The Oscar for Best Animated Short Film is in the group of 10 nominated films announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences yesterday. In all, 37 short animated films from around the world were submitted, and that list has now been culled down to 10 films. The Short Films and Feature Animation Branch Reviewing Committee viewed all the eligible entries for the preliminary round of voting in screenings held in New York and Los Angeles.  They will now select the fin...

    Michael Moore's name and his latest film CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY were stark omissions when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences named 15 films that have made the short-list in the Documentary Feature category for the 82nd Academy Awards. Of 89 films submitted, the Oscar race has been pared down to these fifteen. “The Beaches of Agnes” Agnes Varda, director (Cine-Tamaris) “Burma VJ” Anders Ostergaard, director (Magi...

Imperia Entertainment, Inc. ‘s (Pink Sheets: IMPN) award winning romantic thriller, ‘Say it in Russian,’ watch the trailer with Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde) captured the Golden Palm for Best Feature Film and a Gold Kahuna Award at the 2009 Honolulu International Film Festival Sunday in Honolulu, Hawaii.  Agata Gotova was presented the Festival’s Award for Best Actress.    “I f...

By Maria Esteves - February 23, 2008 The ten Animated and Live Action Short Film Oscar Nominees sold out screenings was held at the Directors Guild Theater, New York, Saturday, February 16, 12:00 PM. Presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), produced by New York Program Director Patrick Harrison, AMPAS, and hosted by film historian, television host and Hollywood Reporter columnist Robert Osborne. Crowds of people began forming outside the entrance door of the ...

By Maria Esteves - February 22, 2008 The astonishing 8-foot golden Oscar statues arrived at The Carlyle Hotel, Thursday, February 21, 11:30 AM in preparation for the Official 80th Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) New York Oscar Night Celebration, Sunday, February 24, 2008. The colossal pair paraded in a lovely decorated steep-back vehicle through Times Square and Columbus Circle prior to its arrival at The Carlyle. The 80th Academy Awards ceremony for outstanding film ac...

Maria Esteves - February 22, 2008 MEET THE OSCARS presented by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) held at Times Square Studios, New York, February 15 - 23, 2008 is an outstanding extraordinary historical free exhibition displaying 50 new Oscar statuettes, 14th Academy Award Oscar won by Gary Cooper (on loan from his daughter Maria Cooper Janis) for Lead Actor in SERGEANT YORK (1941), 79th Academy Award Oscar won by Thelma Schoonmaker for Best Film Editing in DEPARTED (200...

 Friday, February 22--------European films and talents are poised for Oscar wins, when the golden statuettes are handed out at the Kodak Theater this coming Sunday in Los Angeles. For the past three months, there has been a lingering cloud of doubt about whether the ceremony was going to happen at all. A strike by the Writers Guild of America, that effectively shut down film and television production and forced the cancellation of the Golden Globe Awards, was only recently settled, in part beca...

80TH ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEES BY CATEGORY By Maria Esteves - February 10, 2008 The 80th Academy Awards ceremony for outstanding film achievements of 2007, hosted by Jon Stewart will be held at the Kodak Theatre, Hollywood, California, and televised live by ABC Television Network on Sunday, February 24, 8:00 PM EST. The Oscars will also be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide. The 80th Academy Award Nominees was announced by President Sid Ganis, Academy of Motion Picture Arts...

 Tuesday, January 22-------With the announcement this morning of the Academy Award nominations, the Sundance Film Festival Press Office sent out an interesting release on the films, performers and creatives nominated this year who were represented at Sundance, past and present.Two films with multiple nominations had their premieres at last year's Festival. AWAY FROM HER, by Sarah Polley, has been nominated for Best Actress (Julie Christie) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Sarah Polley). THE SAVAGES...

 Thursday, January 17---------AMPAS, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences,  has unveiled the poster for the 80th edition of the Academy Awards. The poster, designed by veteran illustrator Drew Struzan, brings to mind the STAR WARS films. This is no surprise, considering that Struzan created the one-sheets for all of the STAR WARS films, the most successful film franchise of all time. The poster will be available for purchase via the AMPAS website at: www.oscars.org. The Academy ...

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Monday, February 26-----While readers can turn to almost any newspaper, internet site or media outlet to get the results of the 79th Academy Awards (it is, after all, watched by over a billion people worldwide), this story will focus on what were, at least for me, the surprises of the evening….actually the surprises that kept the evening lively and unpredictable.   Among the night's biggest surprises:BEST PICTURE: While the choice of THE DEPARTED is certainly worthy (certainly compared t...

On Sunday, February 25, the world will watch in baited breath to see if one of their cinematic favorites walks away with the industry's highest honor – the Oscar.  Every year presents its fair share of surprises, triumphs, heartaches and snubs.  What makes this Academy Award ceremony particularly exciting is the monumental year of quality films that it represents.   2006 was a sensational year at the movies, highlighted by an unprecedented number of fine roles for women.  With so much...

Tuesday, February 13----Short filmmakers, even those nominated for Academy Awards, can have a hard time showcasing their work for the general public. The heyday of short films being shown in theaters before the main feature have long gone. However, intrepid New Yorkers are in for a treat this coming weekend, when the IFC Center, downtown Manhattan's most dynamic arthouse theater, will present a program of the live-action and animated short films that are up for Oscar gold.Usually, only those...

Wednesday, February 7----With the ballots for the Academy Awards in the mail, speculation is growing about what has become an impossible to predict Best Picture race. While BABEL was considered the frontrunner, especially following its Golden Globe win last month, there is now industry speculation that BABEL and Martin Scorsese's THE DEPARTED may split the "serious film" vote. So, what exactly does that mean? Well, one scenario points to an upset win by the indie smash LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (...

Wednesday, December 27----Sherry Lansing, the recently retired Chairperson of Paramount Pictures and one of the pioneering women producers in Hollywood, will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Award ceremonies, to be held at the Kodak Theater in Los Angeles on February 25, 2007. Sherry Lansing's long career as a producer and studio executive is rivaled only by her philanthropic commitments and activities. Lansing helped Armand Hammer form the nonprofit organization St...

Monday, December 25----While most industries take a rare respite during Christmas week, for the film industry it is a frenzied period that is not the least bit sleepy or relaxed. For film distributors, the Christmas-New Year's holiday period has become one of the most essential make-or-break weeks of the year, with Americans (and presumably others) adding movie-going as part of their Holiday celebrations. In other words, after the spate of last minute Christmas shopping, going out to the movie...

Monday, November 27----Three of the fifteen documentary feature films selected by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as contenders for this year's Best Documentary Oscar are associated with the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam (IDFA). The 79th Academy Awards will be given out on Sunday, February 27, 2007 in Los Angeles. SISTERS IN LAW, co-directed by Kim Longinotto and Florence Ayisi, opened last year's Festival and also copped the prestigious IDFA Audi...

Saturday/Sunday, November 25/26----The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced the "short list" of feature documentaries that will compete for Best Documentary honors at the 79th Academy Awards in February, 2007. The AMPAS Documentary Screening Committee viewed 81 eligible documentary features, shortening the list to 16 contenders. From this group will come the 5 films that will be compete for the final Best Documentary Oscar. Films on the "short list" include such r...