A record 5,100 short films were submitted to the Cairo Film Festival’s short film competition this year, thanks to a new collaboration with FilmFreeWay. Around 1,200 shorts are sent in more usually for the region’s only A-list festival. The section comes with the added bonus of the winning film being submitted to the Oscars’ long list.
“We expanded the team to nine people, including volunteers, so we could properly assess each one,” Marouan Omara, the director of the Short Film Competition, tells Variety.
More than 3,800 shorts were submitted via the FilmFreeWay platform alone.
This year, 22 films are vying for the Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film, which comes with a $5,000 prize, sponsored by Clacket Media.
Ten of the films are by women directors. Five come from Egypt. Five from the Arab/Africa region. There are 12 international films.
“The selected films are diverse and show underrepresented communities and countries,” says Omara.
“We expanded the team to nine people, including volunteers, so we could properly assess each one,” Marouan Omara, the director of the Short Film Competition, tells Variety.
More than 3,800 shorts were submitted via the FilmFreeWay platform alone.
This year, 22 films are vying for the Youssef Chahine Award for Best Short Film, which comes with a $5,000 prize, sponsored by Clacket Media.
Ten of the films are by women directors. Five come from Egypt. Five from the Arab/Africa region. There are 12 international films.
“The selected films are diverse and show underrepresented communities and countries,” says Omara.
- 11/29/2021
- by Liza Foreman
- Variety Film + TV
Uncut Gems wins best lead actor, directing, editing.
Lulu Wang’s The Farewell was named best feature at the Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday (8) in a night that recognised female directing talent in stark contrast to tomorrow’s Oscars.
Olivia Wilde won best first film for Booksmart, and American Factory, co-directed by Julia Reichert, (alongside Steven Bognar), won best documentary.
Renée Zellweger won best actress for Judy and has virtually swept the boards this awards season ahead of Sunday’s expected win at the Academy Awards.
Adam Sandler was a popular winner for Uncut Gems, which took home...
Lulu Wang’s The Farewell was named best feature at the Spirit Awards in Santa Monica on Saturday (8) in a night that recognised female directing talent in stark contrast to tomorrow’s Oscars.
Olivia Wilde won best first film for Booksmart, and American Factory, co-directed by Julia Reichert, (alongside Steven Bognar), won best documentary.
Renée Zellweger won best actress for Judy and has virtually swept the boards this awards season ahead of Sunday’s expected win at the Academy Awards.
Adam Sandler was a popular winner for Uncut Gems, which took home...
- 2/9/2020
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
The 35th annual Spirit Awards, honoring the best in independent cinema, took place Saturday in Santa Monica.
Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” won best picture, while Adam Sandler and Renee Zellweger took home the top acting prizes.
Full list of winners.
Best Feature
A Hidden Life
Clemency
The Farewell (Winner)
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best Director
Robert Eggers – The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
Julius Onah – Luce
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers
Best First Feature
Booksmart (Winner)
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Female Lead
Karen Allen – Colewell
Hong Chau – Driveways
Elisabeth Moss – Her Smell
Mary Kay Place – Diane
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Renée Zellweger – Judy (Winner)
Best Male Lead
Chris Galust – Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Matthias Schoenaerts – The Mustang
Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Lopez...
Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” won best picture, while Adam Sandler and Renee Zellweger took home the top acting prizes.
Full list of winners.
Best Feature
A Hidden Life
Clemency
The Farewell (Winner)
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Best Director
Robert Eggers – The Lighthouse
Alma Har’el – Honey Boy
Julius Onah – Luce
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Lorene Scafaria – Hustlers
Best First Feature
Booksmart (Winner)
The Climb
Diane
The Last Black Man In San Francisco
The Mustang
See You Yesterday
Best Female Lead
Karen Allen – Colewell
Hong Chau – Driveways
Elisabeth Moss – Her Smell
Mary Kay Place – Diane
Alfre Woodard – Clemency
Renée Zellweger – Judy (Winner)
Best Male Lead
Chris Galust – Give Me Liberty
Kelvin Harrison Jr. – Luce
Robert Pattinson – The Lighthouse
Adam Sandler – Uncut Gems (Winner)
Matthias Schoenaerts – The Mustang
Best Supporting Female
Jennifer Lopez...
- 2/8/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
Aubrey Plaza will return to host the Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday in Santa Monica.
The 35th annual Spirit Awards are set to air live on the IFC Channel beginning at 5 p.m. Et/2 p.m. Pt. The network will live stream the ceremony on its website, though audiences will need a cable login to watch. TV subscribers can also watch the show live on IFC app’s, available on iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox, and Android TV devices.
This year’s top Spirit Award nominees include Robert Pattinson’s “The Lighthouse” and Adam Sandler’s “Uncut Gems,” with five nods each. Shia Labeouf’s “Honey Boy” and Kirill Mikhanovsky’s scored four nominations.
“Uncut Gems,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” are up for best feature.
Here’s the full...
The 35th annual Spirit Awards are set to air live on the IFC Channel beginning at 5 p.m. Et/2 p.m. Pt. The network will live stream the ceremony on its website, though audiences will need a cable login to watch. TV subscribers can also watch the show live on IFC app’s, available on iOS and Android, Apple TV, Roku, Fire TV, Xbox, and Android TV devices.
This year’s top Spirit Award nominees include Robert Pattinson’s “The Lighthouse” and Adam Sandler’s “Uncut Gems,” with five nods each. Shia Labeouf’s “Honey Boy” and Kirill Mikhanovsky’s scored four nominations.
“Uncut Gems,” Terrence Malick’s “A Hidden Life,” Chinonye Chukwu’s “Clemency,” Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell” and Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” are up for best feature.
Here’s the full...
- 2/8/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
“First Cow” director Kelly Reichardt has been given a $50,000 Film Independent Spirit Awards Filmmaker Grant designed to recognize a mid-career female director.
Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.
Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.
Also Read: 'The Lighthouse,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominees at Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Molly Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).
Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The...
Reichardt won the third annual Bonnie Award, named for Bonnie Tiburzi Caputo, who became the first woman to pilot a major U.S. airline when she joined the award’s sponsor, American Airlines, in 1973.
Actress Alfre Woodard and filmmaker Jon M. Chu presented the award, one of four grants given out by Film Independent at its nominees brunch at the Boa Steakhouse in West Hollywood on Saturday.
Also Read: 'The Lighthouse,' 'Uncut Gems' Lead Nominees at Independent Spirit Awards
In addition to the $50,000 Bonnie Award, $25,000 unrestricted grants were given to an up-and-coming producer (Molly Asher), director (Rashaad Ernesto Green) and documentary director (Nadia Shihab).
Winners in the rest of the Spirit Awards categories will be announced during the main Spirit Awards show on Saturday, Feb. 4.
The...
- 1/4/2020
- by Steve Pond and Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.
Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse have emerged as the top contenders for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods apiece while A24 leads the distributor pack on 18 nominations.
Adam Sandler from Uncut Gems will face off against The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson and others for best lead male and the Safdie brothers and Robert Eggers are among the best director nominees for each film, respectively.
Other best feature nominees announced on Thursday (21) are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
Uncut Gems and The Lighthouse have emerged as the top contenders for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards with five nods apiece while A24 leads the distributor pack on 18 nominations.
Adam Sandler from Uncut Gems will face off against The Lighthouse’s Robert Pattinson and others for best lead male and the Safdie brothers and Robert Eggers are among the best director nominees for each film, respectively.
Other best feature nominees announced on Thursday (21) are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
- 11/22/2019
- by 31¦John Hazelton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Best international film nominees include Parasite, Portrait Of A Lady On Fire and The Souvenir.
Uncut Gems has emerged as the top contender among nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, with the Adam Sandler drama getting nominations in five categories including best feature.
Other best feature nominees are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
The Lighthouse also got five Spirit Award nominations and other films with multiple citations included Give Me Liberty and Honey Boy with four each and Clemency, Hustlers, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Luce, Marriage Story and The Third Wife with three each.
Uncut Gems has emerged as the top contender among nominees for this year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards, with the Adam Sandler drama getting nominations in five categories including best feature.
Other best feature nominees are A Hidden Life, Clemency, The Farewell and Marriage Story.
The Lighthouse also got five Spirit Award nominations and other films with multiple citations included Give Me Liberty and Honey Boy with four each and Clemency, Hustlers, The Last Black Man In San Francisco, Luce, Marriage Story and The Third Wife with three each.
- 11/21/2019
- ScreenDaily
The 2020 Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced Thursday, November 21. So who made the cut at these kudos, which celebrate the best in American independent films? Scroll down to see the full list of nominees for the 2020 Indie Spirits. Remember, only American-made movies with budgets under $20 million were eligible for consideration.
These Spirit contenders were decided by nominating committees that included film critics, film programmers, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, actors, past nominees and winners, and members of Film Independent’s Board of Directors.
Winners will be chosen by all of Film Independent’s eligible members, including industry insiders and any movie fans who sign up for membership starting at $95 per year.
These awards have come to be a significant preview of the Oscars as the motion picture academy embraces more independent films. Five of the last six Spirit champs for Best Feature went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
These Spirit contenders were decided by nominating committees that included film critics, film programmers, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, actors, past nominees and winners, and members of Film Independent’s Board of Directors.
Winners will be chosen by all of Film Independent’s eligible members, including industry insiders and any movie fans who sign up for membership starting at $95 per year.
These awards have come to be a significant preview of the Oscars as the motion picture academy embraces more independent films. Five of the last six Spirit champs for Best Feature went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
- 11/21/2019
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The nominations for the 35th Independent Spirit Awards have been announced, and it was a big morning for “The Lighthouse” and “Uncut Gems.” The annual indie awards ceremony is presented by Film Independent and takes place the day before the Academy Awards on the beach in Santa Monica, California. The Spirit Awards have become known over the last decade for showcasing nominees that are a mix of underdog films and higher-profile awards contenders.
It’s important to note the Indie Spirit Awards has a budget ceiling of $22.5 million, meaning any movie made for more than this amount is ineligible for nominations. For this reason, Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed “The Irishman” was not eligible for 2020 nominations (the film had a budget north of $150 million). Netflix’s other top Oscar contender, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” is eligible for Spirit Awards and landed a Best Feature nomination. As has become common over the last several years,...
It’s important to note the Indie Spirit Awards has a budget ceiling of $22.5 million, meaning any movie made for more than this amount is ineligible for nominations. For this reason, Martin Scorsese’s Netflix-backed “The Irishman” was not eligible for 2020 nominations (the film had a budget north of $150 million). Netflix’s other top Oscar contender, Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story,” is eligible for Spirit Awards and landed a Best Feature nomination. As has become common over the last several years,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
At Saturday’s star-studded gala awards ceremony, San Diego Asian Film Festival (Sdaff) announced the winning filmmakers and celebrities from this year’s festival. Hosted by actors Leonardo Nam and Tamilyn Tomita, the awards celebrated the best in Asian and Asian American cinema from the past year. Winner of Best Feature Narrative Andrew Ahn received his 3rd Sdaff award in the last decade. More than 500 people attended and raised money towards Pacific Arts Movement’s youth filmmaking program, Reel Voices.
Sdaff has served as a space not only for watching movies, but as a way to connect and nurture communities through storytelling. Many filmmakers who have received awards in the past launched their careers at Sdaff. These often underrepresented voices are paving the way for the next generation of filmmakers.
Andrew Ahn’s Driveways was the winner of the best feature narrative. His short Andy won best narrative short in...
Sdaff has served as a space not only for watching movies, but as a way to connect and nurture communities through storytelling. Many filmmakers who have received awards in the past launched their careers at Sdaff. These often underrepresented voices are paving the way for the next generation of filmmakers.
Andrew Ahn’s Driveways was the winner of the best feature narrative. His short Andy won best narrative short in...
- 11/16/2019
- by Don Anelli
- AsianMoviePulse
“Yellow Rose,” written, directed, and produced by Diane Paragas, was awarded the Grand Jury Award for outstanding North American narrative feature at the 35th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, which ran May 2-10.
Special Jury Awards for cinematography, actress and breakthrough performance went, respectively, to Ante Cheng for “Ms. Purple”; Maya Erskine for “Plus One”; and Eva Noblezada for “Yellow Rose.”
“Seadrift,” directed by Tim Tsai, took home the Grand Jury Award for North American documentary feature, while the jury-panelists gave Special Jury Awards to “Jaddoland,” directed by Nadia Shihab, and “Origin Story,” directed by Kulap Vilaysack.
The Grand Jury Award for international narrative feature went to “House of Hummingbird,” directed by Bora Kim. Jury Awards went to Leon Le for “Song Lang,” and to the directors ensemble of “Vai”: ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Amberley Jo Aumua, Becs Arahanga, Dianna Fuemana, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Matasila Freshwater, Mīria George, Nicole Whippy.
Special Jury Awards for cinematography, actress and breakthrough performance went, respectively, to Ante Cheng for “Ms. Purple”; Maya Erskine for “Plus One”; and Eva Noblezada for “Yellow Rose.”
“Seadrift,” directed by Tim Tsai, took home the Grand Jury Award for North American documentary feature, while the jury-panelists gave Special Jury Awards to “Jaddoland,” directed by Nadia Shihab, and “Origin Story,” directed by Kulap Vilaysack.
The Grand Jury Award for international narrative feature went to “House of Hummingbird,” directed by Bora Kim. Jury Awards went to Leon Le for “Song Lang,” and to the directors ensemble of “Vai”: ‘Ofa-Ki-Levuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Amberley Jo Aumua, Becs Arahanga, Dianna Fuemana, Marina Alofagia McCartney, Matasila Freshwater, Mīria George, Nicole Whippy.
- 5/11/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Five fiction, five documentary projects from underrepresented voices to receive support.
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) has announced the 10 projects selected for the 14th annual Tribeca All Access (Taa) programme.
Tfi’s Artist Programmes team selected the projects from scripted and documentary works-in-progress that represent communities largely underserved in the entertainment industry.
Five grants will be awarded to the following scripted projects:
Monsters And Men: written and directed by Reinaldo Green;
Selah And The Spades: written and directed by Tayarisha Poe;
The Green Guerrillas: written and directed by Dean Marcial;
The Short History Of The Long Road: written and directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy; and
White: Co-written and directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno. Co-written by Michah Schaffer.
Five grants will be awarded to the following documentary projects:
Bloodthicker: directed by Zachary Manuel;
Border South: directed by Raul Paz Pastrana;
How To Have An American Baby: directed by Leslie Tai;
Jaddoland: directed by Nadia Shihab; and
The Youth:...
Tribeca Film Institute (Tfi) has announced the 10 projects selected for the 14th annual Tribeca All Access (Taa) programme.
Tfi’s Artist Programmes team selected the projects from scripted and documentary works-in-progress that represent communities largely underserved in the entertainment industry.
Five grants will be awarded to the following scripted projects:
Monsters And Men: written and directed by Reinaldo Green;
Selah And The Spades: written and directed by Tayarisha Poe;
The Green Guerrillas: written and directed by Dean Marcial;
The Short History Of The Long Road: written and directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy; and
White: Co-written and directed by A. Sayeeda Moreno. Co-written by Michah Schaffer.
Five grants will be awarded to the following documentary projects:
Bloodthicker: directed by Zachary Manuel;
Border South: directed by Raul Paz Pastrana;
How To Have An American Baby: directed by Leslie Tai;
Jaddoland: directed by Nadia Shihab; and
The Youth:...
- 2/21/2017
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.