VENICE, Italy — The 82nd Venice Film Festival is coming to a close Saturday as its juries make final choices for the awards. The prizes, including nods for acting, directing and best picture, called the Golden Lion, will be handed out during an evening ceremony.
This year’s competition lineup included many possible Oscar heavyweights. Kathryn Bigelow set off a warning shot about nuclear weapons and the apparatus of decision-making with her urgent, and distressingly realistic, thriller “A House of Dynamite.”
Guillermo del Toro unveiled his “Frankenstein,” a sumptuously gothic interpretation of the Mary Shelley classic, with Oscar Isaac portraying Victor Frankenstein as a romantic madman and Jacob Elodri, naive and raw, as the monster.
Park Chan-wook delighted with his darkly comedic “No Other Choice,” a satire about the desperation of white-collar workers competing for jobs.
Dwayne Johnson took a serious turn as a fighter grappling with addiction to painkillers and winner in the MMA/UFC sports drama “The Smashing Machine,” while Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons are strange and fierce as kidnapped and kidnapper in Yorgos Lanthimos’s provocative “Bugonia.”
George Clooney and Adam Sandler moved audiences as an aging movie star and his devoted manager on a soul-searching journey through Europe in “Jay Kelly,” a ruthlessly truthful love letter to Hollywood, in all its ridiculousness and beauty.
Jude Law furrowed his brows as Vladimir Putin in “The Wizard of the Kremlin” and Amanda Seyfried put a human, feminist, face to the religious sect the shakers in “The Testament of Ann Lee.”
Julia Roberts also flexed her acting muscles as a Yale philosophy professor in the midst of a misconduct accusation against a colleague in “After the Hunt,” but neither she nor her castmates Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri and director, Luca Guadagnino, are eligible for Venice prizes. The film debuted out of competition.
Far from Hollywood, Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, had a late-festival smash with “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” about the 6-year-old girl killed in Gaza, which reportedly got a 22-minute standing ovation. The film is a shattering document of the Israel-Hamas war, set entirely inside the dispatch center of the Palestine Red Crescent Society rescue service. It uses the real audio of Hind’s call, while actors portray the first responders.
“Nebraska” filmmaker Alexander Payne presided over the main competition jury, which included Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, French director Stéphane Brizé, Italian director Maura Delpero, Chinese actor Zhao Tao and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu.
Both Lanthimos and del Toro have won the Golden Lion before, for “Poor Things” and “The Shape of Water,” respectively. Those films also went on to win top Oscars, including best actress for Stone in “Poor Things,” and best picture and director for del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.”
Since 2014, the Venice Film Festival has hosted four best picture winners, including “The Shape of Water,” “Birdman,” “Spotlight” and “Nomadland.” Last year, they had several eventual Oscar-winning films in the lineup, including Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which won three including best actor for Adrien Brody, Walter Salles’ best international feature winner “I’m Still Here,” and the animated short “In the Shadow of the Cypress.”
The previous Golden Lion winner, Pedro Almodóvar’s English-language debut “The Room Next Door,” a smash at Venice with an 18-minute standing ovation, received no Oscar nominations.
Dwayne Johnson takes a serious turn as UFC fighter Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine,” which has its world premiere Monday at the Venice Film Festival.
Reviews aren’t out yet, but the actor is already sparking Oscar buzz for his transformation in the film from Benny Safdie. The festival has launched several recent best actor Oscar winners, from Brendan Fraser in “The Whale” to Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist.” Like both of those films, “The Smashing Machine” is being released by A24.
Venice’s artistic director Alberto Barbera said he wouldn’t be surprised to see Johnson, who he called “absolutely amazing” in the film, and Emily Blunt, who plays Kerr’s wife, among the Oscar nominees next year.
“When I saw the first images in last January, I thought it could be a good out of competition contender,” Barbera told The Associated Press earlier this week. “But then when I saw the film, I realized that it’s a great movie.”
Kerr is a two-time UFC heavyweight tournament winner and MMA fighter who retired in 2009. Known as “The Smashing Machine,” Kerr also struggled with addition to painkillers and opioids, overdosing twice.
Before Johnson was best known as the star of franchises like “Jumanji” and the “Fast & Furious” series, as well as a producer and business owner, he made his name in wrestling. A third-generation wrestler, he won eight WWE championships.
Safdie is an actor, who recently appeared in “Oppenheimer” and “Happy Gilmore 2,” and filmmaker who, along with his brother Josh, codirected “Uncut Gems.”
In his director’s statement for “The Smashing Machine,” Safdie called the title, “a perfect onomatopoeia for something visual, conjuring images of domination and destruction with ease.”
He added, “Dwayne, Emily and I kept thought ‘what is it like to really be Mark Kerr, what is it like to really be Dawn Staples?’ We wanted to empathize with these characters in a way that felt like our own feelings… I wanted this movie to exist as a memory for everyone who watches it.”
The film is playing in the main competition, with titles like “Frankenstein,”“Bugonia,” “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” “La Grazia ” and “No Other Choice” also vying for the top prizes, including acting and directing awards. Winners will be announced on Sept. 6.
“The Smashing Machine” will open in North American theaters on Oct. 3.
VENICE, Italy — Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars are heading to Venice, Italy, for the 82nd edition of the Venice Film Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday.
Here’s a rundown of everything you need to know about the festival, the Oscar buzz and who’s going.
It’s one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world, second only to Cannes, and technically the oldest. Venice is also a reliably starry affair, gathering some of the best films in international cinema and often factoring into the Oscars race.
The film festival was established in 1932, then a non-competitive event, by the La Biennale di Venezia, hosting films like “Grand Hotel” and “It Happened One Night.” By 1935, they decided to make it an annual event. Suspicions that the festival was succumbing to fascist influences actually led to the establishment of the Cannes Film Festival, as an alternative, after the 1938 edition.
The Golden Lion award as we know it today wouldn’t be introduced until 1949 (“Rashômon” won in 1951). Other winners throughout history include “Belle de jour” (1967), “Au revoir les enfants” (1987), “Brokeback Mountain” (2005), “Somewhere” (2010), “Poor Things” (2023) and, last year, “The Room Next Door.”
The festival kicks off on Wednesday and runs through Sept. 6, when the awards will be announced. The opening night film is Paolo Sorrentino’s “La Grazia.”
Julia Roberts, George Clooney, Emma Stone, Dwayne Johnson, Adam Sandler and Idris Elba are among the stars expected to grace the red carpets this year. It’ll be the first time at the festival for both Roberts, starring in the #MeToo-themed drama “After the Hunt,” and Johnson, who transformed for his role as MMA fighter Mark Kerr in “The Smashing Machine.”
Other stars in the lineup include Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, Jesse Plemons, Cate Blanchett, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri, Bill Skarsgård, Colman Domingo, Amanda Seyfried, Callum Turner and Jude Law. Lifetime achievement award recipients this year include “Vertigo” star Kim Novak and filmmaker Werner Herzog.
After taking a year off, Netflix, still on the hunt for a best picture win, is back in full force with three major films in the main competition: Guillermo Del Toro’s “Frankenstein,” Kathryn Bigelow’s political thriller “A House of Dynamite,” and Noah Baumbach’s comedic drama “Jay Kelly.” Also in competition are: Kaouther ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab”; Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Bugonia,” with Emma Stone; Benny Safdie’s “The Smashing Machine”; Jim Jarmusch’s anthology film “Father Mother Sister Brother”; Mona Fastvold’s musical about the Shakers, “The Testament of Ann Lee”; Park Chan-wook’s “No Other Choice”; and Olivier Assayas’s “The Wizard of the Kremlin.”
The buzz is strong for several out-of-competition films too, like Luca Guadagnino’s “After the Hunt,” Gus Van Sant’s “Dead Man’s Wire,” Julian Schnabel’s “In the Hand of Dante” and Sofia Coppola’s Marc Jacobs documentary “Marc by Sofia.”
Festival director Alberto Barbera thinks Venice’s place in the Oscar race was solidified in 2012, when they hosted the premiere of “Gravity,” which went on to win a leading seven Oscars that March and established Venice as a place to launch a campaign. It’s only intensified as the membership of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has gotten more international. Since 2014, they’ve hosted four best picture winners (“Birdman,” “Spotlight,” “The Shape of Water” and “Nomadland”).
Last year, the festival had several eventual Oscar-winning films in the lineup, including Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist,” which won three including best actor for Adrien Brody, Walter Salles’ best international feature winner “I’m Still Here,” and the animated short “In the Shadow of the Cypress.”
When people think of Venice, they usually think of landmarks like the Rialto bridge and St. Mark’s Square. The festival actually takes place on a different island, a nearly 7-mile (11-kilometer) barrier island called the Lido, which is about a 20-minute ferry (vaporetto) ride away.
A military outpost in the 12th century, it transformed into a seaside resort, a favorite of European aristocrats, by the end of the 19th.
On the Lido, the only five-star hotel is the Hotel Excelsior, which dates back to 1908 and is where Quentin Tarantino has stayed. But rooms go quickly, and there are so many luxury hotels on the different islands that offer a bit more privacy, away from the frenzy of the festival and photographers.
Perhaps the most famous of the bunch is the Belmond Hotel Cipriani, on Giudecca, home of one of Clooney’s favorite bars. There’s the Hotel Danieli, which has been featured in films like “Moonraker” and “Casino Royale,” and regularly hosts kickoff parties for the festival. Another favorite is the Gritti Palace, where everyone from Brad Pitt to Elizabeth Taylor has stayed. There’s also a St. Regis and the Aman Venice, where George and Amal Clooney were married.
The scattered hotels are also the reason you see so many celebrities photographed on the Excelsior docks: They arrive to the festival, including press conferences and premieres, by private water taxi. Sometimes, they’re transported a very short distance from the Excelsior to the red carpet in cars. Unlike the main island of Venice, vehicles are allowed on the Lido, including buses and private cars. But many festivalgoers prefer to rent a bike to get around.
“Nebraska” filmmaker Alexander Payne is presiding over the main competition jury, which includes Brazilian actor Fernanda Torres, Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, French director Stéphane Brizé, Italian director Maura Delpero, Chinese actor Zhao Tao and Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. The award winners will be announced on Sept. 6.
“Don’t speak!” Dianne Wiest is unstoppable as the actress Helen Sinclair, one of the all-time great “diva” roles in Woody Allen’s zany gangland comedy Bullets Over Broadway. (This was one of the few Allen films in which he had a cowriter; in this case, it was the humor columnist, playwright, director, and actor Doug McGrath.) With this win, Wiest became just the second woman to win two best-supporting-actress Academy Awards, tying Shelley Winters for the honor.
Anna Paquin — 1994 The Piano (1993)
Just 11 years old when she won (but still not the youngest winner in this category!), Anna Paquin bolted out of her seat in a fetchingpurple hat when Gene Hackman read her name at the Oscar ceremony. Adorable! Then she stood behind the podium in a state of shock, half-giggling, half-hyperventilating. It’s a great moment! Then a little Hollywood kicked in and she started thanking people. If you can believe it, Jane Campion was only the second woman ever to be nominated in the best-director category.
Marisa Tomei — 1993 My Cousin Vinny (1992)
A great performance, a great film, a great and righteous win. We’re saying that because, back in the day, there were some who felt Marisa Tomei’s comedic turn in the admittedly light My Cousin Vinny was some kind of blight on the Oscars. It even spun into a conspiracy theory that the announcement of her name was some kind of accident. Tomei was also a former soaps and sitcom star up against three heavyweight Brits (Joan Plowright, Vanessa Redgrave, and Miranda Richardson), as well as Australian Judy Davis in Woody Allen’s Husbands and Wives. But time has washed all that away—and Tomei has had two more nominations since.
Mercedes Ruehl — 1992 The Fisher King (1991)
Mercedes Ruehl is probably a bigger name to Broadway aficionados than movie lovers, but her turn in Terry Gilliam’s outstanding fantasy-drama The Fisher King was absolutely the right choice for the best-supporting-actress prize this year. She is marvelous as the hard-working video store owner who helps get Jeff Bridges back on his feet after he abandons his career as a talk radio host who inadvertently inspires a killing spree. (Today, someone like that would just say, “Hit like and subscribe!”)
Whoopi Goldberg — 1991 Ghost (1990)
The second Black woman to win in this category (after a 51-year gap), Whoopi Goldberg, who would later host the Oscars four times, was hilarious and touching in the part of the medium Oda Mae Brown in the blockbuster sensation Ghost. As it happened, she was handed her Oscar by Denzel Washington, who had become the second Black man to win the best-supporting-actor prize the year before. Whoopi’s win also added her name to the list of Star Trek alumni who have won an Oscar.
Brenda Fricker — 1990 My Left Foot (1989)
Somehow, Brenda Fricker is the only Irish woman to win an Oscar for either supporting or lead actress. This doesn’t seem right, considering Irish contributions to film arts, but it’s the truth. (There have been wins for Irish women in other Oscar categories, so that’s something, until Saoirse Ronan eventually wins one for acting—she’s got four nominations already.) Accepting her award for My Left Foot (which also got Daniel Day-Lewis his first of three trophies), she thanked the real “Mrs. Brown” and said that “anybody who gives birth 22 times deserves one of these.”
Geena Davis — 1989 The Accidental Tourist (1988)
Perhaps a bit of an upset over Sigourney Weaver in Working Girl (her third nomination and third loss), Geena Davis won the best-supporting-actress prize for her role as the zany dog trainer who teaches William Hurt how to embrace life after tragedy in Lawrence Kasdan’s terrific comic drama. Oscar producers were probably rooting for Weaver, too, as her costar Melanie Griffith (and then husband Don Johnson) were the presenters for this category.
Olympia Dukakis — 1988 Moonstruck (1987)
This was one of three wins for Moonstruck, which also received a best-actress trophy for Cher and best original screenplay for John Patrick Shanley. (Alas, Vincent Gardenia had tough competition for best supporting actor opposite Sean Connery in The Untouchables. Olympia Dukakis was the obvious best-supporting-actress winner as Rose, head of the Castorini family in one of the all-time great romantic comedies. She concluded her acceptance speech by adding, “Okay, Michael, let’s go!”—a reference to her cousin Michael Dukakis, who was running for president at the time (and would lose by a considerable margin).
Dianne Wiest — 1987 Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
She may not have deserved Cole Porter, but she deserved this Oscar win. This was Dianne Wiest’s first of two best-supporting-actress Oscars, both of which came from appearing in Woody Allen films. Hannah and Her Sisters is such a sweeping view of New York City characters that she barely shares any screen time with her costar Michael Caine, who also won a best-supporting-actor award for this film. (Allen won best original screenplay, too, and was nominated for best director while the film was nominated for best picture.)
Anjelica Huston — 1986 Prizzi’s Honor (1985)
With this award, Anjelica Huston became the only person to win an Oscar in a film directed by their parent, in this case John Huston. (Nearly 40 years earlier, John Huston directed his father, Walter Huston, to an Oscar in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Not sure if this double record will ever be broken!) Prizzi’s Honor, an ahead-of-its-time mafia comedy, costarred Jack Nicholson and Kathleen Turner and has one of the most shocking endings in the history of movies.
Peggy Ashcroft — 1985 A Passage to India (1984)
“Mrs. Mooooooooore!” Sir David Lean’s final film was nominated for 11 Oscars, including best picture, but won only two: best score for Maurice Jarre (his third after Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago, all Lean films) and best supporting actress for Dame Peggy Ashcroft, who was 77 at the time of her win, making her the oldest winner in this category. Based on E.M. Forster’s novel, costarring Judy Davis, Victor Banerjee, James Fox, Alec Guinness, Roshan Seth, and others, the film is either progressive for its time or a reactionary ode to the days of the British Raj, depending on your point of view. All can agree, though, that Peggy Ashcroft’s performance as the kind British lady who prefers to travel in comfort is terrific.
Linda Hunt — 1984 The Year of Living Dangerously (1982)
An unusual award in the sense that Linda Hunt (a white woman from New Jersey) plays the part of Billy Kwan, a Chinese Australian man. This would likely not fly today, but 40 years ago it was seen as a brave—and even noble—casting choice. The film is beyond canceled, despite being a stern look at Indonesia’s attempted military coup and democratic struggles during the late 1960s.
Jessica Lange — 1983 Tootsie (1982)
This was one wild night for Jessica Lange at the Oscars. She won best supporting actress over her costar Teri Garr from Tootsie (tough choice!), but also over her costar Kim Stanley in the Frances Farmer biopic Frances. For a brief moment, it looked like Lange might be a double-winner, as she was nominated for best actress for Frances too—but that prize went to Meryl Streep for Sophie’s Choice. Anyhow, despite Tootsie’s 10 nominations (including best picture), this was its only win. That it lost best original screenplay to Gandhi (a terrific movie, sure) is a bit of a scandal.
Maureen Stapleton — 1982 Reds (1981)
A three-hour-plus movie about internecine squabbles between leftists sounds like more of an obligatory chore than a good time, but Warren Beatty’s exhilarating and juicy Reds is absolutely terrific. Part of that is due to Maureen Stapleton’s performance as the community’s den mother (inasmuch as anarchists can have den mothers) Emma Goldman. She had been nominated three times previously (first in 1958, for Lonelyhearts), and when she accepted her award, she said she was “thrilled, happy, delighted,” paused to add “sober,” then said she wanted to thank “everyone she ever met in her entire life.”
Mary Steenburgen — 1981 Melvin and Howard (1980)
Jonathan Demme’s breezy tall tale about Melvin Dummar, a drifter, gas station employee, game show contestant, and American dreamer who claimed that Howard Hughes bequeathed him his fortune, is one of the great movies of this era that doesn’t get enough attention. This shaggy indie included a juicy part for Mary Steenburgen as the put-upon wife trying to keep a family together in the face of a doofus husband.
Photo: Vulture; Photos: Sony Pictures Classics/Everett Collection, Apple TV+
Saoirse Ronan has grown up on the Oscars stage. The Irish actress earned her first Academy Award nomination at the age of 13 for Atonement. Since then she’s received three more, an enviable record for an actor who just turned 30 this year. While you mightn’t call her overdue, exactly, she’s certainly paid her dues. Given the Academy’s established affinity for her, it feels like only a matter of time before we see Ronan stride triumphantly to the Oscars stage.
All it takes is the right film and the right year, and as luck would have it, this fall brings two different Ronan projects in the awards conversation. In Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, Ronan stars as an alcoholic piecing her life back together on the remote Orkney Islands, while in Steve McQueen’s Blitz, she has a supporting role as a mother missing her lost son in World War II London. If we’re talking Oscar, which one is the better bet?
Let’s start with The Outrun, which opened in limited release last Friday. It’s a passion project for Ronan, who produced the film alongside husband Jack Lowden, and she’s been campaigning hard for it, working the late-night circuit and stepping up her step-and-repeat game. Reviews for the addiction drama have been positive if measured, but awards-wise, this intimate, interior film will only go as far as Ronan’s performance takes it. She’s in every scene, and frequently the only person in the frame. It’s a display more of presence than of range, though the subject matter does allow her space to throw off her usual gentility and go a little wild. (Speaking of, 2014’s Wild would not be a bad comp for this movie.)
Even by the standards of this up-in-the-air year, estimations of Ronan’s Best Actress chances are all over the map. This week, Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia told me he thinks she is going to win; on GoldDerby, pundits like Joyce Eng and Anne Thompson have her missing out on a nomination entirely. If she gets in for The Outrun, Ronan will almost certainly be her movie’s sole nominee. Still, that’s not always a dealbreaker, especially in Best Actress. Just ask Julianne Moore, who won her long-awaited trophy in 2015 for Still Alice. Both that film and The Outrun were released by Sony Pictures Classics, a distributor with a history of helping little films punch above their weight in the awards race. (Though SPC also has Pedro Almodóvar’s The Room Next Door, whose leads Moore and Tilda Swinton are both competing with Ronan for spots in Best Actress.)
The Outrun is one of the smaller films in this year’s race. Steve McQueen’s Blitz, which just debuted at the London Film Festival, is one of the biggest. It’s a World War II picaresque following one boy’s journey through a bomb-strewn hellscape to return home to his mum, played by Ronan. Though it’s a more down-the-middle effort than McQueen fans probably expected, Blitz’s pedigree, subject matter, and lavish production value should make it a contender all across the ballot.
In her first major maternal role, Ronan is sequestered in her own story line for much of the film, and early consensus among those I’ve spoken to is that her segments are a little less gripping. However, McQueen gives her plenty of awards-friendly notes to play. After the film’s New York Film Festival premiere on Thursday, one critic compared her part to prognosticator Allan Lichtman’s “13 Keys to the White House.” Call it the 13 Keys to an Oscar Nom: She’s got a musical number, a scene in which she witnesses racism, and multiple scenes of anguish over being separated from her son.
Supporting Actress is wide open this year, and with Blitz looking like a solid contender, there’s plenty of room for Ronan to sidle in. However, that race feels like it has a locked-in top two in Emilia Pérez’s Zoe Saldana and The Piano Lesson’s Danielle Deadwyler, both of whom are essentially co-leads of their films. Assuming Saldana, the current front-runner, stays in Supporting (Gregory Ellwood thinks voters could bump her up to lead), a true supporting player like Ronan will have a lot of ground to make up.
Best Actress, by contrast, is a harder category, but it’s also a more unsettled category, since the two apparent favorites, Anora’s Mikey Madison and Emilia Pérez’s Karla Sofía Gascón, are newcomers who each carry major question marks. The Academy has been trending away from career wins lately, but they still do happen. (See: Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye.) Could there be an opening here for a known quantity with an appealing narrative? There’s plenty left to be determined, but for now, here’s how I see it: If you’re betting Ronan to get nominated, go with Blitz; if you’re betting on the win, put your money on The Outrun.
Every week between now and January 17, when the nominations for the Academy Awards are announced, Vulture will consult its crystal ball to determine the changing fortunes in this year’s Oscars race. In our “Oscar Futures” column, we’ll let you in on insider gossip, parse brand-new developments, and track industry buzz to figure out who’s up, who’s down, and who’s currently leading the race for a coveted Oscar nomination.
Best Picture
Up
Blitz
British director Steve McQueen is famed for his sharpness, but the most surprising thing about his first feature since Widows is that it turns out to be a straight-down-the-middle WWII epic, earning comparisons to Belfast and the work of Charles Dickens. Blitz often has the feel of an old war movie — with all the sincerity and occasional heavy-handedness that implies — re-made to center the women, immigrants, and socialists often left out of the historical record. While the ambition is laudable, American critics are mixed on the execution. David Ehrlich calls Blitz “a patchwork of episodes, several of them staged as only McQueen would, that fail to equal the sum of their parts.” (The Brits are more effusive.) Sniffs aside, this is Apple’s big Oscar bet, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Blitz turns out to be a nice, filling pork pie for the Academy’s meat-and-potatoes voters.
Up
Saturday Night
After playing well at Telluride and Toronto, the awards-season equivalent of killing at dress rehearsal, Jason Reitman’s SNL tick-tock goes wide this weekend. There are places to be had in the Best Picture ten, but if this purported crowd-pleaser wants to land a spot, it had better start pleasing some crowds. (Especially as Reitman can’t count on love from critics, some of whom have issued brutal takedowns.) Per-theater averages in limited release were promising. Were Saturday Night to best the cratering Joker: Folie à Deux this weekend, it might be ready for prime time.
Current Predix
A Real Pain, Anora, Blitz, The Brutalist, Challengers, Conclave, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, Nickel Boys, Sing Sing
Best Director
Up
Steve McQueen, Blitz
Whatever feelings of disappointment some critics have with Blitz stem from the sense it is the least distinctive film McQueen has ever made. One reviewer compares it to “Steven Spielberg trying to make a Terence Davies film.” Still, Blitz is undoubtedly impressive on a technical level, with a handful of harrowing set pieces that gain all the more power for featuring minimal CGI. While it may not be as radical as his past efforts, the film’s clear ambition and thematic heft should put the British auteur in the mix for his second directing nod.
Down
Todd Phillips, Joker: Folie à Deux
The knives came out for Phillips this week. In the wake of the Joker sequel’s historically poor opening — it’s on track to gross less in its entire run than the original made its opening weekend — the trades lit up with anonymous reports placing blame for the misfire entirely at the director’s feet. At least Phillips will always have that directing nomination for Joker, for which he beat out Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Pedro Almodóvar, and Céline Sciamma, among others.
Current Predix
Jacques Audiard, Emilia Pérez; Sean Baker, Anora; Brady Corbet, The Brutalist; Steve McQueen, Blitz; Denis Villeneuve, Dune: Part Two
Best Actor
Up
Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Who gets the fifth spot in Best Actor? Moreover, until we see what Timmy Chalamet gets up to in A Complete Unknown, who gets the fourth spot? For now I’ll slot in Stan’s surprisingly vulnerable turn as Donald Trump in a biopic that almost never saw the light of day. But with the controversy-laden Apprentice being slagged like a dog, Stan may be a placeholder until this paper-thin category fills out — or until we know the results of the presidential election, upon which his campaign’s fortunes will hinge.
Down
Elliott Heffernan, Blitz
The Osment Rule says that, even if a child actor is the lead of his film, he must be run in Supporting. The Tremblay Corollary states that, in the era of the preferential ballot, kid nominations are a lot rarer than they used to be. Team Blitz is ignoring all this and running pint-sized star Elliott Heffernan in lead. Critics call him “strikingly assured” for a youngster, but if Minari’s Alan Kim and Belfast’s Jude Hill couldn’t come close to getting nominated, it may be a tall task for the lad.
Current Predix
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist; Daniel Craig, Queer; Colman Domingo, Sing Sing; Ralph Feinnes, Conclave; Sebastian Stan, The Apprentice
Best Actress
Up
Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun
As a counterpoint to my bullishness on The Outrun, I must also quote from Richard Brody’s dissent. “The movie offers Ronan little chance to develop her character’s emotional life over time,” he argues. “Her expressions are static, literalized, pasted to the screen like decals, and her vocal delivery is subjected to a similar oversimplification.” I’ll simply note that that doesn’t sound un-Oscar-y.
Even
Florence Pugh, We Live in Time
Give this to We Live in Time, the weekend’s other major release: It is the only movie this year in which Florence Pugh plays a celebrity chef named Almut Brühl. John Carney’s romantic drama comes off as Love Story by way of Richard Curtis, with a smidge of Nancy Meyers kitchen envy. Which is to say it’s not exactly an awards movie, though I’m unsure it was ever intended to be. Still, Pugh and co-star Andrew Garfield are being kindly received by critics like Lindsey Bahr, who praises their “quietly affecting performances.”
Current Predix
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez; Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths; Angelina Jolie, Maria; Mikey Madison, Anora; Saoirse Ronan, The Outrun
Best Supporting Actor
Up
Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice
Are we in for a Succession reunion in the Supporting Actor race? While Kieran Culkin earns raves on the festival circuit for A Real Pain, his former castmate is being singled out by critics as the highlight of The Apprentice. As the rasping and whippet-thin Roy Cohn, Scott Tobias says, “Strong has a gift for making a vile man pitiable without turning the dial all the way to sympathetic.” Though the film has been harshly reviewed, the presence of this much-laureled performer adds a jolt of prestige that should offset the pans. The Succession connection helps in other ways: After marking a ballot for Culkin, checking Strong’s box, too, might be a matter of muscle memory for voters.
Down
Paul Weller, Blitz
A police car and a screaming siren, a pneumatic drill and ripped-up concrete, a baby wailing and stray dog howling, the screech of brakes and lamp light blinking — all of them have more screen time in Blitz than the former Jam frontman. I briefly thought Weller’s kindly Cockney grandpa might be the next Ciarán Hinds in Belfast, but I don’t think there’s enough meat there.
Current Predix
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain; Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing; Guy Pearce, The Brutalist; Jeremy Strong, The Apprentice; Stanley Tucci, Conclave
Best Supporting Actress
Up
Saoirse Ronan, Blitz
However they feel about Blitz, critics can’t help themselves from praising Ronan. As Peter Bradshaw enthuses, she “gives a sympathetic and controlled performance in a role that does not allow for much nuance.” With her co-star encumbered by child-labor laws, she should benefit from being the face of the Blitz campaign, a familiar figure who can sell McQueen’s post-Brexit provocations to even the most conservative audience.
Down
Lady Gaga, Joker: Folie à Deux
The saddest thing about Folie à Deux flopping? We will now be deprived of a classic Lady Gaga Oscar campaign. Gaga sitting next to Marianne Jean-Baptiste at the THR actress roundtable, Gaga attending the Golden Globes in full Harley Quinn drag, Gaga telling reporters she was once visited by the ghost of Judy Garland — it all fades away like tears in the rain.
Current Predix
Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson; Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys; Felicity Jones, The Brutalist; Saoirse Ronan, Blitz; Zoe Saldana, Emilia Pérez
Kathy Bates won an Oscar in 1991 for her magnificent performance in the Stephen King thriller “Misery” – but it wasn’t until recently that she realized she’d thanked her mother in her acceptance speech.
In an interview with “CBS Sunday Morning,” Bates told Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz that her parents had sacrificed a lot for her to study to become an actress. But she also noted that – despite receiving a Tony Award nomination for “‘Night, Mother,” and then an Academy Award – her mother’s reaction to her success was less than charitable.
“When I won the Oscar for ‘Misery,’ she said, ‘I don’t know what all the excitement’s about. You didn’t discover the cure for cancer,’” she told “Sunday Morning.”
Bates said that she had neglected to mention her mother in her acceptance speech, suggesting that was possibly the reason for the slight. “I forgot to thank her that night,” Bates said.
“You know, you did thank her at the end of your speech,” Mankiewicz said. “You thanked her.”
“No, I did not. I did not,” Bates replied. “You go back and look at it. I didn’t.”
It was then that Mankiewicz played back for Bates a recording of her acceptance speech, at the 63rd Academy Awards ceremony from March 25, 1991.
Watching the recording, Bates froze, then stared at Mankiewicz in disbelief. Her hands came up to her mouth as she heard herself say: “I would like to thank my family, my friends, my mom at home, and my dad, who I hope is watching somewhere.”
Kathy Bates watches her Oscar acceptance speech.
CBS News
“Thank you! Why did I think I didn’t thank her?” said Bates after watching the video.
“Why does that mean so much to you?” asked Mankiewicz.
“‘Cause she should have had my life,” Bates said. “When she died, I remember I said, ‘Come into me.’ I wanted her spirit to come into me, even though we had so many difficulties. I wanted her spirit to come into me and enjoy everything I was enjoying, because of what she’d given up.
“Wow! Thank you so much for that,” she added.
In addition to winning an Oscar for “Misery,” Bates has appeared in such films as “Straight Time,” “Dolores Claiborne,” “Titanic,” “Primary Colors,” “About Schmidt” “The Waterboy,” “Midnight in Paris,” “Richard Jewell,” “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” and the TV series “American Horror Story.” Now 76 and a two-time cancer survivor, Bates had recently suggested she would retire from acting, and in the interview talked about how women of a certain age are in a sense invisible in society, and on screen. But now, she is starring in the new CBS series “Matlock,” in a role that plays off that notion of invisibility.
“It’s fantastic. I think it’s one of the most wonderful roles I’ve ever had to play,” she said.
Asked if she had given up the plans on retiring, she affirmed: “Not retiring. I want to stay for this show for as long as it runs, and I hope it runs for a very long time.”
David Morgan is senior producer for CBSNews.com and the Emmy Award-winning “CBS News Sunday Morning.” He writes about film, music and the arts. He is author of the books “Monty Python Speaks” and “Knowing the Score,” and editor of “Sundancing,” about the Sundance Film Festival.
Algeria has selected Chakib Taleb-Bendiab’s child kidnapping thriller “Algiers” as its entry in the 2025 Oscars international feature race.
Inspired by true events, the film is set against the backdrop of collective scars left by the country’s 1992-2002 civil war, known as the Black Decade. It turns on the kidnapping of a young girl that creates tension and suspicion in the Algerian capital. Only Dounia, a brilliant psychiatrist, and Sami, a police inspector, can unearth the demons of the past,” reads the film’s official synopsis.
“Algiers” is the first feature by Bendiab, a writer/director and composer whose short “Black Spirits” – an African Samurai tale set in the Tunisian Sahara performed by French and Japanese actors – made a splash on the fest circuit.
It was chosen to represent Algeria in the Oscars race by a committee within the country’s culture ministry. The ministry in a statement praised “Algiers” as “a major step toward the recognition of the country’s burgeoning film industry on the global stage.”
Taleb-Bendiab in a statement said he “envisioned this film as a raw, human portrayal, faithful to the realities of Algerian life, observed through the lens of a thriller— a genre rarely showcased from our country in the West.”
“Algiers” is a co-production between Algeria, Tunisia, France and Canada. Khaled Chikhi, of Algeria’s Temple Production, is the lead producer; Yasmine Dhoukar (Clandestino) is the Tunisian co-producer; and Canadian filmmaker Patricia Chica (Flirt Films) serves as executive producer.
Mad World represents “Algiers” for international sales.
Palestine: ‘From Ground Zero’
The Palestinian Ministry of Culture has selected anthology film “From Ground Zero” to represent Palestine as its entry in the 2025 Oscars international feature race.
A compilation of 22 short films shot by filmmakers inside the Gaza Strip during the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict, “From Ground Zero” was spawned by Gaza-born director Rashid Masharawi who founded the Masharawi Fund to give internally displaced artists a platform to express their personal stories amidst the war’s devastation.
Masharawi worked alongside French production company Coorigine Productions and producer Laura Nikolov, who coordinated all the groups in Gaza, receiving the material, and supervising the post-production process.
“From Ground Zero” recently made its North American debut at the Toronto Film Festival.
Nepal: ‘Shambala’
Nepal has selected “Shambhala” as its Oscar entry in the international feature film category.
Directed by Min Bahadur Bham, “Shambhala” – a mystic, sacred realm in Tibetan Buddhism, also an area of significance in Hinduism, which means a place of peace – begins in a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal, where pregnant Pema faces scrutiny as her first husband Tashi vanishes on a trade trip to Lhasa. Accompanied by her de facto husband, the monk Karma, she embarks on a journey to find him, evolving her quest into self-discovery and liberation.
The film debuted at the Berlinale and has since played at Sydney, Karlovy Vary and Locarno. It is a Shooney Films (Nepal) production in co-production with CDP (France), Ape&Bjørn (Norway), Aaru Production (Hong Kong), ZK Films (Turkey), Yi Tiao Long Hu Bao (Taiwan) Bangdel and Shakya Production (U.S.).
Bham’s 2012 short “Bhansulli” debuted at Venice. His debut feature “Kalo Pothi” (aka “The Black Hen,” 2015) won the Fedeora best film award at Venice Critics’ Week and became Nepal’s official Oscar entry. The film, produced by Bham, reunites him with his “Kalo Pothi” producer Catherine Dussart, who serves as co-producer alongside Verona Meier, Shuk Fong Chong, Zeynep Koray, Justine O. Bibhakar and Sunder Shakya, with Debaki Rai, Liao Ching-Sung, Roger Huang, Ruben Thorkildsen, Can Aygor and Salina Shakya as executive producers and Rajesh Prasad Khatri, Jeremy Chua and Lee Chi Lin as associate producers.
Kenya: ‘Nawi’
Kenya has selected “Nawi,” which explores the issue of child marriage in rural Africa, as its Oscar entry in the international feature film category.
The film centers on Nawi, whose aspirations of attending high school are shattered when she learns that her father Eree plans to marry her off to a stranger. Despite her family’s need for the bride-price – livestock – Nawi refuses to accept her fate. Her ally in this struggle is her brother, Joel.
The film is directed by Toby Schmutzler, Kevin Schmutzler, Vallentine Chelluget and Apuu Mourine. It is written by Milcah Cherotich. It is produced by Lydia Wrensch, Caroline Heim and Brizan Were. Executive producers are Ludwig Bayern, Steven Haft, Katja Eichinger and Matthias Rosenberger.
The production companies are FilmCrew Media, Startup Lions Assets Kenya and Baobab Pictures.
Senegal: ‘Dahomey’
“Dahomey,” Mati Diop’s immersive documentary that won the Berlinale’s prestigious Golden Bear, has been selected as Senegal’s entry to the 2025 Oscars international feature race.
According to its official synopsis, “Dahomey” explores “real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the film charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives, Diop questions how these artifacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence.”
After holding its North American premiere at TIFF, “Dahomey” will screen at Camden International Film Festival and New York Film Festival before debuting in U.S. theaters on Oct. 18.
“Dahomey” is written and directed by Diop with cinematography by Josephine Drouin Viallard and editing by Gabriel Gonzalez. Diop, Eve Robin and Judith Lou Lévy produce alongside executive producers Christiane Chabi Kao and Cotonou. Les Films du Losange is handling international sales.
Georgia: ‘The Antique’
Georgia has selected “The Antique,” a drama about the 2006 expulsion of thousands of Georgian nationals from Russia, as its contender for the Academy Awards best international feature film prize.
The film was directed by Rusudan Glurjidze and is structured as a coproduction involving Georgia’s Cinetech, the Czech Republic’s Cinetrain, Iceland’s Whitepoint Digital and Germany’s Basia Berlin Filmproduction. International sales are handled by MPM International.
The Oscar selection was made by a special committee within Georgia’s National Film Center.
The film had its world premiere at the recent Venice film festival, where its initial screenings were threatened by claims of copyright infringement by Russian and Croatian companies.
Belgium: ‘Julie Keeps Quiet’
Leonardo Van Dijl’s “Julie Keeps Quiet” has been selected as Belgium’s entry in the contest for the international feature film category of the 97th Academy Awards.
“Julie Keeps Quiet” focuses on a star player at an elite tennis academy, whose life revolves around the game she loves. When her coach falls under investigation and is suddenly suspended, all of the club’s players are encouraged to speak up. But Julie decides to keep quiet…
Van Dijl’s debut feature premiered in Cannes’ Critics’ Week, where it won both the Prix SACD and the Prix Fondation GAN. It made its North American premiere in Toronto’s Centrepiece section. Upcoming screenings include Busan and London film festivals.
Tennis champion Naomi Osaka is executive producing the movie through her company Hana Kuma. The cinematography is by Nicolas Karakatsanis (“Cruella,” “I, Tonya”) and the score is by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw.
The film has been sold by New Europe Film Sales to nearly 30 territories, with deals for North America and Japan expected to close soon.
The film is produced by Gilles De Schryver, Gilles Coulier, Wouter Sap, Roxanne Sarkozi for De Wereldvrede (Belgium), and co-produced by Delphine Tomson, Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne for Les Films du Fleuve (Belgium), Nima Yousefi for Hobab (Sweden) and Kristina Börjeson and Anthony Muir for Film i Väst (Sweden).
Executive producers are Federica Sainte-Rose and Florian Zeller for Blue Morning Pictures and Naomi Osaka and Stuart Duguid for Hana Kuma. The film was supported by The Flemish Audiovisual Fund, the Centre du Cinema et de l’audiovisuel of the French community in Belgium, the Belgian Tax Shelter, Proximus, New Dawn and Film i Väst.
Van Dijl is repped by 2AM, Ken Lambrechts, CAA and Granderson Des Rochers.
Slovenia: ‘Family Therapy’
Slovenia has selected Sonja Prosenc’s “Family Therapy” as its submission to the Oscars best international film race.
“Family Therapy” follows a seemingly perfect family whose life is thrown into disarray when a young stranger arrives, exposing their hidden fears, flaws and dreams, and unraveling the deep-seated dysfunction in their relationships. It stars Mila Bezjak, Aliocha Schneider, Marko Mandić and Katarina Stegnar.
In a statement, the country’s Oscar jury said the film “addresses the current theme of the hedonistic elite in the modern world, who live their safe and untouchable lives under a glass dome. The film skillfully intertwines the complex dynamics of relationships between the inner and outer worlds, the spiritual and the physical. Through an innovative combination of expressive means, at a high production level, and with the right balance of comedy and tragedy, the creators have succeeded in breaking through the seemingly protective glass that once shielded us from the intrusion of raw reality.”
In an interview with Variety, Prosenc said the film came to be because she was “wondering about this dissonance between our values and our actions, when we are confronted with something in real life.”
Of her main characters, she said: “I think they feel completely disconnected from the rest of society. And they want to feel disconnected. This is a very contemporary state of society in Slovenia. And, of course, worldwide.”
Hungary: ‘Semmelweis’
Lajos Koltai’s period biopic “Semmelweis,” about a Hungarian doctor best known for introducing antiseptic procedures at Vienna’s maternity clinic, has been selected as the Hungarian entry for the best international film category of the Academy Awards.
Koltai was nominated for an Oscar for the cinematography of 2001’s “Malena.”
“Semmelweis,” sold by NFI World Sales, has become the highest grossing Hungarian movie in theaters in five years, attracting more than 350,000 viewers and grossing more than $2 million since its November 2023 release.
Taking place in 19th century’s Vienna, the film tells the story of Ignac Semmelweis, a short-tempered but passionate Hungarian doctor, who delivers babies and carries out autopsies on a daily basis whilst looking for the cause of puerperal fever, the mysterious epidemic that decimates patients in the hospital.
Semmelweis’ boss prohibits him from conducting research into the subject and blocks him at every turn. He also makes a young midwife, Emma Hoffmann, spy on him. However, the relationship between Semmelweis and Emma develops into a romance. When Semmelweis discovers the cause and prevention of the maternity fever, half of his peers discredit him, yet he carries on with the fight to prove his theory at all costs.
Koltai said, “Semmelweis’ life is an example for all of us: a man who always, in all circumstances, followed his own path with a courage that defied death, which could not be diverted by hatred or violence. I wanted to show the viewers that it can be done: Perseverance, determination, dedication and passion bear fruit.”
The film’s leading role is played by young talent Miklós H. Vecsei, playing opposite Katica Nagy. “Semmelweis” was written by Balázs Maruszki. The cinematographer was András Nagy. Music was composed by Attila Pacsay. “Semmelweis” was produced by Tamás Lajos, Szupermodern Filmstúdió and Joe Vida, and was supported by Hungary’s National Film Institute.
Koltai’s film is the third about the life of the physician, after André de Toth’s 1940 biopic and Frigyes Bán’s “Semmelweis,” released in 1952.
The Oscar selection committee included Csaba Káel, government commissioner for the development of the Hungarian motion picture industry and chairman of the National Film Institute, editor Gabriella Koncz, dramaturge-director György Lukácsy, Emil Novák, cinematographer-director and chairman of the Hungarian Film Academy, Ákos Pesti, producer, Zsuzsanna Sipos, Oscar-winning set decorator (“Dune”), and Csilla Szabó, dramaturge.
Czech Republic: ‘Waves’
The Czech Republic has selected drama film “Waves” as its contender for the best international film category of the Oscars. Written and directed by Jiri Madl, the film is set during the 1968 Soviet Invasion of the country and depicts the fact-based story of a group of journalists from the international service of Czechoslovak Radio who were determined to keep independent news flowing.
The film had its premiere at the Karlovy Vary festival and picked up the audience award. It had its commercial release in Czech theaters from Aug. 15 via Bonton, and attracted over 400,000 admissions.
The selection was made by the Czech Film and Television Academy.
The film’s international sales are being handled by Urban Sales.
Cambodia: ‘Meeting With Pol Pot’
Rithy Panh’s “Meeting With Pol Pot” has been selected to represent Cambodia in the best international film section of the Oscars. While based partially on real events (and on the writings of American war journalist Elizabeth Becker), it crafts a fictitious tale of three French journalists attempting to interview Cambodian dictator Pol Pot in 1978. The film premiered in May at the Cannes film festival and had an official release in Cambodia on Aug. 9.
The selection was made by the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts and announced by the Department of Film and Cultural Diffusion.
Morocco: ‘Everybody Loves Touda’
Morocco has selected Nabil Ayouch’s “Everybody Loves Touda” as its candidate for the best international film Oscar.
The film tells the story of a young poet and singer steeped in an ancient Moroccan form of folk song called aita, but forced to perform trashy pop songs in bars filled with abusive men.
“Everybody Loves Touda,” launched in May out-of-competition from the Cannes Film Festival. MK2 Films is handling international sales.
Ayouch produced “The Blue Caftan,” directed by Maryam Touzani, which in 2023 became the first Moroccan film to ever make it to the Oscars shortlist.
South Korea: ‘12.12.: The Day‘
South Korea has picked “12.12.: The Day” an historical, political action drama as its national contender for the best international film Oscar. The film, dealing with a military coup in 1979, was the highest grossing film of last year at the Korean box office and the decision to select it for the Oscars was a unanimous one, the Korean Film Council (Kofic) said.
Directed by Kim Sung-su, the film was released in November last year.
Japan: ‘The Cloud’
Kurosawa Kiyoshi’s “Cloud” has been selected as Japan’s submission for the best international film in the Oscars race. The film will appear out of competition this week at the Venice film festival.
The film is a thriller centered around a young man who resells goods online and who triggers a series of online incidents. These blur the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds.
Despite having long been one of a triumvirate of top Japanese directors (along with Kore-eda Hirokazu and Kawase Naomi), Kurosawa has not previously had one of his films selected for an Oscar run.
Japan has scored strongly at the Oscars. Since the beginning of the 21st century, it has won the best foreign film Oscar twice (for “Departures” and “Drive My Car”) and had one make the shortlist (“Confessions”) and two additional nominations (“Shoplifters” and last year’s “Perfect Days.)
International sales are handled by Nikkatsu.
Kyrgyzstan: ‘Heaven Is Beneath Mother’s Feet’
“Heaven Is Beneath Mother’s Feet” (aka “Beyish Enenin Tamanynda”) will represent Kyrgyzstan in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Oscars. The Oscar selection was made by the Union of Cinematographers of Kyrgyzstan.
The film is directed by Ruslan Akun and is the story of an adult man whose mental development stopped at age 8 and who continues to live with his mother. In order to make sure that his mother can go to heaven, he takes her by foot on a journey to Mecca.
Last year the Kyrgyzstan submission was ruled to be ineligible as it had released before the qualifying period. No replacement film was offered. “Heaven is Beneath Mother’s Feet” opened in Kyrgyzstan cinemas in March 2024 and has subsequently released in Russia and Uzbekistan.
Germany: ‘The Seed of the Sacred Fig’
Germany has decided to submit Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” which received the special jury prize at Cannes Film Festival, for its Oscar entry. Rasoulof attended the fest while in exile in Germany from his home country of Iran, which had sentenced him to eight years in prison for the political content of his films.
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” follows a man (Misagh Zareh), who has “just been promoted to be an investigating judge at the Revolutionary Court in Tehran when a huge protest movement sweeps the country following the death of a young woman,” its synopsis reads. “Although the demonstrations increase and the state cracks down with ever tougher measures, Iman decides to side with the regime, upsetting the balance of his family.”
In a statement, Germany’s Oscar committee called the film “a psychological portrait of Iran’s theocracy which is built on violence and paranoia. Mohammad Rasoulof subtly tells of the cracks within a family that are representative of those within Iranian society itself. A masterfully directed and movingly acted film that finds scenes that stay with you. The two rebellious daughters symbolize the courageous women of Iran and their self-sacrificing struggle against the patriarchs of their families and their state. It is an outstanding work by one of the great directors of world cinema and someone who has found refuge in Germany from state despotism in Iran. We are very happy to know that Rasoulof is safe in our country. And we are delighted that he will be representing Germany at the Oscars in 2025.”
Neon is releasing “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” in the U.S.
Lithuania: ‘Drowning Dry’
Laurynas Bareiša’s “Seses” (Drowning Dry), which won best director in the international competition and best performance award for the film’s four leads at Locarno Film Festival on Saturday, has been selected by Lithuania as its Oscar entry.
In the film, Ernesta, her husband Lukas, and her son, together with her sister Juste’s family, are spending the weekend at a country house after Lukas’s victory in a mixed martial arts tournament. The families are swimming in a nearby lake, having dinner, discussing family finances. After an accident, the sisters become single mothers. The film follows the sisters’ life in the aftermath of the tragedy.
The structurally complex, narratively splintered drama marks a confident step forward for Lithuanian cinematographer turned director Bareiša, whose debut “Pilgrims” triumphed in Venice’s Horizons competition in 2021.
The producer is Klementina Remeikaitė for Afterschool Production of Lithuania and the co-producer is Matīss Kaža for Trickster Pictures of Latvia.
International sales are handled by Alpha Violet.
Uruguay: ‘Hay una puerta ahí’
Uruguay has submitted Juan Ponce de León and Facundo Ponce de León’s debut feature documentary “Hay una puerta ahí,” to the the best international feature category of the 97th Academy Awards.
“Hay una puerta ahí” documents the beginning of a friendship between two older men, with one helping the other to die. For nine months, Fernando and Enric recorded every conversation they shared about the subject, conversations had entirely through video chat during the pandemic.
With a slight “The Odd Couple” vibe, Fernando logs on to video chat from a hospital bed, often with a cigarette between his lips, while Enric sits in a well-kept home office. Fernando’s family makes sometimes heartbreaking and sometimes uplifting cameos as together, they face the end of their patriarch’s life.
The film, produced by Mueca Films in Uruguay and A Contracoriente Films in Spain, screened in San Sebastian’s Made in Spain sidebar in 2023 and in Malaga’s special selections section for documentaries.
“Hay una puerta ahí”
Credit: Malaga Film Festvial
Taiwan: ‘Old Fox’
Taiwan has selected multi-award-winning drama film “Old Fox” as its representative in the best international feature category of the 97th Academy Awards. The island’s Ministry of Culture says that it selected “Old Fox” from 14 candidate films.
Directed by Hsiao Ya-chuan, the film tells the morally-conflicted tale of an 11-year-old boy from a modest background. He is torn between the hardscrabble and penny-pinching life of his single-parent father and the allure of a neighborhood landlord, who offers riches and lessons in streetwise pragmatism.
The central performances of child star Bai Run-jin (who previously appeared in “Dear Tennant”) and writer-actor Akio Chen elevate the triangular relationship into a prize-winning effort. The picture had its premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival before becoming the numerical winner at Taiwan’s prestigious Golden Horse Film Awards the following month. While it missed out on the best film prize, “Old Fox” collected four prizes including best director and best supporting actor for Chen.
“Old Fox”
BIT Production
Latvia: ‘Flow’
Latvia has selected Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” as its entry in the best international feature category of the 97th Academy Awards. The animated feature had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival and won four prizes at Annecy.
Sideshow and Janus Films acquired North American rights to the film out of Cannes and are planning a theatrical release this year.
At Annecy, “Flow” won the Audience Award, the Jury Award, the special prize for original music and the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution. It will also screen at the Toronto Film Festival next month.
“Flow” follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet.
The film was co-written by Zilbalodis and Matiss Kaza, with a score by Zilbalodis and Rihards Zalupe. It was produced by Zilbalodis and Kaza, alongside Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman. The international sales agent is Charades.
Zilbalodis’ “Away” won the Contrechamp Award for Best Film at Annecy in 2019.
Latvia’s selection was made by the Latvian Selection Committee, a commission of film industry experts established by the National Film Center.
“Flow”
Janus Films / Sideshow
Austria: ‘The Devil’s Bath’
“The Devil’s Bath,” a period psychological thriller which competed at the Berlin Film Festival, has been submitted by Austria as its official Oscar entry for the international feature film race. The film picked up the Silver Bear for best cinematography (for Martin Gschlacht) at the Berlinale.
The film is directed by Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala, the Austrian filmmaking duo behind “Goodnight Mommy,” which bowed at Venice and also represented Austria in the Oscar race.
Set in rural Austria in 1750, the film centres on Agnes, a young married woman who feels oppressed in her husband’s world, which is devoid of emotion and limited to chores and expectations. A pious and highly sensitive woman, Agnes falls into a deep depression, before committing a shocking act of violence that she sees as the only way out of her inner prison.
The movie is being handled by Shudder in North America. The streamer also picked it up for the U.K., Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It’s been sold around the world by Playtime.
“The Devil’s Bath” was produced by Ulrich Seidl Filmproduktion, in co-production with Heimatfilm and Coop99 Filmproduktion.
Courtesy of Shudder
“The Devil’s Bath”
Ireland: ‘Kneecap’
Ireland has submitted “Kneecap” to represent the country in the Oscars international feature film category.
The film became a sensation in Sundance, where it was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics, and has been amassing plaudits at festivals around the world over the last few months.
From writer-director Rich Peppiatt, “Kneecap” is a raucous semi-autobiographical comedy about the wildly outspoken and hard-partying Northern Irish hip-hop trio of the same name.
“Kneecap” was produced by Trevor Birney and Jack Tarling for Fine Point Films and Mother Tongues Films, with Patrick O’Neill at Wildcard acting as co-producer.
Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí and Móglaí Bap in “Kneecap”
Helen Sloan
Blake Lively has managed to pull off the impossible. It used to be rare for a television star to make the crossover to movie stardom. From George Clooney to Will Smith, few actors in the 90s pulled off that feat. And while it’s a bit more common now, only a select group have soared from teen drama to A-List status.
In recent years, we can point to stars like Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, and Charles Melton as proof that there’s life beyond the soapy high school drama. But let’s be honest: they’d be nothing and nowhere without the original cast of Gossip Girl.
The 2000s drama was ahead of the curve. Shows like Succession and White Lotus have taken up its mantle by commenting on the lives of the elite from the inside but those prep school kids blazed the trail. And leading the pack, forever changing what we think of Grand Central Station, is Blake Lively.
Decades later, she’s still on top. She’s a beloved A-Lister with an enviable marriage, an even more enviable friend group (Taylor, if you’re looking for more besties look no further), and a thriving career.
But how did she go from preppy headbands to Hollywood royalty? And, even more recently, why does her career feel like it’s always on an insane upward trajectory? Especially when, if we have to admit it, she’s not the greatest actress around. Likability and beauty can get you far — but Blake’s career is astounding. Is she really all that or is she just… really pretty?
Blake Lively’s Rise to Fame
Before she was Blake Lively: Hollywood Icon™, she was still the coolest girl on our screens. Her role in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was pivotal for millennials everywhere. Alongside America Ferrera (Hey Barbie!), Amber Tamblyn, and Alexis Bledel, this ultimate girl gang rivaled her current Swift squad. We all wanted to be them. We all wanted to wear her pants.
She retained that mantle of being unattainably cool in her pivotal role: Gossip Girl.
As Serena van der Woodsen, Lively became the ultimate It Girl. Just like her character, she was the epitome of elite 2000s girlhood. She was like Paris and Nicole with an old-money sophistication. She was all bandage dresses and blowouts both on screen and off. Who didn’t try to recreate at least one of Serena’s outfits — and with disastrous results! — in the show’s heyday?
Post Gossip Girl, Blake faced the stingy choices available to young female stars once their adolescent drama rolled its final credits. For women, the desire to grow up in the public’s eyes leads to a string of sexualized roles. Or, the need to branch out manifests in less-than-successful career pivots — sorry to Leighton Meester’s one song.
While Blake didn’t go any of these routes, she didn’t make the splash she yearned for, either. She did a string of subpar movies that are not worth the watch. She starred as a perpetually beautiful woman who didn’t age in The Age of Adaline — kind of a reverse Benjamin Button except her biggest problem was staying hot forever. Then she starred in the clunky, Gone Girl-esque thriller A Simple Favor alongside Anna Kendrick. Though critics panned it for its nonsensical plot, confusing characters, and flat acting, it found cult fans on streaming and is even an iconic role for many fans — even recently announcing a sequel (we’ll get to that).
She also had forgettable roles as the hot love interest in films like The Town, a cult Boston crime film for which she put on an okay Boston accent, and Savages, a movie recently revived by Netflix.
As her most notable works post Gossip Girl, this isn’t the most robust resume. Yet Blake has retained A-List status. I wouldn’t call her an It-Girl, she’s not out partying or having abrat summer, but every time she steps out, she makes headlines. At this point, she’s known as much for her idyllic marriage with Ryan Reynolds and her friendship with Taylor Swift. Her daughter even has a feature in Taylor Swift’s “Gorgeous” — probably a bigger career credit than anything Blake has appeared in since Gossip Girl.
Meanwhile, many of her Gossip Girl castmates have found success beyond the series. Penn Badgley stars as the creepy serial killer Joe in Netflix’s You. As one of the streamer’s biggest shows, Penn has been catapulted back into the hearts of audiences everywhere — even if his character isn’t the typical heartthrob. Chace Crawford is subverting his pretty-boy looks in The Boys on Amazon, another smash hit series. His character, The Deep, is disturbed and dumb, and played with a brilliant blend of criticism and compassion by Crawford, who doesn’t merely rely on his looks … though he definitely could.
Not to mention her Sisterhood co-star America Ferrera starring in Barbie, the hottest movie of last summer, and being nominated for an Academy Award. Not her first award buzz, never forget Ferrera’s Emmy-nominated turn as Betty Suarez in Ugly Betty, one of the most addictive shows of the 2000s.
With everyone else in her orbit going on to transcend their roots and prove their actual talent, why hasn’t Blake done the same? And however has she managed to stay the most relevant? So the question is: Is she actually a solid actress, or are we all just distracted by how outrageously gorgeous she is? It’s like when your crush says something and you laugh even though it wasn’t funny. Are we all just crushing on Blake Lively?
Blake Lively Is The Queen of the Met Gala: Why did she skip Met 2024?
Testament to her enduring A-List status, Lively is one of the people’s favorites at The Met Gala, which she generally attends with her husband year after year. As one of the biggest and most exclusive annual events on the planet, only a handful of celebrities are invited to the Met steps each and every year. Blake is one of the lucky few.
Usually, the invite list is determined by who was most relevant that year. Whose press tour dominated culture and fashion headlines? What musicians were everywhere? Who were the industry It-Girls? Lively hasn’t fit that bill since the 2010s, yet there she is, smiling on the Met Steps each and every year.
It makes some sense when you consider how viral Lively’s looks go every year. She’s an easy muse — so designers never miss when dressing her. Therefore her absence at the 2024 Met Gala was remarkable. Many were hoping she’d revive the success of her most memorable gown from the Heavenly Bodies exhibit. But alas, nothing. Some speculated a falling out with Anna. Others, another pregnancy. Or was Blake finally just … uninvited?
Turns out, she was just busy being a mom and working on her various projects. I’ll admit, I was skeptical when I heard this. What projects? Lively’s biggest projects are The Met and Kansas Chief’s games. Sometimes I think she’s as much of a nepo bestie as Travis Kelce is a nepo boyfriend. But I recently ate my words. Blake Lively has a stacked Q2 — proving we too can finish the year strong even if we were lagging in the first half.
Blake’s Been Busy: Everything Blake Lively has been up to in 2024
So what are all these projects Lively is so busy with? Surprisingly, a slate of blockbuster films and a brand new business. She’s already embarked upon various press tours, which is why she’s everywhere right now.
Her most prominent, and controversial, venture for the year: starring in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s blockbuster It Ends With Us. This BookTok favorite is divisive to say the least. While Colleen Hoover’s genre of easy-to-read romantic fiction went viral, the literati aren’t a fan. The main point of contention: the writing is stinko. But to each their own. And on this particular book, Hoover’s critics are accusing of profiting from abuse and trauma because the film romanticizes an abusive relationship.
Yet, the power of BookTok compelled the studios to adapt this novel into a big budget movie starring Lively alongside Justin Baldwin, known for Jane The Virgin. For a minute, thanks to last year’s succession of strikes, it looked as though the movie might be scrapped. Call it Lively’s luck, but production continued against all odds and here we are: moments away from its big premiere.
Watch the Trailer for It Ends With Us here:
But that’s not the only press tour Blake is on. She joined her husband Ryan Reynolds on the press tour for Deadpool and Wolverine, even upstaging Reynolds and his co-star Hugh Jackman with her look for the final premiere.
Alongside Gigi Hadid, she appeared on the red carpet at Lady Deadpool. Little did we know, this was a hint of things to come. In case you forgot (I definitely did) Lively had a brief role as Lady Deadpool in the canonically awful Green Lantern films. She kind of reprised the role as the voice of Lady Deadpool in this new movie — just one of many cameos and Easter eggs in Marvel’s latest bloated action flick.
When not campaigning for wife-of-the-year, bestie of the year, or promoting It Ends With Us, she’s been filming the much-awaited sequel to A Simple Favor. She and Anna Kendrick have reprised their roles: mysterious Hot Mom (Lively, obviously) and Bored Mommy Blogger (Kendrick in an abundance of floral sundresses and wedges).
This sequel comes so long after the original because, despite the initial bad reviews, it found another life on streaming platforms. So, get ready to comfort-watch or hate-watch when it comes out — I’ll be doing both.
But Blake isn’t only trying to pump some much needed life back into her acting career. She’s enetered her Business Mogul Era. She’s already founded the brands Betty Buzz and Betty Booze and now she’s branching into beauty. Known for her scorching flowing locks, why wouldn’t she make a haircare brand?
The collection is called Blake Brown Beauty after her maiden name — which Reynolds joked he only just found out. Priced at $25 and under, Blake Brown Beauty is launching exclusively in Target to corner the affordable haircare market. The line consists of shampoos, masks and styling product. If there’s one thing the world needs more of, it’s celebrity beauty brands, right?
Promising to give the world that Blake Lively shine, the brand is a departure form many DTC celebrity beauty ventures, such as Cecred by Beyonce, Rate Beauty by Selena Gomez, or Hailey Bieber’s rhode. Instead, Blake is doing what she does best: going for mass appeal. It’s worked so far, might as well bet the house (or the hair) on it. But let’s be real, unless her shampoos come with a personal stylist and a Hollywood paycheck, we might just be setting ourselves up for disappointment.
This approach is similar to another celebrity whose success Blake takes major cues from: Jennifer Aniston. Before there was Serena, there was Rachel. From inspiring trends to becoming the people’s princess, Aniston and Lively have a lot in common. Namely that they’ve built gigantic careers on an average amount of talent. Pretty privilege is really kind to some.
Now, I’m no hater. I love looking at beautiful people as much as the next person. But as we brace ourselves for a Blake resurgence, someone has to say it: she’s prettier than she is talented.
The truth is, Blake Lively, like Jennifer Aniston, has found her niche. She’s good at being likable, at being the girl next door (if the girl next door lived in a mansion and was married to Deadpool). And in Hollywood, that’s a skill in itself.
So, is Blake Lively overrated? Maybe. Is she the second coming of Meryl Streep? Probably not. But is she good at what she does? Absolutely.
At the end of the day, Blake Lively is like that really pretty, really nice girl from high school who you want to hate but simply can’t. She’s not changing the world, but she’s not trying to. She’s just out here, living her best life, making us all wish we could pull off headbands and making Ryan Reynolds Instagram posts slightly more tolerable.
So here’s to you, Blake Lively. You may not be perfect, you may not be revolutionary, but damn it, you’re doing your thing. And sometimes, that’s enough.
So while I won’t be tuning into her latest slate of films or buying her beauty brand, I’ll be enjoying her press tour simply for the opportunity to decide which of her looks hit, and which of them miss.
The 97th Academy Awards have yet to land a host, though it’s not for lack of trying.
ABC is said to have made offers to both Jimmy Kimmel and John Mulaney, both of whom passed on the opportunity, as first reported by Puck News. Fortunately for the Academy and its host network, there’s still plenty of time, with the Oscars not slated to air until Sunday, March 2.
The first outreach had gone to Kimmel, its late-night host, who’s already emceed the Academy Awards four times, including the last two years. (Ironically, his statement upon accepting the offer in 2023 read: “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”) Nevertheless, he was the obvious choice, in large part because his last foray was widely praised and because he’s already part of the Disney family. But Kimmel ultimately said no, as he reportedly did hosting this year’s Emmy awards, which will also be carried on ABC.
The decision may come as a surprise to those who know Kimmel to ultimately say yes to most major gigs in the name of being a good partner. After all, he’s hosted the Emmys for ABC three times, he makes an annual appearance as roast master at the Disney upfront and he keeps re-upping his late night contract despite hemming and hawing about being done. But he’s also been vocal in recent years about his desire to have more balance in his life, which played into his decision to take the summers off at Jimmy Kimmel Live.
Mulaney, arguably a sexier if riskier bet, came next. His name has been bandied about as a potential host ever since he won over the Oscar crowd at the Governors Awards earlier this year. In fact, many saw that non-televised gig as an audition of sorts, during which Mulaney clearly passed. (Vulture went so far as to publish a piece titled, Let John Mulaney Host Everything.) The year prior, Mulaney had been asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he would ever consider hosting the Oscars. “Sure, why not?” he replied. “It would be really fun. It’s hosting the Academy Awards. Johnny Carson did that.”
And while the comic addressed the possibly more recently, telling THR in June that he “wouldn’t necessarily say no”; in the end, he decided to pass for this year. (Don’t bother asking about the year after since he insists he doesn’t plan more three months in advance.) Though hosting the Oscars is a prestigious opportunity and still a major platform, it’s also a massive, months-long and often thankless undertaking. Plus, Mulaney would have had to give up other opportunities, including another likely (and hugely lucrative) standup tour. So, it’s back to the drawing board for ABC and the Academy, which hasn’t had to run an extensive search for an Oscars host in years. ABC declined to comment for this story, and the Academy did not immediately respond.
Hollywood makes me feel delusional and deranged on the daily. From the insane beauty standards it perpetuates to the startlingly low amount of representation, it’s a problematic industry. But perhaps its most toxic trait is propping up men who should not be idolized.
We saw it with Harvey Weinstein — who enjoyed a prosperous career and untouchable hero status until the #MeToo movement exposed his repfehensible behavior. On a smaller scale — but still a symptom of the same toxic culture in the industry and society at large — we’re seeing it now with Brad Pitt.
How many times have you watched an award show and heard attendees gush about being in the same room as Pitt? Or thanked him in their acceptance speeches? That’s because Pitt made himself indispensable to people’s careers and to the industry in general. You might think of him as a 90s – 2000s heartthrob, but he spends more time producing than acting these days. And, most likely, he’s responsible for many of your favorite films.
Plan B, the production company he co-founded with Jennifer Aniston and then assumed control when they split, is known for taking huge swings at movies that have been neglected by other studios. One of their biggest successes was 12 Years A Slave, which went on to win Academy Awards and cement Plan B as a major player in the industry.
So, no wonder nobody wants to say the quiet part out loud: Brad Pitt is an abuser, a bad father, and a prime example that Hollywood will protect its money-making interests at all costs.
What Did Brad Pitt Do
From the outside, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie looked like the perfect Hollywood power couple. Even if you were Team Jennifer Aniston, you had to admit: they were the dream. In 2005, they even did a notorious magazine spread for W Magazine: “Domestic Bliss: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt at Home.”
However, when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, she alleged that she had suffered physical and verbal abuse at the hands of Pitt in front of their children.
The abuse allegations are one factor that’s dragging out their divorce proceedings, as they struggle to gain control of their custody agreement. However, as most of their children are no longer minors, their continued relationship with Jolie and their fractured — in some case estranged — relationship with Pitt tells us all we need to know.
An old screenshot from Pax Jolie-Pitt’s Instagram account recently went viral due to his open vitriol for his father. The screenshot, posted on a Father’s Day to his Instagram story, read:
““Happy Father’s Day to this world class a**hole!! You time and time again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person. You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children who tremble in fear when in your presence. You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you are incapable of doing so. You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday. So, Happy Father’s Day, you f***ing awful human being!!!”
Despite all this, Brad Pitt’s career seems unconquerable. He won his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as a (abusive, racist) stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood. People whine about canceled culture but Brad Pitt is proof that it doesn’t exist. What happened to believing women? It’s like the industry is saying that people will be held accountable for their actions … unless they’re hot. And although some sputter about separating the artist from their art, the amount of praise and adoration Brad Pitt far outpaces his art.
And now he’s trying to capitalize on the success of his most popular role — Rusty in the Oceans movies — by pairing with George Clooney once again for a new film, Wolfs.
What Is Brad Pitt and George Clooney’s New Movie Wolfs About?
Think, George Clooney in The Ides of March, but a thriller. Directed by Jon Watts, Wolfs stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney alongside Amy Ryan and Austin Abrams. The duo play two lone wolf fixers who are assigned to the same job. It’s slated for a September 20th release with the first teaser dropping on May 28th.
It’s brooding. It’s gritty. It seems like it will draw entirely on the pair’s history and chemistry. The teaser trailer is just the two of them sitting in silence in a car, sharing in comical discomfort. But I’m not laughing.
While all the reports are celebrating their reunion after 16 years in 2008’s — Burn After Reading — none are questioning Brad Pitt’s recent penchant for buddy-thrillers. He’s trying to keep us on his side. And with Hollywood firmly in his corner, they’re more than happy to make mountains of money while sweeping his behavior under the rug.
Anyone could’ve played this role. Instead, the industry would rather protect one of their own and try to distract from the newscycle by feeding us this nostalgic pairing.
Watch the full trailer here (and throw tomatoes at your screen, like me):
In some ways, I understand. It’s hard to believe your heroes are capable of doing such awful things — especially when they continue to support underrepresented groups and produce admirable work. But this support is akin to blood money. This is all to say: Boycott Brad Pitt.
1950s – Performs in a “subway circuit” production of “Oklahoma!”
May 28, 1953 – Makes Broadway debut in “Me and Juliet” as a member of the chorus.
1954 – As the understudy for star Carol Haney in “The Pajama Game” on Broadway, MacLaine gets her big break after the lead actress hurts her ankle. Hollywood producer Hal Wallis is impressed by MacLaine’s performance and offers her a film contract.
1955 – Makes her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Trouble with Harry.” Also co-stars with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in “Artists and Models.”
1955-1971 – Stars in close to 25 movies, including “Some Came Running” in 1958, “The Apartment” in 1960, “Irma La Douce” in 1963, and “Sweet Charity” in 1969.
1960s – Supports Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, protests the Vietnam War and advocates for civil rights.
January 1, 1970 – MacLaine’s memoir, “Don’t Fall Off the Mountain,” is published. It’s the first of 15 books penned by the actress.
1971-1972 – Helps Democrat George McGovern campaign for president.
1973 – Spends three weeks in China leading an all-female delegation on a tour sanctioned by the Communist government. She makes an Oscar-nominated 1975 documentary about the trip, “The Other Half of the Sky: A China Memoir.”
September 11, 1977 – Wins a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Comedy, Variety or Music, for her role in “Gypsy in my Soul.”
1978 – Visits Fidel Castro at the Presidential palace in Havana while on a trip to Cuba. After telling him that she liked his uniform, he gives her a replica of one of his uniforms, according to MacLaine’s memoir, “My Lucky Stars.”
1984 – Wins the Oscar for Best Actress for her role as Aurora Greenway in “Terms of Endearment.”
1994 – Walks nearly 500 miles across Spain on a spiritual pilgrimage called El Camino de Santiago. During her month-long solo journey, MacLaine sleeps in shelters and begs for food. She chronicles the trek in her book, “The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit.”
2011 – Receives France’s most prestigious award for the arts, the Legion of Honor.
2012-2013 – Portrays a fashionable New Yorker on the hit show, “Downton Abbey.”
December 8, 2013 – Receives the Kennedy Center Honors for her achievements in the performing arts.
Here’s a look at the life of actor Jack Nicholson, who has won three Academy Awards and been nominated for 12, the most of any male performer.
Birth date: April 22, 1937
Birth place: Neptune, New Jersey
Birth name: John Joseph Nicholson
Father: Identity not confirmed publicly
Mother: June Nicholson
Marriage: Sandra Knight (1961-1966, divorced)
Children: with Jennine Gourin: Tessa (though he has not claimed paternity publicly);with Rebecca Broussard: Lorraine and Raymond; with Winnie Hollman: Honey (though he has not claimed paternity publicly); with Susan Anspach: Caleb; with Sandra Knight: Jennifer
Raised by Ethel May Nicholson. It wasn’t until Nicholson was an adult that he learned that Ethel May was his grandmother and not his mother. His birth mother was June Nicholson, whom he grew up believing was his sister.
Worked in film for 10 years before his breakthrough role in “Easy Rider.”
Wrote, produced and starred in the 1966 western “Ride in the Whirlwind.”
Ardent Los Angeles Lakers fan.
1954 – Moves to Los Angeles.
1958 – Makes his film debut in “The Cry Baby Killer.”
1969 – The film “Easy Rider” is released and earns him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
1974 – The film “Chinatown” is released.
1976 – Wins the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest.”
1980 – The film “The Shining” is released.
1984 – Wins the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Terms of Endearment.”
1989 – The film “Batman” is released. Nicholson plays the Joker.
1998 – Wins the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in “As Good as It Gets.”
1994 – Smashes another man’s car windshield with a golf club during a traffic dispute. Later, charges are dropped and Nicholson reaches an undisclosed settlement with the car’s owner.
Beatty turned down several football scholarships to study drama at Northwestern University instead.
Beatty dated many famous women, such as Jane Fonda, Faye Dunaway, Julie Christie and Madonna, before he was married at age 54 to actress Annette Bening.
Nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won once. He has also received an honorary award.
Honorary chair of the Stella Adler Studio of Acting, originally founded by the much-admired acting teacher. Other prominent alumni include Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, Martin Sheen, and Bryce Dallas Howard.
In November 2015, singer-songwriter Carly Simon admitted to People magazine the second verse of her 1972 song, “You’re So Vain,” is about Beatty, a former beau, confirming a decades-old rumor.
1957 – Makes his television debut, in the lead role of a hitchhiker, on NBC’s “The Curly Headed Kid.”
1959-1963 – Appears in five episodes of the TV series “the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis.” Changes his last name to “Beatty.”
November 28, 1959 – Debuts on Broadway in “A Loss of Roses.”
1961 – Beatty makes his film-acting debut as Bud Stamper in “Splendor in the Grass” opposite Natalie Wood.
1967 – Makes his producing debut (and also stars) in the film “Bonnie and Clyde.” Initially panned, the film later receives critical recognition and is now considered a movie classic.
1975 – Makes his writing debut with “Shampoo,” co-written with Robert Towne, in which he also stars and produces.
1978 – Makes his directing debut with “Heaven Can Wait,” in which he is also the star, producer and writer.
1981 – For the second time, he serves as actor, director, producer and writer, for “Reds.”
March 29, 1982 – Winner, Academy Award for Best Director, for “Reds.” This is his only Academy Award win.
1987 – Produces and stars, with Dustin Hoffman, in the famous flop, “Ishtar,” about two lounge singers traipsing around North Africa.
1990 – Produces, directs and stars in the film, “Dick Tracy,” based on the hero police detective of the comic strip.
1991 – Meets his future wife, Annette Bening, when they star in the film “Bugsy,” a biopic about mobster Bugsy Siegel.
1998 – Produces, writes, directs and stars in the political satire, “Bulworth.”
March 26, 2000 – Receives the Academy’s highest honor, the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial award, which is presented to “creative producers whose bodies of work reflect a consistently high quality of motion picture production.”
November 7, 2022 – Beatty is sued by Kristina Charlotte Hirsch for sexual assault and sexual battery. Hirsch accuses Beatty of coercing her into sex in 1973 when Hirsch was a minor. Beatty is not named directly in the lawsuit. In December 2023 the lawsuit is dismissed with prejudice.
Children: with Paige Butcher: Max and Izzy; with Melanie Brown (Mel B, aka Scary Spice): Angel; with Nicole Mitchell: Bella, Zola, Shayne, Miles and Bria; with Tamara Hood: Christian; with Paulette McNeely: Eric
When Murphy was three years old, his parents split up. His father was murdered by a girlfriend five years later. Murphy was raised by his mother and stepfather, Vernon Lynch.
His flair for celebrity voices springs from watching and imitating cartoons as a kid.
Demonstrating his slapstick versatility, Murphy portrayed multiple characters in “Coming to America,” “Bowfinger,” “Norbit,” “Vampire in Brooklyn,” “Meet Dave,” “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” and the “Nutty Professor” films.
Murphy’s musical output includes two Billboard Hot 100 singles, “Party All the Time” and “Put Your Mouth on Me,” as well as a duet with Michael Jackson, “Whatzupwitu.”
November 22, 1980 – Murphy makes his first appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” He had auditioned six times before he was hired as a featured player to occasionally appear in skits. The comedian later gets promoted to the main cast and portrays such characters as a petulant version of Gumby, Buckwheat and Mister Robinson, a parody of Mister Rogers. He and Joe Piscopo are the only members of the 1980 ensemble who aren’t fired at the end of the season.
December 8, 1982 – Murphy’s first movie, “48 Hrs.” is released. The action comedy centers on a thief (Murphy) who helps a cop (Nick Nolte) track down a murderous fugitive.
December 5, 1984 – “Beverly Hills Cop” opens. Sylvester Stallone had been originally slated to play the main character, Axel Foley, but he quit weeks before the shoot and Murphy replaced him.
December 18, 1987 – The comedy concert film, “Eddie Murphy Raw,” is released.
April 11, 1988 – Presenting the Best Picture award during the Oscars telecast, Murphy criticizes the Academy for failing to recognize the contributions of Black performers throughout film history. He quips that he likely will never get an Oscar because of the remark.
November 17, 1989 – “Harlem Nights,” directed by Murphy, is released. Two of Murphy’s childhood idols, Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, costar in the 1930s-period piece about a wild New York nightspot.
June 28, 1996 – Murphy makes a comeback with the release of “The Nutty Professor,” a Jerry Lewis remake.
January 10, 1999 – “The PJs,” an animated series co-created by Murphy and Larry Wilmore, debuts on Fox. The series is criticized for perpetuating black stereotypes. It garners three Primetime Emmy awards, two for voice actress, Ja’Net DuBois and one for achievement in animation. It’s canceled after three seasons.
May 16, 2001 – “Shrek,” a computer animated fairy tale about an ogre (Mike Myers) who befriends a hapless donkey (Murphy), opens and grosses $42 million during its first weekend.
December 15, 2006 – “Dreamgirls” opens in limited release. Critics praise Murphy for his dramatic turn as James “Thunder” Early, a fading star struggling with addiction.
TOKYO — Ghibli, the Japanese studio that just won its second Oscar for feature animation for “The Boy and The Heron,” hasn’t said yet what it plans next.
But founder Hayao Miyazaki, who at 83 was the oldest director ever nominated in that category, won’t rule out making another film, even if his next project is a short instead of a full-length feature.
Miyazaki, according to a longtime confidante, is a bit embarrassed about having pronounced a decade ago that he would no longer make movies, citing his age.
“He regrets having announced to the world he won’t make another film,” producer Toshio Suzuki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, said after the latest win.
When the Oscar was announced early Monday in Japan, a cheer went up in the tiny, humble building that houses the studio on the fringes of sprawling Tokyo where dozens of invited media had crammed in to watch the ceremony on a big screen.
It was a big day for Japanese filmmaking, with “Godzilla Minus One” winning the award for best visual effects, marking Japan’s first win in that category.
Japanese media heaped praise on both the Ghibli and Godzilla films, noting that a double win at the Oscars hadn’t happened for the country since 2009. An editorial Tuesday in the mass-circulation Yomiuri newspaper heralded “a new page in the history of Japanese filmmaking.”
Japan is also very much in the backdrop of “Oppenheimer,” which won seven Oscars, including best picture. The biopic centers on an American scientist working on the atomic bomb. The film has yet to be released in Japan.
“Perfect Days,” Wim Wenders’ touching film about a sanitation worker, was nominated in the international feature film category but did not win. Japanese actor Koji Yakusho, who portrays a gentle and lonely man who takes photos and cares for plants, won best actor for his performance at Cannes in May last year.
“War is Over,” which won for short animation, was inspired by Yoko Ono and John Lennon’s music. Their son Sean, who co-wrote the film, gave a shout-out to his mother, who is Japanese, at the Academy Awards.
Miyazaki celebrated his Oscar win in private at his atelier and did not attend the studio event, Suzuki said. When asked why Miyazaki had shaved off his trademark beard, Suzuki said: “He doesn’t want to look important.”
Suzuki said he spent time analyzing why Ghibli’s latest film was chosen, wondering if it was because of the Old Testament references in the storyline, which centers on a young boy dealing with his mother’s illness and death, and the relationship he develops with a talking bird. Suzuki said Ghibli’s hand-drawn illustrations were more effective than computer graphics in portraying the bird’s metamorphosis.
Ghibli didn’t do much publicity for the film, choosing instead a low-key approach for a work that was 10 years in the making and released after Miyazaki was supposedly retired.
“We thought it was OK to make something we really wanted to make,” said Suzuki.
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Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama
“Oppenheimer” won best picture during the 2024 Academy Awards Sunday, dominating seven categories throughout the night. Emma Stone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Ryan Gosling and Jimmy Kimmel also shined bright during this year’s ceremony. Nigel Smith, a senior movies editor at People, joins CBS News with a look at the highlights.
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Halifax-born filmmaker Ben Proudfoot says it’s “hard to believe” he’s now a two-time Oscar winner.
The 33-year-old and his co-director Kris Bowers won the best short documentary trophy for “The Last Repair Shop” at a star-studded ceremony Sunday that included a spirited performance of the “Barbie” power ballad “I’m Just Ken” by Canadian actor Ryan Gosling.
“It feels absolutely incredible,” Proudfoot said on call from Los Angeles shortly after the win.
“This is such a victory for arts and music education in Los Angeles and around the world. We are absolutely thrilled, and we are very hopeful that this will mark a new chapter for music education.”
“The Last Repair Shop” tells the story of a Los Angeles workshop that offers free instruments, and free repairs, to public school students.
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“L.A. is one of the last cities in America to give public school students free and freely repaired instruments. We need to fix that because musical education isn’t just about creating incredible musicians, it’s about creating incredible humans,” Bowers said during the acceptance speech.
Congratulations to Halifax filmmaker, Ben Proudfoot, on his second Oscar win, this time for Best Documentary Short Film for “The Last Repair Shop.” You are inspiring people around the world and here at home with your storytelling. pic.twitter.com/8X9YyimZRc
This marks Proudfoot’s second Oscar after winning a trophy in 2022 for the short doc “The Queen of Basketball,” about the late basketball trailblazer Lusia (Lucy) Harris.
“I could never have imagined it,” Proudfoot said about winning another Academy Award.
“But the films we make are really designed to lift up people and lift up perspectives that don’t get enough attention, and these awards represent a flood of stories that other people find important.”
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Proudfoot and Bowers were joined on stage by Porche Brinker, an 11-year-old violinist who appears in the film.
“Porche was over the moon. She was thrilled. It was an incredible moment out of my wildest dreams,” said Proudfoot.
Proudfoot added that he and the film’s crew planned to celebrate at Vanity Fair’s Oscars after-party. He also planned to return to Halifax to celebrate in his hometown.
“I’m coming back for a very large donair soon.”
Making Halifax proud. Making Canada proud. @bgproudfoot, congratulations on bringing Canadian art to the big screen – and bringing home another #Oscar for it. https://t.co/7QEnu4tNNq
The evening also saw Gosling take the stage to perform the Oscar-nominated song “I’m Just Ken.”
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Dressed in a hot pink suit and sunglasses, the Cornwall, Ont. native began the performance seated in the audience before hitting the stage, where he was joined by Mark Ronson, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash and a group of dancers who included fellow Canadian and “Barbie” co-star Simu Liu.
Late Toronto musician Robbie Robertson and actor Matthew Perry were included in the In Memoriam segment honouring deceased stars.
Other Canadians on hand included Catherine O’Hara and Brendan Fraser, who each presented awards.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2024.
At the 96th Academy Awards, “Oppenheimer” led the charge with 13 nominations and seven wins, including best picture, while “Barbie” snagged a single award. Emma Stone’s win for best actress and Cillian Murphy’s in the best actor category highlighted the night.
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HOLLYWOOD, Los Angeles (KGO) — Oppenheimer became the biggest winner of the night at the 96th Oscars, taking seven academy awards -including the coveted Best Picture. But the night had so much to celebrate.
Even before Ryan Gosling lit up the stage with the best Ken-ergy – performing the Oscar nominated song “I’m just Ken,” ABC7’s Luz Pena caught up with some local nominees on the red carpet.
The Oscars were a night of first time nominees, including Bay Area filmmaker Sean Wang – Oscar nominated director for “Nai Nai & Wài Pó.”
Luz Pena:“Did you ever think that your documentary was going to end up nominated and you were going to be here tonight.
Sean Wang: No, I think we made something really special. As we were shooting and editing we knew that we made something that we loved that I think will honor them and their joy and humanity. It was something from our family and future generations to have”
His now famous grandmothers from his documentary ‘Nai Nai & Wài Pó’ said they receive the Hollywood treatment ahead of the Oscars.
Bay Area Oscar-nominated filmmaker Leo Chiang was proud to be nominated for his documentary “Island in Between” – being on the red carpet was part the dream.
“Exciting, it’s everything I thought it would be and then some,” Chiang said.
Despite Bay Area nominees not taking a golden statue home, they were all grateful and honored to be there.
Final preparations underway for Hollywood’s big day
It’s almost Oscar Sunday and the red carpet is rolled out with crews putting up the finishing touches just hours before Hollywood’s biggest night.
It’s almost Oscar Sunday and the red carpet is rolled out with crews putting up the finishing touches just hours before Hollywood’s biggest night. We caught up with Bay Area nominees arriving to Los Angeles, eager for Sunday. Leo Chiang is one of three Bay Area directors nominated in the documentary short category. His documentary “Island in Between” is his most personal work yet — focusing on the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen, just two miles off the coast of China. We also caught up with another Bay Area Oscar nominee, Christine Turner, at the “Women in Film” Oscar event on Friday. She is one of 75 women nominated for Academy Awards this year. She directed the documentary “The Barber of Little Rock.” This year, 32% of Oscar Nominees are women – a record year. The last time so many women were nominated was in 2021.
Bay Area filmmakers dominate Oscars category
This year there are three Bay Area filmmakers nominated under the documentary short category.
This year there are three Bay Area filmmakers nominated under the documentary short category. From the intimate story of two Fremont grandmothers and their filmmaker grandson documenting their daily lives in “Ni Nai & Wài Pó.” To exploring Americas wealth gap in “The Barber of Little Rock.” And Leo Chang’s documentary “Island in Between” focusing on the Taiwanese islands of Kinmen just two miles off the coast of China. These documentaries are representing the Bay Area well at the Academy Awards.
Bay Area designers seek Oscars spotlight
Fashion is a huge component of the Oscars and this year Bay Area fashion designers are dressing our very own ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena.
Fashion is a huge component of the Oscars and this year Bay Area fashion designers are dressing our very own ABC7 News reporter Luz Pena. Luz’s first stop was Oakland School for the Arts, where fashion designer Stephanie Verrieres lent one of her gowns to wear on the red carpet. Next stop, designer IB Bayo, who has always dreamt of seeing one of his gowns at the Oscars. Luz will be wearing both pieces on the red carpet.
Two of the women who won big at the 96th Academy Awards have ties to the Philadelphia region.
‘Temple Proud’: Da’Vine Joy Randolph takes home Oscar for best supporting actress
Mount Airy native and Temple University alum Da’Vine Joy Randolph took home one of Sunday’s night’s biggest prizes: best supporting actress for her role as Mary Lamb in Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.”
Randolph — who was the favorite to take home the prize — gave an emotional acceptance speech talking about her journey to becoming an Oscars winner:
“For so long I’ve always wanted to be different,” Randolph said. “And now I realize I just need to be myself.”
Episcopal Academy grad Jennifer Lame wins Oscar for editing ‘Oppenheimer’
The 2024 Academy Awards were ruled by the epic “Oppenheimer.”
Included in Christopher Nolan’s film’s seven wins was best film editing, which went to Jennifer Lame who graduated in 2000 from Episcopal Academy in the Philadelphia suburbs.
In a bit more of Philly-area fun, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Danny DeVito — alongside “Twins” co-star Arnold Schwarzenegger — announced Lame’s win.
Lame joked that she was “terrified” when Nolan hired her the first time. “It felt like you took a huge risk on me.”
