The race for 86th Academy awards is in full flow, and filmmakers all over the world are trying hard to find their slot in the contenders list. The recent news in this sector is regarding the short listing of documentary short films that will compete for the academy awards.
The documentary branch of Academy of Motion Pictures and Arts Sciences announced this list last day, and they have shortlisted eight out of forty submissions in this category. Out of this list of eight, three to five films will be nominated for the final round, and this list will be announced on January 16th 2013.
All the documentaries which got shortlisted portray a wide array of subjects. �The Lady in Number 6: Music saved my Life� portrays the life of a 106 year old Holocaust survivor, Alice Herz Sommer. On the other hand, Joshua Izenberg�s �Slomo� showcases the life of Dr. John Kitchin, neurologist who gave away his career for taking up rollerblading.
All these documentaries are top notch in all aspects, and it will satisfy you to the fullest. Please find below the list of shortlisted documentaries.
- Cavedigger directed by Jeffrey Karoff.
- Facing Fear directed by Jason Cohen
- Jusjitsu-ing Reality directed by Chetin Chabuk
- Karama has no walls directed by Sarah Ishaq
- The Lady in number 6: Music saved my Life directed by Malcolm Clarke
- Prison Terminal: The last day of a private Jack Hall directed by Edgar Baren
- Recollections directed by Nathanel Carton
- SLOMO directed by Joshua Izenberg
‘Shal‘, the Kazakhstan movie inspired from Ernest Hemingway’s ‘The Old Man and The Sea‘ has been nomintaed as the country’s entry for the Best Foreign Language category in Oscar 2014 race. The movie is directed by Ermek Tursunov, the acclaimed director who is renowned for his previous movie, ‘Kelin‘.
Tursonov is already a well known name in the global film world. His debut movie, ‘Kelin’ made it to the semi finals of the academy awards foreign language category in 2010. The movie which portrayed the life of an young woman who was forced to marriage was beautifully creafted by the director, and his making garnered highly positive reviews from all corners.
‘Shal‘ is basically an emotional drama, and the movie tells the story of an old man who struggle to convey values to his grandson. The movie attempts to connect the old ways with the new, and the director have succeeded in crafting the movie with finesse. The film highlights the need to do good without expectations of reward or recognition.
The movie is penned by the director, and is produced by Alexander Vonyanko and Kazakh Films. The movie stars Erbulat Toguzakov, Orynbekov Moldahan and Isbek Abilmazhinov.
�The Croods�, an animated adventure comedy film became the first film to be send for the Oscar race 2014. Fox and Dream works animation, the production company of the movie have sent the screeners to the academy members, and they expect something big and special in the red carpet.
This 3D animated adventure comedy film is directed by Kirk DeMicco and Chris Sanders is made with a budget of whooping $135 million, and the movie portrays the life of a family which lives in the pre historian era. The movie which got released on March 22nd was successful, both commercially and critically. �The Croods� grossed $585 million from the Box Office, and was declared as a Super Hit. The movie�s DVD was released on October 1st, and it was welcomed warmly by the audience.
Upon the success of the movie, a TV series and a sequel is already put in development by the crew. The competition will be high in the animation films category, and we should wait till the end to know the emergence of the ultimate winners.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center will hold a gala tribute to honor Cate Blanchett and Ralph Fiennes in this year�s New York Film Festival. The Gala Tribute to Cate Blanchett will be on Wednesday, October 2nd and the Gala Tribute to Ralph Fiennes will be on Wednesday, October 9th along with the screening of his movie, �The Invisible Woman�.
Regarding the Gala Tribute, FSLC�s Executive Director, Rose Kuo said, “In the year that many critics are hailing her most recent – and perhaps greatest � performance (in BLUE JASMINE), the Film Society is delighted to celebrate the career of Cate Blanchett. Since her breakthrough in OSCAR AND LUCINDA in 1997, Ms. Blanchett has consistently mesmerized audiences with some of the boldest screen performances of the past twenty years, with roles as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I and Bob Dylan.� Regarding Ralph Fiennes, she added, �In just his third screen role, Ralph Fiennes’s performance as the monstrous Amon Goeth in Steven Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST terrified audiences with its personification of evil. Since then, Mr. Fiennes has brilliantly embodied the larger-than-life creations of writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens, and Graham Greene, among others, and given us an extraordinary body of work to celebrate. The Film Society is excited to honor him at this year�s New York Film Festival not only as an actor, but as the director of THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, truly one of the noteworthy films of the year.”
Cate Blanchett�s attention grabing performance in Gillian Armstrong�s �Oscar and Lucinda� (1997) firmed her foots in Hollywood industry. Her character of Katharine Hepbum in Martin Scorsese�s �The Aviator� (2004) fetched her a Best Supporting Actress Award. She was also awarded the prestigious Golden Globe Award and nominated for Academy Award for her performance as Elizabeth in Shekhar Kapoor�s �Elizabeth� (1998). She appeared in Peter Jackson�s �The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring� (2001) as the elf queen.
Ralph Fiennes started his film career with Peter Kosminsky�s �Wuthering Heights� (1992). Steven Spielberg�s �Schindler�s List� brought him into limelight with several awards flowing to his shelf. In 2005, he appeared in Mike Newell�s �Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire� as Lord Voldemart and continued his villain play in the three subsequent �Harry Potter� films.
The NYFF Gala Tribute is an honor for those, who have lived their life for cinema. Pedro Almodovar, David Cronenberg, Nicole Kidman and Richard Pena are some of the celebrities honored with NYFF Gala Tribute.
Argentine movie �Wakolda� (The German Dcotor) have been confirmed as the country�s official entry for the 86th Academy awards in the Best Foreign Language Film Category.
This historical drama is written and directed by Lucia Puenzo, and she is the daughter of Oscar winning film maker Luis Puenzo.The movie is set in the 1960, and it portrays the tale of an Argentine family who lives with Dr. Mengele.
Josef Mengele is a Nazi war criminal, and the movie mixes facts and fictions about him. The story of the movie is narrated in a very realistic manner, and this daring cinematic language is expected to be the main highlight of the film. The movie stars Alexander Brendem�hl, Diego Peretti, Elena Roger, Florencia Bado and Natalia Oreiro. The editing is done by Hugo Primero and the cinematographer is Nicol�s Puenzo.
Luis Puenzo, the Oscar winning director has also coproduced the movie along with his daughter, and his involvement in the movie has raised the expectations sky-high. In the Academy award history, six Argentine movies were nominated for the Best Foreign Language Category, and two have won the Oscar. �The Official Story� directed by Luis Puenzo was the first one to grab the award and it was in 1985. Later, �The Secret in their Eyes� also tasted success in 2009, and the movie was directed by Juan Jose Campanella. Wakolda has also raised the expectations, but still we should wait till the last moment to get the final result from the red carpet.
The Oscar fiesta is just months away, and countries all over the world are busy in finalizing their official entry for the best foreign language category. The latest news in this sector is about the finalization of Iran�s submission for the academy awards.
�The Past� directed by Asghar Farhadi has been announced as their entry, and this movie is a Paris set tale drama with umpteen numbers of fine moments.
Asghar Farhadi, the director of �The Past� is a renowned name in the global film world. His previous movie, �A Separation� has won the Academy award for the best foreign film category in 2012. The movie has also won various other recognitions which includes, The Golden Bear award in the 61st Berlin International Film Festival and Golden Globe for the Best Foreign Film category.
�The Past� has risen the expectations to a great extend among film critics, and this is mainly due to the presence of Asghar Farhadi. But still, there are some criticizers who consider the movie as non Iranian. This is mainly due to the French backdrop in the film, and they criticize the director for making such a film with no connection with their motherland. This movie basically portrays the story of an Iranian man who reaches France to finalize his divorce with his wife who has already started a relationship with another man.
The movie stars Berenice Bejo, Tahar Rahim, Ali Mossaffa, Pauline Burlett etc, and all these actors have done an excellent job. The movie was screened in Cannes in 2013, and Berenice Bejo won the best actress award for her stunning performance. The movie was also shown in the Toronto International Film Festival, and was highly acclaimed. Criticizers praised the movie for its daring cinematic language, and the directorial expertise of Asghar Farhadi was also appreciated.
Touring Talkies, an Indian movie directed by Gajendra Ahire is vying for this years Oscar race. The movie portrays an old age tradition of showing movies in traveling tents. With highly positive reviews from viewers and criticizers alike,the realistic treatment of the movie plot gained special appreciation.
Now, the makers of the movie are ready to take a step further to mark their presence on the Oscars 2014 red carpet.
Touring Talkies is a fine piece of art, and narrates the story of traveling movie tents which were quite common in India. The story revolves around the life of a poor girl Chandi, who runs one such touring talkie tent called Chandi Touring Talkies. She is accompanied by her brother who aspires to become a film maker. With an alcoholic father to look after, Chandi is burdened with various mortgages. The movie further portrays Chandi’s struggle to payoff these debts and the way she takes control of the situation to lead her life further holding on to the 100 years old movie tradition of India.
Touring Talkies is undoubtedly an impeccable movie with its own fine elements. It beautifully portrays the importance of entertainment in human life. As the protagonist rightly states in the movie that, �the next thing human thinks of after food is entertainment� and people say clothing and shelter are their basic needs�. The screenplay and lyrics of the movie is penned by the director himself. The music composed by Ilayaraja entirely blends with the mood providing a fresh feel to the movie.
The movie is produced by Trupti Bhoir, Amol Gole has done the camera work and Ballu Saluja holds the credit for the crisp editing. The cast includes Subodh Bhave, Kishore Kadam, Trupti Bhoir, Suhas Palshikar, Milind Shinde, Vaibhav Mangle, Neha Pense and Chinmay Shanth.
Touring Talkies pays tribute to 100 years of Indian Cinema through the portrayal of an age old tradition. Hope this movie yet again recreates the glory and takes India one step ahead to the Oscars.
The Oscar fiesta is just months away, and countries all over the world are sending their best movie for the �Best Foreign Language� Oscar Category. The latest news in this arena is the submission of �The Cleaner� by Peru. This Sci Fi drama directed by Adrian Saba will be Peru�s trump card for the �Best Foreign Language� category, and their expectation regarding the movie is quite high.
�The Cleaner� is the debut work of Adrian Saba, and he has made it in finesse by all means. This is a real gem of film, and is capable to mesmerize the viewers from the core. The film is basically a drama and is beautifully laced with a science fiction outlook.
This sci fi drama is set in the apocalyptic Lima. The protagonist of the movie is a forensic worker named Eusebio. The film shows the devastation which happened in the capital of Peru due to an unknown virus attack. Eusebio who cleans up the dead bodies in the city will find an unwelcomed guest. He is Joaquin, an young boy whom he is forced to take care of.
Victor Prada enacts the role of Eusebio, and Adrian Du Bois lives as Joaquin. Both these actors have done a remarkably good job, and their realistic acting has played a crucial role in making the movie top notch. The director has penned the screenplay, and the crisp cuts are done by Cesar Fe.
The movie was acclaimed in the recent International film festivals. The movie earned a special mention in the San Sebastian International Film Festival. It also won the New Voice/New Vision Grand Jury award in the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Peru doesn�t have much to boast about in the Oscar Carpet. This time, they wish to make a difference, and they hope that �The Cleaner� will do the job.
Ajita Suchithra Veera first came into limelight in the year 2003when her short film, ��Notes on Her�� was enlisted for an Oscar nomination in the Honorary Foreign film category. Now, the mesmerizing lady director is back with her new venture, �Ballad of Rustom� and this movie is gaining critical acclaim from viewers all around the world.
The movie is getting screened in various reputed International Film Festivals, and it includes the special screening in Prague International Film Festival which happened on 17th March 2013. The movie was highly praised by both criticizers and viewers after the screening, and Ajitha Suchithra Veera became the only Indian Director to be a part of this prestigious film festival in the last 20 years. She has also founded a Motion Picture Company, Imaginem Cinema Pvt Ltd, and this company is dedicated to create classic original cinemas from India.
Ballad of Rustom has also fetched many other recognitions and honors. The movie won the laurels at the 61st International Film Festival Mannheim Heidelberg and in 17th International Film Festival Kerala. Ajitha Suchithra Veera was awarded as the best director in 12th Osian Cinefan New Delhi, and the movie has also won various regional awards and recognitions.
Ballad of Rustom, the till date best from Ajitha is renowned for the daring cinematic language, and the movie offers a real life experience to the audience. The movie finally portraits the relation between humanity and environment, and the director has shot all the frames in finesse. This powerful cinematic poem adopts empathetic style of storytelling, and will surely impress the people who love uncompromised cinema.
Eat Sleep Die, the debut work of Gabriela Pichler have been chosen as the Swedish entry for their race to win the best foreign language entry in the Oscar fiesta. Gabriela Pichler, the king pin of the movie along with the producer expressed their thanks and gratitude to everyone after hearing this happy news.
��We have made a movie that is different and that touches the heart of everyone��, said Pichler. According to him, the whole crew is totally excited about the Oscar nomination, and they think that the movie will make it big if it gets in to the final list.
Eat Sleep Die was the centre point of attraction in the Guldbagg awards, and the movie have won umpteen number of accolades which includes, best feature film, best direction, best screenplay and best actress. This highly acclaimed immigrant drama was the audience�s pick in the Venice critics week, and this is increasing the chance of this movie in the academy honor race to a great extend.
Eat Sleep Die revolves around the life of Rasa (Nermina Lukac), who lives with her father in Sweden. Rasa works in a factory, and was leading a normal life. But when the factory management decides to cut off its staff strength, she loses her job without any intimation. The rest of the film portrays the struggle of Rasa to find a new job, and we can also see a parallel story line which shows the unending love between a father and daughter. The movie also deals with some vital issues like unemployment, attrition and working class values.
The movie is undoubtedly a visual feast, and all the frames are top notch in all aspects. The director has proved the class in his debut work, and he will be a strong contender to win an academy title in the future years. All the amateur actors who acted in this movie have done a fine job, and the filmmaker has succeeded to extract the maximum from them. Nermina Lukac who immortalized Rasa in the screen have done a fine job, and she is undoubtedly the spinal cord of the movie. Her screen presence was mind blowing, and her chemistry with Milan Dragisic is top notch. The talented actress was also selected as the shooting star in the Berlin Fest.
The film produced by China Ahlander for Anagram Film has already been sold to 36 countries, and it has been repped by the Yellow Affair. All film lovers in Sweden are keenly waiting for January 16th, where the jury of Oscars will finalize their selection of films for the best foreign language. If everything goes well for Eat Sleep Die, then we can see the crew of the movie in Red Carpet on 2nd March, and the winner will be declared then.