88th Academy Awards VFX Shortlist

Today AMPAS announced the shortlist with 10 films that remain in the running in the Visual Effect category.

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist. All members of the Visual Effects Branch will now be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 9, 2016. Following the screenings, the members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

As a few days back the preliminary list was announced I'm identifying the films still in the competition with *BLUE.

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12/8/15
Yesterday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that twenty (20) films are in the running in the Visual Effects category and advance in the voting process for #Oscars2016.

The Academy’s Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the preliminary shortlist. This year, in the Visual Effects category, the number of eligible films initially shortlisted for further consideration was increased to a maximum of 20 titles. The number of films that will be shortlisted for nominations voting remains at 10, which will be announced later this month.

*Ant-Man
*Avengers: Age of Ultron
Bridge of Spies
Chappie
Everest
*Ex Machina
Furious Seven
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
In the Heart of the Sea
Jupiter Ascending
*Jurassic World
*Mad Max: Fury Road
*The Martian
Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation
*The Revenant
Spectre
*Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Terminator Genisys
*Tomorrowland
*The Walk

Perhaps the most interesting outcome of the list is that the AMPAS committee has seen the latest (and very secretive) installment of Star Wars (lol). Some maybe recall the 3 first Star Wars winning the category in 1978, 1981 and 1984; consider that since the early eighties VFX's have change immensely, so unless new crew did something we can't imagine, film has strong competition in above list.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

88th Academy Awards Foreign-Language Film Shortlist

Today AMPAS announced the shortlist of nine (9) films that advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign-Language Film Category. Eighty (80) films originally been considered in the category.

Foreign Language Film nominations are being determined in two phases. The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 14. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

The shortlist will be winnowed down to the category’s five nominees by specially invited committees in New York, Los Angeles and London. They will spend Friday, January 8, through Sunday, January 10, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.

Belgium: Le Tout Nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament), Jaco Van Dormael

Colombia: El Abrazo de la Serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent), Ciro Guerra

Denmark: Krigen (A War), Tobias Lindholm

Finland: Miekkailija (The Fencer), Klaus Härö

France: Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Germany: Im Labyrinth des Schweigens (Labyrinth of Lies), Giulio Ricciarelli

Hungary: Saul Fia (Son of Saul), László Nemes

Ireland: Viva, Paddy Breathnach

Jordan: ذيب‎ Theeb (Wolf), Naji Abu Nowar

A few days back was predicting that this year the race was going to be between France and Hungary's submissions and unless something unexpected happens, believe both films will get a nomination. Can't deny that I'm surprised with shortlist as there were a couple of films that was hoping will get into the nine, but haven't seen quite a few so let's hope I can see some before the nominations are announced. Sigh.

88th Academy Awards Music Original Score Longlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 112 scores from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Score category for the 88th Academy Awards.

A Reminder List of works submitted in the Original Score category will be made available with a nominations ballot to all members of the Music Branch, who shall vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award.

To be eligible, the original score must be a substantial body of music that serves as original dramatic underscoring, and must be written specifically for the motion picture by the submitting composer. Scores diluted by the use of tracked themes or other preexisting music, diminished in impact by the predominant use of songs, or assembled from the music of more than one composer shall not be eligible.

The eligible scores along with their composers are listed below, in alphabetical order by film title:

"Adult Beginners," Marcelo Zarvos, composer
"The Age of Adaline," Rob Simonsen, composer
"Altered Minds," Edmund Choi, composer
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," Mark Mothersbaugh, composer
"Anomalisa," Carter Burwell, composer
"Ant-Man," Christophe Beck, composer
"Beasts of No Nation," Dan Romer, composer
"The Big Short," Nicholas Britell, composer
"Black Mass," Tom Holkenborg, composer
"Bridge of Spies," Thomas Newman, composer
"Brooklyn," Michael Brook, composer
"Burnt," Rob Simonsen, composer
"By the Sea," Gabriel Yared, composer
"Carol," Carter Burwell, composer
"Cartel Land," H. Scott Salinas and Jackson Greenberg, composers
"Chi-Raq," Terence Blanchard, composer
"Cinderella," Patrick Doyle, composer
"Coming Home," Qigang Chen, composer
"Concussion," James Newton Howard, composer
"Creed," Ludwig Goransson, composer
"The Danish Girl," Alexandre Desplat, composer
"The Divergent Series: Insurgent," Joseph Trapanese, composer
"Dukhtar," Peter Nashel, composer
"The End of the Tour," Danny Elfman, composer
"Everest," Dario Marianelli, composer
"Ex Machina," Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, composers
"Far from the Madding Crowd," Craig Armstrong, composer
"Fifty Shades of Grey," Danny Elfman, composer
"5 Flights Up," David Newman, composer
"Frame by Frame," Patrick Jonsson, composer
"Freedom," James Lavino, composer
"Furious Seven," Brian Tyler, composer
"The Good Dinosaur," Mychael Danna and Jeff Danna, composers
"Goosebumps," Danny Elfman, composer
"Grandma," Joel P. West, composer
"The Hateful Eight," Ennio Morricone, composer
"He Named Me Malala," Thomas Newman, composer
"Hot Pursuit," Christophe Beck, composer
"Hot Tub Time Machine 2," Christophe Beck, composer
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2," James Newton Howard, composer
"The Hunting Ground," Miriam Cutler, composer
"I Smile Back," Zack Ryan, composer
"I'll See You in My Dreams," Keegan DeWitt, composer
"In the Heart of the Sea," Roque Baños, composer
"Inside Out," Michael Giacchino, composer
"The Intern," Theodore Shapiro, composer
"It Follows," Disasterpeace, composer
"Jalam," Ouesppachan, composer
"Jurassic World," Michael Giacchino, composer
"Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet," Gabriel Yared, composer
"Kingsman: The Secret Service," Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson, composers
"Krampus," Douglas Pipes, composer
"La Jaula de Oro," Jacobo Lieberman and Leonardo Heiblum, composers
"The Lady in the Van," George Fenton, composer
"The Last Witch Hunter," Steve Jablonsky, composer
"Learning to Drive," Dhani Harrison and Paul Hicks, composers
"Legend," Carter Burwell, composer
"Little Accidents," Marcelo Zarvos, composer
"The Longest Ride," Mark Isham, composer
"Mad Max: Fury Road," Tom Holkenborg, composer
"The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," Daniel Pemberton, composer
"The Martian," Harry Gregson-Williams, composer
"Max," Trevor Rabin, composer
"Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials," John Paesano, composer
"Meru," J. Ralph, composer
"Minions," Heitor Pereira, composer
"Mr. Holmes," Carter Burwell, composer
"Mistress America," Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, composers
"My All American," John Paesano, composer
"Nachom-ia Kumpasar," Ronnie Monsorate, composer
"99 Homes," Antony Partos and Matteo Zingales, composers
"Our Brand Is Crisis," David Wingo, composer
"Pan," John Powell, composer
"Paper Towns," Son Lux, composer
"Paranoid Girls," Javier del Santo, composer
"Pawn Sacrifice," James Newton Howard, composer
"The Peanuts Movie," Christophe Beck, composer
"Pixels," Henry Jackman, composer
"Poached," Mark Orton, composer
"Pod," Giona Ostinelli, composer
"Poltergeist," Marc Streitenfeld, composer
"Racing Extinction," J. Ralph, composer
"Room," Stephen Rennicks, composer
"Salt Bridge," Marciano Telese, composer
"San Andreas," Andrew Lockington, composer
"The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel," Thomas Newman, composer
"Set Fire to the Stars," Gruff Rhys, composer
"Shaun the Sheep Movie," Ilan Eshkeri, composer
"Sicario," Jóhann Jóhannsson, composer
"Southpaw," James Horner, composer
"Spectre," Thomas Newman, composer
"The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water," John Debney, composer
"Spotlight," Howard Shore, composer
"Spy," Theodore Shapiro, composer
"Star Wars: The Force Awakens," John Williams, composer
"Steve Jobs," Daniel Pemberton, composer
"Steve McQueen: The Man & Le Mans," Jim Copperthwaite, composer
"Stonewall," Rob Simonsen, composer
"Suffragette," Alexandre Desplat, composer
"Taken 3," Nathaniel Mechaly, composer
"Ted 2," Walter Murphy, composer
"Testament of Youth," Max Richter, composer
"The 33," James Horner, composer
"Tomorrowland," Michael Giacchino, composer
"True Story," Marco Beltrami, composer
"Trumbo," Theodore Shapiro, composer
"Truth," Brian Tyler, composer
"Victor Frankenstein," Craig Armstrong, composer
"The Walk," Alan Silvestri, composer
"The Water Diviner," David Hirschfelder, composer
"Wolf Totem," James Horner, composer
"Z for Zachariah," Heather McIntosh, composer

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

30th Teddy Award Anniversary

TEDDY becomes 30…..and looks back to a past full of funny, tragic, embarrassing, happy and moving moments. Short facts: the first TEDDY got awarded in 1987 by Wieland Speck, director of Panorama nowadays. Back then, he sent a plush-teddy from the department store to the first award winners Gus van Sant and Pedro Almodóvar, who received the prize by post and with great pleasure.

Attention for queer movies and visibility of queer life was lacking and founding an award seemed a good way to get some.

In the beginning the jury was the audience; everyone who has watched each single movie was enabled to vote. The professional jury was founded in 1997 and ARTE started broadcasting the award show in 2006.

In the mid 90’s TEDDY AWARD officially got acknowledged as a prize of the Berlinale. So a lot has happened in all these years and according to the 30th Birthday we take a look back, but also face the presence and the future of TEDDY. We talk to TEDDY AWARD winners, friends and supporters in interviews and panel discussions….and especially we are looking forward to the birthday party, where we will be ready to rumble with you.

So, the only official LGBTIQ (in short, queer) film prize at an A-festival in the world is celebrating its 30th anniversary: the Teddy Award. An offshoot of the Panorama, the prize has been awarded since 1987 in the categories Short Film, Documentary and Feature to works relevant to queer culture. Eligible every year are films from all of the Berlinale sections. Meanwhile, the award has achieved international significance.

This year’s anniversary program will present a total of 16 films.

1 Berlin Harlem – Germany (Federal Republic), 1974 By Lothar Lambert, Wolfram Zobus
Legendary film from super-indy filmmaker Lambert, one time most-featured Berlinale director, about the forms of racism in Berlin’s vibrant lifestyle at the time of the film's making. Brimming with cameos galore: alongside leading actor Conrad Jennings the likes of Ortrud Beginnen, Tally Brown, Ingrid Caven, Peter Chatel, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Günter Kaufmann, Dietmar Kracht, Evelyn Künneke, Lothar Lambert, Y Sa Lo, Bernd Lubowski, Brigitte Mira, Vera Müller can all be seen.

Anders als die Andern (Different from the Others) - Germany, 1919 By Richard Oswald
A significant world premiere: realized by the Outfest UCLA Legacy Project/UCLA Film & Television Archive, the newly-restored version of this cultural document of immeasurable value is screened for the first time – in a 35mm print, still the only reliable archive medium.

Before Stonewall – USA, 1984 By Greta Schiller, Robert Rosenberg
Info-Schau (former title of Panorama) 1985
The legendary film from Greta Schiller reveals a lot which is missing from Roland Emmerich's Stonewall - but nevertheless agrees with him in quite a few details. The world "before Stonewall", the beginning of the post-war gay rights movement: the German portrait of this dark Adenauer era in which homosexuals were transferred directly from concentration camps to West German correctional facilities and have not been rehabilitated is yet to come. Greta Schiller later gained renown with Paris Was A Woman which she screened together with her partner and screenwriter Andrea Weiß in the 1996 Panorama.

Die Betörung der Blauen Matrosen (The Enchantment of the Blue Sailors) - Germany (Federal Republic), 1975 By Ulrike Ottinger
Ulrike Ottinger won the Special Teddy Award in 2014 for her incomparable lifetime achievement, of which this enchanting queer film is an early example even before her groundbreaking films Madame X and Bildnis einer Trinkerin (Ticket of No Return).

Die Wiese der Sachen (The Meadow of Things) - Germany (Federal Republic), 1974-1987 By Heinz Emigholz
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1988
At a time when New German Cinema still appeared to be elusive, this artist and architect amongst West German filmmakers inspired with strikingly visual collages, associative streams and intellectual juxtapositions. An important work from an important German filmmaker.

Gendernauts - Eine Reise durch die Geschlechter (Gendernauts - A Journey Through Shifting Identities) - Germany, 1999 By Monika Treut
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1999
One of the early researchers into the walled-in, gender-dualistic world of female and male, Monika Treut is at once a pioneer and veteran of Queer Cinema - an icon of the emancipation movement. She has screened numerous works in Panorama.

I Shot Andy Warhol – USA, 1996 By Mary Harron
The attempted assassination of Andy Warhol from the perspective of Factory member, artist, writer and publisher of the S.C.U.M. Manifesto Valerie Solanas. Mary Harron's debut film was produced by Christine Vachon who, with her Killer Films production company, has produced many works screened at the Berlinale and Teddy Award winners including all of Todd Haynes' films.

Je, tu, il, elle (I, You, He, She) - France / Belgium, 1974 By Chantal Akerman
In her boundary-breaking feature debut Chantal Akermann herself plays a young woman who seeks to address her experience of isolation through the study of other individuals. In tribute to Chantal Akerman, Panorama is screening two of her films: alongside Je, tu, il, elle, her Panorama film from 1983, Toute une nuit (A Whole Night).

Looking for Langston - United Kingdom, 1989 By Isaac Julien
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1989
Now a star of the video art world, Isaac Julien has always first and foremost been a poetical activist, aesthete and cultural historian in the service of emancipation. This montage of archive material, dramatised scenes and literary texts creates an image of black gay identity exemplified by the life and work of Langston Hughes during the “Harlem Renaissance” in 1930s and 1940s New York City.

Machboim (Hide and Seek) – Israel, 1979 By Dan Wolman
Info-Schau (former title of Panorama) 1980
Today it is exactly the same as 36 years ago: love between Arabs and Jews is punished, hate and murder are accepted as normality. Dan Wolman casts a brave early look at this never-to-be-accepted situation.

Marble Ass – Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, 1995 By Želimir Žilnik
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1995
Žilnik counters the homophobia and transphobia of Balkan societies which came to light years after the fall of the Berlin Wall with an early and anarchistic stand in what is still, to this day, one of the most extraordinary films to emerge from the entire region

Nitrate Kisses – USA, 1992 By Barbara Hammer
Forum 1993
A never seen in this way before, sensitively creative conquest of the female sexual realm, radically beyond the prescriptions of mainstream culture. Barbara Hammer has screened many of her works at the Berlinale.

The Watermelon Woman – USA, 1996 By Cheryl Dunye
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1996
Racist tendencies might appear to have been expunged from emancipation and gender discourse – but this is far from being the case. The racism inherent in mainstream culture is not necessarily recognised as such by alternative thinkers. Dunye takes a stance with a reflection on a representative figure of this complex issue.

Tongues Untied – USA, 1989 By Marlon Riggs
Panorama / Teddy Award winner 1990
An early work of queer black emancipation from the then beacon of hope in the Afro-American gay rights movement – another artist and intellectual who died far too young from AIDS.

Toute une nuit (A Whole Night) - France / Belgium, 1982 By Chantal Akerman
Info-Schau (former title of Panorama) 1983
The director at the forefront of the post-war gender debate was already present in only the third year of the Info-Schau with this film. Virtuoso atmospheres between people and things, between spirit and world and time and space distinguish the work of this passionate artist who took her own life in October 2015. Panorama is screening two films in tribute to Chantal Akerman: alongside Toute une nuit, her debut from 1974, the radical Je, tu, il, elle (I, You, He, She).

Tras el cristal (In a Glass Cage) – Spain, 1987 By Agustí Vilaronga
A scandalous film at the time of making: an old Nazi and his young career in Spain. A truly dark work about dark subject matters, the concealment and unrepentant nature of the post-fascist Spanish world when it had not yet begun to grapple analytically and politically with those grim times. In 2000 Vilaronga won the Manfred Salzgeber Prize with El Mar.

After ALL Berlinale 2016 films are announced we will learn the films that will compete for the 2016 Teddy Awards.

Have to confess that have seen almost all lesbian interest films (and some gay...) in above list and if you haven’t seen Chantal Akerman early work, strongly recommend to watch but be prepare as Akerman style was from light to heavy experimental cinema.

88th Academy Awards Makeup and Hairstyling Shortlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced yesterday that seven (7) films remain in competition for the category.

On Saturday, January 9, 2016, all members of the Academy's Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts from each of the seven shortlisted films. Following the screenings, members will vote to nominate three (3) films for final Oscar consideration.

These are the seven films:

Black Mass
Concussion
Legend
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mr. Holmes
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out the Window and Disappeared
The Revenant

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

28th European Film Awards Winners

So wasn't able to watch the awards ceremony but I'm able to catch the last awards, YAY!!!

Just watched three awards and was alright but I'm sorry that wasn't able to watch the complete show. Maybe later will find the video and will watch the serious nonsense darkish jokes of European (and more German) humor.

Talking about humor I agree that Roy Anderson "Pigeon" can be a comedy but definitively is a very dark comedy; still I'm glad won the Best Comedy award but to be completely honest, I liked better You, the Living than the Pigeon installment. Sigh.

Youth was an alright film for me, BUT has no comparison with Sorrentino' s master opus La Grande Bellezza; winning the top European award definitively is a huge honor, but believe Sorrentino's win with The Great Beauty was more deserving.  Sigh.  Still if you take a look at the European film nominees you will notice that almost all films won an award tonight as only Rams and Victoria left empty handed.  Nevertheless Youth is the BIG winner of the night.

There is no doubt Charlotte Rampling winning European Best Actress improves her odds to win more awards like the BAFTA's, Globes and even the Oscars; don't think that Michael Caine win could mean something in other awards with the exception of perhaps the BAFTA's.  Another European award winning film that could improve its odds is Amy in the documentary category of British and American awards.

Winners are in *BLUE.



European Film
En duva satt på en gren och funderade över tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence), Roy Andersson, Sweden, France, Germany and Norway
Hrútar (Rams), Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland and Denmark
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France, Germany and Turkey
The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, UK, Ireland, Greece, France, and Netherlands
Victoria, Sebastian Schipper, Germany
*Youth, Paolo Sorrentino, Italy France, UK and Switzerland

European Comedy
*En duva satt på en gren och funderade över tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence), Roy Andersson, Sweden, France, Germany and Norway
La famille Bélier (The Belier Family), Eric Lartigau, France
Le Tout Nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament), Jaco van Dormael, Belgium, France and Luxembourg

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI
Ich Seh Ich Seh (Goodnight Mommy), Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Austria
Im Sommer Wohnt er Unten (Summers Downstairs), Tom Sommerlatte, Germany and France
Limbo, Anna Sofie Hartmann, Germany and Denmark
*Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France, Germany and Turkey
Slow West, John Maclean, New Zealand and UK

European Animated Film
Adama, Simon Rouby, France
Shaun the Sheep The Movie, Richard Starazk and Mark Burton, UK and France
*Song of the Sea, Tomm Moore, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Luxembourg

European Documentary
A Syrian Love Story, Sean McAllister, UK
*Amy, Asif Kapadia, UK
Dancing with Maria, Ivan Gergolet, Italy, Argentina and Slovenia
The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, Norway and Indonesia
Toto Si Surorile Lui (Toto and His Sisters), Alexander Nanau, Romania and Hungary

European Director
Roy Anderson for En duva satt på en gren och funderade över tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence), Sweden, France, Germany and Norway
Yorgos Lanthimos for The Lobster, UK, Ireland, Greece, France and Netherlands
Nanni Moretti for Mia Madre (My Mother), Italy and France
Sebastian Schipper for Victoria, Germany
*Paolo Sorrentino for Youth, Italy, France, UK and Switzerland
Małgorzata Szumowska for Ciało (Body), Poland

European Actress
Margherita Buy in Mia Madre (My Mother), Nanni Moretti, Italy and France
Laia Costa in Victoria, Sebastian Schipper, Germany
*Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years, Andrew Haigh, UK
Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina, Alex Garland, UK
Rachel Weisz in Youth, Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, France, UK and Switzerland

European Actor
*Michael Caine in Youth, Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, France, UK and Switzerland
Tom Courtenay in 45 Years, Andrew Haigh, UK
Colin Farrell in The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, UK, Ireland, Greece, France and Netherlands
Christian Friedel in Elser (13 Minutes), Oliver Hirschbiegel, Germany
Vincent Lindon in La Loi du Marché (The Measure of a Man), Stéphane Brizé, France

European Screenwriter
Roy Anderson for En duva satt på en gren och funderade över tillvaron (A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence), Roy Andersson, Sweden, France, Germany and Norway
Alex Garland for Ex Machina, Alex Garland, UK
Andrew Haigh for 45 Years, Andrew Haigh, UK
Radu Jude and Florin Lazarescu for Aferim!, Radu Jude, Romania, Bulgaria and Czech Republic
*Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthimis Filippou for The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, UK, Ireland, Greece, France and Netherlands
Paolo Sorrentino for Youth, Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, France, UK and Switzerland

European Short Film
Çevirmen (The Translator), Emre Kayiş, UK and Turkey, 23' Sarajevo Short Film Nominee
Dissonance, Till Nowak, Germany, 17' Berlin Short Film Nominee
El Corredor (The Runner), José Luis Montesinos, Spain, 12' Valladolid Short Film Nominee
E.T.E.R.N.I.T., Giovanni Aloi, France, 11' Venice Short Film Nominee
Field Study, Eva Weber, UK, 20' Cork Short Film Nominee
Fils du Loup (Son of the Wolf), Lola Quivoron, France, 23' Locarno Short Film Nominee
Kung Fury, David Sanberg, Sweden, 30' Vila do Conde Short Film Nominee
Kuuntele (Listen), Hamy Ramezan and Rungano Nyoni, Denmark and Finland, 13' Tampere Short Film Nominee
Naše Telo (Our Body), Dane Komljen, Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina, 14' Rotterdam Short Film Nominee
Over, Jörn Threlfall, UK, 13' Bristol Short Film Nominee
*Piknik (Picnic), Jure Pavlović, Croatia, 13' Drama Short Film Nominee
Smile, and the World Will Smile Back, Yoav Gross, Ehab Tarabieh and the Al-Haddad family, Israel and Palestine, 20' Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Nominee
Symbolic Threats, Mischa Leinkauf, Lutz Henke and Matthias Wermke, Germany, 15' Grimstad Short Film Nominee
This Place We Call Our Home, Thora Lorentzen and Sybilla Tuxen, Denmark, 30' Krakow Short Film Nominee
Washingtonia, Konstantina Kotzamani, Greece, 24' Ghent Short Film Nominee

Carlo di Palma European Cinematographer Award: Martin Gschlacht for Ich Seh Ich Seh (Goodnight Mommy), Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, Austria
European Editor: Jacek Drosio for Ciało (Body), Małgorzata Szumowska, Poland
European Production Designer: Sylvie Olivé for Le Tout Nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament), Jaco van Dormael, Belgium, France and Luxembourg
European Costume Designer: Sarah Blekinsop for The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos, UK, Ireland, Greece, France and The Netherlands
European Composer: Cat's Eyes for The Duke of Burgundy, Peter Strickland, UK
European Sound Designer: Miguel Martins and Vasco Pimentel for As Mil e Uma Noites Vol. 1-3 (Arabian Nights, Vol. 1-3), Miguel Gomes, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany and France

People's Choice Award for Best European Film: La Isla Minima (Marshland), Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

European Co-Production Award - Prix Eurimages: Andrea Occhipinti
European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award: Charlotte Rampling
European Achievement in World Cinema: Christoph Waltz
Honorary Award of the EFA President and Board: Sir Michael Caine

To check info about each winner go to official site here.

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11/7/15
A few moments ago the European Film Academy (EFA)announced the nominations for the 2015 European Film Awards (#EFA2015) at the Seville European Film Festival. This year my spontaneous first reactions is that EFA's belong to British Cinema as seems there are many British productions and co productions among the nominees.

There were fifty-two (52) films in consideration that you can check here so there is NO doubt about which films could get a nomination this year as there are many that in first look you could think were snubbed but then you see that they were NOT in consideration.

From the films in consideration, leading the pack is Youth by Paolo Sorrentino with five (5) nominations followed closely by A Pigeon Sat On a Branch Reflecting on Existence by Roy Andersson and The Lobster by Yorgos Lanthimos with four (4) each; next with three (3) nominations each Victoria and 45 Years.

In general tend to agree with the nominations but there are some unexpected snubs like for example, Miguel Gomes trilogy, Alanté Kavaïté's The Summer of Sangaile, George Ovshvili's Corn Island and more films that have been honored with multiple awards in the festival circuit. But we know that the list is a distill from the many films in a year that I believe was great for world and European cinema so the list indeed has some of the best in the world.

What follows is the list with all the categories, those announced today and also, the ones announced before today.  If you wish to check the first -already announced- EFA awards go here for The Jury Awards.

The more than 3,000 EFA Members will now vote for the winners who will be presented during the awards ceremony on 12 December in Berlin.

88th Academy Awards Original Song Longlist

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that seventy-four (74) songs from eligible feature-length motion pictures released in 2015 are in contention for nominations in the Original Song category for the 88th Academy Awards.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title and song title:

"Happy" from "Altered Minds"
"Home" from "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip"
"None Of Them Are You" from "Anomalisa"
"Stem To The Rose" from "Becoming Bulletproof"
"The Mystery Of Your Gift" from "Boychoir"
"I Run" from "Chi-Raq"
"Pray 4 My City" from "Chi-Raq"
"Sit Down For This" from "Chi-Raq"
"Strong" from "Cinderella"
"So Long" from "Concussion"
"Fighting Stronger" from "Creed"
"Grip" from "Creed"
"Waiting For My Moment" from "Creed"
"Don't Look Down" from "Danny Collins"
"Hey Baby Doll" from "Danny Collins"
"Dreamsong" from "The Diary of a Teenage Girl"
"It's My Turn Now" from "Dope"
"Ya Rahem, Maula Maula" from "Dukhtar"
"Earned It" from "Fifty Shades of Grey"
"Love Me Like You Do" from "Fifty Shades of Grey"
"Salted Wound" from "Fifty Shades of Grey"
"Hands Of Love" from "Freeheld"
"See You Again" from "Furious Seven"
"Brother" from "Godspeed: The Story of Page Jones"
"As Real As You And Me" from "Home"
"Dancing In The Dark" from "Home"
"Feel The Light" from "Home"
"Red Balloon" from "Home"
"Two Of A Crime" from "Hot Pursuit"
"Til It Happens To You" from "The Hunting Ground"
"I'll See You In My Dreams" from "I'll See You in My Dreams"
"The Movie About Us" from "Ingrid Bergman – In Her Own Words"
"Bhoomiyilenghanumundo" from "Jalam"
"Koodu Vaykkan" from "Jalam"
"Pakalppaathi Chaari" from "Jalam"
"Yaathra Manoradhamerum" from "Jalam"
"Lost In Love" from "Jenny's Wedding"
"True Love Avenue" from "Jenny's Wedding"
"Hypnosis" from "Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet"
"Juntos (Together)" from "McFarland, USA"
"The Light That Never Fails" from "Meru"
"The Crazy Ones" from "Miss You Already"
"There's A Place" from "Miss You Already"
"Johanna" from "Mortdecai"
"Little Soldier" from "Pan"
"Something's Not Right" from "Pan"
"Paranoid Girl" from "Paranoid Girls"
"Better When I'm Dancin'" from "The Peanuts Movie"
"Pink & Blue" from "Pink & Blue: Colors of Hereditary Cancer"
"Flashlight" from "Pitch Perfect 2"
"Birds Of A Feather" from "Poached"
"Still Breathing" from "Point Break"
"Manta Ray" from "Racing Extinction"
"Cold One" from "Ricki and the Flash"
"Torch" from "Rock the Kasbah"
"Someone Like You" from "The Rumperbutts"
"Aankhon Me Samaye Dil" from "Salt Bridge"
"Bachpana Thaa" from "Salt Bridge"
"Kanpne Lage Tum" from "Salt Bridge"
"Kyaa Bataaun Tujhe" from "Salt Bridge"
"Le Jaaye Jo Door Tumse" from "Salt Bridge"
"Na Jaane Kitni Door" from "Salt Bridge"
"Sookha Hi Rang Daalo" from "Salt Bridge"
"Feels Like Summer" from "Shaun the Sheep Movie"
"Phenomenal" from "Southpaw"
"Writing's On The Wall" from "Spectre"
"Squeeze Me" from "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water"
"Teamwork" from "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water"
"Who Can You Trust" from "Spy"
"Came To Win" from "Sweet Micky for President"
"Mean Ol' Moon" from "Ted 2"
"Love Was My Alibi" from "The Water Diviner"
"Fine On The Outside" from "When Marnie Was There"
"Simple Song #3" from "Youth"

During the nominations process, all voting members of the Music Branch will receive a Reminder List of works submitted in the category and a DVD copy of the song clips. Members will be asked to watch the clips and then vote in the order of their preference for not more than five achievements in the category. The five achievements receiving the highest number of votes will become the nominations for final voting for the award. A maximum of two songs may be nominated from any one film.

To be eligible, a song must consist of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the film. A clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition of both lyric and melody must be used in the body of the film or as the first music cue in the end credits.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT.

2016 Golden Globes Foreign Language Film Submissions

Next Thursday, December 10th,  we will learn the Golden Globe nominations but just yesterday HFPA organizers released the list of films that were submitted for consideration to get a nomination.

Part of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s mission is to foster greater understanding through cinema. It is in that spirit that a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film is awarded each year. This year 71 films were submitted for consideration in this category representing 46 countries. Multiple films from any one country may be submitted.

In order to qualify for Foreign Language consideration, a film must have at least 51% of its dialogue in a language other than English, it must be released in its country or countries (in case of co-production) of origin between Nov. 1, 2014 and Dec. 31, 2015, and it must have an official screening for HFPA voting members. The HFPA Foreign Language category rules allow American productions that are in languages other than English. A motion picture also qualifies if censorship prevented it from being released in its country of origin, as long as it had a one-week release in the United States during the qualifying period.

HFPA journalists, who themselves cover Hollywood film and television for publications from over 30 countries, know that it is important to promote awareness of world cinema in the United States. It is often not easy for many of these films to gain an international audience beyond their borders. We feel it is a great privilege to experience the best the world has to offer through the eyes of authors from around the globe. Every year we stagger from screenings bleary-eyed but gratified by the realization that few things give us an opportunity to understand other people – and realize how alike we really all are – as much as movies.

In that spirit the HFPA presents an overview of all foreign language films submitted to our consideration for the 73rd Golden Globes.

Most films are also in the AMPAS same category list; but as the Golden Globes allow multiple films from same country, this list becomes a bit more interesting and to my surprise France ties first place with German, each having 7 submissions. Remarkable is that AMPAS disqualified Victoria by Sebastian Schipper -for too much English- and HFPA accepted the submission! (sigh). Nevertheless when we consider co productions, France is the absolute leader in the list.

There were some films that I wasn't aware of, which makes this exercise of discovering info for those films quite exciting as some have become must be seen and increase more a never-ending queue of films to watch.

Germany (7)
Elser (13 Minutes), Oliver Hirschbiegel
Hilfe, ich hab meine Lehrerin geschrumpft (Help I Shrunk My Teacher), Sven Unterwaldt Jr.
Hirschen - Da machst was mit! (Hirchen), George Inci
Honig im Koft (Head Full of Honey), Til Schweiger and Lars Gmehling
Im Labyrinth des Schweigens (Labyrinth of Lies), Giulio Ricciarelli
Phoenix, Christian Petzold
Victoria, Sebastian Schipper.

France (7)
Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
Eden, Mia Hansen-Løve
La French (The Connection), Cédric Jimenez
Loin des Hommes (Far From Men), David Oelhoffen
Marguerite, Xavier Giannoli
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Une Nouvelle Amie (The New Girlfriend), François Ozon

Argentina (4)
Francisco - El Padre Jorge (Francis Pray for Me), Beda Docampo Feijóo
El Clan (The Clan), Pablo Trapero
El Patrón, Anatomía de un Crimen (The Boss, Anatomy of a Crime), Sebastián Schindel
Jauja, Lisandro Alonso

China (4)
Dao shi xia shan (Monk Comes Down the Mountain), Kaige Chen
Shan he gu ren (Mountains May Depart), Jia Zhangke
Wolf Totem, Jean-Jacques Annaud
Yi bu zhi yao (Gone With the Bullets), Wen Jiang

Mexico (3)
600 Millas (600 Miles), Gabriel Ripstein
Gloria, Christian Keller
Tiempos Felices (Happy Times), Luis Javier M. Henaine

Turkey (3)
Kirimli (Crimean), Burak Arliel
Lost Birds, Ela Alyamac and Aren Perdeci
Sivas, Kaan Müjdeci

Denmark (2)
Krigen (A War), Tobias Lindholm
Mænd & høns (Men & Chicken), Anders Thomas Jensen

Finland (2)
Kätilö (The Midwife), Antii Jokinen
Miekkailija (The Fencer), Klaus Härö

Israel (2)
Apples From The Desert, Matti Harari and Arik Lubetzki
באבא ג'ון Baba Joon (Father John), Yuval Delshad

Italy (2)
Mia Madre (My Mother), Nanni Moretti
Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad), Claudio Caligari

Romania (2)
Aferim!, Radu Jude
Cel Ales (The Chosen One), Cristian Comeaga

Afghanistan: آرمان شهر Utopia, Hassan Nazer
Austria: Ich seh, ich seh (Goodnight Mommy), Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz
Belgium: Le Tout Nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament), Jaco Van Dormael
Brazil: Que Horas Ela Volta? (The Second Mother), Anna Muylaert
Canada: Félix et Meira (Felix and Meira), Maxime Giroux
Chile: El Club (The Club), Pablo Larraín
Croatia: Zvizdan (The High Sun), Dalibor Matanić
Czech Republic: Domácí péče (Home Care), Slávek Horák
Estonia: 1944, Elmo Nüganen
Georgia: მოირას Moira, Levan Tutberidze
Guatemala: Ixcanul, Jayro Bustamante
Haiti: Rasin Mwen, Robinson Vil
Hong Kong: 破風 To The Fore, Dante Lam
Hungary: Saul Fia (Son of Saul), László Nemes,
Iceland: Hrútar (Rams), Grímur Hákonarson
Iran: Taxi (Taxi Tehran), Jafar Panhi
Ireland: Viva, Paddy Breathnach
Japan: Umimachi Diary (Our Little Sister), Hirokazu Koreeda
Jordan: ذيب‎ Theeb (Wolf), Naji Abu Nowar
Kazakhstan: Жат Zhat (Stranger), Yermek Tursunov
Kyrgyztan: Сутак Sutak (Heavenly Nomadic), Mirlan Abdykalykov
Malaysia: Lelaki Harapan Dunia ( Men Who Save the World), Seng Tat Liew
Montenegro: Ti mene nosiš (You Carry Me), Ivona Juka
Morocco: Zin Li Fik (Much Loved), Nabil Ayouch
Netherlands: The Paradise Suite, Joost van Ginkel
Norway: Bølgen (The Wave), Roar Uthaug
Philippines: Heneral Luna, Jerrold Tarog
Poland: 11 Minut (11 Minutes), Jerzy Skolimowski
Russia: Chaiki (The Gulls), Ella Manzheeva
South Africa: Thina Sobabili (The Two of Us), Ernest Nkosi
South Korea: 사도 Sado (The Throne), Lee Joon-ik
Syria: Four O'clock at Paradise, Mohamad Abdulaziz
Thailand: พี่ชาย My Hero (How to Win At Checkers (Every Time)), Josh Kim

Of these, five (5) nominees will be announced on December 10, 2015. One will win the award on January 10, 2016. If you wish to read announcement at the official site go here. Can't deny my most pleasant surprise when I learned way back that Ricky Gervais is back!!! Gee, I really enjoy his dry/black humor.

41th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards Winners

Sunday afternoon is becoming crowded with film critics and independent cinema announcing their winners. One of the film critics major groups, LAFCA, is currently in the process of voting to select their winners that usually takes quite a long time to reach the Best Picture category, so while waiting I'm keeping in draft this post.

Perhaps the most surprising news is a tweet by an Angelino film critic mentioning that Jennifer Lawrence in Joy got NO votes at all!  Think is time to remind everyone that Academy members are NOT film critics, so maybe she will pop-up later on in the race after many watch Joy as not many have seen film that will premiere on December 25.

The so-called "most powerful" group of American critics has spoken ...

The Winners

Best Picture: Spotlight
Runner-up: Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Animation: Anomalisa
Runner-up: Inside Out

Documentary/nonfiction film: Amy
Runner-up:  The Look of Silence

Foreign-language film: Son of Saul
Runner-up: The Tribe

Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Todd Haynes for Carol

Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Runner-up: Saorise Ronan in Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actress: Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina
Runner-up: Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria

Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Runner-up: Géza Röhrig in Son of Saul

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon in 99 Homes
Runner-up: Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies

Best Screenplay: Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Runner-up: Charlie Kaufman for Anomalisa

Best Cinematography: John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Edward Lachman for Carol

Best Production Design: Colin Gibson for Mad Max: Fury Road
Runner-up: Judy Becker for Carol

Best Film Editing: Hank Corwin for The Big Short
Runner-up: Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road

Best Music Score: Carter Burwell for Anomalisa and Carol
Runner-up: Ennio Morricone for The Hateful Eight

New Generation: Ryan Coogler for Creed
Career Achievement: Anne V. Coates

To check winners at the official site go here.

2015 British Independent Film Awards Winners

The awards ceremony is currently live streamed and you can watch it here! Winners are being updated as announced.

Have to admit that this year I'm very pleased with the results of 2015 BIFA as I was simply mesmerized with Ex Machina, the film that became the big winner of the evening as won the top award but also won Best Director, Best Screenplay and Outstanding Achievement in Craft.  Unfortunately there was no award for magnificent Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina but then she was NOT nominated (LOL).

Awards ceremony was entertaining and wonder if video was recorded; will check later if video works, but will be moved to end of post.

Winners are in *BLUE. To check winners at the official site go here.

Best British Independent Film
45 Years
Amy
*Ex Machina
The Lobster
Macbeth

Producer of the Year
45 Years
Amy
*Kajaki: The True Story
The Lobster
The Violators

Best International Independent Film
Carol, Todd Haynes
Force Majeure, Ruben Östlund
Girlhood, Céline Sciamma
*Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Son of Saul, László Nemes

Best Documentary
A Syrian Love Story, Sean McAllister
Amy, Asif Kapadia
*Dark Horse: The Incredible True Story of Dream Alliance, Louise Osmond
How to Change the World, Jerry Rothwell
Palio, Cosima Spender

The Discovery Award
Aaaaaaaah!, Steve Oram
Burn Burn Burn, Chanya Button
*Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, Jeanie Finlay
The Return, Oliver Nias
Winter, Heidi Greensmith

Best Director
Andrew Haigh for 45 Years
*Alex Garland for Ex Machina
Asif Kapadia for Amy
Justin Kurzel for Macbeth
Yorgos Lanthimos for The Lobster

The Douglas Hickox Award for Debut Director
Chris Blaine and Ben Blaine for Nina Forever
*Stephen Fingleton for The Survivalist
Corin Hardy for The Hallow
Paul Katis for Kajaki: The True Story
John Maclean for Slow West

Best Screenplay
*Alex Garland for Ex Machina
Andrew Haigh for 45 Years
Nick Hornby for Brooklyn
Amy Jump for High-Rise
Yorgos Lanthimos and Efthymis Filippou for The Lobster

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard in Macbeth
Carey Mulligan in Suffragette
Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
*Saorise Ronan in Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter in Suffragette
*Olivia Colman in The Lobster
Anne Marie Duff in Suffragette
Sienna Miller in High-Rise
Julie Walters in Brooklyn

Best Actor
Tom Courtney in 45 Years
Michael Fassbender in Macbeth
Colin Farrell in The Lobster
*Tom Hardy in Legend
Tom Hiddleston in High-Rise

Best Supporting Actor
Luke Evans in High-Rise
*Brendan Gleeson in Suffragette
Domhnall Gleeson in Brooklyn
Sean Harris in Macbeth
Ben Whishaw in The Lobster

Most Promising Newcomer
Agyness Deyn in Sunset Song
Mia Goth in The Survivalist
*Abigail Hardingham in Nina Forever
Milo Parker in Mr Holmes
Bel Powley in A Royal Night Out

Outstanding Achievement in Craft
Casting - Fiona Weir for Brooklyn
Cinematography - Adam Arkapaw for Macbeth
Editing - Chris King for Amy
Production Design - Mark Digby for Ex Machina
*VFX - Andrew Whitehurst for Ex Machina

Best British Short
Balcony, Toby Fell-Holden
Crack, Peter King
*Edmond, Nina Gantz
Love is Blind, Dan Hodgson
MANoMAN, Simon Cartwright

As we know Kate Winslet got the The Variety Award and Chiwetel Ejiofor The Richard Harris Award. The Special Jury Prize went to Chris Collins.

---///---
11/3/15
Today Gemma Chan and Thomas Brodie-Sangster announced the nominations for this year's edition of the BIFA's and there are a total of twenty-eight (28) different British feature films nominated. Laurence Green, chairman of the BIFA Board, said, “BIFA’s committed voters watched over 260 films this year – more than ever. After thousands of hours of viewing, nearly 30 jury meetings and two rounds of voting, their nominations cover a breathtaking range of British films and filmmaking talent. With the support of the BFI, BIFA is delighted to be making it possible for the public to see these films before the winners are announced, bringing them to cinemas right across the UK and so giving audiences the chance to discover the very best of British film for themselves.”

The Lobster leads with 7 nominations closely followed by 45 Years and Macbeth with 6 nominations each; with 5 each Amy, Brooklyn and Ex Machina, and with 4 each High-Rise and Suffragette. There are five first-time performance nominees this year (Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Tom Hiddleston, Marion Cotillard and Luke Evans) and nine past winners: Tom Hardy, Brendan Gleeson Anne-Marie Duff, Olivia Colman, Michael Fassbender, Helena Bonham Carter, Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw, who was BIFA’s Most Promising Newcomer in 2001.

Have no doubt when I say that this year is a great year for Cinema as we are starting to see with the first nominations in the 2015-2016 Awards season some truly outstanding films; but for British Cinema 2015 was out-of-the-ordinary and the following nominations tell that most of the greatest British films come from the Independent side of the industry. Just take a look at the great films that are honored with a BIFA nomination and perhaps you'll agree.  Then the Best Actress category is an example of great young and not so-young contemporary actresses; some of you can imagine how glad I'm to see BIFA honoring Marion Cotillard, Alicia Vikander, Carey Mulligan, Charlotte Rampling and Saorise Ronan as the first three are some of my very favorite actresses.

The most noticeable snub is The Danish Girl in all categories except  Best Actress where Alicia Vikander has the only nomination for the film. I just hope Oscars notices that Vikander has a Lead and not a Supporting role in film, but I know that Oscars Best Actress category is crowded this year, sigh.

As previously announced, the Variety Award, which recognizes a director, actor, writer or producer who has made a global impact and helped to focus the international spotlight on the UK, will be presented to Kate Winslet. To read about each film go here and use the Learn More link in each category.

The winners will be announced at The Moët British Independent Film Awards on Sunday 6 December at Old Billingsgate. The event will be live streamed on www.bifa.film.

2015 New York Film Critics Circle Award Winners

Truly wish that what every one says, the NYFCC awards winners predicting the Oscars, could be true this one time as the so-called "harbingers of the Oscar nominations" group gave us some very interesting possibilities including Carol sweeping away most categories and Kristen Stewart winning the Best Supporting Actress for her role in Olivier Assayas' Clouds of Sils Maria.

Unfortunately we know that what critics say is NOT necessarily what Academics say; still what these winners can tell is that the American awards season is just starting and there is much to say, perhaps more than what many anticipated.

No doubt that I'm extremely happy with Carol winning so many awards as I wish this movie could do more than what Brokeback Mountain did a few years back; there are some of us that still are waiting for the lesbian Brokeback Mountain and believe Carol should be the one. Also very please that some still recall Kristen Stewart great performance in Clouds of Sils Maria, a performance that gave her a 2015 Cesar.

These are the award winners listed at the group official site.

Best Feature Film: Carol

Best Director: Todd Haynes for Carol

Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Supporting Actress: Kristen Stewart in Clouds of Sils Maria

Best Actor: Michael Keaton in Spotlight
Best Supporting Actor: Mark Rylance in Bridge of Spies

Best Cinematography: Edward Lachman for Carol
Best Screenplay: Carol

Best First Feature: Laszlo Nemes for Son of Saul
Best Nonfiction Film (documentary): In Jackson Heights
Best Animated Film: Inside Out
Best Foreign Language Film: Timbuktu

Special Award: William Becker and Janus Films
Special Award: Ennio Morricone

To check the list at the official site go here.

I'm in the mood to share with you some info that tells why Carol is a true feast to the eyes.  Just a few days ago Ed Lachman was awarded the Golden Frog, the top award at Poland's Camerimage Film Festival, which is devoted to the art of cinematography.  The jury declared it a film of "aristocratic grace and elegance", noting its "delicate and precise exploration of emotion through color and light".  They added, "It seamlessly evokes the period by paying homage to the great photography of the time".

Indeed the last sentence is clearly seen when we see Ruth Orkin photography of Geraldine Dent at the Vegetable Market and compare side by side with stills of Cate Blanchett in Carol.  Also see Esther Bubley's Girl Sitting Alone in the Sea Grill and Cate Blanchet in the dinette.  Know there are many more examples but hope that now many will understand how great is the cinematography in Carol.

88th Academy Awards Documentary Feature Shortlist

Yesterday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that fifteen (15) films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for #Oscars2016. One hundred twenty-four (124) 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 Shortlist

Amy, Asif Kapadia, UK and USA
Best of Enemies, Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville, USA
Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman, Mexico and USA
Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, Alex Gibney, USA
He Named Me Malala, Davis Guggenheim, UAE and USA
Heart of a Dog, Laurie Anderson, USA and France
The Hunting Ground, Kirby Dick, USA
Listen to Me Marlon, Stevan Riley, UK
The Look of Silence, Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark, Indonesia, Finland, Norway, UK, Israel, France, USA and Germany
Meru, Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, India and USA
3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, Marc Silver, USA
We Come as Friends, Hubert Sauper,  France and Austria
What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus, USA
Where to Invade Next, Michael Moore, USA
Winter on Fire: Ukraine Fight for Freedom, Evgeny Afineevsky, UK, USA and Ukraine

Have seen a few and believe Amy and The Look of Silence are the most shocking to watch for very different reasons but one common one: how film explodes your emotions as you the viewer are part of the story. Most interested in watching the life story of Nina Simone, was not aware of doc that is available at Netflix, great. Still grieving the absence of The Wolfpack, sigh.

The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.

The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT

2015 National Board of Review Award Winners

A few minutes ago the NBR announce their award winners and can't deny my very positive surprise that the group selected as their Best Film none other than the winner of the FIPRESCI Film of the Year award, Mad Max: Fury Road.

In general got the impression that their winners are surprisingly very mainstream cinema and yes, even NBR's president admits it in the following statement.

NBR President Annie Schulhof said, “2015 has been a banner year for popular cinema. We are thrilled to be awarding George Miller and Ridley Scott, two iconic filmmakers at the top of their game, while also celebrating the next generation of talent.”

These are the winners.

Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller



Best Director: Ridley Scott for The Martian
Best Directorial Debut: Jonas Carpignano for Mediterranea

Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Jason Leigh in The Hateful Eight
Best Actor: Matt Damon in The Martian
Best Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone in Creed
Best Ensemble: The Big Short
Breakthrough Performance: (tie)
Abraham Attah in Beasts of No Nation
Jacob Tremblay in Room

Best Original Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino for The Hateful Eight
Best Adapted Screenplay: Drew Goddard for The Martian

Best Animated Feature: Inside Out
Best Foreign Language Film: Saul Fia (Son of Saul), László Nemes
Best Documentary: Amy, Asif Kapadia

William K. Everson Film History Award: Cecilia De Mille Presley (yes, granddaughter of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille)
Spotlight Award: Sicario for Outstanding Collaborative Vision
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Beasts of No Nation, Cary Joji Fukunaga
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Top Films
Bridge of Spies
Creed
The Hateful Eight
Inside Out
Spotlight
The Martian
Room
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton

Top 5 Foreign Language Films
Goodnight Mommy
Mediterranea
Phoenix
The Second Mother
The Tribe

Top 5 Documentaries
Best of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
The Diplomat
Listen to Me Marlon
The Look of Silence

Top 10 Independent Films
’71
45 Years
Cop Car
Ex Machina
Grandma
It Follows
James White
Mississippi Grind
Welcome to Me
While We’re Young

The National Board of Review honors diverse members of the film community at their annual Awards Gala, which also acts as a fundraiser for student grant philanthropy. Hosted by Willie Geist, this year’s gala will take place on January 5, 2016 at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

2015 Film Critics' Awards

As really enjoy when I guess right almost all Oscar winners and knowing that guessing is done best by following awards buzz and not considering how good movies are, then this year have to do again the critics' post and today is a good day to start post that will be a work in progress until the last group announces their winner which will happen in early February 2016.


Most critics' groups are American but you will also find groups from Canada, Ireland and UK. This year will include for again the FIPRESCI Grand Prix, an award that is voted by 553 film critics from all over the world.

As in previous years' posts will publish link to read all winners and will list winners in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Documentary. Before the list, and to have ALL critics in one post, is the summary for the major film critics' groups (each has an individual post in blog).

This year decide to include estimate dates for each group announcement in the 2015/2016 Key Dates Calendar. Most dates come from official site announcements while some are tentative from industry sources.

Major Critics' Groups

FIPRESCI
2015 Grand Prix: Mad Max: Fury Road

Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Post Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

Critics' Choice Movie Awards (BFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Post Official Site
Winners: Post Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Golden Globe Awards (HFPA)
Official Site
Nominations: Post Official Site
Winners: Post Official Site
Best Film: The Revenant
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: N/A

International Press Academy (Satellite Awards) (IPA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site Post
Winners:  Official Site Post
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

National Board of Review (NBR)
Official Site
Winners: Post Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: Ridley Scott for The Martian
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Matt Damon in The Martian
Best Documentary: Amy

New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC)
Official Site
Winners: Post Official Site
Best Film: Carol
Best Director: Todd Haynes for Carol
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Michael Keaton in Spotlight
Best Documentary: In Jackson Heights

The List

African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Press Article
Best Film: Straight Outta Compton
Best Director: Ryan Coogler for Creed
Best Actress: Teyonah Parris in Chi-Raq
Best Actor: Will Smith in Concussion
Best Documentary: A Ballerina's Tale

Alliance of Women Film Journalists (EDA Awards) (AWFJ)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Award Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio for The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC)
Official Site
Winners: News
Best Film: Creed
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan in Creed
Best Documentary: What Happened, Miss Simone?

Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Todd Haynes for Carol
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: (tie) Paul Dano in Love & Mercy and Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary:  Amy

Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Saorise Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan in Creed
Best Documentary: Amy

Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: News Twitter
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Picture: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS1)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site News
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS2)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Saroise Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Michael Caine in Youth
Best Documentary: Amy

Dublin Film Critics Circle (DFCC) - Due to results will not add to tally
Winners: News
Best Film: Inside Out
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for Birdman
Best Actress: Julianne Moore in Still Alice
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Queen of Ireland

Filmcomment Film Society of Lincoln Center (FFSLC)
Best films of 2015 Official Site
Best Film: Carol

Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Paul Dano in Love & Mercy
Best Documentary: Amy

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (Dorian Awards) (GALECA)
Official Site
Nominations: News
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Carol
Best Director: Todd Haynes for Carol
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Carol
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

The Guardian UK Top 10 films (TG)
Official Site Article
Best Film: 45 Years

The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: News
Winners: News
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

Indiana Film Journalist Association (IFJA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Jacob Tremblay in Room
Best Documentary: Amy

Indiewire Annual Critics Survey (IW)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA)
Winners: News
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: News
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Las Vegas Film Critics Society (LVFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Going Clear - Scientology and the Prison of Belief

London Film Critics Circle (LFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Twitter News Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Tom Courtenay in 45 Years
Best Documentary: Amy

National Society of Film Critics (NSFC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Todd Hayes for Carol
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan in Creed
Best Documentary: Amy

Nevada Film Critics Society (NFCS)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site (Not yet updated, but will be eventually) Twitter
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Paul Dano in Love & Mercy
Best Documentary: Amy

North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: The Martian
Best Director: Ridley Scott for The Martian
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC)
Facebook
Winners: facebook News
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Online Film Critics Society (OFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Carol Blanchett in Carol
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site News
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Ridley Scott for The Martian
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: He Named Me Malala

St. Louis Film Critics Association (SLFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Twitter
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: Tom McCarthy for Spotlight
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Cartel Land

San Francisco Film Critics Circle (SFFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Facebook
Winners: Facebook
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller in Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Paul Dano in Love & Mercy
Best Documentary: Listen to Me Marlon

Seattle Film Critics Survey (SFCS)
Winners: News
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Nina Hoss in Phoenix
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Sight&Sound Film Magazine (168 International Critics) (S&S)
Article in magazine: Official Site
Number 1 Film: The Assassin

Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA)
Awards Site
Winners: News
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Bryan Cranston in Trumbo
Best Documentary: Amy

Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site News
Best Film: Carol
Best Director: Todd Haynes for Caron
Best Actress: Nina Hoss in Phoenix
Best Actor: Tom Hardy in Legend
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA)
Winners: News
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: The Hunting Ground

Vancouver Film Critics Circle (VFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room
Best Actor: Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs
Best Documentary: Amy

Variety Film Critics Poll (VFCP)
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Carol

The Village Voice Critics Poll (TVVC)
Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years
Best Actor: Géza Röhrig in Son of Saul
Best Documentary: The Look of Silence

The Washington DC Area Film Critics (WAFCA)
Official Site
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site Twitter
Best Film: Spotlight
Best Director: George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road
Best Actress: Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn
Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant
Best Documentary: Amy

Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC)
Official Site
Nominations: Blog Post
Winners: Official Site
Best Film (about women): Suffragette
Best Director: n/a
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan in Suffragette
Best Actor: Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl
Best Documentary: Amy

Tally

The following is a summary with winners in the five main categories. Tally will be update when each group makes their announcement.

Best Film
25 - Spotlight (BSFC, NYFCO, LAFCA, WAFCA, SFFCC, IFJA, DFCS2, SEFCA, DFWFCA, LVFCS, PCC, SLFCA, NFCS, VFCC, PFCS. NSFC, NCFCA, OFCC, COFCA, HFCS, DFCS1, AWFJ, IFCA, BFCA, IPA)
15 - Mad Max: Fury Road (FIPRESCI, NBR, BOFCA, OFCS, IW, SDFCS, TVVC, CFCA, KCFCC, UFCA, FFCC, AFCA, GFCA, LFCC, SFCS)
5 - Carol (NYFCC, TFCA, FFSLC, VFCP, GALECA)
1 - The Assassin (S&S)
1 - Straight Outta Compton (AAFCA)
1 - Suffragette (WFCC)
1 - 45 Years (TG)
1 - Creed (BFCC)
1 - The Martian (NTFCA)
1 - The Revenant (HFPA)

Best Director
26 - George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road (BOFCA, LAFCA, WAFCA, OFCS, SFFCC, IFJA, DFCS2, SEFCA, IW, SDFCS, TVVC, CFCA, PCC, KCFCC, VFCC, UFCA, BFCC, FFCC, AFCA, NCFCA, OFCC, GFCA,DFCS1, LFCC, SFCS, BFCA)
7 - Tom McCarthy for Spotlight (NYFCO, LVFCS, SLFCA, COFCA, AWJF, IFCA, IPA)
5 - Todd Haynes for Carol (NYFCC, BSFC. TFCA, NFSC, GALECA)
4 - Alejandro González Iñárritu for The Revenant (DFWFCA, NFCS, HFCS, HFPA)
3 - Ridley Scott for The Martian (NBR, PFCS, NTFCA)
1 - Ryan Coogler for Creed (AAFCA)

Best Actress
26 - Brie Larson in Room (NBR, NYFCO, IFJA, SEFCA, DFWFCA, SDFCS, CFCA, LVFCS, PCC, SLFCA, NFCS, VFCC, UFCA, BFCC, PFCS, FFCC, AFCA, OFCC, NTFCA, COFCA, GFCA, HFCS, HFPA, DFCS1, IFCA, BFCA)
7 - Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years (BSFC, LAFCA, IW, TVVC, NSFC, AWFJ, LFCC)
7 - Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn (NYFCC, BOFCA, WAFCA, SFFCC, DFCS2, NCFCA, IPA)
2 - Cate Blanchett in Carol (OFCS, GALECA)
2 - Nina Hoss in Phoenix (TFCA, SFCS)
1 - Teyonah Parris in Chi-Raq (AAFCA)
1 - Carrey Mulligan in Suffragette (WFCC)
1 - Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road (KCFCC)

Best Actor
22 - Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant (BSFC, WAFCA, DFWFCA, SDFCS, CFCA, LVFCS, KCFCC, SLFCA, NFCS, UFCA, PFCS, OFCC, NTFCA, COFCA, GFCA, HFPA, DFCS1, AWFJ, SFCS, BFCA, GALECA, IPA)
9 - Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs (LAFCA. OFCS, IW, PCC, VFCC, AFCA, NCFCA, HFCS, IFCA)
4 - Paul Dano in Love & Mercy (BSFC, NYFCO, SFFCC, FCCC)
3 - Michael B. Jordan in Creed (BOFCA, BFCC, NSFC)
1 - Matt Damon in The Martian (NBR)
1 - Michael Keaton in Spotlight (NYFCC)
1 - Will Smith in Concussion (AAFCA)
1 - Tom Hardy in Legend (TFCA)
1 - Jacob Tremblay in Room (IFJA)
1 - Michael Caine in Youth (DFCS2)
1 - Bryan Cranston in Trumbo (SEFCA)
1 - Géza Röhrig in Son of Saul (TVVC)
1 - Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl (WFCC)
1 - Tom Courtenay in 45 Years (LFCC)

Best Documentary
29 - Amy (NBR, BOFCA, BSFC, LAFCA, NYFCO, WAFCA, IFJA, DFCS2, SEFCA, DFWFCA, CFCA, WFCC, PCC, KCFCC, SLFCA, NFCS, VFCC, FFCC, NSFC, NCFCA, OFCC, NTFCA, GFCA, HFCS, AWFJ, IFCA, LFCC, BFCA, GALECA)
9 - The Look of Silence (TFCA, OFCS, IW, TVVC, AFCA, COFCA, DFCS1, SFCS, IPA )
1 - In Jackson Heights (NYFCC)
1 - A Ballerina's Tale (AAFCA)
1 - Listen to Me Marlon (SFFCC)
1 - Cartel Land (SDFCS)
1 - Going Clear - Scientology and the Prison of Belief (LVFCS)
1 - The Hunting Ground (UFCA)
1 - What Happened, Miss Simone? (BFCC)
1 - He Named Me Malala (PFCS)