39th César Awards

BEST PICTURE
9 Mois Ferme
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Stranger By The Lake
Jimmy P
The Past
Venus In Fur
Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST DIRECTOR
Albert Dupontel, 9 Mois Ferme
Guillaume Gallienne, Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Alain Guiraudie, Stranger By The Lake
Arnaud Desplechin, Jimmy P
Asghar Farhadi, The Past
Roman Polanski Venus In Fur
Abdellatif Kechiche, Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST ACTRESS
Fanny Ardant, Les Beaux Jours
Bérénice Bejo, The Past
Catherine Deneuve, Elle S’En Va
Sara Forestier, Suzanne
Sandrine Kiberlain, 9 Mois Ferme
Emmanuelle Seigner, Venus In Fur
Léa Seydoux, Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST ACTOR
Mathieu Amalric, Venus In Fur
Michel Bouquet, Renoir
Albert Dupontel, 9 Mois Ferme
Grégory Gadebois, Mon Ame Par Toi Guérie
Guillaume Gallienne, Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Fabrice Luchini, Alceste A Bicyclette
Mads Mikkelsen, Michael Kohlhaas

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marisa Borini, Un Château En Italie
Françoise Fabian, Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Julie Gayet, Quai D’Orsay
Adèle Haenel, Suzanne
Géraldine Pailhas, Jeune Et Jolie

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Niels Arestrup, Quai D’Orsay
Patrick Chesnais, Les Beaux Jours
Patrick D’Assumçao, Stranger By The Lake
François Damiens, Suzanne
Olivier Gourmet, Grand Central

NEWCOMER (Female)
Lou De Laâge, Jappeloup
Pauline Etienne, La Réliguieuse
Adèle Exarchopoulos, Blue Is The Warmest Color
Golshifteh Farahani, Syngué Sabour – Pierre De Patience
Marine Vacth, Jeune Et Jolie

NEWCOMER (Male)
Paul Bartel, Les Petits Princes
Pierre Deladonchamps, Stranger By The Lake
Paul Hamy, Suzanne
Vincent Macaigne, La Fille du 14 Juillet
Nemo Schiffman, Elle S’En Va

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Albert Dupontel, 9 Mois Ferme
Philippe Le Guay, Alceste A Bicyclette
Alain Guiraudie, Strtanger By The Lake
Asghar Farhadi, The Past
Katell Quillévéré & Mariette Désert, Suzanne

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Guilaume Gallienne, Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Arnaud Desplechin, Julie Peyr & Kent Jones, Jimmy P
Antonin Baudry, Christophe Blain & Bertrand Tavernier, Quai D’Orsay
David Ives & Roman Polanski, Venus In Fur
Abdellatif Kechiche & Ghalya Lacrois, Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST COSTUMES
L’Ecume Des Jours
The Young And Prodigious Mr Spivet
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Michael Kohlhaas
Renoir

BEST ART DIRECTION
L’Ecume Des Jours
The Young And Prodigious Mr Spivet
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Michael Kohlhaas
Renoir

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Aya De Yopougon, Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie
Loulou L’Incroyable Secret, Eric Omond
Ma Maman Est En Amérique, Elle A Rencontré Buffalo Bill, Marc Boréal & Thibaut Chatel

BEST DEBUT FEATURE
La Bataille De Solférino, Justine Triet
La Cage Dorée, Ruben Alves
En Solitaire, Christophe Offenstein
La Fille Du 14 Juillet, Antonin Peretjatko
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!, Guillaume Gallienne

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Comment J’ai Détesté Les Maths, Olivier Peyon
Le Dernier Des Injustes, Claude Lanzmann
Il Etait Une Fôret, Luc Jacquet
La Maison De La Radio, Nicolas Philibert
Sur Le Chemin De L’Ecole, Pascal Plisson

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Jorge Arriagada, Alceste A Bicyclette
Loïk Dury & Christophe ‘Disco’ Minck, Casse Tête Chinois
Etienne Charry, L’Ecume Des Jours
Martin Wheeler, Michael Kohlhaas
Alexandre Desplat, Venus In Fur

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Thomas Hardmeier, The Young And Prodigious Mr Spivet
Claire Mathon, Stranger By The Lake
Jeanne Lapoire, Michael Kohlhaas
Mark Ping Bing Lee, Renoir
Sofian El Fani, Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST EDITING
9 Mois Ferme
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Stranger By The Lake
The Past
Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST SOUND
Les Garçons Et Guillaume, A Table!
Stranger By The Lake
Michael Kohlhaas
Venus In Fur
Blue Is The Warmest Color

BEST FOREIGN FILM
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Blancanieves
Blue Jasmine
Dead Man Talking
Django Unchained
The Great Beauty
Gravity

2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
For more info: http://www.academie-cinema.org

As I Lay Dying

Writer and director James Franco adapted the challenging novel by William Faulkner for the screen with striking results. A family takes a perilous journey for selfish and noble reasons to bury their matriarch in the town she requested. While the classic novel deserves to be adapted, it's challenging subject matter explains why it was left off for as long as it has, so Franco deserves credit for bring it to the screen in an interesting way which serves it thematically and visually. Franco stars as well along with a fine cast that includes Tim Blake Nelson, Logan Marshall-Green, Jim Parrack, Ahna O'Reilly and Danny McBride. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

RIP: Harold Ramis 1944 - 2014

Unfinished Song

British writer and director Paul Andrew Williams may committed a career suicide with this sentimental yarn. A grieving widower joins the unconventional choir his terminally ill wife belonged to in order to find peace and reconnected with his estranged son. There's not one original idea in the entire film, even if there's one you can't tell from the script full of cliche after another. The only reason it's not an unwatchable disaster it's because of the talented cast who can't save it despite their best efforts. Terence Stamp stars along with Vanessa Redgrave, Gemma Arterton and Christopher Eccleston. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

Cutie and the Boxer

Writer and director Zachary Heinzerling made his feature debut with this terrific documentary about two unusual artists. The life and love of Noriko and Ushio Shinohara is explored as they left their native Japan to find love and fame in New York with their unusual relationship but unique art. Heinzerling hit a goldmine with the Shinoharas whose personalities and stories gave him plenty of material to choose from which he turned into a charming and unique love story. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

Seduced and Abandoned

Writer and director James Toback made a terrific film to show the challenges of finding funding outside of Hollywood. He made a documentary about his efforts to raise funding for a feature along with his lead actor Alec Baldwin and faces the blues at the Cannes film festival where he's told on camera why he can't get the funding and the reality of the film business which is as insightful as it's entertaining. Several directors, actors and actresses share their experience in the industry. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

GUILD AWARDS 9: Sound Guilds (CAS)

MOTION PICTURES - LIVE ACTION
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Inside Llewyn Davis
Iron Man 3
Lone Survivor

MOTION PICTURES – ANIMATED
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Frozen
Monsters University
Walking with Dinosaurs 3D

2013 
2012 
2011
2010
2009
2008
For more info: http://cinemaaudiosociety.org/ 

Our Children

Belgian writer and director Joachim Lafosse delivered a psychological character study to explain a tragedy. After a young woman falls in love and marries a young immigrant man and they move with his adoptive father, her mental state deteriorates over several years and children which leads to a devastating tragedy. Inspired by an actual story, Lafosse makes a reasonable case that could explain but there's a lot of flaws to his theory which just doesn't add up or at least not shown since the film is a character study. Émilie Dequenne stars with a terrific performance that works in Lafosse's favor along with Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup whose characters don't get the same treatment but hint at the flaws. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

The Missing Picture

Cambodian writer and director Rithy Panh delivered a powerful film with this utterly original film. The atrocities of Cambodia's Khmer Rouge are recreated with the help of clay figures, archival footage and personal narration which sheds light on a nation's dark chapter of history. Panh goes personal and tells the story of his family which like thousands of other were similar in many ways of systematic abuse of power, corruption and mass killings during the war. Panh masterfully created the story in a unique and original way with the use of clay figures that has to be seen to be believed. 1001 Films' coverage of upcoming releases.

My Brother the Devil

British writer and director Sally El Hosaini made her feature debut with this riveting drama about two brothers drawn into a world of violence. A young man tries to escape his grim reality of gangs and drugs unaware that his younger brother is willing to take his place which puts them both in danger. El Hosaini created a powerful coming-of-age drama which draws upon the immigrant experience in contemporary Britain. James Floyd and newcomer Fady Elsayed deliver terrific performances as the brothers along a fine supporting cast that includes Nasser Memarzia, Saïd Taghmaoui and Anthony Welsh. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

Captain Phillips

British director Paul Greengrass delivered another terrific film with this thriller based on a true story. The captain of a cargo ship has to figure out a way to save himself and his crew when their ship is hijacked by Somali pirates for ransom. Greengrass was the perfect choice for the this film because of his documentary background which could have misfired easily in the wrong hands. Greengrass hits all the right notes even though the script and film falls into the formula traps towards the end. Tom Hanks stars and delivers his best performance in recent memory but newcomer Barkhad Abdi steals the movie in his debut with his riveting performance. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

Carrie

Director Kimberly Peirce remade the classic film by Brian De Palma but fails despite the best intentions. A shy and lonely girl discovers her supernatural powers when she's bullied at school and pressured by her religious fanatic mother. Peirce took a cult classic and tries to give it context which takes away from the fun and camp aspect which is a reason why some films should not be remade. The beautiful and talented Chloë Grace Moretz stars but is miscast in the lead despite a solid performance. The solid supporting cast includes Julianne Moore, Judy Greer and Ansel Elgort. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.

GUILD AWARDS 8: British Academy Awards (BAFTA)

Best Film

12 Years a Slave

American Hustle

Captain Phillips

Gravity

Philomena

Outstanding British Film

Gravity

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Philomena

Rush

Saving Mr. Banks

The Selfish Giant

Best Actor

Christian Bale,  American Hustle

Bruce Dern,  Nebraska

Leonardo DiCaprio,  The Wolf of Wall Street

Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips

Best Actress

Amy Adams,  American Hustle

Sandra Bullock,  Gravity

Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

Judi Dench, Philomena

Emma Thompson, Saving Mr. Banks

Best Supporting Actor

Barkhad Abdi , Captain Phillips

Daniel Brühl,  Rush

Bradley Cooper,  American Hustle

Matt Damon,  Behind the Candelabra

Michael Fassbender,  12 Years a Slave

Best Supporting Actress

Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine

Jennifer Lawrence,  American Hustle

Julia Roberts, August: Osage County

Lupita Nyong'o,  12 Years a Slave

Oprah Winfrey, The Butler

Best Director

Alfonso Cuarón,  Gravity

Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips

Steve McQueen,  12 Years a Slave

David O. Russell,  American Hustle

Martin Scorsese,  The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original  Screenplay

American Hustle, Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell

Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen

Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón

Inside Llewyn Davis, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Nebraska, Bob Nelson

Best Adapted Screenplay

Behind the Candelabra, Richard LaGravenese

Captain Phillips, Billy Ray

Philomena, Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope

12 Years a Slave, John Ridley

The Wolf of Wall Street, Terence Winter

Best Cinematography

Captain Phillips, Barry Ackroyd

Gravity, Emmanuel Lubezki

Inside Llewyn Davis, Bruno Delbonnel

Nebraska, Phedon Papamichael

12 Years a Slave, Sean Bobbitt

Best Editing

12 Years a Slave, Joe Walker

Captain Phillips, Christopher Rouse

Gravity, Mark Sanger

Rush, Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill

The Wolf of Wall Street, Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Production Design

American Hustle

Behind the Candelabra

Gravity

The Great Gatsby

12 Years a Slave

Best Costume Design

American Hustle

Behind the Candelabra

The Great Gatsby

The Invisible Woman

Saving Mr. Banks

Original Music

The Book Thief, John Williams

Captain Phillips, Henry Jackman

Gravity, Steven Price

Saving Mr. Banks, Thomas Newman

12 Years a Slave, Hans Zimmer

Best Make Up/Hair

American Hustle

Behind the Candelabra

The Great Gatsby

Lee Daniels' The Butler

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Best Sound

All Is Lost

Captain Phillips

Gravity

Inside Llewyn Davis

Rush

Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects

Gravity

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Iron Man 3

Pacific Rim

Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Film not in the English Language

The Act of Killing, Joshua Oppenheimer

Blue Is the Warmest Color, Abdellatif Kechiche

The Great Beauty, Paolo Sorrentino

Metro Manila, Sean Ellis

Wadjda, Haifaa Al-Mansour

Best Animated Feature Film

Despicable Me 2

Monsters University

Frozen

Best Documentary

The Act of Killing

The Armstrong Lie

Blackfish

Tim's Vermeer

We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks

2013 

2012 
2011
2010
2009
2008

 For more info: www.bafta.org

64th Berlinale International Film Festival

One of the top three festivals in the World (the others being Cannes and Venice) is more serious and political than the others. However due to its time slot, it doesn't get the big films that Cannes gets. Instead Berlin gets to pick from big Hollywood films that gets released late in the year for Award considerations. It's the only one of the three festivals open to the public.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson SILVER BEAR 
GRAND JURY PRIZE
USA  Opening Film

’71, Yann Demange
UK

Aimer, boire et chanter (Life of Riley), Alain Resnais ALFRED BAUER PRIZE
France

Aloft, Claudia Llosa
Spain/Canada/France

Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice) , Yinan Diao BEST ACTOR & FILM
GOLDEN BEAR 
People’s Republic of China

Boyhood , Richard Linklater BEST DIRECTOR
USA 

Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House), Yoji Yamada BEST ACTRESS
Japan 

Die geliebten Schwestern (Beloved Sisters), Dominik Graf
Germany

Historia del miedo (History of Fear), Benjamin Naishtat
Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France 

Jack, Edward Berger
Germany

Kraftidioten (In Order of Disappearance), Hans Petter Moland 
Norway

Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross), Dietrich Brüggemann BEST SCRIPT 
Germany 

La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Celina Murga
Argentina / Germany / Netherlands

La voie de l‘ennemi (Two Men in Town), Rachid Bouchareb
France / Algeria / USA / Belgium

Macondo, Sudabeh Mortezai
Austria

Praia do Futuro, Karim Aïnouz
Brazil / Germany

To mikro psari (Stratos), Yannis Economides
Greece/Germany/Cyprus

Tui Na (Blind Massage), Lou Ye  OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION
People’s Republic of China / France 

Wu Ren Qu (No Man’s Land), Ning Hao
People’s Republic of China

Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds), Feo Aladag
Germany 

OUT OF COMPETITION

The Monuments Men, George Clooney
USA

Nymphomaniac Vol 1, Lars von Trier
Denmark

La belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast), Christophe Gans
France / Germany

BERLINALE SPECIAL

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq, Nancy Buirski
US

A Long Way Down, Pascal Chaumeil
Britain/Germany

Baal (1969), Volker Schloendorff
Germany

Das finstere Tal (The Dark Valley), Andreas Prochaska
Austria/Germany

Diplomatie (Diplomacy), Volker Schloendorff

France/Germany

En du elsker (Someone You Love), Pernille Fischer Christensen
Denmark

Night Will Fall (work in progress), Andre Singer
Britain

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden, Dayna Goldfine and Dan GellerUS

The Turning, anthology film Australia

The Two Faces of January, Hossein Amini

Britain/US/France

Watermark, Jennifer Baichwal
Canada

We Come As Friends, Hubert Sauper

France/Austria

2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
For more info: www.berlinale.de