It was a night of surprises at the BAFTA TV Awards, with “The Crown” and “Black Mirror” failing to pick up any awards while “Succession” walked away with only one for Matthew Macfadyen for best supporting actor.
Macfadyen did not attend the awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall, prompting Helena Bonham Carter, who presented the category, to walk off with the iconic gold BAFTA mask with the promise she would get it to Macfadyen.
The international category also saw upset, with frontrunners “Succession,” “Beef” and “The Bear” all failing to win the award. They were instead beaten by little-known French series “Class Act.” It was a fact acknowledged by the show’s shocked lead actor Laurent Lafitte, who, upon accepting the award, told the audience: “Please watch our show. It’s called ‘Class Act,’ it’s quite good — not just because I’m starring in it.”
In the acting categories,...
Macfadyen did not attend the awards at London’s Royal Festival Hall, prompting Helena Bonham Carter, who presented the category, to walk off with the iconic gold BAFTA mask with the promise she would get it to Macfadyen.
The international category also saw upset, with frontrunners “Succession,” “Beef” and “The Bear” all failing to win the award. They were instead beaten by little-known French series “Class Act.” It was a fact acknowledged by the show’s shocked lead actor Laurent Lafitte, who, upon accepting the award, told the audience: “Please watch our show. It’s called ‘Class Act,’ it’s quite good — not just because I’m starring in it.”
In the acting categories,...
- 5/12/2024
- by K.J. Yossman and Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Colossal Biosciences, a company devoted to genetically resurrecting the woolly mammoth, is the subject of Oscar-winning director James Reed’s next documentary series for Teton Ridge Entertainment, a company backed by former Legendary CEO Thomas Tull.
Reed, who won an Academy Award in 2020 for co-directing “My Octopus Teacher,” is currently in production on the multi-year docuseries, which will follow the Dallas-based company as it uses gene-editing technology to bring back extinct species including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine (commonly referred to as the Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo bird. Reed will chronicle how Colossal, which deems itself the world’s first de-extinction company, strives to rewild the extinct animals and bring them back to their natural habitats.
Teton Ridge is financing the first phase of the docu’s production with the intention to find a distribution partner to bring the film to market.
“After these past few months with Colossal,...
Reed, who won an Academy Award in 2020 for co-directing “My Octopus Teacher,” is currently in production on the multi-year docuseries, which will follow the Dallas-based company as it uses gene-editing technology to bring back extinct species including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine (commonly referred to as the Tasmanian tiger) and the dodo bird. Reed will chronicle how Colossal, which deems itself the world’s first de-extinction company, strives to rewild the extinct animals and bring them back to their natural habitats.
Teton Ridge is financing the first phase of the docu’s production with the intention to find a distribution partner to bring the film to market.
“After these past few months with Colossal,...
- 2/21/2024
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Colossal Biosciences, the company bringing wooly mammoths and other extinct species back to life, and production partner Teton Ridge Entertainment are teaming with acclaimed filmmaker James Reed on a multiyear docuseries.
Reed – the Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher – and producing partner Matt Houghton will executive produce the de-extinction series through Reed’s Underdog Films banner. Jillian Share for Teton Ridge Entertainment and Michael Dougherty are also on board as executive producers. Filmmaker Sophie Todd (Formula 1 – Drive To Survive) has joined the project as showrunner.
Illustration of a thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger.
“The series will have exclusive access to follow Colossal as it works to bring back iconic extinct species – including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine [a carnivorous marsupial once native to Australia] and dodo bird – and strives to rewild them into their natural habitats,” notes a release. “It will have behind the scenes access to Colossal’s whole process – from their groundbreaking...
Reed – the Oscar-winning director of My Octopus Teacher – and producing partner Matt Houghton will executive produce the de-extinction series through Reed’s Underdog Films banner. Jillian Share for Teton Ridge Entertainment and Michael Dougherty are also on board as executive producers. Filmmaker Sophie Todd (Formula 1 – Drive To Survive) has joined the project as showrunner.
Illustration of a thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger.
“The series will have exclusive access to follow Colossal as it works to bring back iconic extinct species – including the woolly mammoth, the thylacine [a carnivorous marsupial once native to Australia] and dodo bird – and strives to rewild them into their natural habitats,” notes a release. “It will have behind the scenes access to Colossal’s whole process – from their groundbreaking...
- 2/21/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The Exchange has acquired the worldwide sales rights of romantic comedy feature “Worth the Wait,” which stars Lana Condor and Andrew Koji.
The Exchange will introduce the title to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin, which runs Feb. 15-21.
Set in Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, “Worth the Wait” is a story about the intertwining lives of Asian-American strangers over the course of a year as they find new loves, mend their relationships, and create new connections.
The film, which is in post-production, is directed by Tom Shu-Yu Lin, whose credits include “The Garden of Evening Mists” and “Winds of September.”
“A modern approach to ‘Love Actually’ with a star-studded Asian American cast, Tom made a heartwarming rom-com that is truly worth the wait,” said Nat McCormick, The Exchange’s worldwide sales and distribution president.
Other members of the cast include Ross Butler, Sung Kang, Elodie Yung, Karena Lam...
The Exchange will introduce the title to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin, which runs Feb. 15-21.
Set in Seattle and Kuala Lumpur, “Worth the Wait” is a story about the intertwining lives of Asian-American strangers over the course of a year as they find new loves, mend their relationships, and create new connections.
The film, which is in post-production, is directed by Tom Shu-Yu Lin, whose credits include “The Garden of Evening Mists” and “Winds of September.”
“A modern approach to ‘Love Actually’ with a star-studded Asian American cast, Tom made a heartwarming rom-com that is truly worth the wait,” said Nat McCormick, The Exchange’s worldwide sales and distribution president.
Other members of the cast include Ross Butler, Sung Kang, Elodie Yung, Karena Lam...
- 2/5/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Luke Evans and Milla Jovovich are attached to lead the sci-fi action thriller “World Breaker,” which will be directed by Brad Anderson. The Exchange is handling international sales and will introduce the cast to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.
Evans, whose credits include “Beauty and the Beast,” is coming off a starring role in “Backstairs Billy” in the West End. He and Jovovich, best known for the “Resident Evil” franchise, previously starred together in “The Three Musketeers.” Anderson’s credits include “The Call,” “Beirut” and “The Silent Hour.”
The film centers on a father and his daughter. Five years previously, a tear in the fabric of reality brought creatures to our world from an alternate dimension bent on our destruction. The father hides his daughter on an island to keep her safe, while he prepares her for survival and the battles to come. But no place is safe.
Evans, whose credits include “Beauty and the Beast,” is coming off a starring role in “Backstairs Billy” in the West End. He and Jovovich, best known for the “Resident Evil” franchise, previously starred together in “The Three Musketeers.” Anderson’s credits include “The Call,” “Beirut” and “The Silent Hour.”
The film centers on a father and his daughter. Five years previously, a tear in the fabric of reality brought creatures to our world from an alternate dimension bent on our destruction. The father hides his daughter on an island to keep her safe, while he prepares her for survival and the battles to come. But no place is safe.
- 2/2/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Luke Wiles, Gwyn Williams co-direct.
The Exchange has acquired word sales rights to documentary The White Mountain and will commence sales talks at the Cannes market next week.
Luke Wiles (The Life Of Earth) and Gwyn Williams (Lost Treasures Of Egypt) are co-directing the film, in post, which follows elite skier Hadley Hammer and mountain rescue team member Bastien Fleury as they bear witness to the consequences of climate change on Mont Blanc.
Malcolm Wood (IMAX Presents The Last Glaciers) serves as producer, and executive producers are James Reed (My Octopus Teacher), Bahman Naraghi (Snowden) and The Exchange founder Brian O’Shea...
The Exchange has acquired word sales rights to documentary The White Mountain and will commence sales talks at the Cannes market next week.
Luke Wiles (The Life Of Earth) and Gwyn Williams (Lost Treasures Of Egypt) are co-directing the film, in post, which follows elite skier Hadley Hammer and mountain rescue team member Bastien Fleury as they bear witness to the consequences of climate change on Mont Blanc.
Malcolm Wood (IMAX Presents The Last Glaciers) serves as producer, and executive producers are James Reed (My Octopus Teacher), Bahman Naraghi (Snowden) and The Exchange founder Brian O’Shea...
- 5/12/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Chimp Empire is a Netflix documentary series directed by Oscar-winner James Reed (‘What the Octopus Taught Me’) and narrated by Mahershala Ali that chronicles living together in the largest society of these primates ever encountered.
Do you love animals? Look no further because today Netflix brings us this delightful, delicate, charming and sometimes brutal documentary series called Chimp Empire, four episodes full of spectacular scenes, animals and, above all, a deep love for life and nature.
Totally enchanting.
About the Documentary Series
A series about the chimpanzees of Ngogo, a species with which humans share 98% of DNA and that can live up to 60 years. Would you like to meet them? A series full of tenderness with a slow pace, very carefully assembled and, above all, with a spectacular photography, full of details in which, you can see shot by shot, how curated this production is.
A series that knows how...
Do you love animals? Look no further because today Netflix brings us this delightful, delicate, charming and sometimes brutal documentary series called Chimp Empire, four episodes full of spectacular scenes, animals and, above all, a deep love for life and nature.
Totally enchanting.
About the Documentary Series
A series about the chimpanzees of Ngogo, a species with which humans share 98% of DNA and that can live up to 60 years. Would you like to meet them? A series full of tenderness with a slow pace, very carefully assembled and, above all, with a spectacular photography, full of details in which, you can see shot by shot, how curated this production is.
A series that knows how...
- 4/19/2023
- by Veronica Loop
- Martin Cid - TV
Exclusive: Oscar winner Mahershala Ali is to narrate a natural history series about chimpanzees for Netflix.
Ali, who won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight and Green Book, is narrating Chimp Empire, a four-part series for the streamer.
The series comes from director James Reed, who won an Oscar for co-directing Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher. It is his latest chimp doc, having been responsible for Rise of the Warrior Apes for Discovery.
Chimp Empire explores the world of the largest chimpanzee society ever discovered.
Set under the lush canopies of Uganda’s Ngogo Forest, scientists and field trackers have lived alongside this tribe for the last 25 years, watching as they built a sophisticated political and familial structure: forming alliances, building trust, caring for one another, and often going head to head in a never ending fight for power.
Reed and his team embedded a camera crew...
Ali, who won two Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight and Green Book, is narrating Chimp Empire, a four-part series for the streamer.
The series comes from director James Reed, who won an Oscar for co-directing Netflix’s My Octopus Teacher. It is his latest chimp doc, having been responsible for Rise of the Warrior Apes for Discovery.
Chimp Empire explores the world of the largest chimpanzee society ever discovered.
Set under the lush canopies of Uganda’s Ngogo Forest, scientists and field trackers have lived alongside this tribe for the last 25 years, watching as they built a sophisticated political and familial structure: forming alliances, building trust, caring for one another, and often going head to head in a never ending fight for power.
Reed and his team embedded a camera crew...
- 3/22/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Sky Studios Strikes Podcast-To-Screen Deal With Tortoise Media
Sky Studios has struck an exclusive multi-year first look deal with Tortoise Media to turn the news outlet’s podcasts into TV shows. Tortoise is highly-respected for a string of award-winning podcasts including Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, which come from the outfit’s weekly The Slow Newscast investigative series. With access to all these podcasts, Sky Studios will collaborate with Tortoise through the development process and produce high-end TV and features across scripted and documentary. “At Tortoise, we hope that by taking the time to investigate stories and report them in full, we can get to the heart of things, and, together, we hope those stories will reach even more people,” said Tortoise Co-Founder James Harding, who used to run BBC News.
BBC Studios Natural History Unit Unveils 1.1M Global Talent Initiative
BBC Studios Natural History Unit (Nhu) has unveiled a £1M...
Sky Studios has struck an exclusive multi-year first look deal with Tortoise Media to turn the news outlet’s podcasts into TV shows. Tortoise is highly-respected for a string of award-winning podcasts including Sweet Bobby and Hoaxed, which come from the outfit’s weekly The Slow Newscast investigative series. With access to all these podcasts, Sky Studios will collaborate with Tortoise through the development process and produce high-end TV and features across scripted and documentary. “At Tortoise, we hope that by taking the time to investigate stories and report them in full, we can get to the heart of things, and, together, we hope those stories will reach even more people,” said Tortoise Co-Founder James Harding, who used to run BBC News.
BBC Studios Natural History Unit Unveils 1.1M Global Talent Initiative
BBC Studios Natural History Unit (Nhu) has unveiled a £1M...
- 10/12/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: James Reed, director of Oscar-winning Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher, has struck a one-year development partnership with BBC Studios.
Under the terms of the deal, Reed and his company Underdog Films will work with the BBC’s commercial producer-distributor over the next 12 months, adding to its pipeline of natural history feature docs. Reed will be joined by his Underdog creative partner Matt Houghton.
The news has been unveiled as the UK’s Wildscreen Festival gets underway, the respected natural history TV festival, and Reed is due to speak on a panel later today.
James Reed
He achieved worldwide acclaim with Netflix 2020 doc My Octopus Teacher, about a South African filmmaker who forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus, which went on to win the Best Documentary Feature award at the Oscars. Reed’s past credits include Jago – A Life Underwater and Rise of the Warrior Apes and he founded...
Under the terms of the deal, Reed and his company Underdog Films will work with the BBC’s commercial producer-distributor over the next 12 months, adding to its pipeline of natural history feature docs. Reed will be joined by his Underdog creative partner Matt Houghton.
The news has been unveiled as the UK’s Wildscreen Festival gets underway, the respected natural history TV festival, and Reed is due to speak on a panel later today.
James Reed
He achieved worldwide acclaim with Netflix 2020 doc My Octopus Teacher, about a South African filmmaker who forges an unexpected friendship with an octopus, which went on to win the Best Documentary Feature award at the Oscars. Reed’s past credits include Jago – A Life Underwater and Rise of the Warrior Apes and he founded...
- 10/10/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Partnership
Vice Distribution has struck a content partnership deal with French media group M6 to bring over 100 hours of premium Vice content to the TV network’s AVOD platform, 6play.
The lineup of Vice shows set to roll on 6play comprises the fourth season of the hit psycho-analytical documentary franchise “Thérapie,” the acclaimed documentary “Real par Soul Sisters” and the street food series “Au Camion.” Some Vice franchises are also part of the deal, notably “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Rise Up” and “The Story Of,” as well as award-winning content such as “Gaycation,” “The Trixie” and “Katya Show” and “What Would Diplo Do?”
“Vice produces and distributes premium content that resonates with young audiences around the world,” said Bea Hegedus, Vice global head of distribution. Vice Distribution launched in 2020 with a catalogue of over 1,000 of programming.
Vice recently inked a content deal with Viaplay across eight countries, and launched...
Vice Distribution has struck a content partnership deal with French media group M6 to bring over 100 hours of premium Vice content to the TV network’s AVOD platform, 6play.
The lineup of Vice shows set to roll on 6play comprises the fourth season of the hit psycho-analytical documentary franchise “Thérapie,” the acclaimed documentary “Real par Soul Sisters” and the street food series “Au Camion.” Some Vice franchises are also part of the deal, notably “Dark Side of the 90s,” “Rise Up” and “The Story Of,” as well as award-winning content such as “Gaycation,” “The Trixie” and “Katya Show” and “What Would Diplo Do?”
“Vice produces and distributes premium content that resonates with young audiences around the world,” said Bea Hegedus, Vice global head of distribution. Vice Distribution launched in 2020 with a catalogue of over 1,000 of programming.
Vice recently inked a content deal with Viaplay across eight countries, and launched...
- 3/28/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on Wbgr-fm, reviewing the new film “My Octopus Teacher.” The film just won Best Documentary feature at the 2021 Oscars, and is currently streaming on Netflix.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The story is essentially about filmmaker Craig Foster, at the point of burnout, returning to his native roots in South Africa near Cape Town to rejuvenate. He begins snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean, within the cold water kelp forests near the coastline. An extraordinary incident occurs when he encounters an Octopus, and then develops a quasi-friendship with her. Because Octupi only live for one year, the friendship is experienced through that time period, in her environment, expertly put together by directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.
“My Octopus Teacher” is currently streaming on Netflix. Featuring Craig Foster. Written and directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Rated “G”
Click here...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The story is essentially about filmmaker Craig Foster, at the point of burnout, returning to his native roots in South Africa near Cape Town to rejuvenate. He begins snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean, within the cold water kelp forests near the coastline. An extraordinary incident occurs when he encounters an Octopus, and then develops a quasi-friendship with her. Because Octupi only live for one year, the friendship is experienced through that time period, in her environment, expertly put together by directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.
“My Octopus Teacher” is currently streaming on Netflix. Featuring Craig Foster. Written and directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Rated “G”
Click here...
- 5/4/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chloé Zhao becomes only second woman in history to win best director
Oscar favourite Nomadland and UK talent triumphed at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday (April 25) as the most protracted season, and one shaped by the pandemic, came to an end.
Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland was named best picture and also scored wins for Asian American best director Chloé Zhao – who became the first woman of colour and only the second woman in history to win the award after Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010 – and lead actress Frances McDormand, who competed in a particularly close contest.
McDormand fought...
Oscar favourite Nomadland and UK talent triumphed at the 93rd Academy Awards on Sunday (April 25) as the most protracted season, and one shaped by the pandemic, came to an end.
Searchlight Pictures’ Nomadland was named best picture and also scored wins for Asian American best director Chloé Zhao – who became the first woman of colour and only the second woman in history to win the award after Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker in 2010 – and lead actress Frances McDormand, who competed in a particularly close contest.
McDormand fought...
- 4/26/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Australia is toasting its newest Academy Award winner in Andrew Jackson, recognised as part of the visual effects team on Christopher Nolan’s Tenet.
The UK-based visual effects supervisor joined colleagues David Lee and Andrew Lockley in London while Scott Fisher accepted the Visual Effects Oscar on behalf of the group at a subdued ceremony in Los Angeles.
They beat out Australia’s other hope in the category – Love and Monsters‘ Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt, and Brian Cox – as well as teams from George Clooney’s Midnight Sky, Nick Caro’s Mulan, and Thea Sharrock’s The One and Only Ivan.
It’s the first win and second nomination for Jackson, who was part of VFX team for Mad Max: Fury Road that lost out to Ex Machina in 2016.
The unprecedented impact of the pandemic on the film industry was reflected in the 93rd Academy Awards, which featured...
The UK-based visual effects supervisor joined colleagues David Lee and Andrew Lockley in London while Scott Fisher accepted the Visual Effects Oscar on behalf of the group at a subdued ceremony in Los Angeles.
They beat out Australia’s other hope in the category – Love and Monsters‘ Matt Sloan, Genevieve Camilleri, Matt Everitt, and Brian Cox – as well as teams from George Clooney’s Midnight Sky, Nick Caro’s Mulan, and Thea Sharrock’s The One and Only Ivan.
It’s the first win and second nomination for Jackson, who was part of VFX team for Mad Max: Fury Road that lost out to Ex Machina in 2016.
The unprecedented impact of the pandemic on the film industry was reflected in the 93rd Academy Awards, which featured...
- 4/26/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Emerald Fennell, Christopher Hampton also won awards.
Anthony Hopkins won best actor for The Father in a strong night for British talent and films at the 93rd Oscars.
Oscars 2021: complete list of winners
Hopkins’ victory was one of the night’s notable upsets, pipping the late Chadwick Boseman for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
As with his victory at the Baftas earlier this month, Hopkins did not accept his award either in-person or virtually; the actor is currently in his hometown in Wales, with the award given after 4am in that timezone.
It is Hopkins’ second...
Anthony Hopkins won best actor for The Father in a strong night for British talent and films at the 93rd Oscars.
Oscars 2021: complete list of winners
Hopkins’ victory was one of the night’s notable upsets, pipping the late Chadwick Boseman for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
As with his victory at the Baftas earlier this month, Hopkins did not accept his award either in-person or virtually; the actor is currently in his hometown in Wales, with the award given after 4am in that timezone.
It is Hopkins’ second...
- 4/26/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The 93rd annual Academy Awards were handed out tonight, and in a departure from Oscar history, the Best Picture category was not saved for last. Instead, Searchlight’s Nomadland went home with the night’s marquee prize, and its star Frances McDormand took Best Actress, hours after the film’s Chloé Zhao made history as the first woman of color to win Best Director.
Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for The Father in something of an upset over the late Chadwick Boseman of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
2021 Oscar Winners Backstage — Photo Gallery
Nomadland was the only three-time winner at the ceremony, with The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sound of Metal and Soul as the other multiple winners.
On the studio side, Netflix more than doubled up on the competition with seven wins — two each for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mank,...
Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for The Father in something of an upset over the late Chadwick Boseman of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
2021 Oscar Winners Backstage — Photo Gallery
Nomadland was the only three-time winner at the ceremony, with The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Sound of Metal and Soul as the other multiple winners.
On the studio side, Netflix more than doubled up on the competition with seven wins — two each for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mank,...
- 4/26/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix had a big night at the Oscars, bringing home a total of seven total trophies — leading all studios — although the streamer failed to grab the prize in the best picture category and came up empty in the acting categories.
Netflix had come into Sunday night with 36 nominations, far more than any other studio.
The company’s wins at the 93rd Academy Awards included two Oscars for David Fincher’s “Mank,” the most-nominated film this year with 10 nods, for cinematography (for Erik Messerschmidt) and production design (for Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale).
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from the play by August Wilson, also picked up two Oscars: for makeup and hairstyling (with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson the first Black women to win in the category alongside Sergio Lopez-Rivera) and costume design (Ann Roth). Chadwick Boseman was widely considered the favorite to win a posthumous best actor Oscar...
Netflix had come into Sunday night with 36 nominations, far more than any other studio.
The company’s wins at the 93rd Academy Awards included two Oscars for David Fincher’s “Mank,” the most-nominated film this year with 10 nods, for cinematography (for Erik Messerschmidt) and production design (for Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale).
“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” adapted from the play by August Wilson, also picked up two Oscars: for makeup and hairstyling (with Mia Neal and Jamika Wilson the first Black women to win in the category alongside Sergio Lopez-Rivera) and costume design (Ann Roth). Chadwick Boseman was widely considered the favorite to win a posthumous best actor Oscar...
- 4/26/2021
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
My Octopus Teacher wrapped its tentacles around the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, corralling a win for Netflix in that category for the second year in a row and third time in the last four years.
It also brought a rare victory to an African film of any kind—producer and subject Craig Foster is South African, as is one of the two directors, Pippa Ehrlich; fellow director James Reed is British.
“We want to thank Netflix for enabling us to share our story with the world and then our incredible Octopus team, whose arms stretched across the planet, from South Africa to Amsterdam, to the U.K., to the U.S.,” Ehrlich said as she accepted the award.
The film tells the story of Foster, a filmmaker and naturalist, and the cephalopod he befriended while diving off the coast of South Africa on a daily basis for a year.
It also brought a rare victory to an African film of any kind—producer and subject Craig Foster is South African, as is one of the two directors, Pippa Ehrlich; fellow director James Reed is British.
“We want to thank Netflix for enabling us to share our story with the world and then our incredible Octopus team, whose arms stretched across the planet, from South Africa to Amsterdam, to the U.K., to the U.S.,” Ehrlich said as she accepted the award.
The film tells the story of Foster, a filmmaker and naturalist, and the cephalopod he befriended while diving off the coast of South Africa on a daily basis for a year.
- 4/26/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Film about human-octopus bonding in an undersea kelp forest takes the top documentary prize at the Academy Awards
My Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming story of a human-octopus friendship, has won the Oscar for best documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.
Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Teacher follows film-maker and diver Craig Foster as he explores an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa. Foster appears to bond with an octopus he encounters living in the area.
My Octopus Teacher, the heartwarming story of a human-octopus friendship, has won the Oscar for best documentary at the 93rd Academy Awards, which are taking place in Los Angeles.
Directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, My Octopus Teacher follows film-maker and diver Craig Foster as he explores an underwater kelp forest near Cape Town, South Africa. Foster appears to bond with an octopus he encounters living in the area.
- 4/26/2021
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony was historic in more ways than one, making the 441-day wait for the 93rd Academy Awards well worth it.
“The Father” star Anthony Hopkins nabbed actor, Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) took home the actress prize, Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) won for supporting actor and “Minari’s” Yuh-Jung Youn claimed supporting actress, becoming the first Korean actor to do so. Nine actors of color earned Academy Award nominations — an Oscar record for diversity in those categories — but only two won. Additionally, more women were nominated in 2021 than in any previous year.
“Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao made history as well, becoming the second woman and the first woman of color to win an Oscar for directing. The film also won best picture.
Unlike other awards shows during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood’s biggest night was held in person, and televised live on ABC from the...
“The Father” star Anthony Hopkins nabbed actor, Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) took home the actress prize, Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) won for supporting actor and “Minari’s” Yuh-Jung Youn claimed supporting actress, becoming the first Korean actor to do so. Nine actors of color earned Academy Award nominations — an Oscar record for diversity in those categories — but only two won. Additionally, more women were nominated in 2021 than in any previous year.
“Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao made history as well, becoming the second woman and the first woman of color to win an Oscar for directing. The film also won best picture.
Unlike other awards shows during the Covid-19 pandemic, Hollywood’s biggest night was held in person, and televised live on ABC from the...
- 4/25/2021
- by Maane Khatchatourian
- Variety Film + TV
“Like alien egg sacs”
Free diver and filmmaker Patrick Dykstra goes in search of “some of the world’s most enigmatic creatures” in the Discovery+ documentary series “Chasing Ocean Giants.” Watch an exclusive preview from the series above.
The eight-episode series follows Dykstra as he documents the behavior of whales around the world, “from Arctic Bowheads going head-to-head with killer whales in Russia, to night singing humpbacks in Colombia.”
In the clip from the premiere episode, Dykstra travels to the Caribbean island of Dominica to examine the behavior of sperm whales and encounters a pod of whales taking an eerily vertical “power nap.” According to Dykstra, the reason sperm whales look like “alien egg sacs” while they sleep remains unknown.
Also Read:
Zahi Hawass Dug Up a Lost, 3,000-Year-Old Egyptian City – and Discovery+ Got the TV Rights (Exclusive)
All eight episodes of “Chasing Ocean Giants” are set to debut on the streaming service on Thursday,...
Free diver and filmmaker Patrick Dykstra goes in search of “some of the world’s most enigmatic creatures” in the Discovery+ documentary series “Chasing Ocean Giants.” Watch an exclusive preview from the series above.
The eight-episode series follows Dykstra as he documents the behavior of whales around the world, “from Arctic Bowheads going head-to-head with killer whales in Russia, to night singing humpbacks in Colombia.”
In the clip from the premiere episode, Dykstra travels to the Caribbean island of Dominica to examine the behavior of sperm whales and encounters a pod of whales taking an eerily vertical “power nap.” According to Dykstra, the reason sperm whales look like “alien egg sacs” while they sleep remains unknown.
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All eight episodes of “Chasing Ocean Giants” are set to debut on the streaming service on Thursday,...
- 4/23/2021
- by Reid Nakamura
- The Wrap
There’s a chase scene in My Octopus Teacher as suspenseful as anything in a Hollywood thriller. The film’s heroine, a tentacled cephalopod, is being pursued by a pajama shark through a kelp forest off the tip of South Africa.
She jets, weaves, inks the waters like Bond expelling smoke from his Aston Martin, dives for shelter, then encrusts herself in a makeshift armor of discarded shells. The aggressive predator latches onto the balled-up octopus, spinning in a frenzied death roll, but can’t penetrate the shells. Then something even more remarkable happens—the octopus seeks protection in the most ingenious way, by attaching herself to the back of the shark so the marauder can’t attack her.
“She’s got the upper hand,” says Craig Foster, the human subject of the film—the male lead, so to speak. “The shark’s been completely outwitted.”
The scene is so...
She jets, weaves, inks the waters like Bond expelling smoke from his Aston Martin, dives for shelter, then encrusts herself in a makeshift armor of discarded shells. The aggressive predator latches onto the balled-up octopus, spinning in a frenzied death roll, but can’t penetrate the shells. Then something even more remarkable happens—the octopus seeks protection in the most ingenious way, by attaching herself to the back of the shark so the marauder can’t attack her.
“She’s got the upper hand,” says Craig Foster, the human subject of the film—the male lead, so to speak. “The shark’s been completely outwitted.”
The scene is so...
- 4/15/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the oddest relationships you’ll see on screen this year is the one between South African filmmaker and diver Craig Foster and the octopus he befriended while diving in the Great African Sea Forest. That’s the relationship at the heart of the documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” which won the British Academy Film Award on Sunday and is nominated for an Oscar in the Best Documentary Feature category.
The Netflix film is based around footage shot by Foster during the year and a half he spent observing and interacting with a female octopus during daily dives he says he made to rekindle his connection with the natural world. Additional material was shot by co-director Pippa Ehrlich in the astounding underwater landscape that was close to Foster’s house in South Africa. Co-director James Reed shot and conducted extensive interviews with Foster that form the spine of the narrative.
The Netflix film is based around footage shot by Foster during the year and a half he spent observing and interacting with a female octopus during daily dives he says he made to rekindle his connection with the natural world. Additional material was shot by co-director Pippa Ehrlich in the astounding underwater landscape that was close to Foster’s house in South Africa. Co-director James Reed shot and conducted extensive interviews with Foster that form the spine of the narrative.
- 4/12/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
It was 11 years ago that South African filmmaker Craig Foster’s life changed forever. While free diving in an underwater kelp forest in False Bay near Cape Town, he encountered a courageous, inquisitive young female octopus. For the next year, he went every day to win her trust as he chronicled her life on film and the two formed a strong bond as he learned about the delicacy of life and the humanity’s link to nature. Anyone who has seen “My Octopus Teacher,” the documentary chronicling their relationship, has been moved by their story.
The Netflix film, which won the PGA Award, is up for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars. Recently, the American Cinematheque held a Zoom conversation between Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) and “My Octopus Teacher” directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.
“The film was a massive collaboration with a team that’s all over the world,...
The Netflix film, which won the PGA Award, is up for Best Documentary Feature at the Oscars. Recently, the American Cinematheque held a Zoom conversation between Oscar-winning filmmakers Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) and “My Octopus Teacher” directors Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed.
“The film was a massive collaboration with a team that’s all over the world,...
- 4/12/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
It’s been a strange year, but cinema endures. The 2021 British Academy Film and Television Awards took place at the Royal Albert Hall on the 11th of April, 2021. In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including Nomadland director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for Rocks, and Shannon Murphy for Babyteeth. Other notable nominees include Promising Young Woman, The Trial of the Chicago 7, The Father, Saint Maud and Minari. It is a diverse line up, and a very unusual time but the red carpets are rolling out, even if they are in living rooms around the world.
Yesterday director Ang Lee was entered into the BAFTA Fellowship, and Noel Clarke was awarded the Outstanding British Contribution to cinema. This evening Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary hosted the awards and it was a delight to see Yun-Jung Youn’s incredible win for her role in Minari.
Yesterday director Ang Lee was entered into the BAFTA Fellowship, and Noel Clarke was awarded the Outstanding British Contribution to cinema. This evening Edith Bowman and Dermot O’Leary hosted the awards and it was a delight to see Yun-Jung Youn’s incredible win for her role in Minari.
- 4/11/2021
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Today’s show is being broadcast with a time delay on BBC One at 19:00 UK time.
The Bafta Film Awards 2021 main show is taking place today (April 11) from London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Scroll down for latest winners
An audience will not be present and winners will receive their awards virtually due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
For the first time, the awards are being handed out across two nights. Saturday’s ceremony (April 10) focused on the craft awards.
Today’s show started at 16:15pm UK time, and is being broadcast with a time delay on BBC One starting...
The Bafta Film Awards 2021 main show is taking place today (April 11) from London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Scroll down for latest winners
An audience will not be present and winners will receive their awards virtually due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions.
For the first time, the awards are being handed out across two nights. Saturday’s ceremony (April 10) focused on the craft awards.
Today’s show started at 16:15pm UK time, and is being broadcast with a time delay on BBC One starting...
- 4/11/2021
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
The 73rd annual Directors Guild of America Awards kicked off on Saturday evening. The awards honored the best directing in film and television of the past year.
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
This year, nominees Lee Isaac Chung for “Minari,” Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman,” David Fincher for “Mank,” Aaron Sorkin for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” and Chloé Zhao for “Nomadland” vied for the top directorial prize for film, with Zhao winning.
On the TV side, “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Homeland,” and “The Flight Attendant” won the major prizes, shaking up the race as we head into Emmys season.
The DGA prize is often considered a bellwether for the Best Director Oscar. Recent DGA winners that went on to repeat at the Academy Awards include Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman...
- 4/11/2021
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Chloé Zhao was named the best director of 2020 at the 73rd annual Directors Guild Awards, which were presented on Saturday in a virtual ceremony.
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
Zhao’s win for her quiet road film “Nomadland” makes her the second woman to win the DGA Award for feature film, after Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010. Only 10 women have ever been nominated in the category, with this year marking the first time that two female directors were nominated in the category in one year. (The other was Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman.”)
The win for Zhao comes two weeks after “Nomaldland” also won the Producers Guild Award, making it the only film to win more than one prize from the four major guilds. “The Trial of the Chicago 7” won the Screen Actors Guild’s ensemble award, while “Promising Young Woman” and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” won Writers Guild Awards. The combination...
- 4/10/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards took place on Saturday, April 10 in a virtual ceremony. These kudos honored the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. The all-important DGA feature film nominees were Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”), David Fincher (“Mank”), Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) and Aaron Sorkin (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”). Scroll down for the full winners list in three film and eight TV categories.
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
The DGA’s feature film category is one of the most telling bellwethers for the Best Director Oscar. The guild and the academy have only disagreed eight times over the past seven decades, including last year when Sam Mendes (“1917”) won the DGA but Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) claimed the Oscar. Will this year’s guild winner follow the path of so many prior champs?...
- 4/10/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: WME has signed James Reed, the co-writer and director behind My Octopus Teacher, Netflix’s first original documentary from South Africa that is up for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. It follows Foster as he free-dives in a cold underwater kelp forest in South Africa and develops a relationship with a wild common octopus and documents a year in the unusual friendship.
The pic debuted in September last year and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz, and a PGA Award. Reed is nominated for the Oscar alongside co-director Pippa Ehrlich and producer-narrator Craig Foster. Also, Reed and Ehrlich picked up DGA Award nom for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Documentaries.
Reed’s other credits include writing and directing the 2017 docu, Rise of The Warrior Apes, which he produced with Keo Films for Discovery. He...
The pic debuted in September last year and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz, and a PGA Award. Reed is nominated for the Oscar alongside co-director Pippa Ehrlich and producer-narrator Craig Foster. Also, Reed and Ehrlich picked up DGA Award nom for Outstanding Directorial Achievement In Documentaries.
Reed’s other credits include writing and directing the 2017 docu, Rise of The Warrior Apes, which he produced with Keo Films for Discovery. He...
- 4/9/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
When the 73rd Directors Guild of America Awards take place on April 10, look for some of the big winners to be Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”), Regina King (“One Night in Miami”) and David France (“Welcome to Chechnya”). These kudos honor the best helmers of the year in film and television, as voted on by more than 18,000 members of the directing guild. Scroll down to see Gold Derby’s predictions in seven categories listed in order of their racetrack odds, with projected winners highlighted in gold.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
Our 2021 DGA Awards odds are based on the combined forecasts of 1,600 Gold Derby readers, including Experts we’ve polled from major media outlets, Editors who cover awards year-round for this website, Top 24 Users who did the best predicting last year’s winners, All-Star Users who had the best prediction scores over the last two years, and the mass of Users who make up our biggest predictions bloc.
- 4/8/2021
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Many of your friends have seen “My Octopus Teacher,” which registered frequently among the top 10 movies on Netflix in the U.S., Israel, South Africa, and Australia. Until it proved a global hit, Netflix didn’t intend to push this sleeper pickup for Oscar contention. The movie never played festivals and was barely reviewed when it was released in September 2020. Today, otherwise disengaged Academy voters are now singing its praises.
In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.
Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...
In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.
Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...
- 4/7/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Many of your friends have seen “My Octopus Teacher,” which registered frequently among the top 10 movies on Netflix in the U.S., Israel, South Africa, and Australia. Until it proved a global hit, Netflix didn’t intend to push this sleeper pickup for Oscar contention. The movie never played festivals and was barely reviewed when it was released in September 2020. Today, otherwise disengaged Academy voters are now singing its praises.
In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.
Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...
In order to vote in a category, voters are supposed to see all the contenders (ballots are due April 20). The discerning (and increasingly international) documentary branch voted the South African “My Octopus Teacher” into the final five nominees — unusual for such an accessible and manipulative heart-tugger. Now, an Oscar win for the Critics Choice, IDA, and PGA-winner (and DGA and BAFTA nominee) seems like a foregone conclusion.
Why? During lockdown viewers watched freediver Craig Foster take his daily constitutional in...
- 4/7/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Pippa Ehrlich, director, co-writer and editor of the Oscar-nominated documentary “My Octopus Teacher,” has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.
“My Octopus Teacher” follows producer-narrator Craig Foster as he free-dives in a cold underwater kelp forest in South Africa and develops a relationship with a wild common octopus and documents a year in the unusual (and beautiful) friendship. The hit nature documentary, Netflix’s first original doc from South Africa, also marked Ehrlich’s directorial debut.
The film debuted to critical acclaim in September 2020, and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the prestigious Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz and a PGA Award.
Ehrlich is nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature alongside co-director James Reed and Foster. Ehrlich and Reed are also nominated for a DGA Award for outstanding directorial achievement in documentaries. Ehrlich is also...
“My Octopus Teacher” follows producer-narrator Craig Foster as he free-dives in a cold underwater kelp forest in South Africa and develops a relationship with a wild common octopus and documents a year in the unusual (and beautiful) friendship. The hit nature documentary, Netflix’s first original doc from South Africa, also marked Ehrlich’s directorial debut.
The film debuted to critical acclaim in September 2020, and has since won more than 20 international awards, including the prestigious Wildscreen Golden Panda, Jackson Hole’s Grand Teton, the IDA’s Pare Lorentz and a PGA Award.
Ehrlich is nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature alongside co-director James Reed and Foster. Ehrlich and Reed are also nominated for a DGA Award for outstanding directorial achievement in documentaries. Ehrlich is also...
- 4/7/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
After spending time with Craig Foster, going through the footage he had captured of an octopus in a kelp forest off the coast of South Africa and assembling it into the movie that would eventually become “My Octopus Teacher,” Pippa Ehrlich sensed that something wasn’t right with the film. “We reached a point where we had a cut that we were happy with but something just wasn’t quite working. We had a feeling it was about the voice of the film which at that point was a voiceover,” Ehrlich tells us in our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video above). That was when the executive producer brought in James Reed to help. Reed went down to South Africa and interviewed Foster over three days and both he and Ehrlich knew they had discovered what the film had been lacking. “It was the most interesting conversation I’ve ever had in my life.
- 4/5/2021
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
UK actors comprised eight out of 20 nominations, while filmmaking talent spanned most categories.
UK filmmaking talent has garnered strong recognition throughout the 2021 Oscar nominations with drama The Father among the frontrunners.
Florian Zeller’s film adaptation of his stage play The Father secured six nominations, including best picture, and ties with five other features in joint second place (David Fincher’s Mank leads the pack with 10 nods).
London-based Trademark Films co-produced the drama with France’s FCommeFilm, Ciné-@ and Les Films du Cru, with backing from the UK’s Embankment Films and Film4.
Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for best...
UK filmmaking talent has garnered strong recognition throughout the 2021 Oscar nominations with drama The Father among the frontrunners.
Florian Zeller’s film adaptation of his stage play The Father secured six nominations, including best picture, and ties with five other features in joint second place (David Fincher’s Mank leads the pack with 10 nods).
London-based Trademark Films co-produced the drama with France’s FCommeFilm, Ciné-@ and Les Films du Cru, with backing from the UK’s Embankment Films and Film4.
Anthony Hopkins has been nominated for best...
- 3/16/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Shakespeare warned to “beware the Ides of March,” but the 15th brought glad tidings to a select group of documentary feature filmmakers who earned coveted Oscar nominations.
Among them was Pippa Ehrlich, the South African-born director of the Netlix documentary My Octopus Teacher.
“I was surprised enough to jump about a meter and a half into the air,” Ehrlich tells Deadline of her reaction to the nomination. When we reached her she said she still didn’t quite have her feet on the ground. “I’m half way back down to Earth now. It’s been quite an afternoon.”
It was a similar feeling of elation for Romania’s Alexander Nanau, director of Collective, which earned nominations for both Documentary Feature and Best International Film.
“It was a bit like a football game, everybody jumping up,” Nanau says of watching the announcement live. “It’s the first time a Romanian...
Among them was Pippa Ehrlich, the South African-born director of the Netlix documentary My Octopus Teacher.
“I was surprised enough to jump about a meter and a half into the air,” Ehrlich tells Deadline of her reaction to the nomination. When we reached her she said she still didn’t quite have her feet on the ground. “I’m half way back down to Earth now. It’s been quite an afternoon.”
It was a similar feeling of elation for Romania’s Alexander Nanau, director of Collective, which earned nominations for both Documentary Feature and Best International Film.
“It was a bit like a football game, everybody jumping up,” Nanau says of watching the announcement live. “It’s the first time a Romanian...
- 3/15/2021
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor-producer Priyanka Chopra Jonas and singer, songwriter, and actor Nick Jonas announced the 93rd Oscars® nominations today (March 15), live from London, via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the Academy’s digital platforms, an international satellite feed, and broadcast media.
Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.
Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...
Mank led the field with 10 nominations and becomes the seventh black-and-white film to be nominated for Costume Design and the seventeenth for Cinematography since separate categories for color and black-and-white films were merged in 1967. David Fincher’s film offers a vivid look at Hollywood in the 1930s when movie studios were at the height of their power and influence, and 100 million Americans went to the pictures every week.
Chopra Jonas and Jonas announced the nominees in 23 categories at 5:19 a.m. Pt. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars website, www.oscar.com.
Academy members from each of the 17 branches vote to determine the...
- 3/15/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Shannon Murphy has been nominated for the BAFTA Award for best direction for her debut feature, Babyteeth.
Murphy is in good company, with fellow nominees for the prize including Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round; Lee Issac Chung for Minari; Chloé Zhao for Nomadland; Jasmila Žbanić for Quo Vadis, Aida? and Sarah Gavron for Rocks.
It is the first time in BAFTA history that four women have been nominated in the director category.
These are the first edition of nominations to follow BAFTA’s seven-month diversity review, which came about after it faced significant backlash one year ago for a lack of diversity among nominees – including an all-male director category. Three of the nominated directors are also up for best film not in the English language.
The BAFTA nod is yet another accolade for Babyteeth and Murphy’s work, following on from the film’s premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. There,...
Murphy is in good company, with fellow nominees for the prize including Thomas Vinterberg for Another Round; Lee Issac Chung for Minari; Chloé Zhao for Nomadland; Jasmila Žbanić for Quo Vadis, Aida? and Sarah Gavron for Rocks.
It is the first time in BAFTA history that four women have been nominated in the director category.
These are the first edition of nominations to follow BAFTA’s seven-month diversity review, which came about after it faced significant backlash one year ago for a lack of diversity among nominees – including an all-male director category. Three of the nominated directors are also up for best film not in the English language.
The BAFTA nod is yet another accolade for Babyteeth and Murphy’s work, following on from the film’s premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival in 2019. There,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The Directors Guild of America has announced its nominations for the 2021 awards season, a big deal considering what a bellwether the DGA Awards are for the Best Director race at the Academy Awards. Prior to the 2020 DGA Awards ceremony, the last six DGA winners all went on to repeat at the Academy Awards: Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma,” Guillermo del Toro for “The Shape of Water,” Damien Chazelle for “La La Land,” and Alejandro G. Iñárritu for both “The Revenant” and “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).” Sam Mendes won the 2020 DGA Award for “1917,” but it was Bong Joon Ho who prevailed at the Oscars for “Parasite.”
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
The Directors Guild of America started to award a prize for first-time feature filmmaking beginning in 2015 and have done so again in 2021. The five winners of the DGA’s first-time prize are Alex Garland for “Ex Machina,” Garth Davis for “Lion,” Jordan Peele for “Get Out,...
- 3/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Today, at the Royal Albert Hall, Aisling Bea and Susan Wokoma, on behalf of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), announced the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in 2021, celebrating the very best in film of the past year.
In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including ‘Nomadland’ director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for ‘Rocks’, and Shannon Murphy for ‘Babyteeth’. In all, ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Rocks’ received seven nominations each.
‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Minari’ and ‘Promising Young Woman’ all received a total of six nominations while ‘The Dig’ and ‘The Mauritanian’ received five.
Supporting new talent is at the heart of BAFTA’s remit and four of the five nominated films in Outstanding Debut are also nominated across other categories. This year, first-time nominees account for four of the six nominated Directors and 21 of the 24 nominees in the performance categories.
In a first in BAFTA history, four women have been nominated in the Director category, including ‘Nomadland’ director Chloe Zhao, Sarah Gavron for ‘Rocks’, and Shannon Murphy for ‘Babyteeth’. In all, ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Rocks’ received seven nominations each.
‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Minari’ and ‘Promising Young Woman’ all received a total of six nominations while ‘The Dig’ and ‘The Mauritanian’ received five.
Supporting new talent is at the heart of BAFTA’s remit and four of the five nominated films in Outstanding Debut are also nominated across other categories. This year, first-time nominees account for four of the six nominated Directors and 21 of the 24 nominees in the performance categories.
- 3/9/2021
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
‘The Father’, ‘Mank’, ‘Minari’, ‘Promising Young Woman’ also score well.
Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland and UK teenage drama Rocks led the 2021 Bafta film awards nominations, which were announced today (March 9).
Both titles received seven nominations, including for directors Zhao and Sarah Gavron, and for Frances McDormand and Bukky Bakray in leading actress respectively.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Four titles received six nominations each: UK titles The Father and Promising Young Woman, plus Minari and Mank from the US.
In the first Bafta film awards since widespread criticism over the lack of diversity in the 2020 nominations, four out...
Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland and UK teenage drama Rocks led the 2021 Bafta film awards nominations, which were announced today (March 9).
Both titles received seven nominations, including for directors Zhao and Sarah Gavron, and for Frances McDormand and Bukky Bakray in leading actress respectively.
Scroll down for full list of nominations
Four titles received six nominations each: UK titles The Father and Promising Young Woman, plus Minari and Mank from the US.
In the first Bafta film awards since widespread criticism over the lack of diversity in the 2020 nominations, four out...
- 3/9/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Guild nominees include directors of Boys State, Bridgerton, WandaVision and The Undoing.
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has named the nominees for its television, commercials and documentary awards.
Included in the list are the directors of feature documentaries The Truffle Hunters, My Octopus Teacher, Welcome to Chechnya, Boys State and The Painter And The Thief.
In the TV categories, British director Julie Anne Robinson gets a nod for her work on Bridgerton in a dramatic series line-up that also includes directors of Ozark, The Mandalorian, Better Call Saul and Homeland.
The DGA’s TV movie and limited series nominations...
- 3/8/2021
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced the television nominations for the 2020 DGA Awards on Monday, honoring “Ted Lasso,” “WandaVision,” and “The Queen’s Gambit” as examples of some of the finest directorial work that the medium has to offer.
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
Both Comedy and Drama categories saw complete turnover in nominees from 2019, with none of the series honored last year airing episodes during the window of eligibility in 2020. Therefore the celebration is guaranteed to get an injection of fresh blood, a welcome development with any awards body.
Curiously, the wide open field allowed for some surprising series to garner their first ever DGA nominations, including AMC’s “Better Call Saul” and Disney+’s “The Mandalorian.”
Also announced today were the DGA Award nominations for Documentary, including nods for “Boys State” and “The Truffle Hunters.”
The Theatrical Feature Film and First-Time Feature Film nominees for this year’s DGA Awards will be announced Tuesday,...
- 3/8/2021
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
Predicting the winner of the Best Documentary Feature Oscar will become a lot easier in the new year when the academy announces the 15 films that have made the shortlist. Those semi-finalists are culled from the 150 plus titles that qualify every year for consideration. (Scroll down for the most up-to-date 2021 Oscars predictions for Best Documentary Feature.)
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
To winnow these down to a manageable number, the academy adds newly eligible documentary feature to a virtual screening room available to all 500 plus members of the documentary branch. While all members are encouraged to watch as many of these as they can, one-fifth of the voters are assigned each title. In the new year, each branch member will submit a preferential ballot listing their top 15 choices.
All of these ballots will be collated to determine the 15 semi-finalists. Branch members will then be encouraged to watch those films on this list that they haven’t...
- 2/10/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the shortlists for nine categories for the upcoming Oscars. The categories and number of films include documentary feature (15), documentary short subject (10), international feature (15), makeup and hairstyling (10), original score (15), original song (15), animated short film (10), live action short film (10) and visual effects (10).
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
The shortlist voting concluded on Feb. 5, and the remaining will move on to the official phase one voting, which will take place on March 5-9. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, with the show scheduled to take place on April 25.
The full lists are below with snubs and surprises:
Documentary Feature
Fifteen films will advance in the documentary feature category out of 238 films eligible films. Members of the documentary branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.
“76 Days” (MTV Documentary Films) – directed by Weixi Chen, Hao Wu, Anonymous “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios) – directed by Lisa Cortes,...
- 2/9/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Screen’s analysis of the Bafta Film Awards longlists, which have been unveiled following the first round of voting.
The final nominations will be announced on March 9, and the Bafta Film Awards will take place on April 11.
Racial diversity across the four acting categories
Nine of the 15 lead actors on the long list are men of colour. Not such a big mix in the other three categories but a giant leap forward from the 20 white nominees last year. Yes, these are just long lists, not nominations, but are likely to translate into a set of nominations showcasing racial diversity. Three...
The final nominations will be announced on March 9, and the Bafta Film Awards will take place on April 11.
Racial diversity across the four acting categories
Nine of the 15 lead actors on the long list are men of colour. Not such a big mix in the other three categories but a giant leap forward from the 20 white nominees last year. Yes, these are just long lists, not nominations, but are likely to translate into a set of nominations showcasing racial diversity. Three...
- 2/4/2021
- by Louise Tutt¬Fionnuala Halligan¬Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
“Crip Camp” has been named the best documentary of 2020 at the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, the International Documentary Association announced on Saturday at a virtual ceremony.
The film, about an upstate New York summer camp for disabled teens that helped launch the disability rights movement, also won the ABC News VideoSource Award for its use of archival footage and finished as runner-up to “My Octopus Teacher” for the Pare Lorentz Award.
“Crip Camp,” a Netflix film that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, won in a category whose other nominees were “Collective,” “Gunda,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie,” “Time,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Garrett Bradley won the best director award for “Time” and also won the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for that film.
In the television categories, awards went to “American Experience” for curated series, “Last Chance U” for episodic series and...
The film, about an upstate New York summer camp for disabled teens that helped launch the disability rights movement, also won the ABC News VideoSource Award for its use of archival footage and finished as runner-up to “My Octopus Teacher” for the Pare Lorentz Award.
“Crip Camp,” a Netflix film that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, won in a category whose other nominees were “Collective,” “Gunda,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie,” “Time,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.”
Garrett Bradley won the best director award for “Time” and also won the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for that film.
In the television categories, awards went to “American Experience” for curated series, “Last Chance U” for episodic series and...
- 1/17/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
The International Documentary Association has announced the winners of the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, with “Crip Camp” taking home the top prize.
The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.”
Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received the best feature award as well as the ABC News VideoSource award. Garrett Bradley won best director for his film “Time,” while “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” from Matthew Killip received the best short award. “Dick Johnson Is Dead” took home the awards for best writing and best editing.
Besides “Crip Camp,” the nominees for best feature included “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Softie,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “MLK/FBI,” “Reunited,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.” Nominees for best director besides Bradley included Newnham and LeBrecht for “Crip Camp,” Jerry Rothwell for “The Reason I Jump,...
The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.”
Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received the best feature award as well as the ABC News VideoSource award. Garrett Bradley won best director for his film “Time,” while “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” from Matthew Killip received the best short award. “Dick Johnson Is Dead” took home the awards for best writing and best editing.
Besides “Crip Camp,” the nominees for best feature included “Collective,” “Gunda,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Softie,” “The Truffle Hunters,” “MLK/FBI,” “Reunited,” “Time” and “Welcome to Chechnya.” Nominees for best director besides Bradley included Newnham and LeBrecht for “Crip Camp,” Jerry Rothwell for “The Reason I Jump,...
- 1/17/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
What “Charlotte’s Web” did in the popular imagination for the humble, much-maligned barn spider, “My Octopus Teacher” sets out to achieve for the eight-limbed mollusc of its title — a creature of great, shimmery beauty and mystery regarded by many with more bemusement than affection. That’s a PR status that has kept hungry humans high on the octopus’ long list of enemies, but Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed’s engaging, massively crowdpleasing Netflix documentary goes out of its way to humanize these amorphous aliens of the sea: both through standard anthropomorphic techniques familiar from the nature-doc playbook of Attenborough and Disney alike, and through the empathetic presence of its producer-narrator, South African filmmaker and conservationist Craig Foster.
Foster’s unexpected kinship with a single octopus, encountered while diving in the richly populated kelp forest of South Africa’s Cape of Storms, gives this simply framed doc its narrative thrust and emotional heft.
Foster’s unexpected kinship with a single octopus, encountered while diving in the richly populated kelp forest of South Africa’s Cape of Storms, gives this simply framed doc its narrative thrust and emotional heft.
- 12/24/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
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