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BEST MOTION PICTURE OF THE YEAR
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
(Paramount and Warner Bros.) A Kennedy/Marshall Production; Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon”
(Universal) A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment
and Working Title Production; Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk”
(Focus Features) A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen CompanyProduction; Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader”
(The Weinstein Company) A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production; Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire”
(Fox Searchlight) A Celador Films Production; Christian Colson, Producer
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
(Paramount and Warner Bros.) Screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax) Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics); Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax); Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features); Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features); Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney); Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon; Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM OF THE YEAR
“Bolt” (Walt Disney) Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount) John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Andrew Stanton
ACHIEVEMENT IN ART DIRECTION
“Changeling” (Universal) Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt
ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Changeling” (Universal) Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Anthony Dod Mantle
ACHIEVEMENT IN COSTUME DESIGN
“Australia” (20th Century Fox) Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films) Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage) Albert Wolsky
ACHIEVEMENT IN DIRECTING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features) Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company) Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Danny Boyle
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild) A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment) A Creative Differences Production,Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures) A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films) An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306″ A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde
ACHIEVEMENT IN FILM EDITING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal) Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features) Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Chris Dickens
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production; Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Haut et Court Production; France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing) A Departures Film Partners Production; Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films) A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production; Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics) A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production; Israel
ACHIEVEMENT IN MAKEUP
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
(Paramount and Warner Bros.) Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal) Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SCORE)
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage) James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features) Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Thomas Newman
ACHIEVEMENT IN MUSIC WRITTEN FOR MOTION PICTURES (ORIGINAL SONG)
“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman; Lyrics by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyrics by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Music and Lyrics by A.R. Rahman and Maya Arulpragasam
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production; Kunio Kato
“Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production; Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi”(Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production; Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production; Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up” A Nexus Production; Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency); An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production; Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions) A La Luna Production; Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television) A Zanzibar Films Production; Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig”An M & M Production; Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production; Jochen Alexander Freydank
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND EDITING
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal) Wylie Stateman
ACHIEVEMENT IN SOUND MIXING
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyceand Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight) Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney) Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal) Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt
ACHIEVEMENT IN VISUAL EFFECTS
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.) Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.) Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment) John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan
(pic: “I loved you so long”)
Admissions for French films abroad last year jumped 17% to a record 78 million, according to statistics unveiled Friday.
Unifrance president Margaret Menegoz told attendees at the Unifrance Rendez-Vous in Paris that the final figure should nudge past 80 million, a 23% increase.
The figures, the highest since Unifrance began collecting them in 1990, underscore the local industry’s ability to produce bigger-budget mainstream films and breakout crowdpleasers that punch significant numbers at home and abroad.
Top-ranking traveler was Mathieu Kassovitz’s “Babylon A.D.,” produced by StudioCanal, which sold 10.1 million admissions in 40 countries. Pathe duo “Asterix at the Olympic Games” (9.1 million from 31 territories) and “Welcome to the Sticks” (4.1 million from 12) also made the top five.
“Taken” ranked third abroad with 8.8 million off 23, while “Transporter 3,” also produced by Luc Besson’s EuropaCorp, has taken 7.3 million tickets in seven countries, including $31.7 million Stateside, suggesting roll-out potential in other territories.
Figures point to the strength of overseas French art films and crossover titles, said Eric Lagesse, prexy of France’s ADEF French Film Export Assn.
Upbeat performers outside France included artpics “Persepolis” (1.3 million admissions), “Caramel” (1.2 million) and Kristin Scott Thomas starrer “I’ve Loved You So Long” (1 million).
With 17.8 million admissions, the U.S. was by far France’s No. 1 international market.
Russia followed with 7.2 million spectators, Germany sold 5.6 million tickets and the U.K. clocked 4.3 million admissions.
Meanwhile, Ubifrance — the government agency for international business development — unveiled an agreement with CNC, the national film institute, to pump e380 million ($496.3 million) into 450 Gallic institutions and companies involved in the export of French films and TV programs that could create 800 jobs
Sundance, the first major fest to take place in the midst of the brutal economic downturn, is likely to be a more subdued affair.
There will still be the usual distribs scouting pics and sellers offering a full range of fare, but the overall noise level at the fest, running Jan. 15-25, is expected to be turned down a bit.
Organizers are marking the fest’s 25th anniversary with special “storytelling”-themed events and Web content. Steven Soderbergh will sit on a panel seeking to answer the question “What next?”
That question has haunted the indie and specialty arenas of late. Despite the fall emergence of breakouts like “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Milk” and “Doubt” at the mini-majors, the hangover from 2008 has lingered as vets absorb the disappearance of Warner Independent and Picturehouse and a big pullback by Paramount Vantage just three years after its euphoric “Hustle and Flow” Sundance moment. Add the breakdown of ThinkFilm, Bob Yari’s release arm and other pure indies and the ground has shifted significantly underfoot.
Funding for pics is available, but the capital-intensive distribution and marketing sectors have been in dire straits of late.
“It just feels a lot tougher this year because so much is changing,” said Bob Berney, who headed Picturehouse before it was unplugged last year by Time Warner. “Even so, I’m looking forward to Sundance just for the chance to see movies because it’s often been a place of renewal.”
“It’s a hard thing to know until you get there,” said Celine Rattray, who produced this year’s “Winning Season” and “Grace Is Gone,” a conspicuous Sundance commercial miss. “For every ‘Hamlet 2,’ there’s a ‘Little Miss Sunshine.’ Sundance remains the best place to sell American independent films. No other festival has stepped into that role. There are fewer distributors than a year ago, but the appetite is there.”
Ariana Bocco, acquisitions chief at IFC, sees the 1990s-bred bidding war as endangered but not extinct. “A month or two, people said there would only be a couple of active buyers, but it’s starting to feel like a lot of people will be taking serious looks at things,” she said. “It’s always a function of how a film screens. If people love something, they will still compete to get it, regardless of the larger economic situation.”
Fest director Geoff Gilmore has estimated the value of acquisition deals in 2008 at about $15 million, down from $45 million in 2007. It could dip even lower this year, though most attendees have a stake in seeing that it does not.
Among the sales titles generating interest are “I Love You, Phillip Morris,” the gay prison comedy starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor, repped by CAA and Endeavor; blaxploitation riff “Black Dynamite” from Endeavor; and “Mystery Team,” a comedy with a seriously adolescent streak repped by Submarine.
Andrew Hurwitz offers “Big Fan,” the directing debut of “Wrestler” scribe Robert Siegel. The Film Sales Co. has Jeff Lipsky’s comedy “Once More With Feeling,” starring Chazz Palminteri and exec produced by Rainbow Entertainment chief operating officer Ed Carroll.
The performance of docs has diminished significantly at the B.O., but sellers are optimistic about improved revenues from TV and the potential for money to flow from the Web.
The wellspring of publicity from a well-executed and well-received Sundance bow can still propel a film down a “Slumdog Millionaire”-like path. Thus stars such as Carrey, McGregor, Richard Gere, Uma Thurman and Ashton Kutcher appear alongside up-and-comers and indie scenesters vying for attention in the dramatic competition and documentary categories.
Friday’s Salt Lake City gala feature is R.J. Cutler’s Anna Wintour doc “The September Issue.”
On the sponsorship front, Volkswagen pulled out but was replaced by Honda, and despite reports that others were about to bail, supporters have largely held firm. Despite massive layoffs at Time Inc. and its own masthead turnover, Entertainment Weekly is back for an 18th year as a backer.
But the usual cavalcade of splashy parties and “branding opportunities” has run headlong into a newly ticklish issue — how to cruise through a gifting suite and still look like you’re sympathetic to the hardships that others are experiencing. From early indications, less-expensive wares are replacing electronics and pricey clothing in gifting suites.
Media outlets are feeling a major financial squeeze. Consequently, while the overall media rolls remain flat with last year, the premium outlets are sending fewer people.
“Some critics aren’t coming at all, and that makes it tough for films to get noticed, which is the whole point,” noted a publicist.
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French director and producer Claude Berri, best known for Jean de Florette, has died of a stroke at the age of 74. He passed away in a Paris hospital, where he was admitted on Saturday. Known as the “godfather” of French film, Berri worked with generations of top French actors and won an Oscar for his 1963 short film Le Poulet. His work includes the two-part saga on life in Provence, Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. President Nicolas Sarkozy callled him “legendary”. Berri suffered a stroke once before, in 2006, and had been ill for some time. Last year, Berri was one of the producers of the record-breaking comedy Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis, which became the highest-grossing film in French box-office history and is due to be remade in Hollywood under the title Welcome to the Sticks. Born Claude Langmann to working-class parents in Paris, he started his cinematic career as an actor but gave it up to concentrate on making short films. Mr Sarkozy said Berri was one of the most gifted producers and directors of his generation. He described him as “the most legendary figure of French cinema”. Before his death, Berri was directing his 20th film, a comedy called Tresor. |
Complete list of winners :
MOTION PICTURES:
• Picture, Drama: “Slumdog Millionaire.”
• Picture, Musical or Comedy: “Vicky Christina Barcelona.”
• Actor, Drama: Mickey Rourke, “The Wrestler.”
• Actress, Drama: Kate Winslet, “Revolutionary Road.”
• Director: Danny Boyle, “Slumdog Millionaire.”
• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Colin Farrell, “In Bruges.”
• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Sally Hawkins, “Happy-Go-Lucky.”
• Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger, “The Dark Knight.”
• Supporting Actress: Kate Winslet, “The Reader.”
• Foreign Language Film: “Waltz With Bashir.”
• Animated Film: “Wall-E.”
• Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, “Slumdog Millionaire.”
• Original Score: A.R. Rahman, “Slumdog Millionaire.”
• Original Song: “The Wrestler” (performed by Bruce Springsteen, written by Bruce Springsteen), “The Wrestler.”
TELEVISION:
• Series, Drama: “Mad Men.”
• Actor, Drama: Gabriel Byrne, “In Treatment.”
• Actress, Drama: Anna Paquin, “True Blood.”
• Series, Musical or Comedy: “30 Rock.”
• Actor, Musical or Comedy: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock.”
• Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, “30 Rock.”
• Miniseries or Movie: “John Adams.”
• Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Linney, “John Adams.”
• Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Paul Giammatti, “John Adams.”
• Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Laura Dern, “Recount.”
• Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Tom Wilkinson, “John Adams.”
Cecil B. DeMille Award: Steven Spielberg.
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