The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Hostage film ‘Argo’ wins producers’ award as Oscars loom Posted: 27 Jan 2013 02:12 AM PST  ctor, director and producer of "Argo" Ben Affleck arrives at the Producers Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills, California. — Reuters pic Guild picks regularly go on to win at the film industry's most prestigious event - for the last five years, the producers' choice of best-produced film has taken the best picture Oscar. "I'm really surprised. I'm not even in the PGA (Producers Guild of America)," Argo director, producer and star actor Ben Affleck said as he collected the award for the film that tells the true story of the rescue of U.S. diplomats from Tehran after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. "I am still acting and available," added a smiling Affleck, joined on stage by co-producer Grant Heslov. George Clooney, also a producer, did not attend the event in Beverly Hills. The PGA prize is seen as a particularly good indicator of future success as many of the Guild's 5,000 plus members are also members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which vote for the Oscars. Agro was nominated earlier this month for a best film Oscar, but Affleck was snubbed in the director's category. Neverthless, he won a Golden Globe for his direction this month and Argo also won best movie drama at the Golden Globes. "Argo" won the PGA prize against nine other films on Saturday, including Steven Spielberg's presidential drama "Lincoln", musical "Les Miserables" and Kathyrn Bigelow's Osama bin Laden thriller "Zero Dark Thirty". Also contending were Quentin Tarantino's darkly humorous slavery Western "Django Unchained", the James Bond blockbuster "Skyfall", Ang Lee's shipwreck tale "Life of Pi" and the comedy "Silver Linings Playbook". Many of the PGA-nominated movies are also in the running for the best picture Oscar on Feb. 24. The PGA handed "Wreck-IT Ralph," its honor for best animated movie. The HBO film "Game Change" about Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential bid won the outstanding longform TV prize and ABC's "Modern Family" was named best-produced television comedy. "Homeland" was named the best-produced TV drama. "Searching for Sugar Man," a film about an obscure singer named Rodriguez who is a hit in South Africa, won the prize for best documentary. J.J. Abrams, who grabbed headlines this week for being named director for the "Star Wars" film received an achievement award for his television work while producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein received a milestone award. |
| ‘Fruitvale,’ ‘Blood Brother’ win top awards at Sundance Posted: 26 Jan 2013 09:20 PM PST PARK CITY (Utah), Jan 27 — Drama film "Fruitvale" and documentary "Blood Brother" won the top awards at the Sundance Film Festival yesterday, giving them a big boost to reach independent movie audiences this year. "Fruitvale," starring Octavia Spencer and Michael B. Jordan and directed by 26-year-old, first-time filmmaker Ryan Coogler," picked up the US drama jury and audience awards for its "moral and social urgency."  The US documentary follows an American man who moves to Africa and works with children suffering from HIV. "This film had a profound impact on the audience that saw it ... this award goes out to my home in the Bay Area where Oscar Grant breathed, slept, loved, had fun and survived for 22 years," Coogler said in his acceptance speech. Oscar-winning documentarian Davis Guggenheim awarded the US documentary jury prize to "Blood Brother," saying it shook the voting panel to their core. The documentary follows an American man who moves to Africa and works with children suffering from HIV at an orphanage, and through his work, the children gain a voice. "It is so encouraging for the kids ... their lives are so encouraging, and they die and no one remembers their name ... To take their story so that everyone sees it, it's so awesome," director Steve Hoover said." Young actress Shailene Woodley, praised for her performance in "The Descendants" last year, and her co-star Miles Teller won the Special Jury acting prize in "The Spectacular Now." Actress Lake Bell, who made her directorial debut in the US drama category with quirky comedy "In A World," picked up the drama screenwriting award. Hosted by actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who premiered his raunchy directorial debut "Don Jon's Addiction" this year, the Sundance Film Festival Awards pick winners at the top gathering for independent movies made outside of Hollywood's major studios. "Sundance is a community of people of filmmakers and film lovers who all believe together that there's more to movies than glitz and glamour and money and the box office. In Hollywood, you can feel like a freak if you talk about movies as art, and here, you don't have that," Gordon-Levitt said. The Cambodian documentary picked up the world cinema grand jury award. The Sundance Film Festival, now in its 35th year, is backed by Robert Redford's Sundance Institute. The 10-day gathering of the independent film industry is held in snowy Park City, Utah. In previous years, films that win the top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival often go on to achieve Hollywood awards success as well. Last year, mythological drama "Beasts of the Southern Wild" won the top prize at Sundance and is now nominated for four Oscars in major categories. The award winners are voted for by special juries of industry professionals and by the audience for the audience favorite awards. In the world cinema categories, South Korean drama "Jiseul" picked up the grand jury drama prize. The film, directed by Muel O, follows the residents of a small town who were forced to hide in a cave for 60 days after the military attacked their village. Cambodian documentary "A River Changes Course," about three young Cambodians struggling with adversity in a country ravaged by war and debt, picked up the world cinema grand jury award. "Events like these really bring our communities together to share in the beauty of the world and the beauty of our future," director Kalyanee Mam said. "Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer," which follows the story of three members of a Russian feminist punk band jailed for performing a "punk prayer" in a Russian Orthodox church, picked up special jury prize in the world documentary category. Co-director Mike Lerner said the three members of the band had "started a feminist revolution that we hope will continue around the world." — Reuters |
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