50th Annual Cinema Audio Society Awards

The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) announced their 50th annual awards on Fenruary 22nd, 2014 with giving away the top prize to GRAVITY which makes it the only frontrunner for the Oscars now and it's certain that it will easily win this technical award. Deserving.

Last year, Les Miserables won the CAS award and it also ended up winning the Oscar for the same category. Things are going to repeat this year as well.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action: GRAVITY; Production Mixer Chris Munro, CAS; Re-recording Mixers Skip Lievsay, CAS, Niv Adiri and Christopher Benstead; Scoring Mixer Gareth Cousins; ADR Mixers Chris Navarro, CAS and Thomas J. O’Connell; and Foley Mixer Adam Fil Mendez

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated: FROZEN; Original Dialogue Mixer Gabriel Guy; Re-recording Mixers David E. Fluhr, CAS and Gabriel Guy; Scoring Mixer Casey Stone; and Foley Mixer Mary Jo Lang

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Television Movie or Mini-Series: BEHIND THE CANDELABRA; Production Mixer Dennis Towns, Re-recording Mixer Larry Blake, Scoring Mixer Thomas Vicari, and Foley Mixer Scott Curtis

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – One Hour: GAME OF THRONES (“The Rains Of Castamere”); Production Mixers Ronan Hill, CAS and Richard Dyer; Re-recording Mixers Onnalee Blank, CAS and Matthew Waters, CAS; and Foley Mixer Brett Voss

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour: MODERN FAMILY (“Goodnight Gracie”); Production Mixer Stephen A. Tibbo; CAS and Re-recording Mixers Dean Okrand and Brian R. Harman, CAS

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Non Fiction, Variety or Music – Series or Specials: HISTORY OF THE EAGLES (Part One); Re-recording Mixers Tom Fleischman, CAS and Elliot Scheiner

CAS Career Achievement Award: Andy Nelson

CAS Filmmaker Award: Edward Zwick

10th CAS Technical Achievement Awards

PRODUCTION: Sound Devices, LLC – 633 Mixer/Recorder

POST-PRODUCTION: iZotope – RX 3 Advanced

16th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards

The Costume Designers Guild (CDG) announced the winners of their 16th annual ceremony on February 22nd, 2014 with giving away the top prizes to 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE and BLUE JASMINE in Period, Fantasy and Contemporary film categories respectively. Now, this makes it interesting at this point because recently, THE GREAT GATSBY won the Costume Design award at the BAFTAs and it's the frontrunner at the moment but things might turn out to be different at the Oscars. Last year, ANNA KARENINA won the Oscar for Best Costume Design and it also won the CDG award. Let's see how things go this time.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Excellence in Period Film: "12 Years a Slave" (Patricia Norris)

Excellence in Fantasy Film: "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (Trish Summerville)

Excellence in Contemporary Film: "Blue Jasmine" (Suzy Benzinger)

Outstanding Contemporary Television Series: "Behind the Candelabra" (Ellen Mirojnick)

Outstanding Period/Fantasy Television Series: "Downton Abbey" (Caroline McCall)

Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries: "House of Cards" (Tom Broecker)

Excellence in Commercial Costume Design: "Call of Duty: Ghosts Masked Warriors" (Nancy Steiner)

Career Achievement Award: April Ferry

Lacoste Spotlight Award: Amy Adams

Distinguished Collaborator: Judd Apatow

26th Annual USC Libraries Scripter Award

The University of South California (USC) announced the winner of 26th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award on February 8th, 2014 with giving away the prize to JOHN RIDLEY for 12 YEARS A SLAVE. This is a remarkable feat for Ridley and it's possible that he'll end up winning the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar on  March 2nd, just like Chris Terrio who won the USC Scripter award last year for Argo and also won the Adapted Screenplay Oscar. This win just works in Ridley's favor. But we might still get surprised at the Oscars.

Here is the list of  all the finalists:

Captain Phillips

Billy Ray, screenwriter;
Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty, authors of "A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea."

Philomena

Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope, screenwriters;
Martin Sixsmith, author of "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee."

The Spectacular Now

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, screenwriters;
Tim Tharp, author of the novel of the same name.

WINNER: 12 Years a Slave

John Ridley, screenwriter;
Solomon Northup, author of "Twelve Years a Slave."

What Maisie Knew

Carroll Cartwright and Nancy Doyne, screenwriters, who adapted the novel by Henry James.

5th Annual Dorian Awards

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA) announced the 5th Dorian awards on January 21st, 2014 with giving away the Film of the Year award to 12 Years a Slave, directed and co-produced by Steve McQueen. 

Here is the complete list of winners:

FILM

Film of the Year: 12 Years a Slave

Film Performance of the Year - Actor: Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Film Performance of the Year - Actress: Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine

LGBT Film of the Year: Blue Is the Warmest Color

Foreign Language Film of the Year: Blue Is the Warmest Color

Documentary of the Year: Bridegroom

Campy Flick of the Year: I'm So Excited!

Unsung Film of the Year (tie): Short Term 12 and Kill Your Darlings

Visually Striking Film of the Year: Gravity

TELEVISION

TV Drama of the Year (tie): Behind the Candelabra and Orange Is the New Black

TV Comedy of the Year: Girls

TV Performance of the Year - Actor: Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra

TV Performance of the Year - Actress: Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven

TV Musical Performance of the Year: Shirley Bassey, “Goldfinger,” 82nd Academy Awards

LGBT TV Show of the Year: Orange Is the New Black

Campy TV Show of the Year: American Horror Story: Coven

Unsung TV Show of the Year: Getting On

The “We're Wilde About You” Rising Star Award: Laverne Cox

Wilde Wit of the Year: Rachel Maddow

Wilde Artist of the Year: James Franco

Timeless Award (to an actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit): Lily Tomlin

10th Annual St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association Awards

The St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association announced their 10th annual awards on December 16th, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to 12 Years a Slave, directed and co-produced by Steve McQueen who also won the Best Director award. 12 years a Slave was the biggest winner winning 7 awards in total and it's not surprising at all. Other winners are completely reasonable as well and most of them would probably winning the Oscar as well.

Last year, only 5 St. Louis winners won the Oscars, i.e. Best Film for Argo, Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz, Best Documentary for Searching for Sugar Man and Best Visual Effects for Life of Pi. Let's see if the same happens this year or not.

Here is the complete list of winners along with runners-up and nominations.

Best Film:

• Winner: 12 Years a Slave


• Runner-up: American Hustle


• Gravity


• Her


• Nebraska

Best Director:

• Runner-up: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity)


• Spike Jonze (Her)


• Winner: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)


• Alexander Payne (Nebraska)


• David O. Russell (American Hustle)

Best Actor:

• Christian Bale (American Hustle)


• Bruce Dern (Nebraska)


• Winner: Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)


• Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station)


• Runner-up: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Actress:

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)


• Winner: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)


• Sandra Bullock (Gravity)


• Judi Dench (Philomena)


• Runner-up: Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)


• Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks)

Best Supporting Actor:

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)


• Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)


• Harrison Ford (42)


• Runner-up: Will Forte (Nebraska)


• Winner: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress:

• Scarlett Johansson (Her)


• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)


• Winner: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)


• Lea Seydoux (Blue Is the Warmest Colour)


• Runner-up: June Squibb (Nebraska)

Best Original Screenplay:

• Runner-up: American Hustle


• Enough Said


• Winner: Her


• Nebraska


• Saving Mr. Banks

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• Winner: 12 Years a Slave


• Before Midnight


• Captain Phillips


• Runner-up: Philomena


• Short Term 12


• The Spectacular Now

Best Cinematography:

• Winner (tie): 12 Years a Slave


• The Grandmaster


• The Great Gatsby


• Winner (tie): Gravity


• Inside Llewyn Davis


• Nebraska

Best Visual Special Effects:

• Winner: Gravity


• Runner-up: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


• Iron Man 3


• Pacific Rim


• Star Trek Into Darkness


• Thor: The Dark World

Best Musical Score:

• 12 Years a Slave


• Runner-up: Gravity


• Winner: Her


• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


• Runner-up: Nebraska


• Saving Mr. Banks

Best Soundtrack:

• American Hustle


• Despicable Me 2


• Runner-up: Frozen


• The Great Gatsby


• Winner: Inside Llewyn Davis


• Muscle Shoals

Best Art Direction:

• 12 Years A Slave


• The Grandmaster


• Winner: The Great Gatsby


• Runner-up: Her


• Inside Llewyn Davis

Best Documentary:

• 20 Feet from Stardom


• Runner-up: The Act of Killing


• Winner: Blackfish


• Muscle Shoals


• Runner-up: Stories We Tell

Best Non-English Language Film:

• Winner: Blue Is the Warmest Colour


• A Hijacking


• The Hunt


• No


• Runner-up: Wadjda

Best Comedy:

• Winner (tie): Enough Said


• The Heat


• Nebraska


• The Way Way Back


• Winner (tie): The World’s End

Best Animated Feature:

• The Croods


• Despicable Me 2


• Winner: Frozen


• Monsters University


• Runner-up: The Wind Rises

Best Art-House or Festival Film (for artistic excellence in independent, international or smaller-budget films that played at film festivals, film series or had a limited-release run in St. Louis, playing one to three cinemas):

• Ain't Them Bodies Saints


• Before Midnight


• Runner-up: Blue Is the Warmest Colour


• Runner-up: Frances Ha


• In a World…


• Winner: Short Term 12

Best Scene (a favorite movie scene or sequence):

• Winner: 12 Years a Slave – The hanging scene


• Captain Phillips – The scene near the end of the film where Tom Hanks is being checked out by military medical personnel and he breaks down.


• Runner-up: Gravity – he opening tracking shot.


• Her – Off-screen OS sex scene


• The Place Beyond the Pines – The opening scene where Ryan Gosling is walking through the carnival.

26th Annual Chicago Film Critics Association Awards

The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) announced their 26th annual awards at a ceremony held on December 16, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to 12 Years a Slave, directed and co-produced by Steve McQueen who also won the Best Director award. 12 Years a Slave was the biggest winner of the night winning 5 awards including Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay. The rest of the winners were completely reasonable and there are no surprises whatsoever.

Last year, only 2 CFCA winners won the Oscars, i.e. Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis and Best Foreign Language Film for Amour. Let's see what happens this year as they declared 12 Years a Slave their favorite and it's the strongest contender of this season.

Here is the complete list of winners:

BEST PICTURE: 12 Years A Slave

BEST DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen--12 Years A Slave

BEST ACTOR: Chiwetel Ejiofor--12 Years A Slave

BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett--Blue Jasmine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto--Dallas Buyers Club

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong'o--12 Years A Slave

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Spike Jonze--Her

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: John Ridley--12 Years A Slave

BEST DOCUMENTARY: The Act of Killing

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM: The Act of Killing

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: The Wind Rises

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: Her--Arcade Fire

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gravity--Emmanuel Lubezki

BEST EDITING: Gravity--Alfonso Cuaron & Mark Sanger

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN: Gravity--Mark Scruton/Andy Nicolson

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Adele Exarchopoulos--Blue is the Warmest Color

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER: Destin Cretton--Short Term 12

47th Annual Kansas City Film Critics Circle Loutzenhiser Awards

The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) announced the winners of 47th annual Loutzenhiser Awards on December 15th, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to 12 Years a Slave, directed and co-produced by Steve McQueen who also won the Best Director award and shared it with Alfonso Cuarón who won the Best Director award for Gravity. Both of them are deserving winners and I couldn't be more happy with this choice by Kansas Circle. Additionally, 12 Years a Slave was their favorite as it was the biggest winner taking home all the acting awards except Best Actress and also winning the screenplay award for John Ridley.

Last year, 6 KCFCC winners won the Oscars and most of them were acting wins (you can view the previous year's winners here: 46th Annual Kansas City Film Critics Circle Loutzenhiser Awards). Let's see what will happen this year!

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: 12 Years a Slave

Robert Altman Award for Best Director – Tie: Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity & Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave

Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock, Gravity

Best Supporting Actor: Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave

Best Supporting Actress: Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years a Slave

Best Original Screenplay: Spike Jonze, Her

Best Adapted Screenplay: John Ridley, 12 Years a Slave

Best Animated Film – Tie: Despicable Me 2 & Frozen

Best Foreign Film: Blue Is the Warmest Color (France)

Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Vince Koehler Award for Best Science Fiction, Fantasy or Horror Film: Her

7th Annual Detroit Film Critics Society Awards

The Detroit Film Critics Society (DFCS) announced their awards on December 13th, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to Her, written, directed and co-produced by Spike Jonze whereas Best Director award went to Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity. It's so nice to see Scarlett Johansson winning the award for her performance as an operating system's voice in Her. Much appreciated!

Last year, only 3 DFCS winners won the Oscars, i.e. Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis, Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence and Best Supporting Actress for Anne Hathaway. Let's see if the following winners will also win their respective Oscars or not.

Here is the complete list of winners along with the nominations:

BEST FILM:

• Before Midnight


• Gravity


• WINNER: Her


• Short Term 12


• 12 Years a Slave

BEST DIRECTOR:

• WINNER: Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)


• Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips)


• Spike Jonze (Her)


• David O. Russell (American Hustle)


• Martin Scorsese (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST ACTOR:

• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)


• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)


• Tom Hanks (Captain Phillips)


• WINNER: Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)


• Robert Redford (All Is Lost)

BEST ACTRESS:

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)


• Julie Delpy (Before Midnight)


• Adele Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color)


• WINNER: Brie Larson (Short Term 12)


• Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)


• James Franco (Spring Breakers)


• WINNER: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)


• Matthew McConaughey (Mud)


• Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

• WINNER: Scarlett Johansson (Her)


• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)


• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)


• Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)


• June Squibb (Nebraska)

BEST ENSEMBLE:

• WINNER: American Hustle


• August: Osage County


• Blue Jasmine


• 12 Years a Slave


• The Wolf of Wall Street

BREAKTHROUGH:

• Lake Bell (In a World..., actress + screenplay + director)


• Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station, screenplay + director)


• Destin Cretton (Short Term 12, screenplay + director)


• Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, actor)


• WINNER: Brie Larson (Short Term 12, actress)

BEST SCREENPLAY:

• Destin Cretton (Short Term 12)


• WINNER: Spike Jonze (Her)


• Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, and Ethan Hawke (Before Midnight)


• Eric Singer and David O. Russell (American Hustle)


• Terence Winter (The Wolf of Wall Street)

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

• The Act of Killing


• Blackfish


• The Square


• WINNER: Stories We Tell


• The Unknown Known

79th Annual New York Film Critics Circle Awards

The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) started the critics award season and announced the winners on December 3rd, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to American Hustle, whereas Best Director went to Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave.

There were TWO big surprises:
1) Best Cinematography went to Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis. I was 100% sure that Emmanuel Lubezki would win every cinematography award for Gravity. But I was wrong. Anyway, Lubezki might eventually win the Oscar.
2) Stories We Tell won the Best Documentary instead of the Act of Killing. This isn't a surprise because both of them are amazing in their unique way. I'd be happy if either of them wins the ultimate award.

Plus, I'm really happy that critics appreciated Jared Leto's work and awarded him with Best Supporting Actor for his role as transsexual in Dallas Buyers Club.

Last year, only 2 out of 11 NYFCC winners (not counting First Film and Special Award categories) actually won the Oscar. Gravity didn't win anything tonight. Same happened with Argo and Life of Pi in 2012. But they ended up becoming the big winners at the Oscars. Let's see what happens this year.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: American Hustle

Best Director: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave)

Best Actor: Robert Redford (All Is Lost)

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)

Best Supporting Actor: Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (America Hustle)

Best Screenplay: David O. Russell, Eric Singer (American Hustle)

Best Cinematography: Bruno Delbonnel (Inside Llewyn Davis)

Best Foreign Language Film: Blue Is the Warmest Color (France)

Best Non-Fiction Film (Documentary): Stories We Tell

Best Animated Film: The Wind Rises

Best First Film: Fruitvale Station

Special Award: Frederick Wiseman

66th Annual Cannes Film Festival Awards

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 15th to 26th May 2013 in Cannes, France. The festival opened with Baz Luhrmann's epic romantic drama film THE GREAT GATSBY and closed with Jérôme Salle's crime film ZULU.  THE BLING RING, directed by Sofia Coppola, opened the Un Certain Regard section. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for main competition and along with him, there were Daniel Auteuil (French actor), Vidya Balan, Ang Lee, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Kawase (Japanese film director), Cristian Mungiu (Romanian film director), Christoph Waltz and Lynne Ramsay (Scottish film director) were also the members of the jury for main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and Short Film sections.

The French film BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR directed by Abdellatif Kechiche won the Palme d'Or. In an unprecedented move, the Jury decided to take "the exceptional step" of awarding the film's two main actresses with the Palme d'Or along with the director.

It is completely obvious that I haven't watched any of these films as I didn't attend the festival but I like to keep track of who won which award so it becomes easier for me in the future. There were a lot of brilliant films in the festival and I'm hoping to watch all of them. One film at a time.

Here is the complete list of winners:

In Competition

Palme d'Or: Blue Is the Warmest Colour by Abdellatif Kechiche

• Honorary Palme d'Or: Adèle Exarchopoulos and Léa Seydoux for Blue Is the Warmest Colour

Grand Prix: Inside Llewyn Davis by Joel & Ethan Coen

Best Director: Amat Escalante for Heli

Best Screenplay: Jia Zhangke for A Touch of Sin

Best Actress:  Bérénice Bejo for The Past

Best Actor: Bruce Dern for Nebraska

Jury Prize: Like Father, Like Son by Hirokazu Koreeda

Un Certain Regard

Prize of Un Certain Regard:  The Missing Picture by Rithy Panh

Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize: Omar by Hany Abu-Assad

Un Certain Regard Best Director: Alain Guiraudie for Stranger by the Lake

Un Certain Regard Best First Film: Fruitvale Station by Ryan Coogler

A Certain Talent:  Diego Quemada-Diez for The Golden Cage

Parallel sections

Caméra d'Or: Ilo Ilo by Anthony Chen

Directors' Fortnight

• Art Cinema Award:  Me, Myself and Mum by Guillaume Gallienne


• Prix SACD:  Me, Myself and Mum by Guillaume Gallienne


• Europa Cinemas: The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard


• Premier Prix Illy for Short Filmmaking: A Wild Goose Chase by Joao Nicolau


• Special Mention: About a Month by Andre Novais Oliveira

Independent Awards

FIPRESCI Prize

• In Competition: Blue Is the Warmest Colour by Abdellatif Kechiche


• Un Certain Regard: Manuscripts Don't Burn by Mohammad Rasoulof


• Directors' Fortnight: Blue Ruin by Jeremy Saulnier

Ecumenical Jury

Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: The Past by Asghar Farhadi

Commendations:

• Miele by Valeria Golino


• Like Father, Like Son by Hirokazu Koreeda

Queer Palm Jury

Queer Palm Award: Stranger by the Lake by Alain Guiraudie

Palm Dog Jury

Palm Dog Award: Baby Boy in Behind the Candelabra

28th Annual Independent Spirit Awards

The 28th Annual Independent Spirit Awards were held on February 22nd, 2013. Best Feature went to SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, written and directed by David O. Russell who also won the Best Director award.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Feature: Silver Linings Playbook

Best First Feature: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Best Director: David O. Russell

Best Male Lead: John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Best Female Lead: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Male: Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike)

Best Supporting Female: Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Best Screenplay: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best First Screenplay: Derek Connolly (Safety Not Guaranteed)

Best Cinematography: Ben Richardson (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Foreign Film: Amour

Best Documentary Feature: The Invisible War

John Cassavetes Award: Middle of Nowhere

Truer Than Fiction Award: The Waiting Room

Producers Award: Mynette Louie

Someone to Watch Award: Adam Leon (Gimme the Loot)

Robert Altman Award: Starlet

Special Distinction Award: Harris Savides

63rd Annual ACE Eddie Awards

The American Cinema Editors (ACE) announced their 63rd Eddie Awards on February 16th, 2013 with giving away the top prize to William Goldenberg for ARGO. Well, this is a remarkable achievement for Goldenberg and it's highly likely that he will win the Best Editing Oscar as well. Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers won the same award for Comedy/Musical genre for their editing in SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK.

Here is the complete list of winners along with nominations:

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (DRAMATIC):

• WINNER: Argo - William Goldenberg, A.C.E.


• Life of Pi - Tim Squyres, A.C.E.


• Lincoln - Michael Kahn, A.C.E.


• Skyfall - Stuart Baird, A.C.E.


• Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, A.C.E. & William Goldenberg, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY OR MUSICAL):

• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Chris Gill


• Les Misérables - Melanie Ann Oliver & Chris Dickens, A.C.E.


• Moonrise Kingdom - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.


• WINNER: Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy, A.C.E. & Crispin Struthers


• Ted - Jeff Freeman, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

• WINNER: Brave - Nicholas C. Smith, A.C.E. & Robert Grahamjones, A.C.E.


• Frankenweenie - Chris Lebenzon, A.C.E. & Mark Solomon


• Rise of the Guardians - Joyce Arrastia


• Wreck-It Ralph - Tim Mertens 

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE):

• Samsara - Ron Fricke & Mark Magidson


• WINNER: Searching for Sugar Man - Malik Bendjelloul


• West of Memphis - Billy McMillin

BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (TELEVISION):

• WINNER: American Masters – Phil Ochs: There But For Fortune - Pamela Scott Arnold


• The Dust Bowl – Episode 1: The Great Plow Up - Craig Mellish


• The Weight of the Nation: Episode 1: Consequences - Paula Heredia

BEST EDITED HALF-HOUR SERIES FOR TELEVISION:

• Girls: “Pilot” - Robert Frazen, A.C.E. & Catherine Haight


• Modern Family: “Mistery Date” - Ryan Case


• WINNER: Nurse Jackie: “Handle Your Scandal” - Gary Levy

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

• WINNER: Breaking Bad: “Dead Freight” - Skip Macdonald A.C.E.


• Breaking Bad: “Gliding Over All” - Kelley Dixon, A.C.E.


• Mad Men: “The Other Woman” - Tom Wilson


• Nashville: “Pilot” - Keith Henderson


• Smash: “Pilot” - Andrew Weisblum, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED ONE-HOUR SERIES FOR NON-COMMERCIAL TELEVISION:

• Homeland: “The Choice” - Terry Kelley, A.C.E.


• Homeland: “State of Independence” - Jordan Goldman


• WINNER: The Newsroom: “We Just Decided To (Pilot)” - Anne McCabe, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED MINISERIES OR MOTION PICTURE FOR TELEVISION:

• Game Change - Lucia Zucchetti, A.C.E.


• Hatfields & McCoys, Part 1 - Don Cassidy


• WINNER: Hemingway & Gellhorn - Walter Murch, A.C.E.

BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES:

• Beyond Scared Straight: “Oklahoma County, OK – The Weight” - Rob Goubeaux, A.C.E., Mark S. Andrew, A.C.E., Paul J. Coyne, A.C.E., Mark Baum, Jeremy Gantz, Johnny Skaare, J.C. Solis & Ken Yankee


• WINNER: Frozen Planet: “Ends of the Earth” - Andy Netley & Sharon Gillooly


• Deadliest Catch: “I Don’t Want to Die” - Josh Earl, A.C.E. & Alex Durham

STUDENT COMPETITION

• Jeremy Hung - Dodge College


• Steven Pristin – AFI


• WINNER: Michael Smith – AFI

65th Annual Directors Guild of America Awards

The Directors Guild of America (DGA) announced its winners on February 2nd, 2013 with giving away the Best Feature Film Director award to Ben Affleck for ARGO. Argo has also won the Producers Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild awards and it is such a remarkable achievement for it to win this as well, thus becoming the strongest front-runner in the Best Picture Oscar race. Unfortunately Ben Affleck didn't get nominated for Best Director Oscar but he has already won the major awards including the Golden Globe for Best Director. His direction in Argo was marvelous, we all knew the outcome of the movie but his direction and vision kept us  interested in the film.

Rian Johnson won the award for his direction in Breaking Bad as a director. Lena Dunham won the award for Girls' direction. Pretty reasonable.

Here is the complete list of winners:

DGA Lifetime Achievement Award: Miloš Forman

FILM:

Feature Film: Ben Affleck (Argo)

Documentary Feature: Malik Bendjelloul (Searching for Sugar Man)

TELEVISION:

Drama Series: Rian Johnson (Breaking Bad - Season 5, Episode 4: Fifty-One)

Comedy Series: Lena Dunham (Girls - Pilot)

Miniseries or TV Film: Jay Roach (Game Change)

Children's Programs: Paul Hoen (Let It Shine)

Daytime Serials: Jill Mitwell (One Life to Live - Between Heaven and Hell)

Musical Variety: Glenn Weiss (66th Tony Awards)

Reality Programs: Brian Smith (MasterChef - Episode No. 305)

Commercials: Alejandro Iñárritu (Procter & Gamble's "Best Job")

19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) announced its awards on January 27th, 2013 with giving away the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture award to ARGO. Argo has also won the Producers Guild of America and Directors Guild of America awards and it is such a remarkable achievement for it to win this as well, thus becoming the strongest front-runner in the Best Picture Oscar race.

As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis and Jennifer Lawrence won the acting awards for motion picture whereas Bryan Cranston and Claire Danes won those for television. Downton Abbey won the Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Screen Actors Guild 49th Annual Life Achievement Award: Dick Van Dyke

FILM:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture: Argo

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role: Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture: Skyfall

TELEVISION:

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series: Downton Abbey

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series: Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series: Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series: Claire Danes (Homeland)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Kevin Costner (Hatfields & McCoys)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries: Julianne Moore (Game Change)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin (30 Rock)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series: Tina Fey (30 Rock)

Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series: Game of Thrones

33rd Annual London Film Critics Circle Awards

The London Film Critics Circle (LFCC) announced its awards on January 20th, 2013 with giving away the Film of the Year award to French drama film AMOUR, directed by Michael Haneke. It also won the Actress of the Year and Screenwriter of the Year awards. This isn’t a surprise anymore especially after the announcement of 85th Academy Awards nominations, Amour got the Best Picture and Best Director nominations as well. The Director of the Year award went to Ang Lee for his exceptional direction of LIFE OF PI. I REALLY WANT LIFE OF PI TO WIN BIG AT THE OSCARS.

Key thing to notice: Joaquin Phoenix gets the Actor of the Year award for his role as Freddie Quell in THE MASTER.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Film of the Year: Amour

Director of the Year: Ang Lee (Life of Pi)

Actor of the Year: Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Actress of the Year: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

Supporting Actor of the Year: Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

Supporting Actress of the Year: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)

Screenwriter of the Year: Michael Haneke (Amour)

Technical Achievement Award: Bill Westenhofer (Life of Pi)

Documentary of the Year: The Imposter

Foreign Language Film of the Year: Rust and Bone

British Film of the Year: Berberian Sound Studio

British Actor of the Year: Toby Jones (Berberian Sound Studio)

British Actress of the Year: Andrea Riseborough (Shadow Dancer)

Breakthrough British Filmmaker: Alice Lowe and Steve Oram (Sightseers)

Young British Performer of the Year: Tom Holland (The Impossible)

Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film: Helena Bonham Carter

2nd Annual Georgia Film Critics Association Awards

The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) announced its awards in January with giving away the Best Motion Picture prize to SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, written and directed by David O. Russell, whereas the Best Director award went to Kathryn Bigelow for ZERO DARK THIRTY.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Motion Picture: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

Best Supporting Actress: Judi Dench (Skyfall)

Best Original Screenplay: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)

Best Adapted Screenplay: David O. Russell (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Foreign Film: Amour

Best Animated Film: Brave

Best Cinematography: Roger Deakins (Skyfall)

Best Production Design: Alex DiGerlando (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Original Score: Dan Romer and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Best Original Song: Skyfall by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth (Skyfall)

Best Ensemble: Silver Linings Playbook

Best Documentary: The Imposter

Best Breakthrough: Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema: Ben Loeterman (John Portman: A Life of Building)

4th Annual Dorian Awards

The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association (GALECA) announced the 4th Dorian awards on January 18th, 2013 with giving away the Film of the Year award to ARGO, directed and co-produced by Ben Affleck.

Here is the complete list of winners:

FILMS

Film of the Year: Argo

Film Performance of the Year - Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

Film Performance of the Year - Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

LGBT Film of the Year: Keep the Lights On

Documentary of the Year: How to Survive a Plague

Visually Striking Film of the Year: Life of Pi

Campy Flick of the Year (TIE): Magic Mike; The Paperboy

Unsung Film of the Year: Bernie

TELEVISION

TV Drama of the Year (TIE): Homeland; American Horror Story: Asylum

TV Comedy of the Year: Girls

TV Performance of the Year - Actor: Damian Lewis (Homeland)

TV Performance of the Year - Actress: Jessica Lange (American Horror Story: Asylum)

TV Musical Performance of the Year (TIE): Jennifer Hudson - Tribute to Whitney Houston (The Grammys); Raza Jaffrey, Katherine McPhee and cast - A Thousand and One Nights (Smash)

LGBT TV Show of the Year (TIE): Modern Family; The New Normal

Campy TV Show of the Year: Liz & Dick

Unsung TV Show of the Year: Happy Endings

TV or Movie Title of the Year: Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23

We're Wilde About You (Newcomer Award): Ezra Miller

Wilde Wit of the Year: Jon Stewart

Wilde Artist of the Year: Ryan Murphy

Timeless Award: Sir Ian McKellen

11th Annual Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards

The Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA) announced their awards on January 3rd, 2013 with giving away the Best Film award to much surprising MOONRISE KINGDOM, directed by Wes Anderson who also won the Best Director award. This is the first major critic win by Moonrise Kingdom as it was also the biggest winner with total 5 awards including Best Original Screenplay, Best Ensemble and Best Score.

Important point: Safety Not Guaranteed should have won the Best Overlooked Film award, not Killer Joe. Foreign Language Film category winner and runner-up make no sense to me.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film:

1. Moonrise Kingdom


2. Argo


3. Django Unchained


4. Zero Dark Thirty


5. The Cabin in the Woods


6. Silver Linings Playbook


7. Lincoln


8. Looper


9. The Master


10. Les Misérables

Best Director:

• Winner: Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom)


• Runner-Up: Ben Affleck (Argo)

Best Actor:

• Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)


• Runner-Up: John Hawkes (The Sessions)

Best Actress:

• Winner: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)


• Runner-Up: Naomi Watts (The Impossible)

Best Supporting Actor:

• Winner: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)


• Runner-Up: Leonardo DiCaprio (Django Unchained)

Best Supporting Actress:

• Winner: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)


• Runner-Up (tie): Helen Hunt (The Sessions)


• Runner-Up (tie): Ann Dowd (Compliance)

Best Ensemble:

• Winner: Moonrise Kingdom


• Runner-Up: Lincoln

Actor of the Year (for an exemplary body of work): 

• Winner: Matthew McConaughey (Bernie; Killer Joe; Magic Mike; The Paperboy)


• Runner-Up: Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises; Les Misérables)

Breakthrough Film Artist:

• Winner: Bart Layton (The Imposter (for directing))


• Runner-Up: Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild (for acting))

Best Cinematography:

• Winner: Roger Deakins (Skyfall)


• Runner-Up: Claudio Miranda (Life of Pi)

Best Adapted Screenplay:

• Winner: Tony Kushner (Lincoln)


• Runner-Up: Chris Terrio (Argo)

Best Original Screenplay:

• Winner: Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola (Moonrise Kingdom)


• Runner-Up: Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon (The Cabin in the Woods)

Best Score:

• Winner: Alexandre Desplat (Moonrise Kingdom)


• Runner-Up: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, and Tom Tykwer (Cloud Atlas)

Best Documentary:

• Winner: How to Survive a Plague


• Runner-Up: The Imposter

Best Foreign Language Film:

• Winner: The Kid with a Bike (Le gamin au vélo)


• Runner-Up: Headhunters (Hodejegerne)

Best Animated Film:

• Winner: ParaNorman


• Runner-Up: Wreck-It Ralph

Best Overlooked Film:

• Winner: Killer Joe


• Runner-Up: Safety Not Guaranteed

47th Annual National Society of Film Critics Awards

The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) announced their awards on January 5th, 2013 with giving away the Best Picture award to French-language drama film AMOUR, directed by Michael Haneke who also won the Best Director award. This is really great now as there are a lot of strong contenders this season but NSFC has made a daring decision by selecting Amour as it has also given Emmanuelle Riva the Best Actress award.

Here is the complete list of winners:

BEST PICTURE: Amour

BEST DIRECTOR: Michael Haneke (Amour)

BEST ACTOR: Daniel Day-Lewis (Lincoln)

BEST ACTRESS: Emmanuelle Riva (Amour)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Matthew McConaughey (Magic Mike; Bernie)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams (The Master)

BEST NONFICTION: The Gatekeepers

BEST SCREENPLAY: Tony Kushner (Lincoln)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Mihai Malaimare, Jr. (The Master)

EXPERIMENTAL: This Is Not a Film (Jafar Panahi)

FILM HERITAGE:

• To Laurence Kardish, Senior Film Curator at MoMA, for his extraordinary 44 years of service, including this year’s Weimar Cinema retrospective.


• To Milestone Film and Video for their ongoing Shirley Clarke project.

DEDICATION: This year’s awards are dedicated to the late Andrew Sarris, one of the most original and influential American film critics as well as a founding member of the Society.

8th Annual Austin Film Critics Association Awards

The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) announced their awards on December 18th, 2012 with giving away the Best Film award to Kathryn Bigelow’s direction and co-production ZERO DARK THIRTY. Whereas the Best Director award went to Paul Thomas Anderson for THE MASTER.

Here is the complete list of winners:

Best Film: Zero Dark Thirty

Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (The Master)

Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Best Actress: Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained)

Best Supporting Actress: Anne Hathaway (Les Misérables)

Best Original Screenplay: Rian Johnson (Looper)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Chris Terrio (Argo)

Best Cinematography: Mihai Malaimare, Jr. (The Master)

Best Score: Reinhold Heil, Johnny Klimek, and Tom Tykwer (Cloud Atlas)

Best Foreign Language Film: Holy Motors

Best Documentary: The Imposter

Best Animated Film: Wreck-It Ralph

Best First Film: Beasts of the Southern Wild

Best Austin Film: Bernie

Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild)

Special Honorary Award: Matthew McConaughey, for his exceptional work in four films this year (Bernie, Killer Joe, Magic Mike, and The Paperboy)

AFCA 2012 Top Ten Films:

1. Zero Dark Thirty


2. Argo


3. Moonrise Kingdom


4. Django Unchained


5. Cloud Atlas


6. Holy Motors


7. Beasts of the Southern Wild


8. The Master


9. Silver Linings Playbook


10. Looper