Exclusive: Hera Pictures, the indie behind Jodie Comer-starrer The End We Start From and Sky/Starz’ upcoming Mary & George, is developing a TV version of Joanna Quinn’s hit novel The Whalebone Theatre.
The 2022 best-seller is a coming-of-age story set in the shadows of the oncoming World War Two. It tells the story of an ‘unmarriageable girl’, Cristobel, electing to defy convention and find her own path through life. As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II approaches and she and her brother become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France.
The book hit best-seller lists in the UK and U.S. and has sold into 14 further territories worldwide since its release. No network is attached as of yet to the TV version.
Whalebone Theatre is the latest project for Hera, the drama indie run by former Channel 4 drama boss Liza Marshall that finds itself in rude health.
The 2022 best-seller is a coming-of-age story set in the shadows of the oncoming World War Two. It tells the story of an ‘unmarriageable girl’, Cristobel, electing to defy convention and find her own path through life. As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II approaches and she and her brother become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France.
The book hit best-seller lists in the UK and U.S. and has sold into 14 further territories worldwide since its release. No network is attached as of yet to the TV version.
Whalebone Theatre is the latest project for Hera, the drama indie run by former Channel 4 drama boss Liza Marshall that finds itself in rude health.
- 1/18/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
HollyShorts Film Festival, the Oscar-qualifying celebration of short films, has announced the jury lineup for its 2023 edition.
The 18-person jury includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Zoey Deutch (“Not Okay”), Alexandra Shipp (“Barbie”), Josh Whitehouse (“Daisy Jones & the Six”), Christina Chong (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), Nelu Handa (“Run the Burbs” showrunner) and Jaime Ray Newman (“Skin”). Variety international correspondent K.J. Yossman and Eric Kohn, executive editor and chief critic of IndieWire, will also serve on the jury.
Other industry professionals on the jury include Tom Berkeley and Ross White, whose film “An Irish Goodbye” won last year’s Oscar for best live-action short film; Aneil Kara, whose film “The Long Goodbye” won the Oscar in 2022; as well as short film Oscar nominees Pamela Ribon (“My Year of Dicks”) and Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby (“The Flying Sailor”). Two-time Oscar winner Joanna Quinn (“Affairs of...
The 18-person jury includes Chiwetel Ejiofor (“12 Years a Slave”), Sam Worthington (“Avatar”), Zoey Deutch (“Not Okay”), Alexandra Shipp (“Barbie”), Josh Whitehouse (“Daisy Jones & the Six”), Christina Chong (“Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”), Nelu Handa (“Run the Burbs” showrunner) and Jaime Ray Newman (“Skin”). Variety international correspondent K.J. Yossman and Eric Kohn, executive editor and chief critic of IndieWire, will also serve on the jury.
Other industry professionals on the jury include Tom Berkeley and Ross White, whose film “An Irish Goodbye” won last year’s Oscar for best live-action short film; Aneil Kara, whose film “The Long Goodbye” won the Oscar in 2022; as well as short film Oscar nominees Pamela Ribon (“My Year of Dicks”) and Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby (“The Flying Sailor”). Two-time Oscar winner Joanna Quinn (“Affairs of...
- 8/2/2023
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Bryan Cranston, Blair Underwood and Jennifer Morrison will lead the jury for this year’s Hollyshorts Film Festival.
They will be joined by Stephanie Lang, Joanna Quinn, David Dastmalchian, Adaku Ononogbo and Jeremy Swift.
Set to open Aug. 11 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the Bitpix platform, the festival will screen a number of short films including Steve McQueen’s prostate cancer documentary “Embarrassed,” starring Idris Elba, Ben Proudfoot’s “Mink!” about the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rory Keenan’s “Bump,” starring Gemma Arterton.
Also screening on the opening night are Frank Chi’s “38 and the Garden,” Mike Kearby’s comedy “The Problem with Time Travel,” Tara Westwood’s “Triggered” starring Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Robert John Burke, “Coral Amiga’s"Crosshairs” and Evan Miller’s “Thoughts and Prayers,” which features Adrianne Palicki and Zachary Levi.
Meanwhile...
They will be joined by Stephanie Lang, Joanna Quinn, David Dastmalchian, Adaku Ononogbo and Jeremy Swift.
Set to open Aug. 11 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the Bitpix platform, the festival will screen a number of short films including Steve McQueen’s prostate cancer documentary “Embarrassed,” starring Idris Elba, Ben Proudfoot’s “Mink!” about the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rory Keenan’s “Bump,” starring Gemma Arterton.
Also screening on the opening night are Frank Chi’s “38 and the Garden,” Mike Kearby’s comedy “The Problem with Time Travel,” Tara Westwood’s “Triggered” starring Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Robert John Burke, “Coral Amiga’s"Crosshairs” and Evan Miller’s “Thoughts and Prayers,” which features Adrianne Palicki and Zachary Levi.
Meanwhile...
- 8/4/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
It’s said that one of the tasks of an artist is to reveal the truth of things, and Beryl (Menna Trussler) is more passionately devoted to the truth than most people can cope with. This is not her first outing in the work of artist/director Joanna Quinn, and it seems unlikely to be the last, but it bears the distinction of having been nominated for an Oscar, which would surely bowl over this working class Welsh woman despite the litany of peculiar goings-on which she manages to take in her stride.
Robust, middle aged and not easily squeezed into a wonderbra, Beryl is a tangle of scraggly lines and splashes of pain, each lovingly hand-drawn frame resembling the work which she herself creates as she orders her ageing husband to pose nude on the staircase and tries to capture the energy of accidents in motion. Her home is littered with.
Robust, middle aged and not easily squeezed into a wonderbra, Beryl is a tangle of scraggly lines and splashes of pain, each lovingly hand-drawn frame resembling the work which she herself creates as she orders her ageing husband to pose nude on the staircase and tries to capture the energy of accidents in motion. Her home is littered with.
- 3/27/2022
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
When the initial announcement was made that eight categories would be pre-taped and then edited into the 2022 Oscars broadcast, we all knew the short film categories — Best Animated Short, Best Documentary Short and Best Live Action Short — would be the first on the chopping block. While these projects are the least seen of all the Oscar nominees, the categories have given us some amazing moments over the years. So rather than wallow in our sadness about not seeing these doled out live, let’s take a look back at four of the best speeches from past Best Animated Short winners. Hopefully the academy realizes soon that the short categories are something special and should be left alone.
The five Oscar nominees in contention for this year’s Best Animated Short prize are the following: “Affairs of the Art” (Joanna Quinn and Les Mills), “Bestia” (Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz), “Boxballet...
The five Oscar nominees in contention for this year’s Best Animated Short prize are the following: “Affairs of the Art” (Joanna Quinn and Les Mills), “Bestia” (Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz), “Boxballet...
- 3/25/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Chances are, you landed on this review because you’re trying to game your Oscar pool, looking for a clue as to what will win the always-underseen shorts categories — in a year when they were unceremoniously booted from the telecast, no less. Well, if it’s predictions you’re looking for, there’s little contest among this year’s cartoon contenders: Academy favorite Aardman Animations has delivered a delightful frontrunner in “Robin Robin.” But don’t stop reading there! In an unusually adult-leaning year, the traditionally kid-friendly category is well worth watching in its entirety, whether in theaters or on demand, thanks to stalwart distributor ShortsTV.
The program opens with “Robin Robin,” which seems poised to earn Aardman its fifth Oscar. This half-hour Christmas musical was hatched by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, who joined the Bristol-based studio for the express purpose of co-directing this Netflix holiday special, about a...
The program opens with “Robin Robin,” which seems poised to earn Aardman its fifth Oscar. This half-hour Christmas musical was hatched by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please, who joined the Bristol-based studio for the express purpose of co-directing this Netflix holiday special, about a...
- 3/25/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
The race for Best Animated Short Film definitely has a clear front-runner. According to our combined racetrack odds, “Robin Robin” is the clear leader to win this year. These odds are calculated from the predictions that have been logged by Expert film journalists, Gold Derby’s Editors, Top 24 Users and the thousands of Gold Derby users making their own predictions.
But how solid a front-runner is “Robin Robin”? Could another film upset it? Let’s take a dive into this category by examining all five nominees in order by their Gold Derby odds as of this writing.
SEEOscars 2022: Who are the final 9 presenters among 46 celebrities added for Sunday’s ceremony?
“Robin Robin” (odds of winning: 31/10)
A robin that’s been raised by mice is perpetually clumsy when it comes to raiding kitchens and makes her family prone to being caught. With the help of a collecting magpie (Richard E. Grant...
But how solid a front-runner is “Robin Robin”? Could another film upset it? Let’s take a dive into this category by examining all five nominees in order by their Gold Derby odds as of this writing.
SEEOscars 2022: Who are the final 9 presenters among 46 celebrities added for Sunday’s ceremony?
“Robin Robin” (odds of winning: 31/10)
A robin that’s been raised by mice is perpetually clumsy when it comes to raiding kitchens and makes her family prone to being caught. With the help of a collecting magpie (Richard E. Grant...
- 3/24/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Animated Short
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
The animated short race seems down to two very different contenders.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Animated Short
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
The animated short race seems down to two very different contenders.
- 3/24/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“We are artisans and this is our moment,” says Carter Pilcher.
UK-based ShortsTV’s theatrical release of the short film Oscar nominees is closing in on $1.5m after three weekends in North American cinemas as the company’s founder and CEO said the Academy’s telecast plans creates a “second tier” of awards.
Carter Pilcher, who serves as a member of the Academy’s short films and feature animation branch, said the release of the live-action, animated and documentary shorts showcase had reached $1.3m and hopes over the course of a four-week run to overtake the $1.5m achieved in 2021.
The...
UK-based ShortsTV’s theatrical release of the short film Oscar nominees is closing in on $1.5m after three weekends in North American cinemas as the company’s founder and CEO said the Academy’s telecast plans creates a “second tier” of awards.
Carter Pilcher, who serves as a member of the Academy’s short films and feature animation branch, said the release of the live-action, animated and documentary shorts showcase had reached $1.3m and hopes over the course of a four-week run to overtake the $1.5m achieved in 2021.
The...
- 3/16/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
“We are artisans and this is our moment,” says Carter Pilcher.
UK-based ShortsTV’s theatrical release of the short film Oscar nominees is closing in on $1.5m after three weekends in North American cinemas as the company’s founder and CEO has spoken out against the Academy’s telecast plans.
Carter Pilcher, who serves as a member of the Academy’s short films and feature animation branch, said the release of the live-action, animated and documentary shorts showcase had reached $1.3m and hopes over the course of a four-week run to overtake the $1.5m achieved in 2021.
The showcase grossed around...
UK-based ShortsTV’s theatrical release of the short film Oscar nominees is closing in on $1.5m after three weekends in North American cinemas as the company’s founder and CEO has spoken out against the Academy’s telecast plans.
Carter Pilcher, who serves as a member of the Academy’s short films and feature animation branch, said the release of the live-action, animated and documentary shorts showcase had reached $1.3m and hopes over the course of a four-week run to overtake the $1.5m achieved in 2021.
The showcase grossed around...
- 3/16/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The hustle and bustle of awards season is nearing an end, with Oscar voting getting underway on March 17. So naturally, every contender is looking to gain an advantage, and the BAFTA and Critics Choice ceremonies, which take place March 13, provide that opportunity.
At Cca, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” lead the tally with 11 nominations apiece, including best picture. Still, with a group of more than 500 North America-based broadcast journalists and writers doing the voting, we shouldn’t expect either to triumph unequivocally.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub
At BAFTA, “Belfast’s” six-nom tally isn’t as robust as Focus Features would have liked, but prospects look strong for the film to pick up wins for original screenplay, outstanding British film and possibly supporting actor Ciarán Hinds, who is a legend across the pond. However, the momentum for “Coda” has been palpable...
At Cca, Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” lead the tally with 11 nominations apiece, including best picture. Still, with a group of more than 500 North America-based broadcast journalists and writers doing the voting, we shouldn’t expect either to triumph unequivocally.
Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub
At BAFTA, “Belfast’s” six-nom tally isn’t as robust as Focus Features would have liked, but prospects look strong for the film to pick up wins for original screenplay, outstanding British film and possibly supporting actor Ciarán Hinds, who is a legend across the pond. However, the momentum for “Coda” has been palpable...
- 3/10/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Locksmith Animation’s “Ron’s Gone Wrong” has won the award for best long form at the British Animation Awards 2022.
Locksmith, which was founded by by Aardman Animations veterans Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart alongside Elisabeth Murdoch, picked up the award at a ceremony in London on Thursday evening.
The awards took place at London’s BFI Southbank and were presented by comedian Miles Jupp.
Other winners on the night included Magic Light Pictures, for their adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s “Zog and the Flying Doctors” and Scheffler’s “Pip and Posy,” while production co-ordinator Hodan Abdi picked up the Lamb award, which “bridges the gap between current categories which recognise student achievements and general best-in-class awards, and is open to any young professionals working in the animation and VFX industry.”
And 86-year-old Menna Trussler beat out Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais and Ben Wishaw to take home the award for best voice performance,...
Locksmith, which was founded by by Aardman Animations veterans Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart alongside Elisabeth Murdoch, picked up the award at a ceremony in London on Thursday evening.
The awards took place at London’s BFI Southbank and were presented by comedian Miles Jupp.
Other winners on the night included Magic Light Pictures, for their adaptations of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s “Zog and the Flying Doctors” and Scheffler’s “Pip and Posy,” while production co-ordinator Hodan Abdi picked up the Lamb award, which “bridges the gap between current categories which recognise student achievements and general best-in-class awards, and is open to any young professionals working in the animation and VFX industry.”
And 86-year-old Menna Trussler beat out Taika Waititi, Ricky Gervais and Ben Wishaw to take home the award for best voice performance,...
- 3/10/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
The five Oscar-nominated animated pics use many styles and storytelling genres to explore deeper issues. Below is a look into each work of art.
Affairs of the Art
Pet taxidermy. Screw threads. Pickling. These are the delightfully strange obsessions of the family in Joanna Quinn and Les Mill’s short film. Audiences return to the life of Beryl, a middle-age, middle-class female hero who doesn’t hide her quirks and flaws or those of the people she loves. Much of the film is based on the filmmakers’ observations of people in their own lives and themselves. Beryl’s love of drawing is taken from Quinn’s own early passion for art and drawing. Mills often takes ideas for dialogue from conversations he’s heard. Quinn considered going digital for the film but ultimately went back to hand-drawn animation.
“There’s a life to it, a vitality to it, and that...
Affairs of the Art
Pet taxidermy. Screw threads. Pickling. These are the delightfully strange obsessions of the family in Joanna Quinn and Les Mill’s short film. Audiences return to the life of Beryl, a middle-age, middle-class female hero who doesn’t hide her quirks and flaws or those of the people she loves. Much of the film is based on the filmmakers’ observations of people in their own lives and themselves. Beryl’s love of drawing is taken from Quinn’s own early passion for art and drawing. Mills often takes ideas for dialogue from conversations he’s heard. Quinn considered going digital for the film but ultimately went back to hand-drawn animation.
“There’s a life to it, a vitality to it, and that...
- 3/8/2022
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix may be leading the pack in overall Oscar nominations this year, but the streamer is outnumbered in at least one category. Netflix’s singular nominee for Best Animated Short represents the category’s most classic contender in “Robin Robin,” a charming tale of difference told with cute fuzzy animals from beloved British animation house Aardman, the four-time Oscar-winning studio behind “Wallace and Gromit.”
While “Robin Robin” is the clear frontrunner this year,, the rest of the category is filled with experimental and challenging fare from around the world.
It may not make the race very interesting, but the viewing is another story.
Playing as if in a different world entirely, the other four contenders feature poignant meditations on love and romance, a whimsical character study of an eccentric artist and her sister’s obsession with taxidermy, and a shocking mini-horror about a secret police agent and her torture dog.
While “Robin Robin” is the clear frontrunner this year,, the rest of the category is filled with experimental and challenging fare from around the world.
It may not make the race very interesting, but the viewing is another story.
Playing as if in a different world entirely, the other four contenders feature poignant meditations on love and romance, a whimsical character study of an eccentric artist and her sister’s obsession with taxidermy, and a shocking mini-horror about a secret police agent and her torture dog.
- 3/4/2022
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Oscar-Nominated Animation Filmmakers and VFX Artisans to Speak in Free Online View Conference Panels
The View Conference, in partnership with Ogr, presents a full slate of free virtual PreVIEW panels in March featuring an array of Oscar nominees.
First, on Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. Pt, will be a talk with the filmmakers behind the five nominees for animated feature. Speakers are Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith of Disney’s “Encanto”; Jonas Poher Rasmussen and Charlotte De La Gournerie of the animated documentary “Flee”; Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren of Pixar’s “Luca”; Mike Rianda, Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”; and Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
“This year’s list of Oscar contenders is truly breathtaking,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I have been blown away by the depth of creative thinking that has gone into their production, and...
First, on Friday, March 4, at 10 a.m. Pt, will be a talk with the filmmakers behind the five nominees for animated feature. Speakers are Byron Howard, Jared Bush and Charise Castro Smith of Disney’s “Encanto”; Jonas Poher Rasmussen and Charlotte De La Gournerie of the animated documentary “Flee”; Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren of Pixar’s “Luca”; Mike Rianda, Phil Lord and Chris Miller of Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix’s “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”; and Don Hall and Carlos Lopez Estrada of Disney’s “Raya and the Last Dragon.”
“This year’s list of Oscar contenders is truly breathtaking,” says conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I have been blown away by the depth of creative thinking that has gone into their production, and...
- 3/3/2022
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Ahead of the Academy Awards, we’ve reviewed every short film in each category: Animation, Documentary, and Live Action.
Animation
Affairs of the Art | UK/Canada | 16 Mins
Fifteen years after the character’s last foray (Dreams & Desires: Family Ties) and 35 years since her debut in Girls Night Out, everyone’s favorite Welsh housewife Beryl (Menna Trussler) is back to narrate a series of anecdotes centered upon her eccentric family while pursuing a new obsession: hyper-futurism. The original team of Joanna Quinn (director and animator) and Les Mills (writer) takes us behind the scenes of their star’s art by showcasing the tireless support of her husband (walking up and down the stairs nude) and her full-tilt embracement of her own body as a paintbrush. More than just her creations and the hoops she puts people through to create them, however, Affairs of the Art seeks to remind us that artistic creation possesses no defined boundaries.
Animation
Affairs of the Art | UK/Canada | 16 Mins
Fifteen years after the character’s last foray (Dreams & Desires: Family Ties) and 35 years since her debut in Girls Night Out, everyone’s favorite Welsh housewife Beryl (Menna Trussler) is back to narrate a series of anecdotes centered upon her eccentric family while pursuing a new obsession: hyper-futurism. The original team of Joanna Quinn (director and animator) and Les Mills (writer) takes us behind the scenes of their star’s art by showcasing the tireless support of her husband (walking up and down the stairs nude) and her full-tilt embracement of her own body as a paintbrush. More than just her creations and the hoops she puts people through to create them, however, Affairs of the Art seeks to remind us that artistic creation possesses no defined boundaries.
- 2/23/2022
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Updated February 8: Leading the Oscar nominees is the first stop-motion musical, “Robin Robin,” from the legendary Aardman (going for its fourth short win), partnered with Netflix, which tries for its second consecutive win. The other four in this eclectic, international field include “Affairs of the Art (Canada/U.K.), “Bestia” (Chile), “Boxballet” (Russia), and “The Windshield Wiper” (U.S./Spain).
“Robin Robin” is a 30-minute holiday short about how our differences make us stronger, created and directed by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please (BAFTA winner for “The Eagleman Stag”). It’s surely the favorite, as the Academy obviously adores Aardman. It’s about a charmingly awkward bird with an identity crisis, who is adopted into a loving family of burglar mice, which plans an ambitious heist to bag an entire sandwich.
“The Windshield Wiper,” directed by Alberto Mielgo, concerns a middle-aged man who sits in a cafe and ponders the meaning of love.
“Robin Robin” is a 30-minute holiday short about how our differences make us stronger, created and directed by Dan Ojari and Mikey Please (BAFTA winner for “The Eagleman Stag”). It’s surely the favorite, as the Academy obviously adores Aardman. It’s about a charmingly awkward bird with an identity crisis, who is adopted into a loving family of burglar mice, which plans an ambitious heist to bag an entire sandwich.
“The Windshield Wiper,” directed by Alberto Mielgo, concerns a middle-aged man who sits in a cafe and ponders the meaning of love.
- 2/9/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The mighty “Dune” (from Warner Bros.) affirmed its craft dominance on Tuesday by grabbing eight out of a possible nine Oscar nominations (original song wasn’t in play). Thus, Denis Villeneuve’s sweeping and heady sci-fi ran the field with everything else: cinematography, costume design, editing, makeup/hair, original score, production design, sound, and visual effects. Historically, that puts “Dune” right behind “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” and “Titanic,” which both had nine craft noms.
The closest competitors with four noms were Jane Campion’s Netflix western, “The Power of the Dog”, and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake at Fox/Disney — which was two shy of the 1961 original. Landing three noms were Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” at Searchlight/Disney and Daniel Craig’s James Bond finale, “No Time to Die,” at MGM/UA.
Collecting two craft noms were Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up...
The closest competitors with four noms were Jane Campion’s Netflix western, “The Power of the Dog”, and Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” remake at Fox/Disney — which was two shy of the 1961 original. Landing three noms were Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” at Searchlight/Disney and Daniel Craig’s James Bond finale, “No Time to Die,” at MGM/UA.
Collecting two craft noms were Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up...
- 2/8/2022
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Indian helmer Pan Nalin’s “Last Film Show” walked off on Saturday with the top prize, the Golden Spike, at the 66th Valladolid Intl. Film Festival, one of Spain’s biggest and oldest film events and a bastion of festival-prized art film titles.
The French-Indian co-production marks Nalin’s homage to celluloid and is told through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy whose life is turned on its head after he watches his first film at the cinema. World premiering at Tribeca, it became the first foreign-language feature to score as the first runner up for Tribeca’s Audience Award.
Writer and director Pan Nalin said: “What we started in our solitude in a remote countryside of Gujarat has now started to echoing in multitudes the world over. Winning the best picture Golden Spike at the Seminci is like belonging to the rich history of cinema that Valladolid has stood for nearly seven decades.
The French-Indian co-production marks Nalin’s homage to celluloid and is told through the eyes of a nine-year-old boy whose life is turned on its head after he watches his first film at the cinema. World premiering at Tribeca, it became the first foreign-language feature to score as the first runner up for Tribeca’s Audience Award.
Writer and director Pan Nalin said: “What we started in our solitude in a remote countryside of Gujarat has now started to echoing in multitudes the world over. Winning the best picture Golden Spike at the Seminci is like belonging to the rich history of cinema that Valladolid has stood for nearly seven decades.
- 11/1/2021
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – The Chicago International Film Festival (Ciff) is competitive, and the 57th edition presented its awards on October 22nd, 2021, as a live virtual and online event.. The winner of the Gold Hugo as Best International Film was “Memoria” (Columbia), directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival continues on Day 11, featuring screenings in theater, at the drive-in and virtual/online. Click here for a complete how-to guide on navigating the 57th Ciff. And click Day 11 for the complete line up of films.
The awards were presented by the various jury members in each film category, and were hosted by Artistic Director Mimi Plauché and Managing Director Vivian Teng. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
‘Memoria’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo for Best Film: “Memoria” (Columbia) Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
In...
The 57th Chicago International Film Festival continues on Day 11, featuring screenings in theater, at the drive-in and virtual/online. Click here for a complete how-to guide on navigating the 57th Ciff. And click Day 11 for the complete line up of films.
The awards were presented by the various jury members in each film category, and were hosted by Artistic Director Mimi Plauché and Managing Director Vivian Teng. The Festival’s highest honor is the Gold Hugo, named for the mythical God of Discovery.
International Feature Film Competition
‘Memoria’
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival
The Gold Hugo for Best Film: “Memoria” (Columbia) Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
In...
- 10/23/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
While there have been many negatives about the pandemic, one of the silver linings has been being able to virtually attend festivals in far-flung places. I've had the privilege not only to watch many of the shorts at the terrific Palm Springs Short Film Festival, but to serve on the jury for the Best Short Under 15 Minutes (award results to be announced soon!) Here are short reviews of some of the shorts (Part One). Affairs of the Art: Beryl is tired of her life of quiet desparation, so she returns to a childhood obsession: art. As she finds strange and wonderful ways to express herself in ink and paint, she recalls other family members and their obsessions: pickling, pigeons, taxidermy. A...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 6/26/2021
- Screen Anarchy
The Annency International Animation Film Festival announced Saturday evening the winners of its major awards.
Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s hand-drawn animation telling the true story of a man’s extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan, won top honors by nabbing the Annency Cristal for a feature film. Deadline’s Todd McCarthy said Rasmussen “puts you through it in a way that illustrates, instructs, makes you look inward and ask whether you’d have what it takes, if you could tough it out and survive in a cold, hostile world.”
Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will voice the lead roles in an English language version of the film, which will debut later this year, and the pair are also executive producers on the pic.
My Sunny Maad, the debut feature of Oscar-nominated director Michaela Pavlátová, won this year’s Jury Award. The film follows a young Czech woman...
Flee, Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s hand-drawn animation telling the true story of a man’s extraordinary journey as a child refugee from Afghanistan, won top honors by nabbing the Annency Cristal for a feature film. Deadline’s Todd McCarthy said Rasmussen “puts you through it in a way that illustrates, instructs, makes you look inward and ask whether you’d have what it takes, if you could tough it out and survive in a cold, hostile world.”
Riz Ahmed and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau will voice the lead roles in an English language version of the film, which will debut later this year, and the pair are also executive producers on the pic.
My Sunny Maad, the debut feature of Oscar-nominated director Michaela Pavlátová, won this year’s Jury Award. The film follows a young Czech woman...
- 6/19/2021
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
On Saturday evening, after a week of onsite and virtual screenings, conferences, masterclasses and panels, the Annecy Animation Festival announced the winners of its major prizes, joining the already announced Special Prizes from the night before.
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee” continued its winning form from the previous evening – it won best original music from a feature – taking both the Cristal for a Feature Film, the festival’s top prize, and the Gan Foundation Award for distribution.
A World Cinema Grand Jury Award-winner at Sundance and best Nordic documentary winner at Göteborg, “Flee” was described by Variety’s Peter Debruge as a “sophisticated refugee story.” “Flee” is the true story of Amin, about to get married, who decides to share his hidden past, a secret he has been hiding for over 20 years which threatens to ruin the life he has built since. In the film Amin tells the story of...
Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee” continued its winning form from the previous evening – it won best original music from a feature – taking both the Cristal for a Feature Film, the festival’s top prize, and the Gan Foundation Award for distribution.
A World Cinema Grand Jury Award-winner at Sundance and best Nordic documentary winner at Göteborg, “Flee” was described by Variety’s Peter Debruge as a “sophisticated refugee story.” “Flee” is the true story of Amin, about to get married, who decides to share his hidden past, a secret he has been hiding for over 20 years which threatens to ruin the life he has built since. In the film Amin tells the story of...
- 6/19/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy’s short film competition is many things. It is a celebration of the best short, animated films from the previous year, a barometer of bigger things to come from filmmakers on the rise, a place of recognition for established filmmakers still going strong decades into their careers, and a home to experimentation impossible to find almost anywhere else.
Each year, Variety watches each of the shorts in Annecy’s main competition selection and picks ten of our favorites. We’re not saying these are the best 10 shorts this year, we’ll leave that to the judges, but we believe each brings something that shouldn’t be missed.
“Affairs of the Art”
24 years after sweeping the Special Jury, Ufoleis and Mellow Manor awards at Annecy 1987, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joanna Quinn is back with her iconic creation Beryl, in a new story of aging, body image, sisterly love and fond memories. One...
Each year, Variety watches each of the shorts in Annecy’s main competition selection and picks ten of our favorites. We’re not saying these are the best 10 shorts this year, we’ll leave that to the judges, but we believe each brings something that shouldn’t be missed.
“Affairs of the Art”
24 years after sweeping the Special Jury, Ufoleis and Mellow Manor awards at Annecy 1987, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Joanna Quinn is back with her iconic creation Beryl, in a new story of aging, body image, sisterly love and fond memories. One...
- 6/17/2021
- by Jamie Lang, Emilio Mayorga and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
“Pearl Diver” by Norway’s Margrethe Danielsen has swept Spain’s 16th Animayo Gran Canaria Festival awards, making off with the International Grand Jury Prize as well as plaudits for best student short film, stop motion and comedy for adults.
“Pearl Diver” follows three odd couples: a hedgehog that falls in love with a balloon, two oysters anxious to meet; and an Arctic couple drifting apart.
The stop-motion animated short was produced at Volda University College and has already won a string of awards worldwide. Aside from scooping a cash prize of €3,000 and a trophy, “Pearl Diver” qualifies to compete for the Academy Award’s short list of qualifying animated shorts.
Italy’s “Where Night Falls” by Francesco Filippini nabbed the best 3D, best comedy for all ages and best screenplay awards. The short revolves around a boy and his grandmother as they set off on a shamanic journey to discover their roots.
“Pearl Diver” follows three odd couples: a hedgehog that falls in love with a balloon, two oysters anxious to meet; and an Arctic couple drifting apart.
The stop-motion animated short was produced at Volda University College and has already won a string of awards worldwide. Aside from scooping a cash prize of €3,000 and a trophy, “Pearl Diver” qualifies to compete for the Academy Award’s short list of qualifying animated shorts.
Italy’s “Where Night Falls” by Francesco Filippini nabbed the best 3D, best comedy for all ages and best screenplay awards. The short revolves around a boy and his grandmother as they set off on a shamanic journey to discover their roots.
- 6/7/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Animayo Gran Canaria, Spain’s prominent Canary Islands-based animation festival, has expanded threefold as it divides its multiple activities into three sections: In-person over May 5-8; an avatar-based virtual event on May 13-15; and online from May 17 through October.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been a blessing; it came as a shock at first but we found a creative solution,” said Damian Perea, founder-director of the festival, which also includes VFX and video gaming.
By deploying an avatar-based virtual event platform dubbed Roomkey (formerly Teooh) that enables professional and enterprise communities to sit and interact in the same digital space, Animayo Gran Canaria became the first animation festival in the world to go virtual last year. “We lured up to 45,000 participants in 2020 and expect to reach or surpass that tally in this edition,” Perea said. “Going virtual has been a blessing for mid-sized festivals as it has allowed us to expand...
“The Covid-19 pandemic has been a blessing; it came as a shock at first but we found a creative solution,” said Damian Perea, founder-director of the festival, which also includes VFX and video gaming.
By deploying an avatar-based virtual event platform dubbed Roomkey (formerly Teooh) that enables professional and enterprise communities to sit and interact in the same digital space, Animayo Gran Canaria became the first animation festival in the world to go virtual last year. “We lured up to 45,000 participants in 2020 and expect to reach or surpass that tally in this edition,” Perea said. “Going virtual has been a blessing for mid-sized festivals as it has allowed us to expand...
- 4/27/2021
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
France’s Annecy Festival, Europe and one of the world’s largest and most important annual events for all things animated, has announced the lineups for its first group of competition sections for this summer’s 60th anniversary hybrid edition.
Instantly recognizable U.S. titles from this year’s TV competition lineup include the “Last Splash” episode of Matt Groening’s Netflix Original “Disenchantment,” praised for its sincere handling of the tragicomic romance of lead character Princess Tiabeanie, or Bean, and mermaid Mora. Hulu’s long-awaited and well-received reboot of Warner Bros “Animaniacs” is participating with its two-part premiere episode “Suspended Animation,” featuring the three Warner siblings and fan favorites Pink and the Brain. The best-known franchise in this year’s competition however, is Apple TV Plus’ “Peanuts” update “The Snoopy Show,” from WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Charles M Schulz Creative Associates.
Major non-u.S. productions include Russia’s “Masha and the Bear,...
Instantly recognizable U.S. titles from this year’s TV competition lineup include the “Last Splash” episode of Matt Groening’s Netflix Original “Disenchantment,” praised for its sincere handling of the tragicomic romance of lead character Princess Tiabeanie, or Bean, and mermaid Mora. Hulu’s long-awaited and well-received reboot of Warner Bros “Animaniacs” is participating with its two-part premiere episode “Suspended Animation,” featuring the three Warner siblings and fan favorites Pink and the Brain. The best-known franchise in this year’s competition however, is Apple TV Plus’ “Peanuts” update “The Snoopy Show,” from WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Charles M Schulz Creative Associates.
Major non-u.S. productions include Russia’s “Masha and the Bear,...
- 4/1/2021
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The Slovenian film has garnered the International Grand Prix, while the doc Mat and Her Mates scooped the National Grand Prix at the 43rd edition of the gathering. Sisters (Sestre) by Slovenian director Katarina Rešek has grabbed the Grand Prix in the International Competition of the 43rd Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. The awards were announced this past Saturday night in a year in which the biggest short-film festival in the world was – like so many others across the globe – forced to take place entirely online. Rešek’s film is a raw and powerful ode to female friendship that is replete with strong performances and solidifies the helmer – who is also known in her native Slovenia as a musical artist under the name of Kukla – as a talent to watch over the coming years. Other winners in the International Competition included Joanna Quinn’s Affairs of the Art...
Women in Animation revealed the Class of 2020 Best Short Film winners from the organization’s Wia Class of 2020 Showcase during a live Zoom ceremony Thursday, Sept. 17.
Because the coronavirus pandemic curtailed most of the festivals where student filmmakers typically unveil their work, the Wia organized the showcase as a way of helping the burgeoning artists get their short films seen by animation professionals, recruiters, hiring managers, agents and studio executives in a virtual setting. More than 400 graduate and undergraduate student films from 121 schools worldwide were reviewed by a jury of industry professionals.
The winning short films are “Ciervo,” about a young girl who holds violence, submission and independence in an uneasy balance as one morphs into the other, by Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma, who recently graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design; “La Vida de una Piñata” by Elena Heller, Marina Kunz, Raphael Pfyffer and Kai Muri, graduates of Switzerland...
Because the coronavirus pandemic curtailed most of the festivals where student filmmakers typically unveil their work, the Wia organized the showcase as a way of helping the burgeoning artists get their short films seen by animation professionals, recruiters, hiring managers, agents and studio executives in a virtual setting. More than 400 graduate and undergraduate student films from 121 schools worldwide were reviewed by a jury of industry professionals.
The winning short films are “Ciervo,” about a young girl who holds violence, submission and independence in an uneasy balance as one morphs into the other, by Pilar Garcia-Fernandezsesma, who recently graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design; “La Vida de una Piñata” by Elena Heller, Marina Kunz, Raphael Pfyffer and Kai Muri, graduates of Switzerland...
- 9/18/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Women in Animation is providing an online platform for 2020 graduates to showcase their work for key industry executives after many of the typical avenues have been sidelined due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Women in Animation Class of 2020 Showcase will act as a conduit for thesis/final films created by graduate and undergraduate students from all over the world, making them available for recruiters, hiring managers, agents and studio executives to review.
In addition, a jury of industry professionals will choose three projects as Class of 2020 Best Films. Winners will be announced at the end of the showcase viewing period. They will receive opportunities to meet with the jurors online and to participate in live Wia Q&a sessions as part of the Wia’s virtual event series.
Jurors include animator, writer and director Craig Bartlett; Erika Dapkewicz, film editor at Sony Pictures Animation; Magdiela Hermida Duhamel, Founder of...
The Women in Animation Class of 2020 Showcase will act as a conduit for thesis/final films created by graduate and undergraduate students from all over the world, making them available for recruiters, hiring managers, agents and studio executives to review.
In addition, a jury of industry professionals will choose three projects as Class of 2020 Best Films. Winners will be announced at the end of the showcase viewing period. They will receive opportunities to meet with the jurors online and to participate in live Wia Q&a sessions as part of the Wia’s virtual event series.
Jurors include animator, writer and director Craig Bartlett; Erika Dapkewicz, film editor at Sony Pictures Animation; Magdiela Hermida Duhamel, Founder of...
- 7/9/2020
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Five animators nominate their favourite living artist in their field
Five animators nominate their favourite living artist in their field
Sharon Colman on Nick Park
Nick Park is a four-time Academy award-winning animation director and, of course, the creator of Wallace and Gromit. His characters are brought to life with sincere emotions and charm. It's all in the subtleties: the blink of an eye, the raising of an eyebrow. He lets his characters breathe and think, without relying purely on dialogue to carry the story. In some ways, Gromit says a lot more than Wallace.
Sharon Colman's Badgered was Oscar-nominated in 2006.
Joanna Quinn on Michaela Pavlátová
Czech animator Michaela Pavlátová's first film Words, Words, Words is a beautiful, funny piece about communication – without any dialogue. What struck me was how inventive she was. I was inspired by her bold sense of design, which continues the strong Czech graphic poster tradition.
Five animators nominate their favourite living artist in their field
Sharon Colman on Nick Park
Nick Park is a four-time Academy award-winning animation director and, of course, the creator of Wallace and Gromit. His characters are brought to life with sincere emotions and charm. It's all in the subtleties: the blink of an eye, the raising of an eyebrow. He lets his characters breathe and think, without relying purely on dialogue to carry the story. In some ways, Gromit says a lot more than Wallace.
Sharon Colman's Badgered was Oscar-nominated in 2006.
Joanna Quinn on Michaela Pavlátová
Czech animator Michaela Pavlátová's first film Words, Words, Words is a beautiful, funny piece about communication – without any dialogue. What struck me was how inventive she was. I was inspired by her bold sense of design, which continues the strong Czech graphic poster tradition.
- 9/28/2011
- by Emine Saner
- The Guardian - Film News
Animated Exeter, Exeter
Last year it was Exeter Castle, this year the animation festival spills over on to the city's best-known landmark, with a son-et-lumière piece projected on to Exeter Cathedral (graphics by artists Tundra* and music from Portishead's Beth Gibbons). Free exhibitions and events include a helpful workshop on how to animate vegetables, while guest of honour Joanna Quinn looks back on her distinctive body of work. Plus, of course, over 140 films, from shorts compilations (like the return of Spike And Mike's "Sick And Twisted" programme) to recent features The Illusionist and A Town Called Panic.
Various venues, Mon to 26 Feb
Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow
Perhaps Edinburgh should start looking over its shoulder at "the fastest-growing film event in the UK". But Scotland's big enough for the both of them, for now. This one's almost too big for itself, as evidenced by the mini-festivals within it: a promising music and film festival,...
Last year it was Exeter Castle, this year the animation festival spills over on to the city's best-known landmark, with a son-et-lumière piece projected on to Exeter Cathedral (graphics by artists Tundra* and music from Portishead's Beth Gibbons). Free exhibitions and events include a helpful workshop on how to animate vegetables, while guest of honour Joanna Quinn looks back on her distinctive body of work. Plus, of course, over 140 films, from shorts compilations (like the return of Spike And Mike's "Sick And Twisted" programme) to recent features The Illusionist and A Town Called Panic.
Various venues, Mon to 26 Feb
Glasgow Film Festival, Glasgow
Perhaps Edinburgh should start looking over its shoulder at "the fastest-growing film event in the UK". But Scotland's big enough for the both of them, for now. This one's almost too big for itself, as evidenced by the mini-festivals within it: a promising music and film festival,...
- 2/12/2011
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
The European Film Academy has announced the creation of a new category for their awards ceremony.
The film institution will be honoring achievement in animation for the first time this year with the European Film Academy Animated Feature Film Award. The distinction is available to three nominees recently selected by a jury.
Sitting on the selection committee were Efa board members Per Holst, a Danish film producer, and Spanish producer Antonio Saura. Also picking the films were representatives of Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film: Agnès Bizzaro, program consultant and editor in France and Germany; Italian director Enzo d'Alo; and British director Joanna Quinn. The jury's picks included "Mia et la Migou," "Niko - Lentäjän poika" and "Brendan et le Secret de Kells."
"Mia et la Migou" - English title "Mia & the Migoo" - is a 2008 French film by Jacques-Rémy Girerd about Mia, a girl who, after the death of her mother,...
The film institution will be honoring achievement in animation for the first time this year with the European Film Academy Animated Feature Film Award. The distinction is available to three nominees recently selected by a jury.
Sitting on the selection committee were Efa board members Per Holst, a Danish film producer, and Spanish producer Antonio Saura. Also picking the films were representatives of Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film: Agnès Bizzaro, program consultant and editor in France and Germany; Italian director Enzo d'Alo; and British director Joanna Quinn. The jury's picks included "Mia et la Migou," "Niko - Lentäjän poika" and "Brendan et le Secret de Kells."
"Mia et la Migou" - English title "Mia & the Migoo" - is a 2008 French film by Jacques-Rémy Girerd about Mia, a girl who, after the death of her mother,...
- 10/22/2009
- icelebz.com
The European Film Academy have announced the three nominations for the new award category for best animated feature film of 2009. The jury consisting of Efa Board Members Per Holst (producer, Denmark) and Antonio Saura (producer, Spain) as well as representatives of Cartoon, the European Association of Animation Film, Agnes Bizzaro (program consultant/ editor, France/Germany), Enzo d’Alo (director, Italy) and Joanna Quinn (director, UK), decided to nominate the following films: Mia …...
- 10/22/2009
- Indiewire
OTTAWA -- British cartoonist Phil Mulloy's The Christies, a collection of dark comedic shorts, on Sunday was named best animated feature as the Ottawa International Animation Festival wrapped its latest edition. The jury for North America's largest animation festival praised Mulloy's animated film, which features a family of heads silhouetted against bright colors and speaking in computer-voice monotones, for its "uncompromisingly experimental approach and anarchistic dialogue and humor." Other award winners in Ottawa included British filmmaker Joanna Quinn, who took the grand prize for best independent short animation for her "Dreams and Desires: Family Ties."...
- 9/25/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
OTTAWA -- Michaela Pavlatova's musical erotica fantasy The Carnival of Animals, Andreas Hykade's The Runt, George Griffin's deadpan comedy It Pains Me to Say This, and Run Wrake's adult fairy tale Rabbit are among the 106 films from 20 countries competing in the Ottawa International Animation Festival that organizers unveiled Wednesday at a media conference. Swedish animator Jonas Odell's "Never Like the First Time!" and Joanna Quinn's "Dreams and Desires: Family Ties," which picked up the top prize at both the Annecy and Zagreb animation festivals earlier this year, will also unspool in the competitive section with 16 categories, ranging from features to promotional animation to Internet works. The 30th anniversary edition of North America's largest and the world's second-biggest animation festival will also feature retrospectives of the works of Russian Konstantin Bronzit, former Warner Bros. cartoon director Bob Clampett, New York experimental animator Jeff Scher, Italian Bruno Bozzetto and Canadian John Straiton.
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