or Treaty?).

Emerging talents are also well represented: with Juanicas, Karina Garcia Casanova has made an intensely emotional chronicle of her brother's mental illness; in Les derniers hommes éléphants Arnaud Bouquet and Daniel Ferguson chronicle life among the Bunong of Cambodia, whose endangered culture has for millennia been founded on the taming of wild elephants; Vincent Toi's I've Seen the Unicorn takes us to the director's birthplace, Mauritius, for a poetic look at the horse racing and its deep significance for the country's people; and Julia Kwan's Everything Will Be is an insightful reflection on the transformation of Vancouver's Chinatown.

International short and medium-length competitions
Sixteen shorts and eight medium-length films showcase the art of making concise documentaries, a talent mastered by the filmmakers in this selection. In Atlantis, Ben Russell explores the mythical lost city with a kaleidoscopic essay somewhere between philosophy and pure perception. Pierre Schoeller, the director of L'exercice de l'État, returns with Le temps perdu, a chronicle of everyday life in a Syrian refugee camp in Iraqi Kurdistan. Yuri Ancarani, the Italian director who thrilled last year's festivalgoers with his trilogy of shorts, is back with San Siro, an epic and slyly funny anatomy of Milan's famous stadium. And, using animation, Marie-Josée Saint-Pierre brings the exceptional artist Claude Jutra back to life. Among this year's exciting discoveries are the intriguing Buffalo Juggalos, about the strange subculture of Insane Clown Posse fans; Les immaculés, a documentary in rendered images about the stigmatization of Gypsies in Europe; and Boucle piqué, an intense look into the lives of young figure skaters.

PANORAMA

Special Presentations
The Special Presentations showcase today's greatest documentarians: Hubert Sauper, the director of Darwin's Nightmare, with a new broadside about neo-colonialism, We Come As Friends; Sergei Loznitsa with one of the year's best received documentaries at Cannes, Maïdan, on the Ukrainian revolution; Julie Bertucceli with her French hit La cour de Babel, filmed in a transition class for young immigrants; Martin Scorsese with The 50-Year Argument, a fascinating documentary, co-directed by David Tedeschi, about the New York Review of Books; Frederick Wiseman, returning with National Gallery, a deeply personal love letter to the world of museums; and Winter's Bone director Debra Granik, presenting her first documentary, Stray Dog, a simple and touching portrait of a biker and Vietnam veteran. The selection includes several eagerly anticipated films: CITIZENFOUR by Laura Poitras, about whistleblower Edward Snowden, who contacted the director for help releasing his revelations about the NSA; The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness, a look inside the famous Ghibli animation studio; Eau argentée, Syrie autoportrait, an unforgettable dialogue between two Syrian filmmakers, one living amidst the conflict and the other in exile; and Altman by Ron Mann, a portrait of the talented American director Robert Altman. The section includes works by two local filmmakers, Michka Saäl's China Me and Patricio Henriquez's Mon insécurité nationale.

Horizons
The Horizons section focuses on current events: the Egyptian revolution in Moug, combining documentary and animation; political spectacle in Canada with God Save Justin Trudeau by Guylaine Maroist and Éric Ruel; the post-9/11 Canadian security certificate with The Secret Trial 5; and the treatment of the mentally ill in Senegal (Ce qu'il reste de la folie) and amputees in Sierra Leone (The Flying Stars). The links between Aboriginal culture and Québécois identity are explored, with Roy Dupuis, in L'empreinte by Carole Poliquin and Yvan Dubuc. And the first film by Quebec director Steve Patry, De prisons en prisons, looks at three ex-convicts' efforts to reintegrate into society.

Counter-current
Counter-current challenges our perceptions of popular and underground culture: we learn about free schools in the United States in Approaching the Elephant; skateboarding and graffiti culture in Colombia in Los hongos; the Italian-Canadian bicycle builder Marinoni in a film of the same name; the life and times of playwright David Fennario in Martin Duckworth's new documentary, Fennario - The Good Fight; the inner workings of Mormonism in Liahona; and the taboo world of drugs and prostitution in Atlas, the shocking new film by photographer Antoine d'Agata.

Territories
A section devoted to human-environment relationships, Territories provides opportunities to better understand our planet and its inhabitants. The section includes two Quebec films: Ceux comme la terre, about missionary René Fumoleau and his life with the Dene, and Le cri silencieux du chevreuil, about Anticosti Island. Do not miss the magnificent film The Stone River, a haunting film about stone workers in Vermont, and The Empire of Shame, which exposes the terrible working conditions endured by Samsung employees in South Korea. Another gem in this section is Episode of the Sea, which marries Brechtian theatricality and sociological observation in a Dutch fishing village.

Beat Dox
The RIDM's selection of documentaries on musical topics includes eight films in which the best of music and cinema come together. Among them are several local productions: La ville est un île about Montreal's anglo indie scene, La muse errante about Jewish music around the world, Sur la piste des DJs, a group portrait of six Montreal DJs, and Bamako temps suspendu, a beautiful moment of musical improvisation in Mali by Sylvain L'Espérance. Fans of Britpop icons Pulp will be eager to see the excellent documentary Pulp: A Film about Life, Death and Supermarkets, while Talking Heads devotees will be treated to a special 30th anniversary screening of Jonathan Demme's Stop Making Sense. Rounding out the selection are Memphis, a superb docu-fiction about bluesman Willis Earl Beal and the city of Memphis, and Living Stars, a thoroughly delightful Argentinian film that is already a huge hit among the festival team.

UXdoc
This year the festival's transmedia section presents webdocs as interesting to explore as they are rich in content, including a pair of projects created for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. In each case, digital art, gaming and cinema come together to explore issues as diverse as oil drilling (Offshore), the occupation of Palestine (Dream Homes Property Consultants and Points of View), cyberterrorism (Netwars / out of CTRL) and the legacy of the Chilean dictatorship (Assent).

RETROSPECTIVES AND TRIBUTES

James Benning
The festival will celebrate the work of American experimental director James Benning. The event - with 10 films, two installations (presented in collaboration with VOX, centre de l'image contemporaine), a small-group workshop and a master class - is the most extensive program of its kind ever to be presented in Canada. It also includes several premieres, such as natural history and FUCK ME (orange) (both 2014).

Kazuo Hara
The RIDM is also presenting a retrospective of the films of the legendary Japanese director Kazuo Hara. For the occasion, Hara will make his first visit to Quebec and present his four documentaries: Goodbye CP, Extreme Private Eros: Love Song 1974, The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On and A Dedicated Life.

Of Men and Beasts
Lastly, the festival includes Of Men and Beasts, a thematic retrospective of films about animals. Comprising 23 shorts and features, the special program will reveal how several filmmakers reinvented and pushed the boundaries of the animal documentary. The line-up includes acclaimed filmmakers who explored the animal kingdom, including Jean Painlevé (a selection of short films), Barbet Schroeder with Koko: A Talking Gorilla; Frederick Wiseman with Primate; Chris Marker with Vive la baleine; George Franju with Le sang des bêtes; and Pierre Perrault with L'oumigmag ou l'objectif documentaire, to name just a few.

The RIDM will also honour German filmmaker Harun Farocki, who passed away this year, with a screening of his masterpiece, Images of the World and Inscriptions of War. There will also be a tenth anniversary celebration of the Wapikoni Mobile with the premiere of the medium-length film Les indiens, l'aigle et le dindon, preceded by a selection of shorts. Lastly, the great homegrown talents of tomorrow will show their stuff at the Nuit de la relève Radio-Canada, a program of shorts by students from INIS, UQAM and Concordia.

PARALLEL ACTIVITIES

The RIDM hosts numerous parallel activities in conjunction with its film screenings. Master classes, screenings with debates, round tables, concerts and interactive installations all add new dimensions to the 12 days of the festival.

Master classes, workshops and guest lectures
There will be master classes and workshops led by Kazuo Hara, James Benning and Michel Fano, France's leading sound designer for film, who will present Le territoire des autres and La griffe et la dent from the Of Men and Beasts program. Hubert Sauper, the director of We Come As Friends and Darwin's Nightmare, will give a talk about neocolonialism and the appropriation of lands in Africa.

Discussions
Two round tables will delve into questions related to documentary creation. The first looks into the occupational hazards of making documentaries, while the second will explore the fine line between "protagonists" and "characters."

Four debates about social issues will take place after screenings of the following films: God Save Justin Trudeau (political spectacle), Marmato (land rights), Mon insécurité nationale (sacrificing freedom for security) and The Empire of Shame (gender and occupational health and safety).

Installations
Two installations by James Benning, One Way Boogie Woogie 2012 and Stemple Pass, will be presented at VOX, centre de l'image contemporaine, from November 15, 2014 to February 21, 2015.

The Gifoscopes, a fun - and free - interactive installation, opened on October 2 and will remain available until November 23 on the Promenade des Artistes, steps away from festival headquarters. Inspired by the praxinoscope, a late-19th century invention, the Gifoscopes make connections between the dawn of cinema and the web today. Passers by are invited to put illustrations in motion, including works by DOIION, Sonya Roy and the En Masse artists' collective, in collaboration with See Creature, as well as creating their own image strips, which can be made on-site at any time using the materials provided. There will also be workshops during the festival.

The UXdoc Space, in the Cinémathèque québécoise from November 13 to 23, is dedicated to interactive works and new technologies, featuring two projects designed for the Oculus Rift virtual reality headset. CLOUDS and Assent are immersive 3D experiences in which the participant can experience one of cinema's possible futures. Plus, the mobile app Le cancer du temps, an interactive fable about our chronic inability to get things done, co-produced by the NFB and France Télévisions, will have its world premiere in the space.

ListenTree gives us a glimpse of a future in which digital information could become an integral part of our surroundings. Designed by two MIT students, ListenTree is an audio-haptic installation integrated into the natural environment. The apparatus is embedded in the ground and attached to a tree, transforming it into a speaker. The sounds it produces are audible from a metre or two away, but when the visitor puts an ear to the tree or its branches, the audio becomes crystal clear. From November 12 to 23, the installation, located outside the Agora at UQAM's Cœur des sciences, will feature both live and pre-recorded audio.

Music programs
In conjunction with the films in the Beat Dox section of music-themed documentaries, the nightly Beat Dox Sessions will take place at festival headquarters. Put together in partnership with high-profile local industry players like Pop Montréal, M pour Montréal and Suoni per il Popolo, the line-up showcases local talent. Performers will include Suuns, So Called, Poirier, Champion, Secret Sun, Miracle Fortress, Country and PyPy.

Quebec's only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival presents the best reality-based films, including the works of established directors and new talents.

The 17th annual RIDM will take place from November 12 to 23, 2014.


Line Up of The 10th annual DOC CIRCUIT MONTREAL
November 15th to 19th, 2014

Doc Circuit Montreal, North America’s only bilingual market is pleased to announce the programming for its 10th anniversary, taking place from November 15th to the 19th. This edition will offer a slate of new creative and professional development initiatives, including the Eurodoc pitch session and grant, a 3-day Talent Lab, and a day-long Transmedia Think Tank.

Talent Lab
This edition begins with the pan-Canadian Doc Circuit Montreal Talent Lab, bringing together the most notable guest filmmakers and decision-makers for three days of informal conversations, workshops and skills exchange with emerging filmmakers. Seven participants will also be chosen for a tailor-made mentorship program, and a Peter Wintonick travel grant will be awarded to an out of province participant, courtesy of Films We Like. This initiative is made possible with the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Eurodoc Pitch & Grant
Doc Circuit will collaborate with Eurodoc, one of Europe’s most pre-eminent training programs, to offer a Québec producer with a project in development showing international potential, a spot. Five finalists will be chosen for a live pitch at Doc Circuit Montreal on November 19th. Presented with the support of the Ministère de la culture et des communications, Doc Circuit Montréal will be awarding the pitch winner a $4000 grant (to be used towards registration and travel). In addition, Eurodoc will cover up to 60% of travel and accommodation costs.

Transmedia Think Tank
This year, in light of the undeniable influence of digital technologies on documentary practice, Doc Circuit Montreal will inaugurate a daylong interdisciplinary Transmedia Think Tank. Co-curated with Crossoverlabs, and presented in collaboration with the British Consulate-General in Montreal and the Canada Media Fund, the program will include a day-long story hack and short presentations exploring the tools, concepts and new approaches to collaborative and interactive creation. Mentors and speakers include: Hughes Sweeney (NFB), Boris Razon (France Télévision: Nouvelles Écritures), Opeyemi Olukemi (Tribeca Film Institute) and Gerald Holubowicz (Storycode, Paris).

Get In Sync!
Doc Circuit has undertaken a new collaboration with M pour Montréal, to present Get in Sync!, a master-class with three international music supervisors that will re-imagine the musical landscape of a documentary film using a bank of music put together from artists participating in both M for Montreal and RIDM’s Beat Box repertoire. The session will welcome Lynn Fainchtein, Heather Gardner Adamo and Jocelyn Brown.

Conferences
Doc Circuit Montreal will once again present three intensive days of conferences, bringing our guests onto panels and into discussions looking at the possibilities and challenges at hand for the documentary community. This year’s themes will look to the future role of broadcasters, leveraging new technologies, impact producing, digital and alternative distribution strands as well as an overview of private and alternative funding. Hot Docs will also present a French-language focus of its audience study, while Doc Québec will hold its latest installation of “Assemblée de cuisine“ looking at the relationship between producers and directors.

Decision-makers
For our 10th edition, we are pleased to welcome more decision-makers than any year previous, including many newcomers to the festival: Jeremy Boxer (Vimeo), Hannah Horner (Doc&Film), Jake Craven (GATHR), Livia Bloom (Icarus Distribution), Kornelia Theune (ARTE), Phillipe Muller (ARTE GEIE), Eddy Moretti (VICE Media), Tina Apostolopoulos (Bell Media), Charlotte Madsen (SVT), Mads Mikkelsen (CPH-DOX), Cíntia Gil (Doc Lisboa), Luciano Rigolini (ARTE, La Lucarne), Boris Razon (France Télévision : Nouvelles Écritures), Opeyemi Olukemi (Tribeca Film Institute), Annick Jakobowicz (France Télévision, Documentaire International), Marc Schiller (BOND consultants), Alice Apley (DER), Mark Atkin (Crossoverlabs). We are also happy to welcome many returning key decision-makers including representatives from: Sundance Film Institute, POV, MoMA, Union Docs and ITVS, Kino Smith/Blue Ice Docs, Blue Ant Media, Shaw Media, Knowledge Network and Superchannel.

Also new this year, will be a series of five “focus sessions”, allowing for more in-depth coverage of specific topics in smaller groups, such as: a master class on documentary series (with Knowledge Network and Canal D), legal aspects of music clearance (Willa Marcus, ARAC) and producing for the internet (case study with Remy Khouzam and Catbird Productions), producing with Latin America (with producers from Mexico and Columbia) and finally, a special theatrical distribution on demand workshop with GATHR (Jake Craven, Director or Acquisitions).

Some of our most popular activities from last year have also found their way back for another edition, including: micro-meet sessions allowing delegates to have small-group informal meetings with decision-makers, rough cut sessions where a project at rough-cut stage will have a private screening with a panel of decision-makers, and of course the Cuban Hat Pitch, back for another edition of pitching, crowdfunding and community building.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

North America’s only bilingual documentary market, Doc Circuit Montreal organizes an intensive schedule of business meetings and professional-development workshops that help directors, producers, distributors and broadcasters update their skills and launch new partnerships. Every year, more than 300 industry professionals gather at Doc Circuit Montreal to explore their shared interest in innovative projects and the issues facing documentary filmmakers.

The 10th annual DOC CIRCUIT MONTREAL will take place from November 15th to 19th, 2014.

http://www.ridm.qc.ca/
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Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees For 8th Annual Nonfiction Film Awards

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Thirty-six feature films and six shorts will vie for this year’s Cinema Eye Honors for Nonfiction Filmmaking as nominees were announced this evening at a reception at CPH:DOX in Copenhagen, Denmark. Winners will be announced January 7, 2015 at the Museum of the Moving Image in New York City.

Laura Poitras’ first-person recounting of Edward Snowden’s NSA leaks, Citizenfour, led all films with six nominations, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature, while Steve James’ documentary about film critic Roger Ebert, Life Itself, and Iain Forsythe & Jane Pollard’s intimate look at musician Nick Cave, 20,000 Days on Earth received five each. They are joined in the Nonfiction Feature Film category by The Overnighters, Jesse Moss’ tale of a a North Dakota oil boom town, which has two nominations, and Virunga, Orlando von Einsiedel’s story of an African National Park under siege, which scored three.

Nominations for Poitras and James in both the Feature Film and Direction categories mark the first time in Cinema Eye history that previous CEH winners for Direction were nominated again in either category. Poitras, who leads all filmmakers with 5 nominations, won the 2011 Directing Award for The Oath, while James, who has 4 nominations this year, won in 2012 for The Interrupters. With their nominations this year, they become the most nominated filmmakers in Cinema Eye history: Poitras has 9 total nominations (including 3 for The Oath, 1 for 2014’s Death of a Prisoner) while James now has 8 (including 4 for The Interrupters).

Other films that received multiple nominations included The Case Against 8 (3 nominations), Actress, The E-Team, Finding Vivian Maier, Jodorowsky’s Dune, Ne Me Quitte Pas, Particle Fever and Return to Homs (2 nominations).

In the Outstanding Direction category, Steve James, Jesse Moss and Laura Poitras are joined by Nick Broomfield (Tales of the Grim Sleeper) and Robert Greene (Actress). Greene was also nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Editing for Actress, where he is joined by Kate Amend (The Case Against 8), Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden (Ne Me Quitte Pas), Mathilde Bonnefoy (Citizenfour), Marshall Curry (Point and Shoot) and Steve James & David E. Simpson (Life Itself).

Cinema Eye also announced five nominees for their second award for Nonfiction Film for Television. HBO Documentary Films and ESPN both scored two nominations, the former for Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s The Education of Muhammad Hussein and James Lapine’s Six by Sondheim, the latter for Daniel Gordon’s Hillsborough and Nanette Burstein’s The Price of Gold. It’s the first nominations in Cinema Eye history for ESPN. PBS American Masters’ Jimi Hendrix – Here My Train A Comin’, directed by Bob Smeaton, rounded out the category. Ewing and Grady are previous Cinema Eye winners for Outstanding Direction (Detropia, 2013), while Burstein was a nominee in 2009 for American Teen.

In the Nonfiction Short Film category, the nominees include The Lions Mouth Opens, which was directed by Lucy Walker, a CEH winner in 2014 for The Crash Reel. Walker is joined by Deborah Stratman’s Hacked Circuit, Aneta Kopacz’ Joanna, Peter Middleton and James Spinney’s Notes on Blindness and Brian Bolster’s One Year Lease. Stratman was a Cinema Eye nominee in 2010 for O’er the Land. Walker and Kopacz were recently shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary.

Ten contenders were named for Cinema Eye’s Audience Choice Prize, an annual list that includes many of the most discussed and beloved films of the year, including Ben Cotner and Ryan White’s The Case Against 8, Chiemi Karawasa’s Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier, Frank Pavich’s Jodorowsky’s Dune, Alan Hick’s Keep On Keepin’ On, Tom Berninger’s Mistaken for Strangers and Mark Levinson’s Particle Fever.

Nick Cave’s nomination in the Original Score category for 20,000 Days on Earth marks the first time one of Cinema Eye’s Unforgettables – notable and significant nonfiction film subjects – is also a nominee.

Winners of the 8th Annual Cinema Eye Honors will be announced Wednesday, January 7, 2015 in New York City at the Museum of the Moving Image. More details about this year’s ceremony, including key sponsors, will be announced shortly. Information about this year’s Heterodox Award, for fiction films that use nonfiction elements, and the recipient of this year’s Legacy Award will be announced in the coming weeks.

Cinema Eye was founded in 2007 to recognize excellence in artistry and craft in nonfiction filmmaking. It was the first and remains the only international nonfiction award to recognize the whole creative team, presenting annual craft awards in directing, producing, cinematography, editing, composing and graphic design/animation.

The Honors ceremony is the centerpiece of Cinema Eye Week, a multi-day, multi-city celebration that acknowledges the best work in nonfiction film through screenings and events. Last year, film screenings took place in New York, Toronto and Los Angeles. The final three days of Cinema Eye Week culminated in New York City, where a series of celebratory events brought together many of the year’s most accomplished filmmakers.

Cinema Eye is headed by a core team that includes Nominations Committee Chair Charlotte Cook (Head of Programming, Hot Docs Film Festival), Cinema Eye Week Producer Will Lennon (director, Phoebe’s Birthday Cheeseburger), Board Chair Andrea Meditch (executive producer, Buck and Man on Wire), Honors Chair Esther Robinson (director, A Walk Into the Sea: Danny Williams and the Warhol Factory), Founding Director AJ Schnack (director, Caucus and Kurt Cobain About A Son) and Cinema Eye Week Director Nathan Truesdell (producer, We Always Lie to Strangers). Wendy Garrett will serve as the 2015 Honors Producer.

Nominees for the Cinema Eye Honors feature awards are determined in voting by the top documentary programmers from throughout the world. This year’s nominations committee included Charlotte Cook (Hot Docs), David Courier (Sundance), Heather Croall (Sheffield Doc/Fest), Hussain Currimbhoy (Sundance Film Festival), Cara Cusumano (Tribeca), Joanne Feinberg (Ashland Film Festival), Elena Fortes (Ambulante), Ben Fowlie (Camden International Film Festival), Tom Hall (Montclair Film Festival), Sarah Harris (Dallas Film Festival), Doug Jones (formerly of Los Angeles Film Festival), Jim Kolmar (SXSW), Amir Labaki (It’s All True, Brazil), Artur Liebhart (Planete Doc Review), David Nugent (Hamptons Film Festival), Veton Nurkollari (DokuFest Kosovo), Janet Pierson (SXSW), Thom Powers (Toronto International Film Festival), Rachel Rosen (San Francisco), Charlotte Selb (RIDM Montreal), Sky Sitney (formerly of AFI DOCS), Genna Terranova (Tribeca), Sadie Tillery (Full Frame), Basil Tsiokos (DOC NYC) and David Wilson (True/False).

Nominees for the Cinema Eye Honors short film awards were selected by a nominations committee that included Karen Cirillo (True/False), Charlotte Cook (Hot Docs), Hussain Currimbhoy (Sheffield Doc/Fest), Cara Cusumano (Tribeca), Ben Fowlie (Camden International Film Festival), Claudette Godfrey (SXSW), Doug Jones (formerly of Los Angeles Film Festival), Ted Mott (Full Frame), Veton Nurkollari (DokuFest Kosovo), Rachel Rosen (San Francisco) Sky Sitney (formerly of AFI DOCS) and Kim Yutani (Sundance).

Nominees for the Television Award were selected by a nominations committee of film critics and writers that included Miriam Bale, Steve Dollar, Eric Hynes, Liz Shannon Miller, Mark Olsen and Allison Willmore.

Sponsors for Cinema Eye 2015 will be announced in the coming weeks.


Complete list of nominations for the 8th Annual Cinema Eye Honors

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
20,000 Days on Earth
Directed by Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard
Produced by Dan Bowen and James Wilson
Citizenfour
Directed by Laura Poitras
Produced by Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Life Itself
Directed by Steve James
Produced by Zak Piper and Steve James
The Overnighters
Directed by Jesse Moss
Produced by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine
Virunga
Directed by Orlando von Einsiedel
Produced by Joanna Natesegara and Orlando von Einsiedel

Nominees for Outstanding Feature were determined by votes from both our 25-person Nominations Committee and by votes from this year’s eligible filmmakers. More than 70 filmmakers submitted their choices for their favorite nonfiction features of the year.

The nominations for Citizenfour and Life Itself are historic. It’s the first time in Cinema Eye history that a previous winner of the Outstanding Achievement in Direction category were nominated for a subsequent work in the Nonfiction Feature category. Poitras won in 2011 for The Oath and James won in 2012 for The Interrupters.

Steve James also becomes the third filmmaker to be nominated more than once in this category. He won here for The Interrupters in 2012. James Marsh and Simon Chinn won the award in 2009 for Man on Wire and were nominated in 2012 for Project Nim. Chinn was also nominated in 2013 for Searching for Sugar Man.

This year’s nominations mark the first Cinema Eye nominations for everyone else in the category. Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard are also nominated for Debut and Audience Choice; Jesse Moss is also nominated for Direction. Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natesegara are also nominated for Production, von Eisiedel is also nominated in the Cinematography category.

Previous winners in this category are Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (2008), Man on Wire (2009), The Cove (2010), Exit Through the Gift Shop (2011), The Interrupters (2012), 5 Broken Cameras (2013) and The Act of Killing (2014).

In the past, The Cove (2010), Exit Through the Gift Shop (2011) and 5 Broken Cameras (2013) won in the Outstanding Nonfiction Feature category without being nominated for Outstanding Director.

Outstanding Achievement in Direction
Robert Greene
Actress
Laura Poitras
Citizenfour
Steve James
Life Itself
Jesse Moss
The Overnighters
Nick Broomfield
Tales of the Grim Sleeper

Steve James and Laura Poitras are the first individuals in Cinema Eye history to be nominated twice for Outstanding Achievement in Direction. Both are previous winners in this category – Poitras for The Oath (2011) and James for The Interrupters (2012). Poitras is also nominated for Nonfiction Feature, Production, Cinematography and Audience. James is also nominated for Nonfiction Feature, Editing and Audience.

This year’s nominations represent the first Cinema Eye nominations for Nick Broomfield, Robert Greene and Jesse Moss. Greene is also nominated for Editing. Moss is also nominated in for Nonfiction Feature.

Previous winners in this category include Alex Gibney for Taxi to the Dark Side (2008), Ari Folman for Waltz with Bashir (2009), Agnès Varda for The Beaches of Agnès (2010), Laura Poitras for The Oath (2011), Steve James for The Interrupters (2012), Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady for Detropia (2013) and Sarah Polley for Stories We Tell (2014).

Steve James remains the only person in Cinema Eye history to win for both Outstanding Direction and Feature Film.

Outstanding Achievement in Editing
Robert Greene
Actress
Kate Amend
The Case Against 8
Mathilde Bonnefoy
Citizenfour
Steve James and David E. Simpson
Life Itself
Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Marshall Curry
Point and Shoot

Aside from Steve James, this year’s nominations represent the first Cinema Eye nods for everyone in the category. Greene is also nominated for Direction. Niels van Koevorden is also nominated for Cinematography.

Previous winners in this category include Doug Abel, Jenny Golden and Andy Grieve for Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (2008), Jinx Godfrey for Man on Wire (2009), Janus Billeskov-Jansen and Thomas Papapetros for Burma VJ (2010), Chris King and Tom Fulford for Exit Through the Gift Shop (2011), Gregers Sall and Chris King for Senna (2012), T. Woody Richman and Tyler H. Walk for How to Survive a Plague (2013) and Nels Bangerter for Let the Fire Burn (2014).

Both of the last two winners marked the first time in Cinema Eye history that the Editing winner was not also nominated for Outstanding Feature. This year, Actress, The Case Against 8, Ne Me Quitte Pas and Point and Shoot could all repeat that achievement.

If Robert Greene or Steve James were to win, they would become the first winner of the Editing award who were also the director of their film.

Outstanding Achievement in Production
Ben Cotner and Ryan White
The Case Against 8
Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Citizenfour
Katy Chevigny, Ross Kauffman and Marilyn Ness
The E-Team
Orwa Nyrabia and Hans Robert Eisenhauer
Return to Homs
Joanna Natesegara and Orlando von Einsiedel
Virunga

Aside from Laura Poitras, this year’s nominations mark the first Cinema Eye nominations for everyone in the category. Mathilde Bonnefoy is also nominated for Nonfiction Feature and Editing. Dirk Wilutzky is also nominated for Nonfiction Feature. Ross Kauffman is also nominated for Cinematography. Joanna Natesegara and Orlando von Einsiedel are also nominated for Nonfiction Feature.

Poitras was previously nominated in this category for The Oath.

Previous winners in this category include Seth Kanegis, Tomas Radoor and Mikael Rieks for Ghosts of Cite Soleil (2008), Simon Chinn for Man on Wire (2009), Paula DuPré Pesman and Fisher Stevens for The Cove (2010), Mila Aung-Thwin and Daniel Cross for Last Train Home (2011), Gian-Piero Ringel and Wim Wenders for Pina (2012), Dimitri Doganis for The Imposter (2013) and Signe Byrge Sørensen for The Act of Killing (2014).

All previous winners in this category, aside from Ghosts of Cite Soleil, were also nominated for Nonfiction Feature, but only three – Man on Wire, The Cove and The Act of Killing– were also winners of Cinema Eye’s top award.

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography
Erik Wilson
20,000 Days on Earth
Laura Poitras, Kirsten Johnson, Katy Scoggin & Trevor Paglen
Citizenfour
Ross Kauffman and Rachel Beth Anderson
The E-Team
Niels van Koevorden
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Andrew Droz Palermo
Rich Hill
Franklin Dow and Orlando von Einsiedel
Virunga

This is the second nomination in this category for Erik Wilson, who was previously nominated for The Imposter in 2013. While Poitras has been nominated before, it’s her first nomination in this category. This year marks the first nomination(s) for everyone else in the category. Ross Kauffman is also nominated for Production. Niels van Koevorden is also nominated for Editing.

Previous winners in this category include Heloisa Passos for Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) (2008), Peter Zeitlinger for Encounters at the End of the World (2009), Brook Aitken for The Cove (2009), Lixin Fan for Last Train Home (2011), Danfung Dennis for Hell and Back Again (2012), Jeff Orlowski for Chasing Ice (2013) and Lucien Castaing-Taylor & Véréna Paravel for Leviathan (2014).

The last four winners in this category were also the director of their film. Ross Kauffman, Andrew Droz Palermo or Laura Poitras could continue that streak.

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Films Made for Television
American Masters: Jimi Hendrix – Here My Train a Comin’
Directed by Bob Smeaton
Produced by John McDermott
For PBS/American Masters: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks, Junko Tsunashima, Lesley Norman
The Education of Muhammad Hussein
Directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
Produced by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady
For HBO Documentary Films: Sheila Nevins, Sara Bernstein
Hillsborough
Directed by Daniel Gordon
Produced by Daniel Gordon, Deirdre Fenton, Erin Leyden, Libby Geist
For ESPN/30 for 30 Soccor Stories: Connor Schell, John Dahl, Bill Simmons
The Price of Gold
Directed by Nanette Burstein
Produced by Libby Geist
For ESPN/30 for 30: John Dahl, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons
Six by Sondheim
Directed by James Lapine
Produced by Frank Rich, Liz Stanton
For HBO Documentary Films: Sheila Nevins, Nancy Abraham

These are the 5th and 6th nominations in this category for Sheila Nevins. She was nominated 4 times last year for Gideon’s Army, Mea Maxima Culpa and Which Way is the Front Line From Here? and she won in this category for The Crash Reel. It’s the 4th in this category for Sara Bernstein who won last year for The Crash Reel and was nominated for Mea Maxima Culpa and Which Way is the Front Line From Here? Nancy Abraham receives her second nomination, she was nominated last year for Gideon’s Army. Susan Lacy was also nominated last year for American Masters: Inventing David Geffen.

Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady won the Outstanding Direction Honor at Cinema Eye in 2013 (Detropia) and Nanette Burstein was nominated for Audience Choice in 2009 (American Teen).

These are the first Cinema Eye nominations for everyone else in the category and the first Cinema Eye nominations for ESPN. Last year was the first year that anyone had been nominated more than once in the same category in the same year. In addition to Nevins, ESPN’s John Dahl, Libby Geist, Connor Schell and Bill Simmons are all double nominated this year.

The previous winner in this category was The Crash Reel (2014).

Audience Choice Prize
20,000 Days on Earth
Directed by Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard
The Case Against 8
Directed by Ben Cotner and Ryan White
Citizenfour
Directed by Laura Poitras
Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me
Directed by Chiemi Karasawa
Finding Vivian Maier
Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Directed by Frank Pavich
Keep On Keepin’ On
Directed by Alan Hicks
Life Itself
Directed by Steve James
Mistaken for Strangers
Directed by Tom Berninger
Particle Fever
Directed by Mark Levinson

The Audience Choice Prize is a vote that is open to the general public. In 2014, more than 44,000 people voted for this award online.

Aside from James and Poitras, this year marks the first Cinema Eye nominations for everyone in this category. Chiemi Karasawa was the producer of Billy the Kid, which won the first Cinema Eye for a Debut film (2008).

Forsythe and Pollard are also nominated in the Feature and Debut categories. Maloof and Siskel are also nominated for Debut.

Marshall Curry, a nominee this year for editing his film Point and Shoot, was an editor and Executive Producer on Mistaken for Strangers.

Previous winners in this category include The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2008), Up the Yangtze (2009), The September Issue (2010), Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work (2011), Buck (2012), Bully (2013) and Sound City (2014).

Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film
20,000 Days on Earth
Directed by Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard
Approaching the Elephant
Directed by Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal
Directed by Darius Clark Monroe
Finding Vivian Maier
Directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel
Return to Homs
Directed by Talal Derki

This year’s nominations represent the first Cinema Eye nominations for everyone in the category.

Previous winners in this category include Jennifer Venditti for Billy the Kid (2008), Yung Chang for Up the Yangtze (2009), Michael Palmieri and Donal Mosher for October Country (2010), Jeff Malmberg for Marwencol (2011), Clio Barnard for The Arbor (2012), Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims for Only the Young (2013) and Zachary Heinzerling for Cutie and the Boxer (2014).

For the past 5 years, this award has gone to a film that was also nominated for Outstanding Nonfiction Feature.

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Score
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
20,000 Days on Earth
David Wingo
The Great Invisible
Joshua Abrams
Life Itself
David Perlick-Molinari
Mateo
Edwyn Collins
The Possibilities Are Endless

This category was introduced in 2009. That year, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis were nominated for their score for The English Surgeon. This year marks their second nominations in the category. Nick Cave was also named to this year’s list of The Unforgettables, the year’s most notable and significant nonfiction film subjects. It’s the first time in Cinema Eye history that an Unforgettable is also a nominee.

It’s the first nominations for everyone else in the category.

The Great Invisible was directed by Margaret Brown, a 3-time Cinema Eye nominee for The Order of Myths (2009).

Previous winners in this category include Max Richter for Waltz with Bashir (2009), Danny Grody, Donal Mosher, Michael Palmieri and Kenric Taylor for October Country (2010), Norbert Möslang for The Sound of Insects: Record of a Mummy (2011), John Kusiak for Tabloid (2012), Dial.81 for Detropia (2013) and Yasuaki Shimizu for Cutie and the Boxer (2014).

Outstanding Achievement in Graphic Design or Animation
Kyle McKeveny and Matt St. Leger
Captivated: The Trials of Pamela Smart
Syd Garon
Jodorowsky’s Dune
MK12 – Nominees to be Determined
Particle Fever
Philippe Gariepy and Benoit St. Jean
Red Army
Steven Do
The Unknown Known

Previous winners in this category include Lewis Kofsky and Richard Winkler for Chicago 10 (2008), Yoni Goodman and David Polonsky for Waltz with Bashir (2009), Bigstar for Food, Inc. and Brett Gaylor & team for RIP: A Remix Manifesto (2010, tie), Juan Cardarelli, Eric M. Levy and Alex Tyson for Gasland (2011), Rob Feng and Jeremy Landman for Tabloid (2012), Oskar Gullstrand and Arvid Steen for Searching for Sugar Man (2013) and Art Jail and Noriko Shinohara for Cutie and the Boxer (2014).

The Unknown Known was directed by Errol Morris, who also directed the 2012 winner in this category, Tabloid.

Spotlight Award
1971
Directed by Johanna Hamilton
Evaporating Borders
Directed by Iva Radivojevic
An Honest Liar
Directed by Justin Weinstein and Tyler Measom
Living Stars
Directed by Gaston Duprat and Mariano Cohn
My Name is Salt
Directed by Farida Pacha

The Spotlight Award was introduced in 2010. It intends to honors films that have not yet received proper attention and highlights filmmakers who are early in their career and from whom we’d like to see much more.

Laura Poitras, this year’s most nominated filmmaker for her work on Citizenfour, was also an Executive Producer on 1971.

Previous winners in this category include Jessica Oreck’s Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (2010), Andrei Ujica’s The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceausescu (2011), Tatiana Huezo Sánchez’ The Tiniest Place (2012), Wojciech Staron’s The Argentinian Lesson (2013) and Christian Soto and Catalina Vergara’s The Last Station (2014).

Films need not be eligible in other categories to be eligible in this category. The Nominations Committee submits films for nomination.

Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Short Filmmaking
Hacked Circuit
Directed by Deborah Stratman
Joanna
Directed by Aneta Kopacz
The Lion’s Mouth Opens
Directed by Lucy Walker
Notes on Blindness
Directed by Peter Middleton and James Spinney
One Year Lease
Directed by Brian Bolster
The award for Nonfiction Short Filmmaking was introduced in 2011.

Lucy Walker won 2014 Cinema Eye Honor for Nonfiction Film for Television (The Crash Reel). Deborah Stratman was nominated in the Cinematography category in 2010 (O’er the Land). This is the first Cinema Eye nomination for everyone else in the category.

The previous winners of this award were Vance Malone’s The Poodle Trainer (2011), Tim Hetherington’s Diary (2012), Robert-Jan Lacombe’s Good Bye Mandima (Kwa Heri Mandima) (2013) and Sergio Oksman’s A Story for the Modlins (2014).

The Unforgettables
The year’s most notable and significant nonfiction film subjects (previously announced)
Bob and Marcel
Ne Me Quitte Pas
Pam Brooks
Tales of the Grim Sleeper
Brandy Burre
Actress
Nick Cave
20,000 Days on Earth
Chaz and Roger Ebert
Life Itself
Shep Gordon
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
Alejandro Jodorowsky
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Mark Landis
Art and Craft
Anna Neistat
The E-Team
Pastor Jay Reinke
The Overnighters
Abdul Basset Saroot
Return to Homs
Edward Snowden
Citizenfour
Clark Terry
Keep On Keepin’ On
Matthew Van Dyke
Point and Shoot
John Wojtowicz
The Dog

The Influentials
The 25 classic nonfiction films that most influenced this year’s eligible filmmakers as they were making their films
American Movie (1999)
Burden of Dreams (1982)
Crumb (1994)
Darwin’s Nightmare (2004)
Don’t Look Back (1967)
Fast, Cheap and Out of Control (1997)
The Five Obstructions (2003)
Fog of War (2003)
Gimme Shelter (1970)
The Gleaners and I (2000)
Grey Gardens (1975)
Grizzly Man (2005)
Harlan County, USA (1976)
Paris is Burning (1991)
Roger and Me (1989)
Salesman (1968)
Sans Soleil (1983)
Seventeen (1983)
Sherman’s March (1985)
Tarnation (2003)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Titicut Follies (1967)
The War Room (1993)
When We Were Kings (1996)

10 live action shorts advance in 2015 Oscar race

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 live action short films will advance in the voting process for the 87th Academy Awards®. One hundred forty-one pictures had originally qualified in the category.

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

Aya, Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, directors (Chasis Films)

Baghdad Messi, Sahim Omar Kalifa, director, and Kobe Van Steenberghe, producer (a team productions)

Boogaloo and Graham, Michael Lennox, director, and Ronan Blaney, writer (Out of Orbit)

Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak), Hu Wei, director, and Julien Féret, producer (AMA Productions)

Carry On, Yatao Li, director (Rochester Institute of Technology)

My Father’s Truck, Maurício Osaki, director (Lupi Filmes)

Parvaneh, Talkhon Hamzavi, director, and Stefan Eichenberger, producer (Zurich University of Arts)

The Phone Call, Mat Kirkby, director, and James Lucas, writer (RSA Films)

SLR, Stephen Fingleton, director, and Matthew James Wilkinson, producer (Stigma Films)

Summer Vacation (Chofesh Gadol), Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon, directors (GREENproductions)

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 Los Angeles.

Short Films and Feature Animation 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 live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & 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.

2014 Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal awards – winners

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The 17th annual Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal / Montreal International Documentary Festival held its awards presentation last night prior to the closing night screening of Spartiates (Spartans) by Nicolas Wadimoff. The film is an observational look at a mixed martial arts trainer in a rough neighbourhood of Marseille struggling to keep his school going while also being competitive himself.

The top prize of Best Canadian Feature went to Sol by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq, while the Best International Feature was Once Upon a Time by Kazim Öz. The Audience Award went to the timely and relevant Citizenfour by Laura Poitras. Amar Wala's The Secret Trial 5 was winner of the Magnus Isaacson Award, given in honour of the late, great documentarian for socially-conscious work of cinema by an emerging director.

The 17th Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal continues on Sunday for one more day.


Complete list of award winners for the 17th annual Rencontres internationales du documentaire de Montréal

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
Atlantis by Ben Russell

BEST INTERNATIONAL MEDIUM-LENGTH FILM
Metaphor of Sadness Inside Out by Catarina Vasconselos

BEST NEW TALENT FROM QUEBEC/CANADA
Everything Will Be by Julia Kwan
SPECIAL MENTION
Juanicas by Karina Garcia Casanova

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST CANADIAN FEATURE
Sol by Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq
SPECIAL MENTION
La marche à suivre (Guidelines) by Jean-François Caissy

STUDENTS' AWARD
L'oeuvre des jours (The Work of Days) by Bruno Baillargeon
SPECIAL MENTION
Juanicas by Karina Garcia Casanova

WOMEN INMATES AWARD
Examen d'état (National Diploma) by Dieudo Hamadi

BEST EDITING IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Letters to Max by Eric Beaudelaire

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN AN INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Les tourmentes (For the Lost) by Jean-Pierre Vandeweerd

GRAND PRIZE FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Once Upon a Time by Kazim Öz
SPECIAL MENTION
Examen d'état (National Diploma) by Dieudo Hamadi

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Citizenfour by Laura Poitras

PRIX MAGNUS ISACSSON
The Secret Trial 5 by Amar Wala
SPECIAL MENTION
De prisons en prisons (From Prisons to Prisons) by Steve Patry

http://www.ridm.qc.ca/en

2014 American Music Awards – winners

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The 42nd American Music Awards was held tonight at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California. The event was hosted by Pitbull, and performers included Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Magic!, 5 Seconds of Summer, Imagine Dragons, Sam Smith, Iggy Azalea, Lorde, Ariana Grande, The Weeknd, Selena Gomez, One Direction, Nicki Minaj, Fergie, Garth Brooks, Mary J. Blige and Jennifer Lopez.

The top winner was One Direction. They took three awards – Artist of the Year, Favorite Band, Duo Or Group – Pop/Rock, and Favorite Album – Pop/Rock. Katy Perry also claimed three wins. She won Single of the Year, Favorite Female Artist – Pop/Rock, and Favorite Artist — Adult Contemporary.

Iggy Azalea and Beyoncé both won two apiece. Iggy Azalea's wins were for Favorite Artist and Favourite Album in the Rap/Hip-Hop category. Beyoncé was winner for Favorite Female Artist and Favourite Album in the Soul/R&B Female section.

Taylor Swift was presented with the inaugural Dick Clark Award of Excellence by Diana Ross.

The first-ever 2014 American Music Awards “International Song Award” was given to the Chinese hit music duo, the Chopstick Brothers for the song “Little Apple,” who also performed the song tonight. The first-ever “International Artist Award” was also given to Chinese singer Zhang Zie.

Nominations for the 2014 American Music Awards


Complete list of winners for the 2014 American Music Awards

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
One Direction

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
5 Seconds of Summer

SINGLE OF THE YEAR
Katy Perry featuring Juicy J - "Dark Horse"

DICK CLARK AWARD OF EXCELLENCE
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST - POP/ROCK
Sam Smith

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST - POP/ROCK
Katy Perry

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP - POP/ROCK
One Direction

FAVORITE ALBUM - POP/ROCK
One Direction - "Midnight Memories"

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST - COUNTRY
Luke Bryan

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST - COUNTRY
Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP - COUNTRY
Florida Georgia Line

FAVORITE ALBUM - COUNTRY
Brantley Gilbert - "Just As I Am"

FAVORITE ARTIST - RAP/HIP-HOP
Iggy Azalea

FAVORITE ALBUM - RAP/HIP-HOP
Iggy Azalea - "The New Classic"

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST - SOUL/R&B
John Legend

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST - SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé

FAVORITE ALBUM - SOUL/R&B
Beyoncé - "Beyoncé"

FAVORITE ARTIST - ALTERNATIVE ROCK
Imagine Dragons

FAVORITE ARTIST - ADULT CONTEMPORARY
Katy Perry

FAVORITE ARTIST - LATIN
Enrique Iglesias

FAVORITE ARTIST - CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Casting Crowns

FAVORITE ARTIST - ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC
Calvin Harris

TOP SOUNDTRACK
Frozen

30th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations Announced

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Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards, the Los Angeles Film Festival and Film Independent at LACMA, announced nominations for the 2015 Spirit Awards this morning. Film Independent President Josh Welsh presided over the press conference held at the W Hollywood, with actors Rosario Dawson and Diego Luna presenting the nominations. Nominees for Best Feature included Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Boyhood, Love is Strange, Selmaand Whiplash.

"As we celebrate 30 years of great independent film," said Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent, "this year's nominees are an astonishingly strong group of films and filmmakers which demonstrate the uniqueness of vision we honor at this show."

Inherent Vice was selected to receive the Robert Altman Award, which is bestowed upon one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast. The Altman Award was created in 2008 in honor of legendary director Robert Altman who was known for creating extraordinary ensemble casts.

"Paul Thomas Anderson's Inherent Vice is a testament to the spirit of Altman's tradition of artistic collaboration," said Welsh. "The film features an exquisite ensemble of actors masterfully directed and cast."

Film Independent also awarded a Special Distinction Award to Bennett Miller's Foxcatcher for its uniqueness of vision, honesty of direction and screenwriting, superb acting and achievement on every level of filmmaking. Due to Spirit Awards guidelines, Inherent Viceand Foxcatcher were not eligible for individual nominations.

Winners will be announced at the Spirit Awards on Saturday, February 21, 2015. The awards ceremony will be held as a daytime luncheon in a tent on the beach in Santa Monica. This year the show will broadcast live exclusively on IFC at 2:00 PM PT/ 5:00 PM ET.

Winners of the Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants will be highlighted during the awards ceremony and announced at the Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grants and Nominee Brunch on Saturday, January 10, 2015, at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood.

The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees selected nominees from 341 submissions this year and applied the following guidelines in determining the nominations: uniqueness of vision, original and provocative subject matter, economy of means (with particular attention paid to total production cost and individual compensation) and percentage of financing from independent sources. The Spirit Awards Nominating Committees are comprised of writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, actors, critics, casting directors, film festival programmers and other working film professionals.

Over the past 30 years the Film Independent Spirit Awards has made a name for itself as the premiere awards show for the independent film community. Artists who have received industry recognition first at the Spirit Awards include Joel and Ethan Coen, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone, Ashley Judd, Robert Rodriguez, David O. Russell, Edward Burns, Aaron Eckhart, Neil LaBute, Darren Aronofsky, Spike Jonze, Charlie Kaufman, Hilary Swank, Marc Forster, Todd Field, Christopher Nolan, Zach Braff, Amy Adams, Lena Dunham and many more.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are sponsored by Premier Sponsors Piaget, The Lincoln Motor Company, Bank of America, Heineken and IFC. T-Mobile is the Official Arrivals Show Sponsor and FIJI Water is the Official Water of the 2015 Spirit Awards. WireImage is the Official Photographer of Film Independent.

The Spirit Awards is the primary fundraiser for Film Independent's year-round programs. To inquire about individual seating and tables at the Spirit Awards, please contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org or 310.432.1253.

For more information on submission guidelines, voting, media and publicist credentials, and the history of the Spirit Awards, please visit spiritawards.com.

2015 FILM INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE
(Award given to the Producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.)
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Producers: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan, James W. Skotchdopole
Boyhood
Producers: Richard Linklater, Jonathan Sehring, John Sloss, Cathleen Sutherland
Love is Strange
Producers: Lucas Joaquin, Lars Knudsen, Ira Sachs, Jayne Baron Sherman, Jay Van Hoy
Selma
Producers: Christian Colson, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Oprah Winfrey
Whiplash
Producers: Jason Blum, Helen Estabrook, David Lancaster, Michael Litvak

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Ava DuVernay, Selma
Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
David Zellner, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter

BEST SCREENPLAY
Scott Alexander & Larry Karaszewski, Big Eyes
J.C. Chandor, A Most Violent Year
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Jim Jarmusch, Only Lovers Left Alive
Ira Sachs & Mauricio Zacharias, Love is Strange

BEST FIRST FEATURE
(Award given to the director and producer)
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Director: Ana Lily Amirpour; Producers: Justin Begnaud, Sina Sayyah
Dear White People
Director/Producer: Justin Simien; Producers: Effie T. Brown, Ann Le, Julia Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Lena Waithe
Nightcrawler
Director: Dan Gilroy; Producers: Jennifer Fox, Tony Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, David Lancaster, Michel Litvak
Obvious Child
Director: Gillian Robespierre; Producer: Elisabeth Holm
She's Lost Control
Director/Producer: Anja Marquardt; Producers: Mollye Asher, Kiara C. Jones

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Desiree Akhavan, Appropriate Behavior
Sara Colangelo, Little Accidents
Justin Lader, The One I Love
Anja Marquardt, She's Lost Control
Justin Simien, Dear White People

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director and producer. Executive Producers are not awarded.
Blue Ruin
Writer/Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Producers: Richard Peete, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
It Felt Like Love
Writer/Director/Producer: Eliza Hittman
Producers: Shrihari Sathe, Laura Wagner
Land Ho!
Writers/Directors: Aaron Katz & Martha Stephens
Producers: Christina Jennings, Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy
Man From Reno
Writer/Director: Dave Boyle
Writers: Joel Clark, Michael Lerman
Producer: Ko Mori
Test
Writer/Director/Producer: Chris Mason Johnson
Producer: Chris Martin

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Marion Cotillard, The Immigrant
Rinko Kikuchi, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Jenny Slate, Obvious Child
Tilda Swinton, Only Lovers Left Alive

BEST MALE LEAD
André Benjamin, Jimi: All Is By My Side
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
John Lithgow, Love is Strange
David Oyelowo, Selma

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Carmen Ejogo, Selma
Andrea Suarez Paz, Stand Clear of the Closing Doors
Emma Stone, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
Riz Ahmed, Nightcrawler
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Alfred Molina, Love is Strange
Edward Norton, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Darius Khondji, The Immigrant
Emmanuel Lubezki, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Sean Porter, It Felt Like Love
Lyle Vincent, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Bradford Young, Selma

BEST EDITING
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Tom Cross, Whiplash
John Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Ron Patane, A Most Violent Year
Adam Wingard, The Guest

BEST DOCUMENTARY
(Award given to the director and producer)
20,000 Days on Earth
Directors: Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard
Producers: Dan Bowen, James Wilson
CITIZENFOUR
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Mathilde Bonnefoy, Dirk Wilutzky
Stray Dog
Director: Debra Granik
Producer: Anne Rosellini
The Salt of the Earth
Directors: Juliano Ribeiro Salgado and Wim Wenders
Producer: David Rosier
Virunga
Director/Producer: Orlando von Einsiedel
Producer: Joanna Natasegara

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
(Award given to the director)
Force Majeure (Sweden) Director: Ruben Östlund
Ida (Poland) Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Leviathan (Russia) Director: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Mommy (Canada) Director: Xavier Dolan
Norte, the End of History (Philippines) Director: Lav Diaz
Under the Skin (United Kingdom) Director: Jonathan Glazer

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - (Given to one film's director, casting director and ensemble cast)
Inherent Vice
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Casting Director: Cassandra Kulukundis
Ensemble Cast: Josh Brolin, Martin Donovan, Jena Malone, Joanna Newsom, Joaquin Phoenix, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short Serena Scott Thomas, Benicio Del Toro, Katherine Waterston, Michael Kenneth Williams, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon

SPECIAL DISTINCTION AWARD
Foxcatcher
Director/Producer: Bennett Miller
Producers: Anthony Bregman, Megan Ellison, Jon Kilik
Writers: E. Max Frye, Dan Futterman
Actors: Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, Channing Tatum

18th ANNUAL PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 18th annual Producers Award, sponsored by Piaget, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
Chad Burris
Elisabeth Holm
Chris Ohlson

21st ANNUAL KIEHL'S SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 21st annual Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's Since 1851, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Kiehl's Since 1851.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, Director: Ana Lily Amirpour
H., Directors: Rania Attieh & Daniel Garcia
The Retrieval, Director: Chris Eska

20th ANNUAL LENSCRAFTERS TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 20th annual Truer Than Fiction Award, sponsored by LensCrafters is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by LensCrafters.
Approaching the Elephant, Director: Amanda Rose Wilder
Evolution of a Criminal, Director: Darius Clark Monroe
The Kill Team, Director: Dan Krauss
The Last Season, Director: Sara Dosa

19th Annual Satellite Awards – nominations

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The International Press Academy (IPA) announced its nominations for the 19th Annual Satellite™ Awards in the Motion Pictures and Television categories. Each year, the IPA celebrates nominees from domestic and international submissions for 38 categories: 19 in Motion Pictures, 13 in Television, 2 in Blu-ray DVDs and 4 in Video Games.

Special achievement awards and nominations for the Blu-ray and Video Game categories will be announced on January 5, 2015.

The special achievement awards include The Mary Pickford Award for outstanding artistic contribution, The Nikola Tesla Award for visionary achievements in filmmaking technology and The Auteur Award for creative vision and unique artistry made on audiences and fellow artists alike.

The International Press Academy (IPA) is a global association of professional entertainment journalists representing a multitude of print, broadcast and digital media outlets. FEDEORA, The Federation of European and Mediterranean Film Critics, joined the IPA in 2011 extending the IPA’s membership of foreign and domestic correspondents, whose markets reach millions worldwide via print, television, radio and the Internet.

The winners of the 19th Annual Satellite™ Awards will be announced in a ceremony held on February 15, 2015 in Los Angeles, Calif.


Complete nominations for the International Press Academy's 19th Annual Satellite Awards

MOTION PICTURE

Actor in a Motion Picture
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game
Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Jake Gyllenhaal, Nightcrawler
Michael Keaton, Birdman
Miles Teller, Whiplash
Steve Carell, Foxcatcher
David Oyelowo, Selma

Actor in a Supporting Role
J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Edward Norton, Birdman
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood
Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher
Robert Duvall, The Judge
Andy Serkis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Actress in a Motion Picture
Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Anne Dorval, Mommy
Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything
Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle
Julianne Moore, Still Alice
Reese Witherspoon, Wild
Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Actress in a Supporting Role
Emma Stone, Birdman
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game
Laura Dern, Wild
Tilda Swinton, Snowpiercer
Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Katherine Waterston, Inherent Vice

Art Direction & Production Design
George DeTitta Jr., Kevin Thompson, Stephen H. Carter, Birdman
Andrew Menzies, Peter Russell, Fury
Debra Schutt, Mark Friedberg, Noah
Dylan Cole, Frank Walsh, Gary Freeman, Maleficent
Adam Stockhausen, Anna Pinnock, Stephan Gessler, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Maria Djurkovic, Nick Dent, The Imitation Game

Best Ensemble
Into the Woods

Cinematography
Hoyte Van Hoytema, F.S.F., N.S.C., Interstellar
Dick Pope, BSC, Mr. Turner
Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC, Birdman
Robert Elswit, Inherent Vice
Benoît Delhomme, The Theory of Everything
Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, Gone Girl

Costume Design
Anushia Nieradzik, Belle
Milena Canonero, The Grand Budapest Hotel
Colleen Atwood, Into the Woods
Anna B. Sheppard, Maleficent
Michael Wilkinson, Noah
Anais Romand, Saint Laurent

Director
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Birdman
Damien Chazelle, Whiplash
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
David Fincher, Gone Girl
Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game
Ava DuVernay, Selma

Film Editing
Sandra Adair, Boyhood
Gary Roach, Joel Cox, American Sniper
Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione, ACE, Birdman
William Goldenberg, A.C.E., The Imitation Game
Dody Dorn, ACE, Jay Cassidy, ACE, Fury
Stan Salfas, ACE, William Hoy, ACE, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Motion Picture
The Imitation Game
The Theory of Everything
Whiplash
Mr. Turner
Selma
Gone Girl
Birdman
Love is Strange
Boyhood
The Grand Budapest Hotel

Motion Picture, Animated or Mixed Media
Big Hero 6
Song of the Sea
The Boxtrolls
The Lego Movie
Wrinkles
The Book of Life
How to Train Your Dragon 2

Motion Picture, Documentary
Red Army
Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq
Art and Craft
Citizenfour
Finding Vivian Maier
Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
Jodorowsky's Dune
Keep On Keepin' On
Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles

Motion Picture, International Film
Greece, Little England
Israel, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Poland, Ida
Sweden, Force Majeure
Russia, Leviathan
Canada, Mommy
Estonia, Tangerine
Mauritania, Timbuktu
Argentina, Wild Tales
Belgium, Two Days, One Night

Original Score
Antonio Sanchez, Birdman
Alexandre Desplat, The Imitation Game
Thomas Newman, The Judge
Steven Price, Fury
Hans Zimmer, Interstellar
Atticus Ross, Trent Reznor, Gone Girl

Original Song
"Everything is Awesome", The Lego Movie
"I’m Not Gonna Miss You", Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me
"Split the Difference", Boyhood
"I’ll Get What You Want", Muppets Most Wanted
"What Is Love", Rio 2

Screenplay, Adapted
Paul Thomas Anderson, Inherent Vice
Graham Moore, The Imitation Game
Gillian Flynn, Gone Girl
Anthony McCarten, The Theory of Everything
Jason Hall, American Sniper
Cheryl Strayed, Nick Hornby, Wild

Screenplay, Original
Paul Webb, Selma
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Armando Bo, Nicolas Giabone, Birdman
Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Ira Sachs, Mauricio Zacharias, Love is Strange
Dan Gilroy, Nightcrawler
Christopher Miller, Phil Lord, The Lego Movie

Sound (Editing and Mixing)
Craig Henighan, Ken Ishii, C.A.S., Skip Lievsay, Noah
Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van Der Ryn, Peter J. Devlin, C.A.S., Transformers: Age of Extinction
Anna Behlmer, Mark Holding, Taeyoung Choi, Terry Porter, Snowpiercer
Ben Wilkins, Craig Mann, Thomas Curley, Whiplash
Blake Leyh, John Casali, Michael Keller, Michael Prestwoood Smith, Renee Tondelli, Into the Woods
Ren Klyce, Steve Cantamessa, Gone Girl

Visual Effects
Eric Durst, Snowpiercer
Stephane Ceretti, Guardians of the Galaxy
Andrew Lockley, Ian Hunter, Paul Franklin, Scott Fisher, Interstellar
Ben Snow, Burt Dalton, Dan Schrecker, Marc Chu, Noah
John Frazier, Patrick Tubach, Scott Benza, Scott Farrar, A.S.C., Transformers: Age of Extinction
Dan Lemmon, Joe Letteri, Matt Kutcher, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

TELEVISION

Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
David Suchet, Agatha Christie's Poirot
Dominic Cooper, Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
Kiefer Sutherland, 24: Live Another Day
Stephen Rea, The Honourable Woman
Richard Jenkins, Olive Kitteridge
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart

Actor in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
John Goodman, Alpha House
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
William H. Macy, Shameless
Louis C.K., Louie

Actor in a Series, Drama
Woody Harrelson, True Detective
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo
Charlie Hunnam, Sons of Anarchy
Clive Owen, The Knick
Lee Pace, Halt and Catch Fire
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex

Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart
Peter Dinklage, Game Of Thrones
Rory Kinnear, Penny Dreadful
Christopher Eccleston, The Leftovers
André Holland, The Knick
Jimmy Smits, Sons of Anarchy

Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
Kristen Wiig, The Spoils of Babylon
Ann Dowd, The Leftovers
Nicola Walker, Last Tango in Halifax
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway
Sarah Lancashire, Happy Valley
Maggie Gyllenhaal, The Honourable Woman
Frances McDormand, Olive Kitteridge

Actress in a Series, Comedy or Musical
Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project
Taylor Schilling, Orange is the New Black
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Actress in a Series, Drama
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Gillian Anderson, The Fall
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Kerri Russell, The Americans
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex
Robin Wright, House of Cards
Ruth Wilson, The Affair
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black

Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
Allison Tolman, Fargo
Michelle Monaghan, True Detective
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story
Zoe Kazan, Olive Kitteridge

Miniseries Made for Television
24: Live Another Day
Endeavour
Olive Kitteridge
Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond
Happy Valley
The Honourable Woman
The Spoils of Babylon
The Roosevelts: An Intimate History
Sherlock

Motion Picture Made for Television
The Normal Heart
Turks & Caicos

Television Ensemble
The Knick

Television Series, Comedy or Musical
Alpha House
Louie
Orange is the New Black
Silicon Valley
The Big Bang Theory
Transparent
Veep
Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Television Series, Drama
The Affair
Fargo
Halt and Catch Fire
House of Cards
The Fall
Hannibal
The Knick
True Detective

Television Series, Genre
The Leftovers
American Horror Story
Game Of Thrones
Grimm
Penny Dreadful
Sleepy Hollow
The Walking Dead
The Strain

Producers Guild of America announces documentary and television nominees for 2015 PGA Awards

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The Producers Guild of America on Monday announced the nominees for best documentary, TV series/specials and digital series.

Also set to be honoured at the ceremony are Jon Feltheimer with the Milestone Award, Mark Gordon with the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television and Gale Anne Hurd with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award.

One of the awards season’s marquee events, the Producers Guild Awards celebrates the finest producing work of the year, and gives the Guild an opportunity to honour some of the living legends who have shaped our profession. Considered a strong prognosticator for the Best Picture Oscar®, the announcement of the Guild’s Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures is one of the most eagerly-anticipated of the season.

The 26th annual Producers Guild Awards will be held Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles.


The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures
The Green Prince (Music Box Films)
Life Itself (Magnolia Pictures)
Merchants of Doubt (Sony Pictures Classics)
Particle Fever (Abramorama/BOND 360)
Virunga (Netflix)

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Producers: Melissa Bernstein, Sam Catlin, Bryan Cranston, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Mark Johnson, Stewart Lyons, Michelle MacLaren, George Mastras, Diane Mercer, Thomas Schnauz, Moira Walley-Beckett
Downton Abbey (PBS)
Producers: Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant, Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge
Game Of Thrones (HBO)
Producers: David Benioff, Bernadette Caulfield, Frank Doelger, Chris Newman, Greg Spence, Carolyn Strauss, D.B. Weiss
House Of Cards (Netflix)
Producers: Dana Brunetti, Joshua Donen, David Fincher, David Manson, Iain Paterson, Eric Roth, Kevin Spacey, Beau Willimon
True Detective (HBO)
Producers: Richard Brown, Carol Cuddy, Steve Golin, Woody Harrelson, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Matthew McConaughey, Nic Pizzolatto, Scott Stephens

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy
The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Producers: Faye Oshima Belyeu, Chuck Lorre, Steve Molaro, Bill Prady
Louie (FX)
Producers: Pamela Adlon, Dave Becky, M. Blair Breard, Louis C.K., Vernon Chatman, Adam Escott, Steven Wright
Modern Family (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Megan Ganz, Abraham Higginbotham, Ben Karlin, Elaine Ko, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Dan O’Shannon, Jeffrey Richman, Chris Smirnoff, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Sally Young, Danny Zuker
Orange Is The New Black (Netflix)
Producers: Mark A. Burley, Sara Hess, Jenji Kohan, Gary Lennon, Neri Tannenbaum, Michael Trim, Lisa I. Vinnecour
Veep (HBO)
Producers: Chris Addison, Simon Blackwell, Christopher Godsick, Armando Iannucci, Stephanie Laing, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Frank Rich, Tony Roche

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
30 For 30 (ESPN)
Producers: Andy Billman, John Dahl, Erin Leyden, Connor Schell, Bill Simmons
American Masters (PBS)
Producers: Susan Lacy, Julie Sacks, Junko Tsunashima
Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown (CNN)
Producers: Anthony Bourdain, Christopher Collins, Lydia Tenaglia, Sandra Zweig
COSMOS: A SpaceTime Odyssey (FOX/NatGeo)
Producers: Brannon Braga, Mitchell Cannold, Jason Clark, Ann Druyan, Livia Hanich, Steve Holtzman, Seth MacFarlane
Shark Tank (ABC)
Producers: Becky Blitz, Mark Burnett, Bill Gaudsmith, Phil Gurin, Yun Lingner, Clay Newbill, Jim Roush, Laura Roush, Max Swedlow

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Producers: Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster, Mark Vertullo
Dancing With The Stars (ABC)
Producers: Ashley Edens Shaffer, Conrad Green, Joe Sungkur
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Producers: Jane Cha Cutler, Desiree Gruber, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Jonathan Murray, Sara Rea, Teri Weideman
Top Chef (Bravo)
Producers: Daniel Cutforth, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Murphy, Hillary Olsen
The Voice (NBC)
Producers: Stijn Bakkers, Mark Burnett, John De Mol, Chad Hines, Lee Metzger, Audrey Morrissey, Jim Roush, Kyra Thompson, Mike Yurchuk, Amanda Zucker

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
Producers: Meredith Bennett, Tanya Michnevich Bracco, Stephen Colbert, Richard Dahm, Paul Dinello, Barry Julien, Matt Lappin, Emily Lazar, Tom Purcell, Jon Stewart
Jimmy Kimmel Live (ABC)
Producers: David Craig, Ken Crosby, Doug DeLuca, Gary Greenberg, Erin Irwin, Jimmy Kimmel, Jill Leiderman, Molly McNearney, Tony Romero, Jason Schrift, Jennifer Sharron, Seth Weidner, Josh Weintraub
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (HBO)
Producers: TO BE DETERMINED
Real Time With Bill Maher (HBO)
Producers: Scott Carter, Sheila Griffiths, Marc Gurvitz, Dean Johnsen, Bill Maher, Billy Martin, Matt Wood
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
Producers: Rob Crabbe, Jamie Granet Bederman, Katie Hockmeyer, Jim Juvonen, Josh Lieb, Brian McDonald, Lorne Michaels, Gavin Purcell

The following programs were not vetted for producer eligibility this year, but winners in these categories will be announced at the official ceremony on January 24:

The Award for Outstanding Sports Program
24/7 (HBO)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Atlanta Falcons (HBO)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With The Cincinnati Bengals (HBO)
Inside: U.S. Soccer's March To Brazil (ESPN)
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

The Award for Outstanding Children’s Program
Dora The Explorer (Nickelodeon)
Sesame Street (Sprout)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Nickelodeon)
Toy Story OF TERROR! (ABC)
Wynton Marsalis: A YoungArts Masterclass (HBO)

The Award for Outstanding Digital Series
30 For 30 Shorts (http://espn.go.com/30for30/shorts)
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee (http://www.crackle.com/c/comedians-in-cars-getting-coffee)
COSMOS: A National Geographic Deeper Dive (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkiFfAEB5M8)
Epic Rap Battles Of History (http://youtube.com/erb)
Video Game High School Season 3 (https://www.youtube.com/user/freddiew)

42nd Annual Annie Awards – nominations announced

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The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year's best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org.

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA's Royce Hall. A pre-reception and press line begins at 5:00 pm with the awards ceremony following at 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall.

Best Animated Features nominations include: Big Hero 6(Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin'(Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation SKG), Song of the Sea (GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The LEGO Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (GKIDS/Studio Ghibli).

"We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it's going to be a great awards ceremony," remarked ASIFA-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. "We added a new category to the mix – Best Character Animation in a Video Game – bringing the total Annie categories to 36. The Annies are a true celebration of the best talent in the animation industry, from big studio features to indie films, television series to internet shows, games, shorts and student films alike, as well as a wonderful group of juried award recipients again this year."

The juried awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation, will also be presented. Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors – Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelsonfor their career contributions to the art of animation; June Foray Award – Charles Solomon for his significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation; Ub Iwerks Award – DreamWorks Animation's Apollo Software for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation; and Special Achievement Award – The Walt Disney Family Museum recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation.


ASIFA-Hollywood is the world's first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.

For more information on the Annie Awards, please visit www.annieawards.org and click on the 'Event Info' button on the Annies home page.


Complete list of nominations for the 42nd Annual Annie Awards

PRODUCTION CATEGORIES

Best Animated Feature
Big Hero 6 – 
Walt Disney Animation Studios
Cheatin’ – Plymptoons Studio
How to Train Your Dragon 2 – DreamWorks Animation
Song of the Sea – GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
The Book of Life – Reel FX
The Boxtrolls – Focus Features/Laika
The LEGO Movie -Warner Bros. Pictures
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya – GKIDS/Studio Ghibli


Best Animated Special Production

Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey – Voyager Pictures LLC
Dawn of the Dragon Racers – DreamWorks Animation
How Murray Saved Christmas – Universal Television
Polariffic – Bent Image Lab
Toy Story That Time Forgot – Pixar Animation Studios

Best Animated Short Subject
Coda
- 62 George Street
Duet
- Glen Keane Productions
Feast
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
Inside Homer – The Simpsons Couch Gag (Episode #549) – Acme Filmworks
Me and My Moulton
- National Film Board of Canada
Silent -
Creative Artists Agency
The Dam Keeper 
- Tonko House LLC
The Raven – Moonbot Studios


Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial
Citizen M: “Swan Song” – Stoopid Buddy Stoodios
Flight of the Stories – Aardman Animations
LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham 
- Plastic Wax


Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Preschool Children
Doc McStuffins 
- Disney Channel / Disney XD
Peter Rabbit – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Tumble Leaf
- Amazon Studios
Wallykazam! – 
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Zack & Quack
- Zodiak Kids


Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience
Adventure Time
 – Cartoon Network
Gravity Falls – 
Disney Television Animation
Legend of Korra – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Over The Garden Wall
 – Cartoon Network
Wander Over Yonder 
- Disney Television Animation


Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Archer
 – FX Networks
Back To Backspace
- Cartoon Network Studios
Bob’s Burgers
 – Bento Box Entertainment
Rick and Morty 
- Starburns Industries, Inc.
Mike Tyson Mysteries 
- Warner Bros. Animation
Regular Show 
- Cartoon Network Studios
The Simpsons
 – The Simpsons


Best Animated Video Game
Forza Horizon 2 – Microsoft – Turn 10 Studios
Valiant Hearts: The Great War – Ubisoft
Child of Light – Ubisoft


Best Student Film
After School – Junyi Xiao
Dead Over Heels – Jose Matheu
El Coyote
 – Javier Barboza
Frog’s Legs -
 Katie Tamboer
My Big Brother 
- Jason Rayner
Tiny Nomad 
- Toniko Pantoja


INDIVIDUAL ACHIEVEMENT CATEGORIES

Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in an Animated Production
Michael Kaschalk, Peter DeMund, David Hutchins, Henrik Falt, John Kosnik – Big Hero 6 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
James Jackson, Lucas Janin, Tobin Jones, Baptiste Van Opstal, Jason Mayer – How to Train Your Dragon 2
- DreamWorks Animation
Fangwei Lee, Krzysztof Rost, Jihyun Yoon, Robert Chen – Mr. Peabody & Sherman -
DreamWorks Animation
Mitul Patel, Nicolas Delbecq, Santosh Khedkar, Yash Argawal – Penguins of Madagascar
- DreamWorks Animation
Augusto Schillaci, Erich Turner, Bill Konersman, Chris Rasch, Joseph Burnette – The Book of Life – Reel FX
Rick Sevy, Peter Vickery, Kent Estep, Peter Stuart, Ralph Procida – The Boxtrolls
 - Focus Features/Laika
Jayandera Danappal, Matt Ebb, Christian Epunan Hernandez, Danielle Brooks, Raphael Gadot – The LEGO Movie – Warner Bros. Pictures


Outstanding Achievement, Animated Effects in a Live Action Production
Steve Avoujageli, Atsushi Ikarashi, Pawel Grochola, Paul Waggoner, Viktor Lundqvist – Edge of Tomorrow – Sony Pictures Imageworks
Raul Essig, Karin Cooper, Rick Hankins, Owen Calouro – Noah – 
Industrial Light & Magic
Charles-Felix Chabert, Daniel La Chapelle, Spencer Lueders, Klaus Seitschek, Chris Messineo – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 
- Sony Pictures Imageworks
Areito Echevarria, Andreas Soderstrom, Ronnie Menahem, Christoph Sprenger, Kevin Romond – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – 
Weta Digital
Michael Balog, Jim Van Allen, Rick Hankins, John Hansen – Transformers: Age of Extinction -
 Industrial Light & Magic
Jeremy Hampton, Daniel Stern, Edmond Smith III, Hiroshi Tsubokawa, Daniel Jenkins – X-Men: Days of Future Past – 
Digital Domain


Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in an Animated Television/Broadcast Production
Don Crum – Toy Story That Time Forgot – 
Pixar Animation Studios
Carlo Vogele – Toy Story That Time Forgot 
- Pixar Animation Studios
Ken Kim – Toy Story That Time Forgot – Pixar Animation Studios
Michael Granberry – Tumble Leaf – Amazon Studios
Teresa Drilling – Tumble Leaf – Amazon Studios
Justin Nichols – Wander Over Yonder – Disney Television Animation


Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production
Fabio Lignini – How to Train Your Dragon 2 
- DreamWorks Animation
Steven “Shaggy” Hornby – How to Train Your Dragon 2
- DreamWorks Animation
Thomas Grummt – How to Train Your Dragon 2
- DreamWorks Animation
Ravi Kamble – Penguins of Madagascar
 – DreamWorks Animation
Travis Knight – The Boxtrolls – Focus Features/Laika
Malcolm Lamont – The Boxtrolls
- Focus Features/Laika
Jason Stalman – The Boxtrolls – Focus Features/Laika


Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Live Action Production
Daniel Barrett, Paul Story, Eteuati Tema, Alessandro Bonora, Dejan Momcilovic – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
 – Weta Digital
Kevin Spruce, Dale Newton, Sidney Kombo, Chris Mullins, Brad Silby – Guardians of the Galaxy – Framestore
Eric Reynolds, David Clayton, Andreja Vuckovic, Guillaume Francois, Gios Johnston – The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Weta Digital


Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Video Game
Mike Mennillo – Assassin’s Creed Unity – Ubisoft
Don’t Starve: Console Edition – Klei Entertainment Inc.
Alex Drouin – Child Of Light – Ubisoft


Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Andy Suriano – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Benjamin Balistreri – Wander Over Yonder 
- Disney Television Animation
Zac Gorman – Welcome to the Wayne – Nickelodeon Animation Studio


Outstanding Achievement, Character Design in an Animated Feature Production
Shiyoon Kim, Jin Kim – Big Hero 6
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
Timothy Lamb, Joe Moshier – Mr. Peabody & Sherman – 
DreamWorks Animation
Craig Kellman, Joe Moshier, Stevie Lewis, Todd Kurosawa – Penguins of Madagascar
 – DreamWorks Animation
Sang Jun Lee, Jason Sadler, José Manuel Fernandez Oli – Rio 2 
- Blue Sky Studios
Tomm Moore, Marie Thorhauge, Sandra Anderson, Rosa Ballester Cabo – Song of the Sea
 – GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Paul Sullivan, Sandra Equihua, Jorge R. Gutierrez – The Book of Life – Reel FX
Mike Smith – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika


Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Yuasa Masaaki, Eunyoung Choi – Adventure Time
 – Cartoon Network
Bryan Fordney – Archer
 – FX Networks
Jennifer Coyle & Bernard Derriman – Bob’s Burgers
 – Bento Box Entertainment
Aaron Springer – Disney Mickey Mouse 
- Disney Television Animation
Rob Renzetti – Gravity Falls
 – Disney Television Animation
Robert Alvarez, Ken Bruce, Larry Leichliter – Over The Garden Wall – 
Cartoon Network
Matthew Nastuk – The Simpsons
 – The Simpsons
David Thomas – Wander Over Yonder – 
Disney Television Animation


Outstanding Achievement, Directing in an Animated Feature Production
Don Hall & Chris Williams – Big Hero 6
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Bill Plympton – Cheatin’
 – Plymptoons Studio
Dean DeBlois – How to Train Your Dragon 2
 – DreamWorks Animation
Tomm Moore – Song of the Sea
 – GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Jorge R. Gutierrez – The Book of Life
 – Reel FX
Anthony Stacchi & Graham Annable – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, Directors; Chris McKay, Co-Director – The LEGO Movie – Warner Bros. Pictures
Isao Takahata – The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
 – GKIDS/Studio Ghibli 


Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Christopher Willis – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Peter Lurye, George Gabriel, Chris Gifford – Dora and Friends: Into the City! – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Jay Vincent, Michael Kramer, Jeppe Riddervold, Erin Chapman – Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu
 – Jam
Lolita Ritmanis, Kristopher Carter & Michael McCuistion – Marvel’s Avengers Assemble
 – Dynamic Music Partners
Nathan Barr & Lisbeth Scott – Tumble Leaf
 – Amazon Studios


Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature Production
Nicole Renaud, Composer – Cheatin’
 – Plymptoons Studio
John Powell, Jónsi – How to Train Your Dragon 2
 – DreamWorks Animation
Danny Elfman – Mr. Peabody & Sherman
- DreamWorks Animation
Bruno Coulais & Kila – Song of the Sea
- GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Joe Hisaishi – The Tale of The Princess Kaguya
- GKIDS/Studio Ghibli


Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Kara Vallow, Brent Woods, Lucas Gray & Andrew Brandou – Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey
 – Voyager Pictures LLC
Joseph Holt – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Narina Sokolova – Mickey Shorts
- Disney
Kevin Dart, Chris Turnham, Jasmin Lai & Elle Michalka – The Powerpuff Girls – Cartoon Network
Antonio Canobbio, Khang Le, Mark Taihei, Howard Chen & Brandon Cuellar – Turbo FAST – 
DreamWorks Animation
Alex Kirwan, Chris Tsirigotis, Alexander Duckworth, Janice Kubo & Francis Giglio – Wander Over Yonder – Disney Television Animation
Erez Gavish – Zack & Quack – Zodiak Kids


Outstanding Achievement, Production Design in an Animated Feature Production
David James, Ruben Perez, Priscilla Wong, Timothy Lamb & Alexandre Puvilland – Mr. Peabody & Sherman
- DreamWorks Animation
Adrien Merigeau – Song of the Sea – 
GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Simon Varela & Paul Sullivan – The Book of Life 
- Reel FX
Paul Lasaine, Tom McClure & August Hall – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika
Grant Freckelton – The LEGO Movie
 – Warner Bros. Pictures


Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Heiko Drengenberg – Disney Mickey Mouse – Disney Television Animation
Luke Weber, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Neil Graf & Steve Heneveld – Gravity Falls 
- Disney Television Animation
Joaquim Dos Santos – Legend of Korra -Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Nathaniel Villanueva & Douglas Lovelace – Star Wars Rebels
 – Disney Channel / Disney XD
Brad Ableson, Matthew Faughnan & Stephen Reis – The Simpsons
 – Film Roman
Louise Smythe – Toy Story That Time Forgot 
- Pixar Animation Studios
Mark Ackland – Wander Over Yonder – Disney Television Animation


Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding in an Animated Feature Production
Marc E. Smith – Big Hero 6
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Truong “Tron” Son Mai – How to Train Your Dragon 2
 – DreamWorks Animation
Piero Peluso – Planes: Fire & Rescue
 – Disneytoon Studios
John Hurst – Rio 2
 – Blue Sky Studios
Rodrigo Castro – Rio 2
- Blue Sky Studios
Julian Nariño – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features
Emanuela Cozzi – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika


Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Bill Farmer as the voices of Goofy and Grandma – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
Carlos Alazaraqui as the voice of Crocker – Fairly Oddparents – Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Seth Green as the voice of Robot Chicken Nerd – Robot Chicken 
- Stoopid Buddy Stoodios


Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production
Cyndi Lauper as the voice of Nurse Cyndi – Henry & Me – Reveal Animation Studios
Andy Garcia as the voice of Eduardo – Rio 2 
- Blue Sky Studios
Sir Ben Kingsley as the voice of Archibald Snatcher – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika
Dee Bradley Baker as the voice of Fish – The Boxtrolls 
- Focus Features/Laika


Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Darrick Bachman – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
Dave Tennant, David P. Smith, Chris Mitchell & Will Mata – The Powerpuff Girls
 – Cartoon Network
Rob LaZebnik – The Simpsons
 – 20th Century Fox
Tim Long – The Simpsons – 20th Century Fox
Steve Purcell – Toy Story That Time Forgot – 
Pixar Animation Studios


Outstanding Achievement, Writing in an Animated Feature Production
Robert L. Baird, Daniel Gerson & Jordan Roberts – Big Hero 6
 – Walt Disney Animation Studios
Dean DeBlois – How to Train Your Dragon 2
 – DreamWorks Animation
Will Collins – Song of the Sea 
- GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
Irena Brignull & Adam Pava – The Boxtrolls
 – Focus Features/Laika
Phil Lord & Christopher Miller – The Lego Movie
 – Warner Bros. Pictures


Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production
Illya Owens – Disney Mickey Mouse
 – Disney Television Animation
Ernesto Matamoros – Dragons: Defenders of Berk
 – DreamWorks Animation Television
Mike Elias – Family Guy
 – Super 78
David Suther, Bradley Furnish & David Condolora – Toy Story That Time Forgot
 – Pixar Animation Studios

Todd Raleigh & Doug Vito – Turbo FAST
 – DreamWorks Animation

Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Production
Tim Mertens – Big Hero 6 
- Walt Disney Animation Studios
John K. Carr – How to Train Your Dragon 2 – DreamWorks Animation
Dan Molina, Mark Keefer & Karen Hathaway – Planes: Fire & Rescue – 
Disneytoon Studios
Darragh Byrne – Song of the Sea
 – GKIDS/Cartoon Saloon
David Burrows, Todd Hansen, Doug Nicholas, Jonathan Tappin & Courtney O’Brien-Brown – The LEGO Movie 
- Warner Bros. Pictures


JURIED AWARDS

Winsor McCay Award (for Lifetime Achievement)
Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and Lee Mendelson

June Foray Award (for significant and benevolent or charitable impact on the art and industry of animation)
Charles Solomon

Ub Iwerks (for technical advancement that has made a significant impact on the art or industry of animation)
DreamWorks Animation’s Apollo Software

Special Achievement Award (recognizing the unique and significant impact on the art and industry of animation)
The Walt Disney Family Museum


Canada’s Top Ten Films announced

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Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival presents screenings, filmmaker Q&As, free events, and onstage discussions with celebrated Canadians Keanu Reeves, Naomi Klein, Avi Lewis and Sandra Oh

TIFF toasted the nation’s cinematic trailblazers tonight, announcing the top 10 feature, short film and student film selections for the 14th annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. Established by TIFF in 2001, the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival celebrates and promotes contemporary Canadian cinema and raises awareness of Canadian achievements in film. The 10-day festival runs January 2 to 11, 2015 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto and presents public screenings of the selected films accompanied by introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers, as well as special events and free engagements. On January 10, the festival welcomes Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein and filmmaker Avi Lewis for an onstage conversation and a sneak peek at ThisChanges Everything, the upcoming documentary inspired by Klein’s new book. The one and only Keanu Reeves will close the festival, taking the stage on January 11 for an intimate discussion about his iconic career. The festival’s tour across Canada includes stops in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Montreal; Vancouver’s The Cinematheque will host a special onstage conversation with star of the big and small screen Sandra Oh.

New this year, the festival has incorporated Student Shorts, formerly the Student Film Showcase, to spotlight the top student shorts from colleges and universities across the country. An archival screening of a Canadian classic, Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography, also joins the lineup. And for the first time, audiences can vote to crown the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival People’s Choice Award winner. These announcements were made at an industry event in Toronto tonight hosted by Canadian gem Teri Hart.

“Canadian movies and Canadian talent have proven themselves among the best in the world,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director, Toronto International Film Festival. “Now it’s our chance to get together and celebrate our best. Thirty impressive new films, plus one-of-a-kind onstage conversations add up to a great way to warm up the winter.”

“The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival slate spotlights the work of both veteran and emerging filmmakers,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “We are truly proud to connect Canadian talent with an enthusiastic and savvy audience, bringing the community together in celebration of the Canadian film industry’s achievements in 2014, which by any standards has been a watershed year.”

http://tiff.net/festivals/ctt14

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival features for 2014, in alphabetical order. Synopses below.
Corbo, Mathieu Denis (Christal Films)
Félix et Meira (Felix & Meira), Maxime Giroux (FunFilm Distribution)
In Her Place, Albert Shin (A71 Entertainment Inc.)
Maps to the Stars, David Cronenberg (Entertainment One Films)
Mommy, Xavier Dolan (Entertainment One Films)
Monsoon, Sturla Gunnarsson (KinoSmith)
The Price We Pay, Harold Crooks (Filmoption International)
Sol, Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq (Vtape)
Tu dors Nicole, Stéphane Lafleur (Entertainment One Films)
Violent, Andrew Huculiak

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts for 2014, in alphabetical order. Synopses below.
Bihttoš (Rebel), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
Bison, Kevan Funk
La Coupe (The Cut), Geneviève Dulude-De Celles (3.14*Collectif)
Cutaway, Kazik Radwanski (La Distributrice de films)
Day 40, Sol Friedman
Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes, Scott Brachmayer
Mynarski chute mortelle (Mynarski Death Plummet), Matthew Rankin (La Distributrice de films)
Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino
Still, Slater Jewell-Kemker (Canadian Film Centre)
The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer, Randall Lloyd Okita (National Film Board of Canada)

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival student shorts for 2014, in alphabetical order. Synopses below.
Backroads, Candy Fox (University of Regina)
Dinner Time, Alexander Mainwaring (Langara College)
Elpis, Akreta Saim (York University)
Fallow, Breanna Cheek (Emily Carr School of Art and Design)
La dernière danse sur la Main (Last Dance on the Main), Aristofanis Soulikias (Concordia University)
Lifers, Joel Salaysay (Simon Fraser University)
Light, Yassmina Karajah (University of British Columbia)
Never Stop Cycling, Colin Lepper (Sheridan College)
Running Season, Grayson Moore (Ryerson University)
Tomonster, Pui Ka Wong (Sheridan College)

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival 2014 features panel
A national panel of seven filmmakers and industry professionals selected the best in Canadian features.
Jason Anderson─ film critic (Toronto Star, Cinema Scope)
Jason Gorber─ film critic (Twitchfilm.com, CTV News Channel)
Joey Klein─ actor (The Animal Project, The Husband, American Gangster)
Brenda Longfellow─ filmmaker and associate professor in the department of film at York University
Matt MacKinnon─ former senior programming coordinator of TIFF Film Circuit
Terry Miles─ filmmaker (Cinemanovels, A Night for Dying Tigers, When Life Was Good)
Chloé Robichaud─ filmmaker (Sarah préfère la course, Chef de meute)

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival 2014 shorts panel
A national panel of five filmmakers and industry professionals selected the best in Canadian shorts.
Nobu Adilman─ actor (Trailer Park Boys), show creator/co-host (Food Jammers)
Dave Barber─ programmer for the Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque
Sonya Di Rienzo─ development executive at Whizbang Films
Élaine Hébert─ producer at micro_scope
Karen Walton─ writer (Ginger Snaps, Orphan Black, Queer as Folk)

The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival student shorts were selected by Magali Simard (Film Programmes Manager, TIFF) and Alex Rogalski (Short Cuts Canada Programmer, TIFF).

The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts panel will select the student shorts winners for Best Film (Live Action) and Best Film (Animation).The filmmakers will be awarded with prize packages following the screening in January, courtesy of William F. White International Inc., Technicolor Canada Inc., and the Directors Guild of Canada.

In Conversation With... Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis — Saturday, January 10 at 3 p.m.
With No Logo and The Shock Doctrine, Canadian author and activist Naomi Klein launched big ideas into the world, ideas with the power to shake governments, corporations, and conventional thinking. Her bestselling books have been translated into over 25 languages. Avi Lewis has charted a powerful course through culture and politics as a broadcaster and documentary filmmaker. His work at the CBC and Al Jazeera, and on Citytv’s The New Music, brought sharp context and analysis into the popular arena.

Klein and Lewis have often visualized their ideas on screen, collaborating with each other and also with filmmakers as distinguished as Alfonso Cuarón and Michael Winterbottom. For this special onstage conversation, moderated by Cameron Bailey, the couple looks back at their documentary film collaborations on The Take and The Shock Doctrine and offer a first glimpse of Lewis’s new film, This Changes Everything, inspired by Klein's recently published book.

In Conversation With... Keanu Reeves — Sunday, January 11 at 3 p.m.
Canadian actor and filmmaker Keanu Reeves joins Cameron Bailey on stage for a career-spanning survey of his iconic roles and passion for the art and technology of cinema.

Canada Cocktail Party —Wednesday, January 7 beginning at 7 p.m.
Celebrate the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival and the 20th anniversary of Film Circuit — TIFF's successful film outreach programme that brings the best of Canadian and international films and artists to communities across the country. The event features a musical performance by We Are the City, as well as an installation by Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival alumni Shayne Ehman and Seth Scriver (Asphalt Watches).

TIFF Industry Day Thursday, January 8
TIFF Industry presents Industry Day, a series of panels and sessions on current issues in the Canadian film industry. The sessions are open to filmmakers, writers, producers, distributors, and film students who wish to learn more about both the creative and business side of the Canadian film industry. Topics include The Next Generation of Canadian Filmmakers, The Rise of Cinematic Television and The Changing Digital Distribution Landscape in Canada. Guests include writers/directors Mathieu Denis (Corbo), Adrienne Mitchell (Durham County, Bomb Girls), Kari Skogland (Fifty Dead Men Walking, The Borgias, Sons of Liberty) and Clement Virgo (Lie with Me, Poor Boy’s Game, The Book of Negroes). To attend Industry Day at the Canada's Top Ten Film Festival, visit tiff.net/cttindustry.

Canadian Open Vault: Not a Love Story: A Film About PornographyFriday, January 9 at 2:30 p.m. | FREE
In conjunction with the release of Rebecca Sullivan’s monograph (co-published by TIFF and University of Toronto Press), the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival presents one of the most controversial films of the 1980s, Bonnie Sherr Klein's landmark second-wave feminist documentary, Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography.

The Canadian Open Vault programme presents free screenings of Canadian classics every season at TIFF Bell Lightbox, as part of TIFF’s efforts to make the country’s rich cinematic heritage more accessible to audiences.

Higher Learning presents The Rules of Engagement: Documentary Filmmaking in CanadaFriday, January 9 at noon | FREE
This free Higher Learning panel features different perspectives from Canada's Top Ten Film Festival guests — directors Bonnie Sherr Klein (Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography), Harold Crooks (The Price We Pay), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers (Bihttoš), and student filmmaker Candy Fox (Backroads) — on documentary filmmaking in Canada. The panel will be moderated by University of Calgary scholar Rebecca Sullivan, author of a new monograph on Klein’s film. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the box office two hours prior to the event start time.

The Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival travels across the country with stops in major cities across the country, including Vancouver’s The Cinematheque (January 8 to 18), Edmonton’s Metro Cinema (January 22 to February 2), Calgary’s Globe Cinema in association with the Calgary International Film Festival (February 20 to 26), Winnipeg Film Group’s Cinematheque (March 6 to 19), and Montreal’s PHI Centre (dates TBA).

In Conversation With... Sandra Oh — Sunday, January 18 at Vancouver’s The Cinematheque
Sandra Oh is a marvel. From an Ottawa childhood, to her studies at Canada's National Theatre School in Montreal, to her award-winning work on the long-running TV drama Grey's Anatomy, Oh has carved a place at the heart of pop culture. Along the way, she has acted in groundbreaking independent films on both sides of the border, including Mina Shum’s Double Happiness and Alexander Payne’s Sideways. Cameron Bailey will sit down with Sandra Oh at TIFF's very first In Conversation With… event in Vancouver. They’ll discuss her work in film and television, and will be joined by Vancouver filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming to talk about her collaboration with Oh on the upcoming animated feature film Window Horses.

Tickets and ticket packages for Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival events at TIFF Bell Lightbox go on sale December 3 for TIFF Members and December 10 for the public. Purchase tickets online at tiff.net, by phone from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET at 416.599.TIFF and 1.888.599.8433, or in person at the TIFF Bell Lightbox box office from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET. Pricing as follows: standard screening ticket is $10 (feature film or shorts programmes); purchase a six-pack for $50 and get six tickets for the price of five; tickets for In Conversation With... Keanu Reeves and In Conversation With…Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis are $20 each; tickets to the Canada Cocktail Party are $15 for TIFF Members and $20 for public (19+ ID required). Canadian Open Vault and Higher Learning events are free. TIFF prefers Visa.

In order to be eligible for the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival, the film (short or feature) must be directed by a Canadian citizen or resident and have been released theatrically or played a major film festival in Canada in 2014.

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival features synopses
Corbo, Mathieu Denis
Montréal, 1966. Jean Corbo, an idealistic 16-year-old of Québécois and Italian descent, befriends two far-left political activists and joins the FLQ (Front de libération du Québec), an underground movement determined to spark a socialist revolution. Jean thus begins an inextricable march toward his destiny. Starring Anthony Therrien, Antoine L'Écuyer, Karelle Tremblay and Tony Nardi.

Félix et Meira (Felix & Meira), Maxime Giroux
Félix is an eccentric and penniless French Canadian whose wealthy father is dying. Meira is a married Hasidic woman with a family, searching for something new. They were not meant to meet, let alone fall in love. Felix & Meira tells the miraculous love story between two strangers from two distinct communities, who attempt to love each other despite what separates them. Starring Hadas Yaron and Martin Dubreuil.

In Her Place, Albert Shin
A mysterious woman from a big city arrives at a rural farm in South Korea, where she’s taken in by an old woman and her odd teenage daughter. The three women remain in isolation and, as they begin to fall into a new rhythm of life together, work to fill a void within their lives. But soon enough, their arrangement becomes more than what they bargained for. Starring Yoon Da-kyung, Ahn Ji- hye and Kil Hae-yeon.

Maps to the Stars, David Cronenberg
With this tale of a secret-filled Hollywood family on the verge of implosion, director David Cronenberg forges both a wicked social satire and a very human ghost story from today’s celebrity-obsessed culture. Maps to the Stars tours the seductive allure and the tender, darkly comic underbelly of contemporary success. Starring Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Olivia Williams, Sarah Gadon, John Cusack and Robert Pattinson.

Mommy, Xavier Dolan
A feisty, widowed single mother finds herself burdened with the full-time custody of her explosive, ADHD-afflicted 15-year-old son. As they struggle to make ends meet, a peculiar new girl from across the street benevolently offers her help. Together, they find a new sense of balance and a chance to regain hope. Starring Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, and Antoine-Olivier Pilon.

Monsoon, Sturla Gunnarsson
Part road movie, part spectacle, part drama, Monsoon is Sturla Gunnarsson’s meditation on chaos, creation and faith, set in the land of believers. The subject is the monsoon, the incomparably vast weather system that permeates and unifies the varied culture of India, shaping the conditions of existence for its billion inhabitants.

The Price We Pay, Harold Crooks
Director Harold Crooks (Surviving Progress) blows the lid off the dirty world of corporate malfeasance with this incendiary documentary about the dark history and dire present-day reality of big-business tax avoidance, which has seen multinationals depriving governments of trillions of dollars in tax revenues by harbouring profits in offshore havens.

Sol, Marie-Hélène Cousineau and Susan Avingaq
When Solomon Uyarasuk, a young Inuk man filled with talent and promise, is found dead while in RCMP custody, the police claim suicide but the community suspects murder. Sol is a riveting and emotional documentary that explores the underlying issues of youth suicide in Canada’s North while investigating the truth behind Solomon’s tragic death.

Tu dors Nicole, Stéphane Lafleur
Twenty-two-year-old Nicole is adrift after college graduation, working a dead-end job, making the most of the family home while her parents are away, enjoying a peaceful evenings with her best friend, Véronique. When Nicole’s older brother shows up with his band to record an album, their summer takes an unexpected turn and the girls’ friendship is put to the test. Amidst a rising heat wave, Nicole’s insomnia — and romantic misadventures — mount each day. Tu dors Nicole takes a humorous look at the beginning of adulthood and all its possibilities. Starring Julianne Côté, Juliette Gosselin, and Marc-André Grondin.

Violent, Andrew Huculiak
A catastrophic event sparks a young Norwegian woman’s memories of the five people who loved her most, in the visually stunning feature debut of West Coast musician and filmmaker Andrew Huculiak. Starring Dagny Backer Johnsen.

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts synopses
Bihttoš (Rebel), Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers
Bihttoš is an unconventional documentary that explores the complex relationship between a father and daughter. Through animation, re-enactments, and archival photos, writer/director Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers delves into the dissolution of her parents’ mythic love story and how it has coloured her perception of love in her adult life.

Bison, Kevan Funk
A meditative and mysterious drama, Bisonexplores the violent legacy of colonialism in a contemporary context. The film is anchored by thematic concerns around implicit cultural culpability, systemic issues of failure surrounding the contemporary and historical relationship with First Nations peoples, and notions of responsibility in an individual and societal context.

La Coupe (The Cut), Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
A charming domestic moment between a father and his young daughter is disrupted by a phone call. Made with heartbreaking sensitivity, The Cut is a poetic exploration of family and isolation.

Cutaway, Kazik Radwanski
Cutaway portrays a phase in the life of a young man as he works as a labourer, pursues relationships with women, and comes to terms with a life-changing event. Told through close details of hands and objects, this film intimately portrays uncertainty and loss.

Day 40, Sol Friedman
In this animated retelling of the Noah’s Ark story, various unholy activities fill the great ship as the animals discover the darker side of their nature.

Kajutaijuq: The Spirit That Comes, Scott Brachmayer
Isolated in the harsh wilderness of the Arctic, a hunter follows the teachings of survival passed on to him by his grandfather. In an environment governed by the spirits of the land, a taboo is broken and he is forced to face the consequences.

Mynarski chute mortelle (Mynarski Death Plummet), Matthew Rankin
A handmade historical micro-epic based on the final moments of doomed Winnipeg World War II hero, Andrew Mynarski, who died 70 years ago when his bomber was hit by enemy fire. Mixing aviation agitprop with classical and avant-garde animation techniques, Mynarski Death Plummetis a psychedelic photo-chemical cinépoem on the theme of self-sacrifice, immortality and jellyfish.

Sleeping Giant, Andrew Cividino
Fourteen-year-old Adam is spending the summer in a small beach community on the north shore of Lake Superior. His dull summer routine shatters when he meets local boys Foster and Rizzo, two smart alecks who fill their long days with adventures and reckless stunting. When Adam learns he is competing with Foster for the affection of his crush, Taylor, he is drawn into a dark and unfamiliar world which leads the boys to the top of the infamous Todd’s Cliff.

Still, Slater Jewell-Kemker
In this psychedelic thriller with a sci-fi twist, a young couple takes a walk through a wintry forest — where it soon becomes clear that their relationship is based on dangerously unbalanced power dynamics.

The Weatherman and the Shadowboxer, Randall Lloyd Okita
A short story about two brothers who go to extremes in the different ways they live their lives — looking forward and looking back. When crisis hits, their bonds pull them back together, for better or worse.

Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival student shorts synopses
Backroads, Candy Fox
This powerful documentary testimonial by Camillia Stonechild, who relates her upbringing on a Saskatchewan reserve, sheds light on the strength of survivors of family abuse.

Dinner Time, Alexander Mainwaring
A bloodthirsty wolf-man is challenged by a not-so-innocent Little Red Riding Hood, in this subversive and creative twist on the famous tale.

Elpis, Akreta Saim
Prior to her death during childbirth, Akreta Saim’s cousin Ruby wrote a series of letters to her unborn child. Elpisis an experimental, moving adaptation of a mother’s words of hope.

Fallow, Breanna Cheek
The slow-moving life in a pastoral village is exquisitely rendered in these animated tableaux by director Breanna Cheek, who finds beauty in the ordinary, from local homesteads to a diner, to an isolated laundromat.

La dernière danse sur la Main (Last Dance on the Main), Aristofanis Soulikias
This animated short documents the demolition of a row of historic Red-Light District buildings on Montreal’s Saint-Laurent Boulevard, and the response by the colourful citizens who fought back.

Lifers, Joel Salaysay
A young dishwasher observes his eclectic co-workers in a busy kitchen as he contemplates future career options. Director Joel Salaysay serves up an entertaining and honest slice of culinary life.

Light, Yassmina Karajah
Devastated by the death of his newborn son, a Lebanese man living in an adoptive country is challenged by his mother’s request that he perform Islamic pre-burial rituals in the hospital.

Never Stop Cycling, Colin Lepper
In this brilliant, Tim Burton–inspired stop-motion animation, a creature in search of a vital organ must journey from his dreary apartment to a strange, exotic world.

Running Season, Grayson Moore
Anxious to sell his late father’s seaside house on Prince Edward Island after severed feet in running shoes start washing up on the shoreline and devaluing the property, Arthur must contend with the vultures circling to snap it up.

Tomonster, Pui Ka Wong
When an alien lands in a tomato field, he quickly discovers that idyllic farmland can be dangerous ground to an intruder. Tomonsteris a stunning CGI animation that is riotous fun.

Social Media:
@TIFF_NET #TIFFCTT

About TIFF
TIFF is a charitable cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. An international leader in film culture, TIFF projects include the annual Toronto International Film Festival in September; TIFF Bell Lightbox, which features five cinemas, major exhibitions, and learning and entertainment facilities; and innovative national distribution program Film Circuit. The organization generates an annual economic impact of $189 million CAD. TIFF Bell Lightbox is generously supported by contributors including Founding Sponsor Bell, the Province of Ontario, the Government of Canada, the City of Toronto, the Reitman family (Ivan Reitman, Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels), The Daniels Corporation and RBC. For more information, visit tiff.net.

24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards – winners

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The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) tonight announced the winners of the 24thAnnual Gotham Independent Film Awards at its awards ceremony held at Cipriani Wall Street, in New York City.

Winning the Best Feature award was Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), Alejandro González Iñárritu’s stylistically adventurous existential comedy in which a Hollywood actor attempts to revive his career and obliterate his superhero image past by producing and starring in a serious Broadway drama. Iñárritu previously received a Gotham Tribute in 2006.

The award for Best Documentary went to CITIZENFOUR, Laura Poitras’ inside, of-the-moment telling of the Edward Snowden revelations on the massive covert surveillance programs run by the NSA and other intelligence agencies – the third film in her trilogy on post-9/11 America.

Poitras previously won this award in 2010 for The Oath, the second film in the trilogy.

The Gotham Independent Film Audience Award, voted by IFP members, went to Boyhood, Richard Linklater’s epic yet intimate film that recounts the story of a boy’s coming of age from age six to eighteen, filmed over the course of twelve years. Linklater was the recipient of last year’s Gotham Director Tribute.

Winning the award for Best Actor was Michael Keaton for his virtuoso turn as the central character of Riggan Thomas in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). Julianne Moore was voted Best Actress for her emotionally detailed and powerful performance in Still Alice, in which she plays a renowned linguistics professor who receives a diagnosis of Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease. Moore received a Gotham Actor Tribute in 2002.

In awards for emerging talent, Ana Lily Amirpour won the Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director award for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, her visually stunning Iranian vampire tale (shot in Bakersfield, CA) that mixes gender politics, romance, cinematic influences from Leone to Lynch, and New Wave and Arab rock in a distinctive debut.

Tessa Thompson received the Breakthrough Actor award for Dear White People, in which she portrays the film’s central character, Sam White, outspoken college radio deejay who conceals her own complicated personal life.

Also presented by IFP for the fourth year at the ceremony was the euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ grant, a $25,000 cash award for an alumna of IFP’s Independent Filmmaker Labs. This grant aims to further the careers of emerging women directors by supporting the completion, distribution and audience engagement strategies of their first feature film. The winner of the 2014 grant was Chloé Zhao, director of the upcoming Songs My Brothers Taught Me.

As previously announced, in addition to the competitive awards presented, a Special Jury Award was presented jointly to the three leading actors in Foxcatcher - Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum - for their ensemble work in the film, and career tributes were given during the ceremony to actor Tilda Swinton (presented by Amy Schumer), director Bennett Miller (presented by Catherine Keener) and Industry Tribute recipient Netflix’s Ted Sarandos (presented by Will Arnett).

The ceremony was streamed live to a global audience at www.ifp.org.

Complete list of winners for the 24th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards

Best Feature 
presented by Jon Hamm
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Produced by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher, Arnon Milchan and James W. Skotchdopole
Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Best Feature jury included: Jane Fonda, Jon Hamm, Jody Lee Lipes, Oren Moverman and Lydia Dean Pilcher

Best Documentary
presented by Scarlett Johansson
CITIZENFOUR
Directed by Laura Poitras
Produced by Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky
Released by RADiUS, Participant Media, and HBO Documentary Films
The Best Documentary jury included: Heidi Ewing, Chris Hegedus, Morgan Neville, Jehane Noujaim and Jonathan Oppenheim

Gotham Independent Film Audience Award
presented by Miles Teller & Oscar Isaac
Boyhood
Directed by Richard Linklater
Produced by Richard Linklater, Cathleen Sutherland, Jonathan Sehring and John Sloss
Released by IFC Films
The Audience Award was voted for on-line by IFP members.

Best Actor
presented by Marisa Tomei
Michael Keaton in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Released by Fox Searchlight Pictures
The Best Actor Jury included: Ramin Bahrani, Jennifer Lame, Kenneth Lonergan, Lupita Nyong’o and Leslie Urdang

Best Actress
presented by Jake Gyllenhaal
Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Released by Sony Pictures Classics
The Best Actress Jury included Joshua Astrachan, Lee Daniels, Damian Lewis, Nat Sanders and Uma Thurman

Breakthrough Actor
presented by Heather Graham
Tessa Thompson in Dear White People
Released by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate
The Breakthrough Actor Jury included: Brie Larson, Ron Simons, Famke Janssen, Shane Carruth and Michael B. Jordan

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director
presented by Patricia Arquette & Ethan Hawke
Ana Lily Amirpour for A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Released by Kino Lorber
The Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Jury included: Casey Affleck, Tricia Cooke, Cary Fukunaga, Amy Seimetz and Christine K. Walker

Special Jury Award
presented by Meryl Streep
Steve Carell, Mark Ruffalo, and Channing Tatum – for their ensemble work in Foxcatcher
Released by Sony Pictures Classics
The nominating jury recommending the award included Ann Hornaday, Mark Harris, Glenn Kenny, David Rooney, and Elizabeth Weitzman

euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers ‘Live the Dream’ Grant
presented by Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Chloé Zhao, director, Songs My Brothers Taught Me
The euphoria Calvin Klein Spotlight on Women Filmmakers’ ‘Live the Dream’ grant jury included: Susan Stover, Michelle Monaghan and Jennifer Westfeldt

The Gotham Award winners were chosen from a total of 24 films that received nominations in seven competitive categories.

About IFP
The Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP) champions the future of storytelling by connecting artists with essential resources at all stages of development and distribution. The organization fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent storytelling community through its year-round programs, which include Independent Film Week, Filmmaker Magazine, the Gotham Independent Film Awards and the Made in NY Media Center by IFP, a new incubator space developed with the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. IFP represents a growing network of 10,000 storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 new feature and documentary works each year. During its 35-year history, IFP has supported over 8,000 projects and offered resources to more than 20,000 filmmakers, including Debra Granik, Miranda July, Michael Moore, Dee Rees, and Benh Zeitlin. More info at www.ifp.org.

About the Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP
The Gotham Independent Film Awards by IFP, selected by distinguished juries and presented in New York City, the home of independent film, are the first honors of the film awards season. This public showcase honors the filmmaking community, expands the audience for independent films, and supports the work that IFP does behind the scenes throughout the year to bring such films to fruition.


Shortlist of 15 documentary features announced for 2014 Oscars

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 87th Oscars®. One hundred thirty-four films were originally submitted in the category.

The Academy’s Documentary Branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting. Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees from among the 15 titles.

The 87th Academy Awards® nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 22, 2015, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & 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.

The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:

Art and Craft, Purple Parrot Films
The Case against 8, Day in Court
Citizen Koch, Elsewhere Films
CitizenFour, Praxis Films
Finding Vivian Maier, Ravine Pictures
The Internet’s Own Boy, Luminant Media
Jodorowsky’s Dune, City Film
Keep On Keepin’ On, Absolute Clay Productions
The Kill Team, f/8 filmworks
Last Days in Vietnam, Moxie Firecracker Films
Life Itself, Kartemquin Films and Film Rites
The Overnighters, Mile End Films West
The Salt of the Earth, Decia Films
Tales of the Grim Sleeper, Lafayette Film
Virunga, Grain Media


Sundance Film Festival Unveils 2015 Competition, Documentary, Next programs

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Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition NEXT <=> section of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, January 22 to February 1 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The Festival is the centerpiece of the year-round public programs for the Institute, which also hosts 24 residency labs and grants more than $2.5 million to independent artists each year.

Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute, said, "The work of independent artists inevitably reflects the state of our culture and the times in which we live. Their stories are often irreverent, challenging, compelling and unexpected, and not only possess the power to move and hopefully inspire audiences, but also to speak to our shared humanity."

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, "Independent artists are embracing diverse forms of storytelling – from feature film to New Frontier to episodic content. In response to their risk-taking spirit, we continue to evolve our Festival and other programs to seek out the best ways to support original and inventive storytellers."

John Cooper, Director of the Sundance Film Festival, said, "The selections for our 2015 Festival will take audiences on a wild ride of emotional extremes. With approaches ranging from comedic to dramatic, genre to documentary, experimental to short, independent filmmakers are bravely illuminating new opportunities for understanding and empathy."

For the 2015 Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 29 countries and 45 first-time filmmakers, including 19 in competition. These films were selected from 12,166 submissions, including 4,105 feature-length films and 8,061 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,016 were from the U.S. and 2,089 were international. 103 feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.

In addition to those announced today, the Festival presents feature-length films in the Spotlight, Park City at Midnight, New Frontier, Sundance Kids, Premieres and Documentary Premieres sections. Those announcements, as well as selections for the Short Film section, a new Special Events section and offscreen programming, are forthcoming.

This year on Day One, January 22, 2015, the Festival will feature one of each type of film shown at the Festival: a U.S. documentary, U.S. dramatic, international documentary and international dramatic, as well as one shorts program.


U.S. DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films, the Dramatic Competition offers Festivalgoers a first look at groundbreaking new voices in American independent film.

Advantageous / U.S.A. (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriters: Jacqueline Kim, Jennifer Phang) — In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world. Cast: Jacqueline Kim, James Urbaniak, Freya Adams, Ken Jeong, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Kim.

The Bronze / U.S.A. (Director: Bryan Buckley, Screenwriters: Melissa Rauch, Winston Rauch) — In 2004, Hope Ann Greggory became an American hero after winning the bronze medal for the women's gymnastics team. Today, she's still living in her small hometown, washed-up and embittered. Stuck in the past, Hope must reassess her life when a promising young gymnast threatens her local celebrity status. Cast: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Thomas Middleditch, Sebastian Stan, Haley Lu Richardson, Cecily Strong. DAY ONE FILM

The D Train / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Jarrad Paul, Andrew Mogel) — With his 20th reunion looming, Dan can't shake his high school insecurities. In a misguided mission to prove he's changed, Dan rekindles a friendship with the popular guy from his class and is left scrambling to protect more than just his reputation when a wild night takes an unexpected turn.Cast: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike White, Kyle Bornheimer.

The Diary of a Teenage Girl / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Marielle Heller) — Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she's sleeping with her mother's boyfriend. Cast: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni, Kristen Wiig.

Dope / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Rick Famuyiwa) — Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself. Cast: Shameik Moore, Tony Revolori, Kiersey Clemons, Blake Anderson, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky.

I Smile Back / U.S.A. (Director: Adam Salky, Screenwriters: Amy Koppelman, Paige Dylan) — All is not right in suburbia. Laney Brooks, a wife and mother on the edge, has stopped taking her meds, substituting recreational drugs and the wrong men. With the destruction of her family looming, Laney makes a last, desperate attempt at redemption. Cast: Sarah Silverman, Josh Charles, Thomas Sadoski, Mia Barron, Terry Kinney, Chris Sarandon.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl / U.S.A. (Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Screenwriter: Jesse Andrews) — Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia. Cast: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke, Nick Offerman, Connie Britton, Molly Shannon.

The Overnight / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Patrick Brice) — Alex, Emily, and their son, RJ, are new to Los Angeles. A chance meeting at the park introduces them to the mysterious Kurt, Charlotte, and Max. A family "playdate" becomes increasingly interesting as the night goes on. Cast: Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, Judith Godrèche.

People, Places, Things / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: James C. Strouse) — Will Henry is a newly single graphic novelist balancing being a parent to his young twin daughters and teaching a classroom full of college students, all the while trying to navigate the rich complexities of new love and letting go of the woman who left him. Cast: Jemaine Clement, Regina Hall, Stephanie Allynne, Jessica Williams, Gia Gadsby, Aundrea Gadsby.

Results / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Bujalski) — Two mismatched personal trainers' lives are upended by the actions of a new, wealthy client. Cast: Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, Kevin Corrigan, Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, Brooklyn Decker.

Songs My Brothers Taught Me / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Chloé Zhao) — This complex portrait of modern-day life on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation explores the bond between a brother and his younger sister, who find themselves on separate paths to rediscovering the meaning of home. Cast: John Reddy, Jashaun St. John, Irene Bedard, Taysha Fuller, Travis Lone Hill, Eléonore Hendricks.

The Stanford Prison Experiment / U.S.A. (Director: Kyle Patrick Alvarez, Screenwriter: Tim Talbott) — This film is based on the actual events that took place in 1971 when Stanford professor Dr. Philip Zimbardo created what became one of the most shocking and famous social experiments of all time. Cast: Billy Crudup, Ezra Miller, Michael Angarano, Tye Sheridan, Johnny Simmons, Olivia Thirlby.

Stockholm, Pennsylvania / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Nikole Beckwith) — A young woman is returned home to her biological parents after living with her abductor for 17 years. Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cynthia Nixon, Jason Isaacs, David Warshofsky.

Unexpected / U.S.A. (Director: Kris Swanberg, Screenwriters: Kris Swanberg, Megan Mercier) — When Samantha Abbott begins her final semester teaching science at a Chicago high school, she faces some unexpected news: she's pregnant. Soon after, Samantha learns that one of her favorite students, Jasmine, has landed in a similar situation. Unexpected follows the two women as they embark on an unlikely friendship. Cast: Cobie Smulders, Anders Holm, Gail Bean, Elizabeth McGovern.

The Witch / U.S.A., Canada (Director and screenwriter: Robert Eggers) — New England in the 1630s: William and Katherine lead a devout Christian life with five children, homesteading on the edge of an impassable wilderness. When their newborn son vanishes and crops fail, the family turns on one another. Beyond their worst fears, a supernatural evil lurks in the nearby wood. Cast: Anya Taylor Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Lucas Dawson, Ellie Grainger.

Z for Zachariah / U.S.A. (Director: Craig Zobel, Screenwriter: Nissar Modi) — In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman who believes she is the last human on Earth meets a dying scientist searching for survivors. Their relationship becomes tenuous when another survivor appears. As the two men compete for the woman's affection, their primal urges begin to reveal their true nature. Cast: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Margot Robbie, Chris Pine.


U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Sixteen world-premiere American documentaries that illuminate the ideas, people, and events that shape the present day.

3½ MINUTES / U.S.A. (Director: Marc Silver) — On November 23, 2012, unarmed 17-year-old Jordan Russell Davis was shot at a Jacksonville gas station by Michael David Dunn. 3½ MINUTES explores the aftermath of Jordan's tragic death, the latent and often unseen effects of racism, and the contradictions of the American criminal justice system.

Being Evel / U.S.A. (Director: Daniel Junge) — An unprecedented, candid portrait of American icon Robert "Evel" Knievel and his legacy.

Best of Enemies / U.S.A. (Directors: Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon) — Best of Enemies is a behind-the-scenes account of the explosive 1968 televised debates between the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and their rancorous disagreements about politics, God, and sex.

Call Me Lucky / U.S.A. (Director: Bobcat Goldthwait) — Barry Crimmins was a volatile but brilliant bar comic who became an honored peace activist and influential political satirist. Famous comedians and others build a picture of a man who underwent an incredible transformation.

Cartel Land / U.S.A., Mexico (Director: Matthew Heineman) — In this classic Western set in the 21st century, vigilantes on both sides of the border fight the vicious Mexican drug cartels. With unprecedented access, this character-driven film provokes deep questions about lawlessness, the breakdown of order, and whether citizens should fight violence with violence.

City of Gold / U.S.A. (Director: Laura Gabbert) — Pulitzer Prize-winning critic Jonathan Gold casts his light upon a vibrant and growing cultural movement in which he plays the dual roles of high-low priest and culinary geographer of his beloved Los Angeles.

Finders Keepers / U.S.A. (Directors: Bryan Carberry, Clay Tweel) — Recovering addict and amputee John Wood finds himself in a stranger-than-fiction battle to reclaim his mummified leg from Southern entrepreneur Shannon Whisnant, who found it in a grill he bought at an auction and believes it to therefore be his rightful property.

Hot Girls Wanted / U.S.A. (Directors: Jill Bauer, Ronna Gradus) — Hot Girls Wanted is a first-ever look at the realities inside the world of the amateur porn industry and the steady stream of 18- and 19-year-old girls entering into it.

How to Dance in Ohio / U.S.A. (Director: Alexandra Shiva) — In Columbus, Ohio, a group of teenagers and young adults on the autism spectrum prepare for an iconic American rite of passage — a spring formal. They spend 12 weeks practicing their social skills at a local nightclub in preparation for the dance.

Larry Kramer in Love and Anger / U.S.A. (Director: Jean Carlomusto) — Author, activist, and playwright Larry Kramer is one of the most important and controversial figures in contemporary gay America, a political firebrand who gave voice to the outrage and grief that inspired gay men and lesbians to fight for their lives. At 78, this complicated man still commands our attention.

Meru / U.S.A. (Directors: Jimmy Chin, E. Chai Vasarhelyi) — Three elite mountain climbers sacrifice everything but their friendship as they struggle through heartbreaking loss and nature's harshest elements to attempt the never-before-completed Shark's Fin on Mount Meru, the most coveted first ascent in the dangerous game of Himalayan big wall climbing.

Racing Extinction / U.S.A. (Director: Louie Psihoyos) — Academy Award-winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) assembles a unique team to show the world never-before-seen images that expose issues surrounding endangered species and mass extinction. Whether infiltrating notorious black markets or exploring humans' effect on the environment, Racing Extinction will change the way you see the world.

(T)ERROR / U.S.A. (Directors: Lyric R. Cabral, David Felix Sutcliffe) — (T)ERROR is the first film to document on camera a covert counterterrorism sting as it unfolds. Through the perspective of *******, a 63-year-old Black revolutionary turned FBI informant, viewers are given an unprecedented glimpse of the government's counterterrorism tactics, and the murky justifications behind them.

Welcome to Leith / U.S.A. (Directors: Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker) — A white supremacist attempts to take over a small town in North Dakota.

Western / U.S.A., Mexico (Directors: Bill Ross, Turner Ross) — For generations, all that distinguished Eagle Pass, Texas, from Piedras Negras, Mexico, was the Rio Grande. But when darkness descends upon these harmonious border towns, a cowboy and lawman face a new reality that threatens their way of life. Western portrays timeless American figures in the grip of unforgiving change.

The Wolfpack / U.S.A. (Director: Crystal Moselle) — Six bright teenage brothers have spent their entire lives locked away from society in a Manhattan housing project. All they know of the outside is gleaned from the movies they watch obsessively (and recreate meticulously). Yet as adolescence looms, they dream of escape, ever more urgently, into the beckoning world.


WORLD CINEMA DRAMATIC COMPETITION
Twelve films from emerging filmmaking talents around the world offer fresh perspectives and inventive styles.

Chlorine / Italy (Director: Lamberto Sanfelice, Screenwriters: Lamberto Sanfelice, Elisa Amoruso) — Jenny, 17, dreams of becoming a synchronized swimmer. Family events turn her life upside down and she is forced move to a remote area to look after her ill father and younger brother. It won't be long before Jenny starts pursuing her dreams again. Cast: Sara Serraiocco, Ivan Franek, Giorgio Colangeli, Anatol Sassi, Piera Degli Esposti, Andrea Vergoni. World Premiere

Chorus / Canada (Director and screenwriter: François Delisle) ­— A separated couple meet again after 10 years when the body of their missing son is found. Amid the guilt of losing a loved one, they hesitantly move toward affirmation of life, acceptance of death, and even the possibility of reconciliation. Cast: Sébastien Ricard, Fanny Mallette, Pierre Curzi, Genevieve Bujold.WorldPremiere

Glassland / Ireland (Director and screenwriter: Gerard Barrett) — In a desperate attempt to reunite his broken family, a young taxi driver becomes entangled in the criminal underworld. Cast: Jack Reynor, Toni Collette, Will Poulter, Michael Smiley.InternationalPremiere

Homesick / Norway (Director: Anne Sewitsky, Screenwriters: Ragnhild Tronvoll, Anne Sewitsky) — When Charlotte, 27, meets her brother Henrik, 35, for the first time, two people who don't know what a normal family is begin an encounter without boundaries. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before? Cast: Ine Marie Wilmann, Simon J. Berger, Anneke von der Lippe, Silje Storstein, Oddgeir Thune, Kari Onstad. WorldPremiere

Ivy / Turkey (Director and screenwriter: Tolga Karaçelik) — Sarmasik is sailing to Egypt when the ship's owner goes bankrupt. The crew learns there is a lien on the ship, and key crew members must stay on board. Ivy is the story of these six men trapped on the ship for days. Cast: Nadir Sarıbacak, Özgür Emre Yıldırım, Hakan Karsak, Kadir Çermik, Osman Alkaş, Seyithan Özdemiroğlu. World Premiere

Partisan / Australia (Director: Ariel Kleiman, Screenwriters: Ariel Kleiman, Sarah Cyngler) — Alexander is like any other kid: playful, curious and naive. He is also a trained assassin. Raised in a hidden paradise, Alexander has grown up seeing the world filtered through his father, Gregori. As Alexander begins to think for himself, creeping fears take shape, and Gregori's idyllic world unravels. Cast: Vincent Cassel, Jeremy Chabriel, Florence Mezzara. WorldPremiere

PRINCESS / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Tali Shalom Ezer) — While her mother is away from home, 12-year-old Adar's role-playing games with her stepfather move into dangerous territory. Seeking an escape, Adar finds Alan, an ethereal boy that accompanies her on a dark journey between reality and fantasy. Cast: Keren Mor, Shira Haas, Ori Pfeffer, Adar Zohar Hanetz. International Premiere

The Second Mother / Brazil (Director and screenwriter: Anna Muylaert) — Having left her daughter, Jessica, to be raised by relatives in the north of Brazil, Val works as a loving nanny in São Paulo. When Jessica arrives for a visit 13 years later, she confronts her mother's slave-like attitude and everyone in the house is affected by her unexpected behavior. Cast: Regina Casé, Michel Joelsas, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli. World Premiere

Slow West / New Zealand (Director: John Maclean, Screenwriters: John Maclean, Michael Lesslie) — Set at the end of the nineteenth century, 16-year-old Jay Cavendish journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas, a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Rory McCann, Ben Mendelsohn, Brooke Williams, Caren Pistorius. World Premiere

Strangerland / Australia, Ireland (Director: Kim Farrant, Screenwriters: Fiona Seres, Michael Kinirons) — When Catherine and Matthew Parker's two teenage kids disappear into the remote Australian desert, the couple's relationship is pushed to the brink as they confront the mystery of their children's fate. Cast: Nicole Kidman, Joseph Fiennes, Hugo Weaving, Lisa Flanagan, Meyne Wyatt, Maddison Brown. World Premiere

The Summer of Sangaile / Lithuania, France, Holland (Director and screenwriter: Alanté Kavaïté) — Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, nearby her parents' lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love, the only person that truly encourages her to fly. Cast: Julija Steponaitytė, Aistė Diržiūtė. World Premiere. DAY ONE FILM

Umrika / India (Director and screenwriter: Prashant Nair) — When a young village boy discovers that his brother, long believed to be in America, has actually gone missing, he begins to invent letters on his behalf to save their mother from heartbreak, all the while searching for him. Cast: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Smita Tambe, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, Prateik Babbar.World Premiere


WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
Twelve documentaries by some of the most courageous and extraordinary international filmmakers working today.

The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. WorldPremiere

Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz and editor Avraham Shapira recorded intimate conversations with soldiers returning from the battlefield. The Israeli army censored the recordings, allowing only a fragment of the conversations to be published. Censored Voices reveals these recordings for the first time. WorldPremiere

The Chinese Mayor / China (Director: Hao Zhou) — Mayor Geng Yanbo is determined to transform the coal-mining center of Datong, in China's Shanxi province, into a tourism haven showcasing clean energy. In order to achieve that, however, he has to relocate 500,000 residences to make way for the restoration of the ancient city. World Premiere

Chuck Norris vs Communism / United Kingdom, Romania, Germany (Director: Ilinca Calugareanu) — In 1980s Romania, thousands of Western films smashed through the Iron Curtain, opening a window to the free world for those who dared to look. A black market VHS racketeer and courageous female translator brought the magic of film to the masses and sowed the seeds of a revolution. World Premiere

Dark Horse / United Kingdom (Director: Louise Osmond) — Dark Horse is the inspirational true story of a group of friends from a workingman's club who decide to take on the elite "sport of kings" and breed themselves a racehorse. WorldPremiere

Dreamcatcher / United Kingdom (Director: Kim Longinotto) — Dreamcatcher takes us into a hidden world seen through the eyes of one of its survivors, Brenda Myers-Powell. A former teenage prostitute, Brenda defied the odds to become a powerful advocate for change in her community. With warmth and humor, Brenda gives hope to those who have none. WorldPremiere

How to Change the World / United Kingdom, Canada (Director: Jerry Rothwell) — In 1971, a group of friends sails into a nuclear test zone, and their protest captures the world's imagination. Using rare, archival footage that brings their extraordinary world to life, How to Change the World is the story of the pioneers who founded Greenpeace and defined the modern green movement. WorldPremiere. DAY ONE FILM

Listen to Me Marlon / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stevan Riley, Co-writer: Peter Ettedgui) — With exclusive access to previously unheard audio archives, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career and extraordinary life away from the stage and screen, the film fully explores the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely in Marlon's own voice. WorldPremiere

Pervert Park / Sweden, Denmark (Directors: Frida Barkfors, Lasse Barkfors) — Pervert Park follows the everyday lives of sex offenders in a Florida trailer park as they struggle to reintegrate into society, and try to understand who they are and how to break the cycle of sex crimes being committed. InternationalPremiere

The Russian Woodpecker / United Kingdom (Director: Chad Gracia) — A Ukrainian victim of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster discovers a dark secret and must decide whether to risk his life by revealing it, amid growing clouds of revolution and war.WorldPremiere

Sembene! / U.S.A., Senegal (Directors: Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman) — In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a Senegalese dockworker and fifth-grade dropout, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. This true story celebrates how the "father of African cinema," against enormous odds, fought a monumental, 50-year-long battle to give Africans a voice. WorldPremiere

The Visit / Denmark, Austria, Ireland, Finland, Norway (Director: Michael Madsen) — "This film documents an event that has never taken place…" With unprecedented access to the United Nations' Office for Outer Space Affairs, leading space scientists and space agencies, The Visit explores humans' first encounter with alien intelligent life and thereby humanity itself. "Our scenario begins with the arrival. Your arrival."WorldPremiere


NEXT <=>
Pure, bold works distinguished by an innovative, forward-thinking approach to storytelling populate this program. Digital technology paired with unfettered creativity promises that the films in this section will shape a "greater" next wave in American cinema. Presented by Adobe.

Bob and the Trees / U.S.A., France (Director: Diego Ongaro, Screenwriters: Diego Ongaro, Courtney Maum, Sasha Statman-Weil) — Bob, a 50-year-old logger in rural Massachusetts with a soft spot for golf and gangsta rap, is struggling to make ends meet in a changed economy. When his beloved cow is wounded and a job goes awry, Bob begins to heed the instincts of his ever-darkening self. Cast: Bob Tarasuk, Matt Gallagher, Polly MacIntyre, Winthrop Barrett, Nathaniel Gregory. World Premiere

Christmas, Again / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Charles Poekel) — A heartbroken Christmas tree salesman returns to New York, hoping to put the past year behind him. He spends the season living in a trailer and working the night shift, until a mysterious woman and some colorful customers rescue him from self-destruction. Cast: Kentucker Audley, Hannah Gross, Jason Shelton, Oona Roche. North American Premiere

Cronies / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Michael Larnell) — Twenty-two-year-old Louis doesn't know whether his childhood friendship with Jack will last beyond today. Cast: George Sample III, Zurich Buckner, Brian Kowalski. World Premiere

Entertainment / U.S.A. (Director: Rick Alverson, Screenwriters: Rick Alverson, Gregg Turkington, Tim Heidecker) — En route to meeting with his estranged daughter, in an attempt to revive his dwindling career, a broken, aging comedian plays a string of dead-end shows in the Mojave Desert. Cast: Gregg Turkington, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Michael Cera, Amy Seimetz, Lotte Verbeek. World Premiere

H. / U.S.A., Argentina (Directors and screenwriters: Rania Attieh, Daniel Garcia) — Two women, each named Helen, find their lives spinning out of control after a meteor allegedly explodes over their city of Troy, New York. Cast: Robin Bartlett, Rebecca Dayan, Will Janowitz, Julian Gamble, Roger Robinson. World Premiere

James White / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Josh Mond) — A young New Yorker struggles to take control of his reckless, self-destructive behavior in the face of momentous family challenges. Cast: Chris Abbott, Cynthia Nixon, Scott Mescudi, Makenzie Leigh, David Call. World Premiere

Nasty Baby / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Sebastian Silva) — A gay couple try to have a baby with the help of their best friend, Polly. The trio navigates the idea of creating life while confronted by unexpected harassment from a neighborhood man called The Bishop. As their clashes grow increasingly aggressive, odds are someone is getting hurt. Cast: Sebastian Silva, Tunde Adebimpe, Kristin Wiig, Reg E. Cathey, Mark Margolis, Denis O'Hare. World Premiere

The Strongest Man / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Kenny Riches) — An anxiety-ridden Cuban man who fancies himself the strongest man in the world attempts to recover his most prized possession, a stolen bicycle. On his quest, he finds and loses much more. Cast: Robert Lorie, Paul Chamberlain, Ashly Burch, Patrick Fugit, Lisa Banes. World Premiere

Take Me to the River / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Matt Sobel) — A naive California teen plans to remain above the fray at his Nebraskan family reunion, but a strange encounter places him at the center of a long-buried family secret. Cast: Logan Miller, Robin Weigert, Josh Hamilton, Richard Schiff, Ursula Parker, Azura Skye. World Premiere

Tangerine / U.S.A. (Director: Sean Baker, Screenwriters: Sean Baker, Chris Bergoch) — A working girl tears through Tinseltown on Christmas Eve searching for the pimp who broke her heart. Cast: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan, Alla Tumanyan, James Ransone. World Premiere


The Sundance Film Festival®
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First artists announced for the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal

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Jesse Cook, Snarky Puppy, The Stanley Clarke Band, Steven Wilson, The Bad Plus with Joshua Redman, Bebel Gilberto, Eliane Elias, Dee Dee Bridgewater and a Tribute to Piaf by Richard Galliano and Sylvain Luc

We’re delighted to announce the very first artists of the 36th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal, presented by TD in collaboration with Rio Tinto Alcan—just in time to add them to everyone’s Christmas wish lists!

Tickets for these concerts go on sale this Friday, December 5 at noon… although Spectra Newsletter subscribers (subscription is free at infolettrespectra.ca), can purchase them Thursday, December 4, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Steven Wilson - June 27, 8:30 p.m., Métropolis - Twenty years into his career, the versatile and prolific Steven Wilson ranks among the most fascinating artists on the British rock scene. While multitasking as leader of a series of equally cutting-edge groups-Porcupine Tree, No-Man, Blackfield and Bass Communion-the many-headed musician makes his Festival entrance with his new album, Hand. Cannot. Erase., a gem of progressive rock delivering mind-blowing rhythms and soaring melodies in the Pink Floyd tradition.

Snarky Puppy - June 30, 8:30 p.m., Métropolis - A massive big band with fluid membership, Snarky Puppy dresses up a stylin' instrumental jazz brimming with guitar, brass, strings, woodwinds, keyboards and percussion. Led by the versatile Michael League, the group sets itself apart with its stunning musical mastery and creative maturity, building an international reputation with a border-smashing fusion of compositional excellence and improvisation, from melodic funk to harmonic soul, inspired as much by Herbie Hancock as by Björk, James Brown or Radiohead. A true YouTube phenomenon, the group lands with a new album due in April 2015.

Jesse Cook - July 2, 7 p.m., Maison symphoniquede Montréal - With over 1.5 million albums sold in a 20-year career, and a Juno and three Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards among the prestigious awards on his mantel, acoustic guitar virtuoso Jesse Cook ranks among the most beloved regulars at this Festival. Playing with an eclectic stylistic palette that blends gypsy, Spanish, jazz and rumba influences, he returns with songs from a new album due in April.

The Stanley Clarke Band - June 27, 8 p.m., Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - He floored audiences with his memorable participation in the 2012 Invitation series, and now virtuoso bassist Stanley Clarke returns with a new highly ambitious album, aptly entitled Up. Unveiling a high-voltage jazz fusion with a profusion of funky melodies, the rhythmic opus turns out to be his most energetic and playful to date. He's a master renowned for taking the bass anywhere he wants to, landing here with a pair of brilliant companions, Beka Gochiashvili and Mike Mitchell.

The Bad Plus with Joshua Redman - June 28, 8 p.m., Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - When a group renowned for its versatility and innovative brilliance meets a star saxophonist at the height of his artistic abilities, buckle up: jazzy sparks will fly. It's an elite rendezvous between The Bad Plus, the rock fan's favourite jazz trio (and vice versa), who've been burning up our stages for over 10 years, and the dazzling Joshua Redman, a friend of this Festival for over two decades. This combo is guaranteed to blow us away with collective improvisation and unmatched creative chemistry.

Dee Dee Bridgewater with Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra -July 3, 8 p.m., Théâtre Maisonneuve, PdA - Take the fabulous Dee Dee Bridgewater, a jazz singer equally accomplished in all styles and repertoires, from Malian music to Billie Holiday, Édith Piaf to Latin; add famed trumpeter Irvin Mayfield, founder and artistic director of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, and the brilliant orchestra in question, dedicated to the development and heritage of New Orleans jazz. That astonishing assemblage of talent led to a recording this year, which they'll re-live in an evening of top-flight jazz.

Bebel Gilberto - June 26, 6 p.m., Club Soda - Almost 15 years after her last visit to the Festival, songbird Bebel is back with the bossa nova sounds that run in her veins. Daughter of the legendary João Gilberto, the lovely singer with the purring voice offers a trademark style of Brazilian music tinged with electronica, seasoned with contemporary sounds and modern musical spices. Her new album, Tudo, unveils original songs in Portuguese, English and French, along with a few covers including her irresistible version of Harvest Moon by Neil Young.

Richard Galliano, duo with Sylvain Luc. Tribute to Édith Piaf - June 30, 10:30 p.m., Gesù - Richard Galliano, one of the greatest accordionists of the modern era, and unimpeachable jazz guitarist Sylvain Luc collaborated in the '90s before going their separate musical ways. The two musicians now reunite their talents for this duo project dedicated to thegrande dame of French chanson. The result is a virtuoso jewel, showcasing and reawakening the freshness of the Piaf repertoire in this, the 100th anniversary of her birth.

Eliane Elias, Made in Brazil with Marc Johnson, Rubens De La Corte and Rafael Barata - July 3, 8 p.m., Monument-National - Recognized for her warm, sensual voice and ability to transport us to the languorous, idyllic beaches of Brazil, singer-pianist Eliane Elias returns with pieces from a new album, Made in Brazil. Plunge into Brazilian music from the '30s to today, grooving through bossa nova by Antonio Carlos Jobim and her own compositions. She'll be accompanied by her husband Marc Johnson (bass), Rubens De La Corte (guitar) and Rafael Barata (percussion).

Tickets go on sale this Friday at noon

Place des Arts and Maison symphonique de Montréal: 175 Ste. Catherine Street West; 514 842-2112, 1 866 8422112 or laplacedesarts.com

Métropolis: 59 Ste. Catherine Street East; ticketmaster.ca, admission.com or 1 855 790-1245 - metropolismontreal.ca

Club Soda: 1225 St. Lawrence Boulevard; 514 286-1010 or clubsoda.ca

Monument-National : 1182 St. Lawrence Boulevard; 514 871-2224 or 1 866 844-2172 - ticketmaster.ca, admission.com or 1 855 790-1245

Jazz gift certificates!

When you love music, you always want more! Luckily, our new Festival gift certificates are here to meet the needs and tastes of lovers of good music. With a $25 value, they can be used towards the purchase of tickets to concerts presented by the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal and the Jazz All-Year Round series, in official Festival boutiques and in the Galerie Lounge TD and Bistro Le Balmoral, both located in the Maison du Festival Rio Tinto Alcan.

To get the jump on the crowd, sign up for the Spectra Newsletter and have the scoop on the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal emailed to your inbox. For further information, call the Info-Jazz La Presse+ Line at 514 871-1881, toll-free at 1 85JAZZFEST, or visit montrealjazzfest.com.

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