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Mick Jagger to Perform Live on the GRAMMY Awards® for the First Time

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8 Feb 2011 13:00 Africa/Lagos

Mick Jagger to Perform Live on the GRAMMY Awards® for the First Time

53rd Grammy Awards

GRAMMY Award®-Winning Rock Legend and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient — Accompanied by GRAMMY® Winner Raphael Saadiq and His Band — Will Perform as Part of the Telecast’s Annual “In Memoriam” Tribute

Music’s Biggest Night® Airs Live Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011, 8 P.M. ET/PT, Only on CBS

PR Newswire

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 3, 2011

Mick_Jagger4
Mick Jagger

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — GRAMMY Award®-winning rock legend and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Mick Jagger will perform live on the GRAMMY Awards for the first time. Accompanied by GRAMMY® winner Raphael Saadiq and his band, Jagger will perform as part of the telecast’s annual “In Memoriam” tribute, which pays homage to members of the music community who have passed away in the previous year. Jagger and Saadiq join previously announced performers and nominees Arcade Fire, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert , Muse, and Katy Perry ; nominees Justin Bieber and Usher, with Jaden Smith ; nominees B.o.B, Bruno Mars , and Janelle Monae ; nominees Drake and Rihanna; and nominee Cee Lo Green , with Gwyneth Paltrow and the Jim Henson Company Puppets. Current three-time GRAMMY nominee Dierks Bentley , nine-time GRAMMY winner and current nominee Norah Jones , singer/actor Selena Gomez , two-time GRAMMY winner and actor LL COOL J, current nominee Nicki Minaj, and current nominee Blake Shelton will appear as presenters. The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com) will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011 , at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Westwood One, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys . Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy®’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys , www.facebook.com/thegrammys .

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110104/LA23911LOGO)

In his first-ever live appearance on the GRAMMY stage, Jagger — accompanied by soul singer Saadiq and his band — will honor one of his longtime idols, recently deceased GRAMMY winner Solomon Burke. Jagger has appeared only once before on the GRAMMY telecast (with the Rolling Stones), via satellite from London during the 28th Annual GRAMMY Awards in 1986, when Eric Clapton presented the Stones with The Recording Academy® Lifetime Achievement Award.

Arcade Fire, Bieber, B.o.B, Lambert, Mars, Monae, Muse, Paltrow, and Smith will also be performing on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time, and all five Album Of The Year nominees are set to perform on Music’s Biggest Night®: Arcade Fire, Eminem, Lady Antebellum, Lady Gaga, and Perry.

The 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. For more information about The Academy, please visit www.grammy.com . For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization’s social networks as a Twitter follower at www.twitter.com/thegrammys , a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/thegrammys , and a YouTube channel subscriber at www.youtube.com/thegrammys .

SOURCE The Recording Academy

CONTACT: Barb Dehgan of The Recording Academy, +1-310-392-3777; or Tiffany Smith-Anoa’i, +1-818-655-1587, or Kate Fisher, +1-212-975-3818, both of CBS Television; or Maureen O’Connor of Rogers & Cowan, +1-310-854-8116

Web Site: http://www.grammy.com

African Film Festival of Tarifa Offers Movies Online

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2 Feb 2011 18:12 Africa/Lagos

African Film Festival of Tarifa Offers Movies Online

TARIFA, February 2, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — FCAT’s 8th edition on 11th-19th June

From Tarifa 2011

3rd African-Spanish film Co-production forum’s submission closed

Submissions of films for official competition close February 25th

Submissions of for 4th PhotoAfrica close March 1st

The African Film Festival of Tarifa (www.fcat.es), has entered into a partnership with AfricanFilms.tv, a video-on-demand internet platform with headquarter in Dakar, Senegal, aiming to help the platform build up its catalogue of African films.

African movies online

Due to cooperation with AfricaFilms.tv film fans will be able to watch movies from the 500 films rich FCAT library on the video-on-demand platform when it launches commercially in June. A legal, commercial downloading platform, available worldwide, guarantees fair revenue to African filmmakers and producers. “AfricaFilms.tv is very transparent and straight forward. It is commercial, but the focus is on the African filmmaker. Right holders get 50% of revenue, have online access to the back office and the cession of rights is non-exclusive” says AfricaFilm.tv CEO, Mr. Enrico Chiesa.

“We hope to provide the platform with 20-30 titles from our library per year” says Mrs. Mane Cisneros, director of FCAT and adds “Securing the rights and all the materials related will take time and effort, but we are convinced this is the right platform for us and for the filmmakers”.

Spanish-African co-productions

In January FCAT closed selection process for the 3rd Africa Produce – forum between African filmmakers and Spanish producers, TV commissioning editors and co-production managers, which goal is to introduce African cinema projects to the Spanish co-production market. For this year forum FCAT received 18 feature-length projects and 12 documentary projects, coming from 14 African countries. The most entries in fiction category came from Nigeria (4) and Cameroon (4), while the most documentary projects came from Burkina Faso (3). For the first time ever Equatorial Guinea and Namibia applied in the forum.

Six projects will be selected by FCAT jury and their directors will be present at the festival to convince Spanish producers. “We aim to continue promoting co-production between Africa and Spain. Two films, from Senegal and Mali, presented in the previous editions are now in development” said Carlos Domínguez, África Produce‘s co-ordinator.

Calls for entries still open

Filmmakers from all over Africa can until February 25th send their films to FCAT’s committee, which is in charge of selecting movies for the competing and non-competing sections of the festival.

At the same time African photographers can send their entries for the 4th PhotoAfrica until March 1st.

More info regarding application process can be found on www.fcat.es

About FCAT

African film festival of Tarifa (FCAT – Festival de Cine Africano de Tarifa) is an independent and competitive film festival and one of the biggest African film festivals in Europe. The FCAT celebrates its eighth edition from 11th to 19th June 2011 in Andalusian town Tarifa – the closest town of continental Europe to the African continent – the two continents are in fact only 14 km apart from one another in this geographical area.

This year FCAT will screen up over hundred African films and it will bring together some of the most distinguished African filmmakers. Its aim is to spread knowledge about African film production by exhibiting a representative wide variety of audiovisual African works every year: from the classics to more innovative and recent films, from documentaries to feature length fiction films, from South Africa to Morocco and from Senegal to Ethiopia. More on www.fcat.es

Contact:

Filip Hruby

International Press Officer

Festival de Cine Africano de Tarifa – FCAT

Móvil: +420/775011550

gabineteprensa2@fcat.es

www.fcat.es

Source: The African Film Festival of Tarifa

Rentrak Top 10 Movies of 2010

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TheBlindSide

Rentrak Top 10 Movies of 2010

The top 10 movies are Rentrak’s Total Screen Measurement Currency Ranking of the Most-Watched On-Demand Titles, the Most-Engaged Network and Cable Programming, Top Selling and Renting DVDs and the Top-Grossing Box Office Movies–


1. The Blind Side
2. Couples Retreat
3. The Twilight Saga
4. Hot Tub Time Machine
5. Grown Ups
6. Date Night
7. It’s Complicated
8. The Book of Eli
9. Shutter Island
10. The Hurt Locker

More details.

3 films from developing countries win 2011 VPRO Tiger Awards

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3 films from developing countries win 2011 Tiger Awards

IFFR 2011 LOGO

“Cold Water of the Sea (Agua fría de mar)” by Paz Fábrega from Costa Rica, “Mundane History” by Anocha Suwichakornpong from Thailand and “Alamar” by Mexican director Pedro González-Rubio have won the coveted VPRO Tiger Awards of the 2011 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR).

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The jury praised “Cold Water of the Sea” for successfully “telling the story of a mysterious relationship between a woman and a young girl in a convincing and poetic manner. The film takes the audience on an unusual journey through a nature that interacts with people in a magical way. The superb editing ensures an organic flow of images, whilst the strong directing and disturbing atmosphere create tension.’

“Mundane History”, narrates the wavering relationship between a bitter invalid and his new career. The film offered philosophical and political insight into aspects of Thai society. ‘For us this film appeals to both intelligence and spirituality. We are impressed with the accomplished interplay of abstract ideas and harrowing reality in this film,’ the jury acknowledged.
Anocha Suwichakornpong has already won the Prince Claus Fund Film Grant for her new CineMart project By “The Time It Gets Dark”.

The third winner, “Alamar” is a film that ‘touches deeply without being too sentimental’. This film, about a father and son that go on a journey to the source of the open sea to find their old way of life, is ‘true and honest to its subject and shows both the good fortune and tragedy of being a child with divorced parents,’ said the jury.

15 films competed for the VPRO Tiger Awards. They were either debuts or second films from novice directors. The three winners will each get €15,000.

The jury consisted of director Amat Escalante, actress Jeanne Balibar, director Urszula Antoniak, former director of the Singapore film festival Philip Chea and the Ugandan actor, musician, scriptwriter and activist Okello Kelo Sam.

As well as the Tiger Awards, other prizes were announced. The KNF award, a prize from the Circle of Netherlands Film Journalists, was awarded to a film that is not yet available for distribution in the Netherlands: Norteado from Mexican director Rigoberto Pérezcano. According to the jury this is ‘a film that touched our hearts and minds with its high visual qualities, terrific acting and gripping story about the plight of illegal immigrants that try to get into the United States.’

The FIPRESCI award from international film critics was given this year to Let Each One Go Where He May from Ben Russell, a film that was also nominated for a VPRO Tiger Award. The prize rom the network for promoting Asian film, NETPAC, was given to the Korean film Moscow from Whang Cheol-Mean. (SM)

2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Jury Prizes In Short Filmmaking

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Sundance-Film-Festival-2011

2011 Sundance Film Festival Announces Jury Prizes In Short Filmmaking

Filmmakers from Australia, Poland, Spain, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Canada and the United States Celebrated for their Documentary and Narrative Work

Park City, UT –The 2011 Sundance Film Festival this evening announced the jury prizes in shorts filmmaking and gave honorable mentions based on outstanding achievement and merit. The awards were presented at a ceremony held in Park City, Utah. These award recipients will also be honored at the Festival’s Awards Ceremony hosted by Sundance Alum Tim Blake Nelson on Saturday, January 29.

The 2011 Short Film jurors are Barry Jenkins (director, writer, Medicine for Melancholy); Kim Morgan (Film and Culture writer, Sunset Gun, The Hitlist) and Sara Bernstein (Vice president, HBO Documentary films; supervising producer, Baghdad ER, White Light, Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki).

The Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking was awarded to Brick Novax pt 1 and 2 (Director and Screenwriter: Matt Piedmont)— Penniless and now living in a seedy motel with only weeks to live, international super legend Brick Novax records his amazing tales as an astronaut, movie star, corporate CEO, and famous musician to preserve his legacy as the coolest guy in the history of the world.

The Jury Prize in International Short Filmmaking was given to Deeper Than Yesterday Australia (Director and Screenwriter: Ariel Kleiman) – After three months submerged underwater in a submarine, the crew have become savages. Oleg, one of the men onboard, fears that losing perspective may mean losing himself.

In addition, The Shorts Jury awarded Honorable Mentions in Short Filmmaking to:

Choke / Canada (Drector and Screenwriter: Michelle Latimer)— Upon leaving his First Nations reserve, Jimmy encounters the lost souls of the city and is reminded that no matter how far you travel, you cannot escape who you are.

Diarchy / Italy (Director and Screenwriter: Ferdinando Cito Filmomarino) – Giano and Luc are traveling through the woods when a storm breaks, forcing them to take shelter in Luc’s villa. Gradually and insidiously, a competition emerges between them, with terrible consequences.

The External World / Germany, Ireland (Director and Screenwriter: David O’Reilly) – A boy learns to play the piano.

The Legend of Beaver Dam / Canada (Director: Jerome Sable; Screenwriters: Jerome Sable and Eli Batalion) – When a ghost story around the campfire awakens an evil monster, it’s up to nerdy Danny Zigwitz to be the hero and save his fellow campers from a bloody massacre.

Out of Reach / Poland (Director and Screenwriter: Jakub Stozek) – Karolina and Natalia seek refuge from their domineering father and reminiscence about sad childhood without a mother in a basement of their block of flats.

Protoparticles / Spain (Director and Screenwriter: Chema García Ibarra) – The experiment was a success: protomatter exists.

Festival Sponsors
The 2011 Sundance Film Festival sponsors include: Presenting Sponsors—Entertainment Weekly, HP, Acura, Sundance Channel and Chase SapphireSM; Leadership Sponsors—Bing™, Canon, DIRECTV, Honda, Southwest Airlines and YouTube™; Sustaining Sponsors—FilterForGood®, a partnership between Brita® and Nalgene®, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, L’Oréal Paris, Stella Artois®, Timberland, and Trident Vitality™. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations will defray costs associated with the 10-day Festival and the nonprofit Sundance Institute’s year-round programs for independent film and theatre artists. In return, sponsorship of the preeminent Festival provides these organizations with global exposure, a platform for brand impressions and unique access to Festival attendees.

About Sundance Film Festival
Supported by the nonprofit Sundance Institute, the Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most ground-breaking films of the past two decades, including sex, lies, and videotape, Maria Full of Grace, The Cove, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious, Trouble the Water and Napoleon Dynamite and, through its New Frontier initiative, has brought the cinematic works of media artists including Isaac Julian, Doug Aitken, Pierre Huyghe, Jennifer Steinkamp and Matthew Barney. www.sundance.org/festival

Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a global nonprofit organization founded by Robert Redford in 1981. Through its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, composers and playwrights, the Institute seeks to discover and support independent film and theatre artists from the United States and around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to inform, inspire, and unite diverse populations around the globe. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Son of Babylon, Amreeka, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. www.sundance.org

Sundance Film Festival

Two African films compete for Foreign Language Oscar

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Two African films, Outside the Law from Algeria and Life Above All from South Africa are among the 9 films that will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 83rd Academy Awards. They were selected from 66 films that qualified in the category.

Hors-la-loi-Movie-Poster

Notably is Rachid Bouchareb’s “Outside the Law,” the French-Algerian film that annoyed French Prime Minister Nicolas Sarkozy’s political party, who wanted the film banned at the last Cannes Film Festival, because “it denigrates France and the French military.”

“Outside the Law”, tells the story of three brothers who fought for Algeria’s independence from France after World War II. After losing their family home in Algeria, three brothers were scattered across the globe. Messaoud joined the French army fighting in Indochina; Abdelkader became a leader of the Algerian independence movement; whilst Said moved to Paris to make his fortune in the shady clubs and boxing halls of Pigalle. Gradually, their interconnecting destinies reunited them in the French capital, where freedom is a battle to be fought and won.

“Life, Above All” an emotional and universal drama about a young girl who fought the fear and shame that have poisoned her community. It was directed by South African filmmaker Oliver Schmitz who adapted the international award winning novel “Chanda’s Secrets” by Allan Stratton.

Life-Plakat_web

Chanda, 16, is a smart and determined South African girl on track to win a scholarship – but she’s suddenly thrust into an impossible situation, forcing her to adopt maturity beyond her years. When we first meet her, she’s making funeral arrangements for her year-old sister, Sara. If people begin to suspect Sara’s death was due to more than a passing flu, Chanda will be faced with shame and stigma, not only for the victim, but also for their entire family.

When Lilian’s (Chanda’s mother) illness becomes impossible to hide, their nosy, eccentric next-door neighbor, Mrs. Tafa, engages a spirit doctor to perform a startling ritual. The spirit doctor determines that a curse is hanging over her and her children. In order to lift it,
Lilian must return to the village from where she was banished decades before, leaving Chanda alone to care for her siblings.

Meanwhile, Chanda’s best friend, Esther, has turned to prostitution in a desperate attempt to survive and reunite her own family. Though the community shuns Esther, Chanda refuses to reject her friend. To the horror of those around her, Chanda opens her house to Esther at her friend’s moment of greatest need. That’s just the beginning of Chanda’s fight against convention.

When Chanda discovers that her mother may have gone away to die in order to spare her children shame, she ignores the cautions of the meddling Mrs. Tafa, and embarks on a fateful journey to bring her mother home. And in doing so, challenges the people around her to reject their prejudices and embrace the truth.

The 9 films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Oscar

Algeria, “Outside the Law”), Rachid Bouchareb, director;
Canada, “Incendies,” Denis Villeneuve, director;
Denmark, “In a Better World,” Susanne Bier, director;
Greece, “Dogtooth,” Yorgos Lanthimos, director;
Japan, “Confessions,” Tetsuya Nakashima, director;
Mexico, “Biutiful,” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, director;
South Africa, “Life, above All,” Oliver Schmitz, director;
Spain, “Tambien la Lluvia” (“Even the Rain”), Iciar Bollain, director;
Sweden, “Simple Simon,” Andreas Ohman, director.

16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

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“The Social Network”was chosen as the Best Picture and the director David Fincher won Best Director for the film.

o-16th-annual-critics-choice-awards-announces-nominations

Colin Firth, won the Best Actor award for his role in “The King’s Speech” and Natalie Portman, who won Best Actress for her role in “Black Swan.” Christian Bale got the Best Supporting Actor award and Melissa Leo for Best Supporting Actress both for their outstanding roles in “The Fighter.”

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Click here for the photo gallery of the red carpet at the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium in L.A. on Jan. 14.

The Best Action Movie was “Inception,”, Best Art Direction and Best Editing went to “The Social Network”, “The Fighter” had Best Acting Ensemble, the Best Original Screenplay award was won by David Seidler for “The King’s Speech”, Best Young Actor/Actress was Hailee Steinfeld for her remarkable role in “True Grit”, “Toy Story 3″ won Best Animated Feature and “Easy A” was the Best Comedy.

Nominees in attendance included: Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Duvall, Jesse Eisenberg, Elle Fanning, Colin Firth, Andrew Garfield, Ryan Gosling, Jon Hamm, Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Melissa Leo, Julianne Moore, Mandy Moore, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell, Mark Ruffalo, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Spielberg, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld and Michelle Williams.

Presenters at the gala included: Hank Azaria, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Ice Cube, Jesse Eisenberg, Jane Fonda, Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, Rob Huebel, the Kardashians (Khloe, Kim), Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Joan Rivers, Tim Roth, Paul Scheer, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Spacey, Emma Stone and Sofia Vergara .

Maroon 5 was this year’s house band. In addition to entertaining the audience throughout the awards ceremony, the band gave a special red carpet performance during the live pre-show, and also performed “Stuck in the Middle with You” from the movie “Reservoir Dogs.” Keri Hilson also performed “Son of a Preacher Man” during the Critic’s Choice Music+Film Award tribute to Quentin Tarantino.

Click here for the full news release.

‘The Social Network’ wins Best Picture at Critics’ Choice Movie Awards

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15 Jan 2011 06:43 Africa/Lagos

The 16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards Select ‘The Social Network’ as Best Picture and David Fincher as Best Director

“THE SOCIAL NETWORK” LEADS THE NIGHT WITH 4 AWARDS
COLIN FIRTH WINS BEST ACTOR FOR “THE KING’S SPEECH” BEST ACTRESS AWARD GOES TO NATALIE PORTMAN FOR “BLACK SWAN”
WINNERS ANNOUNCED AT AWARDS CEREMONY BROADCAST LIVE ON VH1
WATCH THE SHOW’S BEST MOMENTS ONLINE NOW AT CRITICSCHOICE.VH1.COM

PR Newswire

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15, 2011

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) announced the winners of the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards earlier this evening. The star-studded ceremony was held at the Hollywood Palladium and aired live on VH1. “The Social Network” was named the year’s Best Picture and David Fincher won Best Director honors for the film.

Other big winners of the night included Colin Firth, who took Best Actor for his role in “The King’s Speech” and Natalie Portman, who won Best Actress for her role in “Black Swan.” Also honored were Christian Bale with the Best Supporting Actor award and Melissa Leo for Best Supporting Actress both for their work in “The Fighter.”

Best Action Movie went to “Inception,” while Best Art Direction and Best Editing went to “The Social Network.” “The Fighter” was honored with Best Acting Ensemble and Best Original Screenplay honors went to David Seidler for “The King’s Speech.” Best Young Actor/Actress went to Hailee Steinfeld for “True Grit.” “Toy Story 3” won Best Animated Feature and Best Comedy went to “Easy A.”

Distinguished actor and humanitarian Matt Damon was honored with the fourth annual Joel Siegel Award presented by Emily Blunt and Jimmy Kimmel. The BFCA created this award to honor those in the film community whose actions demonstrate that the greatest value of celebrity is the ability to do good work for others. This award pays homage to beloved “Good Morning America” film critic and BFCA member Joel Siegel, who lost his struggle with cancer in June, 2007.

The 16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards also included a special nod to iconic film director Quentin Tarantino, who received the inaugural Critics’ Choice Music+Film Award, presented by Tim Roth and Ice Cube. The all new Critics’ Choice Music+Film Award was created to honor a single filmmaker who has not only inspired moviegoers with his cinematic storytelling, but has heightened the impact of film through the brilliant use of source and soundtrack music.

Nominees in attendance included: Amy Adams, Ben Affleck, Christian Bale, Annette Bening, Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Duvall, Jesse Eisenberg, Elle Fanning, Colin Firth, Andrew Garfield, Ryan Gosling, Jon Hamm, Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Jennifer Lawrence, Melissa Leo, Julianne Moore, Mandy Moore, Jeremy Renner, Sam Rockwell, Mark Ruffalo, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Aaron Sorkin, Steven Spielberg, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld and Michelle Williams.

Presenters at the gala included: Hank Azaria, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, Ice Cube, Jesse Eisenberg, Jane Fonda, Jon Hamm, Ed Helms, Rob Huebel, the Kardashians (Khloe, Kim), Jimmy Kimmel, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Lawrence, Julianne Moore, Joan Rivers, Tim Roth, Paul Scheer, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Silverman, Kevin Spacey, Emma Stone and Sofia Vergara .

The show featured Maroon 5 as this year’s house band. In addition to entertaining the audience throughout the awards ceremony, the band gave a special red carpet performance during the live pre-show, and also performed “Stuck in the Middle with You” from the movie “Reservoir Dogs.” Keri Hilson also performed “Son of a Preacher Man” during the Critic’s Choice Music+Film Award tribute to Quentin Tarantino.

Viewers also got an exclusive sneak preview of VH1’s upcoming 2-hour scripted series premiere event “Single Ladies,” a comedic drama premiering Monday, May 30th at 9 PM ET/PT on VH1. Produced by Queen Latifah’s Flavor Unit Entertainment, “Single Ladies” asks the question: What do women really want in a relationship? The preview is now available on VH1.com.

For the show’s best moments, acceptance speeches, red carpet photos and interviews and a complete list of winners visit criticschoice.vh1.com.

Historically, the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards are the most accurate predictor of the Academy Award nominations. All four major acting category winners at the Academy Awards in 2010 were first Critics’ Choice Movie Awards winners in the same categories and were present at the January 15, 2010 ceremony to graciously give their first acceptance speeches of the awards season. The BFCA also recognized “The Hurt Locker” for “Best Picture” and Kathryn Bigelow as “Best Director,” making her the first female to win the award. “The Hurt Locker” and Bigelow also went on to win the Academy Award for “Best Picture” and “Best Director” but were both overlooked at the Golden Globes.

The 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, honoring the finest in cinematic achievement among 2010 film releases, announced its nominees on Monday, December 13, 2010. Final ballots went out to the BFCA members on January 10, 2011 with the deadline for returning final ballots on January 12, 2011. For a full list of this year’s nominees and information about the show visit CriticsChoice.VH1.com.

The 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards is executive produced by Jesse Ignjatovic for Den of Thieves, Joey Berlin for Berlin Entertainment and Lee Rolontz for VH1.

About The Broadcast Film Critics Association:

The Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA) is the largest film critics organization in the United States and Canada, representing more than 250 television, radio and online critics. BFCA members are the primary source of information for today’s film going public. The very first opinion a moviegoer hears about new releases at the multiplex or the art house usually comes from one of its members.

About Den of Thieves:

Founded in 2007 by Jesse Ignjatovic and Evan Prager, Den of Thieves has quickly emerged as a force for ambitious event shows and uniquely stylized reality television series. Using their extensive experience working with talent, Ignjatovic and Prager launched Den of Thieves as the TV arm of the Warner Music Group in 2007. After a successful three year partnership there, they branched out and are now fully independent. With an array of formats ranging from Comedy Central’s stand-up special “Russell Brand in NYC” to VH1’s “The T.O. Show” to the MTV Video Music Awards, Den of Thieves continues to create, develop and produce original television.

About VH1:

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 98 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

MEDIA: For additional information on this event, contact Andy Gelb or Stephanie Samson of Slate PR at (310) 556-0444 or andy@slate-pr.com / stephanie@slate-pr.com.

WINNERS OF THE 16TH ANNUAL CRITICS’ CHOICE MOVIE AWARDS

BEST PICTURE

“The Social Network”

BEST ACTOR

Colin Firth – “The King’s Speech”

BEST ACTRESS

Natalie Portman – “Black Swan”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Christian Bale – “The Fighter”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Melissa Leo – “The Fighter”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS

Hailee Steinfeld – “True Grit”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE

“The Fighter”

BEST DIRECTOR

David Fincher – “The Social Network”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“The King’s Speech” – David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“The Social Network” – Aaron Sorkin

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Inception” – Wally Pfister

BEST ART DIRECTION

“Inception” – Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias and Doug Mowat

BEST EDITING

“Inception” – Lee Smith

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

“Alice in Wonderland” – Colleen Atwood

BEST MAKE-UP

“Alice in Wonderland”

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

“Inception”

BEST SOUND

“Inception”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Toy Story 3”

BEST ACTION MOVIE

“Inception”

BEST COMEDY

“Easy A”

BEST PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION

“The Pacific”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Waiting for Superman”

BEST SONG

“If I Rise” performed by Dido and A.R. Rahman. Music by A.R. Rahman. Lyrics by Dido and Rollo Armstrong – “127 Hours”

BEST SCORE

“The Social Network” – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

JOEL SIEGEL AWARD

Matt Damon

CRITICS’ CHOICE MUSIC+FILM AWARD

Quentin Tarantino

SOURCE VH1

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14 films compete for Tiger Awards at 40th IFFR

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IFFR 2011

The 40th edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) begins from 26 January to 6 February 2011.

The first or second feature films concurring for three equal top prizes of each 15,000 euro, includes three world premieres. Two of the competing films have been supported by Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund.

The Jury of the Tiger Awards Competition 2011:

 Lucrecia Martel, filmmaker, scriptwriter and film producer (Argentina)
 Sandra den Hamer, director of the EYE Film Institute Netherlands and former IFFR director
 filmmaker Andrei Ujica (Romania)
 Wisit Sasanatieng, filmmaker (Thailand)
 Lee Ranaldo, vocalist, guitarist, composer and co-founder of noise rock band Sonic Youth (USA).

The Jury of the Tiger Awards selected the following 14 films for the prestigious Tiger Aawrds and the winner will be announced on Friday February 4, 2011.

Chitra sutram / The Image Threads
Vipin Vijay, India, 2010, 104’, European premiere
A tale about a computer teacher, a black magician and a cyber creature who are predestined for online and offline encounters. The story oscillates between Indian mythology, surrealist personal symbolism and the cyber world. First feature film of Vipin Vijay.

Vete más lejos, Alicia / Alicia, Go Yonder
Elisa Miller, Mexico, 2010, 67’, International premiere
A moving and visual portrayal of the excitement, alienation, and loneliness nineteen-year old Alicia experiences when she leaves her parental home in Mexico for Buenos Aires with the ambition to become an acrobat. First feature film of Elisa Miller.

Pasuggun / Bleak Night
Yoon Sung-Hyun, South Korea, 2010, 116’, International premiere
Yoon’s New Current Award winning film focuses on the subdued aggression and explosive relationships among friends in Korea’s often repressive school system. First feature film of Yoon Sung-Hyun.

Finisterrae
Sergio Caballero, Spain, 2010, 80’, International premiere
Portraying two lost ghosts who take the Way of Saint James to the end of the world (Finisterra), this hypnotizing road movie is a treat for eyes and ears. It draws inspiration from Philippe Garrel’s The Inner Scar. First feature film of Sergio Caballero.

Wasted Youth
Argyris Papadimitropoulos & Jan Vogel, Greece, 2011, 98’, World premiere & Opening Film
During a hot summer in Athens, the lives of two protagonists unexpectedly cross paths: a passionate teenage skater and a policeman in his midlife crisis. Second feature film of
Argyris Papadimitropoulos and first feature film of Jan Vogel.

Gromozeka
Vladimir Kott, Russia, 2011, 104’, World premiere
Funny, serious and touching at the same time, the film offers a view of contemporary Russia following three parallel stories of old school friends. Now a police officer, taxi driver and surgeon in their forties, they cross paths without realizing it. Second feature film of Vladimir Kott.

Fasl-e baran-haye moosemi / Rainy Seasons
Majid Barzegar, Iran, 2010, 86’, European premiere
This intimate Iranian film tells the story of an urban teenage boy trapped between his parents’ divorce and his own troubles. It reveals a seldom shown side of Iranian society – middle class urban youths that have the same problems as everywhere around the world. First feature film of Majid Barzegar.

Headshots
Lawrence Tooley, Germany, Austria, 2010, 92’, International premiere
Subtle distance characterizes the point of view of the filmmaker towards his subject: a female photographer makes her way through 21st century Berlin, a city full of artistic and complicated people. Second feature film of Lawrence Tooley.

O céu sobre os ombros / The Sky Above
Sérgio Borges, Brazil, 2010, 72’, International premiere
Blurring borders between documentary and fiction, this film portrays a few moments from the lives of three men from Belo Horizonte: a transsexual prostitute and academic, a Hare Krishna soccer fan and a would-be writer. Winner of five awards at the Festival of Brazilian Cinema. First feature film of Sérgio Borges.

Fuyu no kimono / Love Addiction
Uchida Nobuteru, Japan, 2010, 92’, International premiere
In Love Addicton, superior improvisation and total commitment overcome all limitations of low budget film-making. The filmmaker points his camera at four characters, co-workers who have complicated relationships during and after working hours. Second feature film of Uchida Nobuteru.

Igillena maluwo / Flying Fish
Sanjeewa Pushpakumara, Sri Lanka, 2011, Hubert Bals Fund, 125’, World premiere
This daring, exciting story from northern Sri Lanka convincingly captures the madness in a land where the psychology of war is omnipresent. Three parallel stories deal with the attempts of ordinary village people to lead a normal life in abnormal circumstances. First feature film of Sanjeewa Pushpakumara.

Tee-rak / Eternity
Sivaroj Kongsakul, Thailand, 2010, Hubert Bals Fund, 105’, European premiere
After his death, a man returns to the landscape of his childhood and relives the relationship that was meant to last forever. Eternity is a romantic and spiritual film as well as a meditation about the death of a loved one. First feature film of Sivaroj Kongsakul.

Todos tus muertos / All Your Dead Ones
Carlos Moreno, Colombia, 2010, 90’, International premiere
One Sunday morning, a Colombian farmer finds a pile of dead bodies in his corn field. On Election Day, the local politicians however have other things on their mind than dealing with the crime. Second feature film of Carlos Moreno.

Musan il-gy / The Journals of Musan
Park Jung-Bum, South Korea, 2010, 127’, European premiere
Already an award winning film, The Journals of Musan portrays the plights and emotions of a North Korean defector who is trying to adapt to South Korea’s capitalist society. First feature film of Park Jung-Bum, who plays the lead himself.

© 2011 International Film Festival Rotterdam

Femi Odugbemi Launches IREP Documentary Film Festival in Lagos

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Femi Odugbemi photo

Multiple award winning Nigerian documentary filmmaker Femi Odugbemi is launching the first international documentary film festival in Nigeria called iREPRESENT (iREP).

The international documentary film festival initiated with the objective of promoting independent documentary features will now hold between January 20 and 23 at Terra Kulture on Tiamiyu Savage Street in Victoria Island Lagos and at the Lagos Business School also in Victoria Island, Lagos respectively.

iREPRESENT (iREP) was earlier scheduled to hold this December. So far about 10 renowned professional filmmakers have all agreed to be in Nigeria for the festival which also aims at promoting independent documentary features with emphasis on training and skill development to the benefit of the young, aspiring and practising film makers in Nigeria, especially for those with flair for Documentary films.

Some of the renowned professional filmmakers who have confirmed their participation include Jihan El-Tahri, producer of Behind the Rainbow, a documentary that has been programmed as the festival opening film; David Max Brown, producer of ‘The Manuscripts and Timbuktu’ directed by Zola Maseko from South Africa; Manthia Diawara, producer of ‘The Tropical House’ who is also giving the keynote address on the topic ‘Can Documentary Change the World’ and Mario Mabor, the Sudanese filmmaker who produced ‘The Rabbaba Man’. Others on the list of confirmed participants are Talal Afifi, a film festival organiser who is leading a team of three from Sudan; Director of Mnet’s Great African Series Akin Omotosho, Professor Awam Amkpa who will be leading discussions in the workshop and symposium sessions, Issraa El-Kogali, producer of ‘In Search of Hip Hop and Lydie Diakhate, director of Real Life Documentary Forum who will be leading the workshop session.

Attending from Nigeria will be Sandra Obiago who will be presenting a collection of films from Communicating for Change (CFC); Femi Odugbemi who will be presenting three of his critically acclaimed documentaries—Oriki, Ibadan and Bariga Boys and Professor Tunde Babawale, Director General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) who will be leading the team from CBAAC to present two films—Omo Alaketu and ‘Festac 77’ a UNESCO and Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) documentary film. The premier film institution, the National Film Institute will be presenting works by some of its students. The institute Governing Board Chairman who is also Managing Director of the Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) Mr. Afolabi Adesanya, Fidelis Duker of the Abuja International Film Festival, Dr. Tunde Adegbola of the University of Ibadan, filmmaker Tunde Kelani and President of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN) Mr. Busola Holloway have all confirmed their participation as lead speakers and discussant at the festival workshop and symposium.

The organizers also revealed that iREP 2010 will run as a 3-day event featuring paper presentations, screenings, networking, forums and workshops that will afford young filmmakers the opportunity to learn from industry veterans and build connections across the spectrum of creativity. According to them, each filmmaker will be expected to personally present their films and entertain questions from the audience, while also participating in the training and workshop sessions that have been scheduled to run in the course of the festival. The theme for the maiden edition of iREP is The Impact of Documentary Production in a developing Society/Economy and it will have such other sub topics like its cost effectiveness vis a viz Film & Television production, Shooting techniques and tricks, and Career advisory. The organizers say that the workshops and panel discussions that will follow aims at introducing young filmmakers to the many opportunities documentary production offers. ‘Hence at least 4 professionals, specializing in key departments of documentary film making have been invited to conduct workshops and clinics in the course of the three day event’ the statement added.

iREP International Documentary Film Festival was founded by a board of directors which include; Femi Odugbemi, producer, director, past President of ITPAN (Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria) & CEO of DVWORX STUDIOS; Jahman Anikulapo, culture journalist and activist, Programmes Director of CORA (Committee for Relevant Art) & Project Director of Culture Advocates Caucus, (CAC); and, Makin Soyinka, culture activist, filmmaker and Director of The Lagos Film Office — all are operatives of the West African Documentary Film Forum, WADFF – with a mission to develop and nurture the talent of young filmmakers in Africa and internationally. The festival was also founded in recognition of the fact that that in spite of the high rate of debutants, many of whom lack appropriate knowledge in relevant departments of film making, there are still quite a good number of well-trained, talented and serious filmmakers in Nigeria who are willing and ready to work hard to reclaim the lost glory of the industry. ‘It is imperative that at this time in its socio-political history, Nigeria ought to stand up and be counted among the real filmmaking countries, not only in Africa but also in the entire world. The example of countries like South Africa, Burkina Faso and many of the North African countries should serve as inspiration in this regard’ Dapo Kolade, Festival Director of iREP 2010 said in a pre-event press statement.

-End-

For further informaton and interviews please contact – Femi Odugbemi- 08034251963