2013 The Independent Film Awards Winners

Yesterday was the Spirits Awards ceremony and somehow surprisingly top categories winners are the 'expected' Oscar winners which is highly unusual when the Indie world collides with the Studio world (aka Hollywood).

With the Spirit Awards winners post becomes final and in one sight you have an idea of what's going on in the English-language Independent Film world. Think next year will do the same.

---///---
12/8/13
Post will list the WINNERS only for the three Independent Awards in USA and UK. So will be a work in progress until the last organization announces their winners in March 2014.

---///---
12/4/13
23rd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards Winners
Nominations at Official Site
Best Feature: Inside LLewyn Davis
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award: Ryan Coogler for Frutivale Station
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Short Term 12
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Breakthrough Actor: Michael B. Jordan in Frutivale Station
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing
Audience Award: Jake Shimabujuro: Life on Four Strings

British Independent Film Awards
Nominations at Official Site

Best British Independent Film: Metro Manila
Best Director: Sean Ellis for Metro Manila
Douglas Hickox Award - Directorial Debut: Paul Wright for For Those in Peril
Best Screenplay: Steven Knight for Locke
Best Actress: Lindsay Duncan for Le Week-end
Best Supporting Actress: Imogen Poots in The Look of Love
Best Actor: James McAvoy for Filth
Best Supporting Actor: Ben Mendelsohn in Starred Up
Most Promising Newcomer: Chloe Pirrie in Shell
Best Technical Achievement: Amy Hubbard for The Selfish Giant (Casting)
Best Achivement in Production: Metro Manila
Raindance Award: The Machine
Best British Documentary: Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer
Best Short Film: Z1
Best International Independent Film: Blue is the Warmest Colour
Variety Award: Paul Greengrass
Richard Harris Award: Julie Walters

Film Independent Spirit Awards
Award Ceremony on March 1st, 2014
Nominations at Official Site Winners will eventually be there but here they are from news.

Best Feature: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best First Feature: Frutivale Station, Ryan Coogler

Best Female Lead: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Supporting Female: Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave
Best Male Lead: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Supporting Male: Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club

Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom
Best International Film: Blue is the Warmest Color, Abdellatif Kechiche, France

Best Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt for 12 Years a Slave
Best Screenplay: John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave
Best First Screenplay: Bob Nelson for Nebraska
Best Editing: Nat Sanders for Short Term 12

Robert Altman Award: Mud, Jeff Nichols
John Cassavetes Award: This is Martin Bonner, Chad Hartigan
Someone to Watch Award: Shaka King for Newlyweeds
Truer Than Fiction Award: Jason Osder for Let The Fire Burn
Producers Award: Toby Halbrooks and James M. Johnston

2014 BAFTA Award Winners

Awards ceremony will start in a few minutes. BAFTA will NOT be broadcast live -so NO live stream- but BAFTA twitter account will announce winners live.

---///--

Right now BBC One is broadcasting the awards ceremony so if you wish to enjoy the fantastic British peculiar great humor, suggest you watch it. In a bit the video will be available and will post it here for you to enjoy.

I'm extremely pleased with the top awards winners BUT as always there is an exception as was hoping Steve McQueen to win Best Director as he was superior to all the other nominees but already confessed that I have a hard time with directors of films crowded with special visual effects, sigh.

Think that there are some winners in non-top categories that will duplicate their win in Oscar but as we all know, this year will not be easy to guess what American Academy members will vote for and Bafta did NOT do much to help us guessing!!! Now what follows is an exercise to extrapolate what I like from what Academy members could do, maybe then I can guess right.

Nevertheless in the other categories my biggest disappointment was that the "Public" did not recognized the fantastic work of Léa Seydoux beyond her Cannes Palm award win, but then this was England and perhaps Brits still do not like that much the French (LOL!).

Then we go to the Foreign Language film category and the most difficult decision as most, including BAFTA, prefer The Great Beauty above Kechiche's oeuvre; I understand as Paolo Sorrentino with this movie had to do an homage to one of my most adored directors, Federico Fellini. Yes, La Grande Bellezza is decadent, as decadent as Fellini and that's why I simply loved this film. But Kechiche film is a fantastic incredible simple, told (narration+visuals) very straight-forward, very realistic romance that hits viewers HARD. Anyway my point is that in Oscar THERE SHOULD BE A TIE. (LOL).

Peter Greenway gets an award for Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema. Dame Helen Mirren wins the Academy Fellowship.

Winners are in *BLUE. If you wish to read the winners at the official site go here.

See you next year!!!

1/8/14
---///---
Today the British Academy announced the nominations for the current edition with no real surprises, except finding that nods look quite similar to what Oscar nominations could be but somehow was expected as most movies with Oscar buzz have something British. Gravity leads the pack with 11 nominations closely followed by 12 Years a Slave and American Hustle with 10 each. Captain Phillips follows with 9 nominations. So indeed by the numbers is a close race.

The EE British Academy Film Awards take place on Sunday 16 February at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London. The ceremony will be hosted by Stephen Fry and will be broadcast exclusively on BBC One and BBC One HD, preceded by a red carpet show on BBC Three. The ceremony is also broadcast in all major territories around the world.

Best Film
*12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Gravity
Philomena

Outstanding British Film
*Gravity
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
Philomena
Rush
Saving Mr. Banks
The Selfish Giant

Film Not In The English Language
The Act of Killing
Blue is the Warmest Color
*The Great Beauty
Metro Manila
Wadja

Documentary
*The Act of Killing
The Armstrong Lie
Blackfish
Tim's Vermeer
We Steal Secrets: The Story of Wikileaks

Animated Film
Despicable Me 2
*Frozen
Monster University

Director
Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
David O. Russell for American Hustle
Paul Greengrass for Captain Phillips
*Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Martin Scorsese for The Wolf of Wall Street

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer
Colin Carberry (Writer) and Glenn Patterson (Writer) for Good Vibrations
Kelly Marcel (Writer) for Saving Mr. Banks
*Kieran Evans (Director/Writer) for Kelly + Victor
Paul Wright (Director/Writer) and Polly Stokes (Producer) for Those in Peril
Scott Graham (Director/Writer) for Shell

Leading Actress
Amy Adams in American Hustle
*Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks
Judi Dench in Philomena
Sandra Bullock in Gravity

Supporting Actress
*Jennifer Lawrence in American Hustle
Julia Roberts in August: Osage County
Lupita Nyong'o in 12 Years a Slave
Oprah Winfrey in The Butler
Sally Hawkings in Blue Jasmine

Leading Actor
Bruce Dern in Nebraska
*Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Christian Bale in American Hustle
Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street
Tom Hanks in Captain Phillips

Supporting Actor
*Barkhad Abdi in Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper in American Hustle
Daniel Bruhl in Rush
Matt Damon in Behind the Candelabra
Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

Original Screenplay
*Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell for American Hustle
Woody Allen for Blue Jasmine
Alfonso Cuarón and Jonas Cuarón for Gravity
Joel and Ethan Coen for Inside Llewyn Davis
Bob Nelson for Nebraska

Adapted Screenplay
John Ridley for 12 Years a Slave
Richard LaGravenese for Behind The Candelabra
Billy Ray for Captain Phillips
*Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope for Philomena
Terence Winter for The Wolf of Wall Street

Original Music
Hans Zimmer for 12 Years a Slave
John Williams for The Book Thief
Henry Jackman for Captain Phillips
*Steven Price for Gravity
Thomas Newman for Saving Mr. Banks

Cinematography
Sean Bobbitt for 12 Years a Slave
Barry Ackroyd for Captain Phillips
*Emmanuel Lubezki for Gravity
Bruno Delbonnel for Inside Llewyn Davis
Phedon Papamichael for Nebraska

Editing
Joe Walker for 12 Years a Slave
Christopher Rouse for Captain Phillips
Mark Sanger and Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
*Dan Hanley and Mike Hill for Rush
Thelma Schoonmaker for The Wolf of Wall Street

Production Design
Adam Stockhausen and Alice Baker for 12 Years a Slave
Judy Becker and Heather Loeffler for American Hustle
Howard Cummings for Behind The Candelabra
Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin and Joanne Woodlard for Gravity
*Catherine Martin and Beverly Dunn for The Great Gatsby

Costume Design
Michael Wilkinson for American Hustle
Ellen Mirojnick for Behind the Candelabra
*Catherine Martin for The Great Gatsby
Michael O'Connor for The Invisible Woman
Daniel Orlandi for Saving Mr. Banks

Make Up & Hair
*Evelyne Noraz and Lori McCoy-Bell for American Hustle
Kate Biscoe and Marie Larkin for Behind the Candelabra
Mauricio Silvi and Kerry Warn for The Great Gatsby
Debra Deson, Beverly Jo Pryor and Candance Neal for The Butler
Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor and Rick Findlater for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Sound
Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur for All Is Lost
Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor, Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney for Captain Phillips
*Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro for Gravity
Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse for Rush
Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff for Inside Llewyn Davis

Special Visual Effects
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds for The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
*Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny for Gravity
Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick for Iron Man 3
Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner for Pacific Rim
Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyett for Star Trek Into Darkness

British Short Film
Island Queen
Keeping Up with the Joneses
Orbit Even After
*Room 8
Sea View

British Short Animation
Everything I Can See From Here
I Am Tom Moody
*Sleeping With The Fishes

Rising Star in 2014
Dane Dehaan
Lupita Nyong’o
George Mackay
*Will Poulter
Léa Seydoux

To see nominees in BAFTA's site go here. Perhaps where these nominations differ from the Oscars is with the inclusion of Philomena in the Best Picture category and more beyond Judi Dench Best Actress nomination plus I'm still not sure if Leonardo DiCaprio will make it to the five Oscar nominees but he did make it to BAFTA as Matthew McConaughey is not in as well as anyone from Dallas Buyers Club, but I'm almost sure Christian Bale will not make it to Oscar.

Notorious is the absence of Meryl Streep which allowed Amy Adams to be included in the five nominees, with this snub now believe that Best Actress Oscar category is locked and winner is highly predictable. In the supporting categories Oprah Winfrey now has good chances of getting an Oscar nod as well as Daniel Bruhl.

Most notable is that BAFTA's five nominees in the Director category are exactly the same as the nominees announced yesterday by the Directors Guild, but still have the feeling that in Oscar one director will be different.

Interesting trivia, Judi Dench becomes BAFTA film awards' most-nominated actress in history and Woody Allen becomes the most-nominated director in BAFTA history.

The Nominations Announcement video

2013 Film Critics' Awards - Final

English-speaking critics seem to agree that 12 Years a Slave is the best film of the year as more than half the groups selected this film for their top award. As we know by now there is a high chance that AMPAS voters will disagree again this year as clearly happened last year. From the guilds that have announced their winners we know that race could be between three movies: American Hustle, Gravity and 12 Years a Slave, so let's hope that Oscar voters find clarity and vote for a great movie and not only for a "popular" film.

Completely different is what's happening with Best Actress, where Cate Blanchett is the critic's favorite by far, as well as in the guilds and any other another award that has already announced their winners. If you think that Cate will win the Oscar there is very high probabilities that you are right. Believe all the honors are extremely well-deserved as she is truly fantastic in Blue Jasmine, where she truly lost herself into that complex role.

More than half the critic's groups selected Chiweter Ejiofor for Best Actor followed a bit far by Matthew McConaughey. By now we know that guilds and other awards that have already announced winners tend to prefer McConaughey. If we think about those that vote in the Oscar race, then McConaughey has more probabilities than Ejiofor to win the Oscar. I saw first 12 Years a Slave and was sure that Ejiofor will win an Oscar but then saw Dallas Buyers Club and was extremely impressed with McConaughey performance, so much that told a friend: "I really don't mind if Ejiofor or McConaughey win the Oscar, both truly deserve high honors for their performance". But if I have to guess, think the American actor will win. The big surprise will be if Bruce Dern wins for "sentimental" reasons. Sigh.

If one top category is close for critic's groups is Best Director with Alfonso Cuarón having a slight advantage above Steve McQueen, an advantage that grows exponentially when we consider the guild and other awards that have announced their winners. My problem with this category is that both directors did an incredibly good job in two extremely different types of movies. Still have difficulties grasping the director work when there are too many visual effects (started to be kind to SyFy after Life of Pi) so it is not easy to say that Cuarón did a great job directing Gravity but is extremely easy to say that McQueen did an excellent job in 12 Years a Slave. Besides I have highly enjoyed Steve McQueen previous movies and is a director I follow closely. So yes, my award goes to McQueen but think that Cuarón will win an Oscar.

Last, critics are split with what they consider as the Best Documentary of the year, with half considering The Art of Killing and half considering other docs. I have no doubt that the best documentary I saw during 2013 is The Art of Killing, so good that you almost forget you are watching a documentary as seems like fiction. But unfortunately is reality. Before watching this doc, my favorite by far was great Stories We Tell and definitively is shocking that doc didn't got an Oscar nomination. I believe (and hope) that The Art of Killing will win the Oscar, but there is always a possibility that doc doesn't please the sensibilities of older AMPAS voters.

So that's it. Interesting will be to see how close or how far critics and AMPAS voters will be this year as last year the distance was HUGE.

12/4/13
As I really enjoy when I guess right almost all Oscar winners and knowing that guessing is done best by following awards buzz and not considering how good movies are, then this year have to do again the critics' post and today is a good day to start post that will be a work in progress until the last group announces their winner which happens around late January 2014.

Most critics' groups are American but you will also find groups in Canada, Ireland and UK. As in previous years' posts will publish link to read all winners and will list winners in the following categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor and Best Documentary. Before the list and to have ALL in one post first is the summary for the major film critics' groups.

Major Critics' Groups

Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: (tie) Gravity and Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: (tie) Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Color and Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

Critics' Choice Movie Awards
Nominations and Winners: Post
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey
Best Documentary: 20 Feet from Stardom

Golden Globes
Nominations and Winners: Post
Best Film (Drama): 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress (Drama): Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor (Drama): Matthew McConaughey
Best Documentary: N/A

International Press Academy (Satellite Awards)
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: Blackfish

National Board of Review
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Spike Jonze for Her
Best Actress: Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks
Best Actor: Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

New York Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: American Hustle
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Robert Redford in All Is Lost
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

The List

African-American Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site - News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Best Actor: Forest Whitaker in Lee Daniels' The Butler
Best Documentary: American Promise

Alliance of Women Film Journalists (EDA Awards)
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

Austin Film Critics Association
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Short Term 12
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Black Film Critics Circle
Winners: News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Short Term 12
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best documentary: 20 Feet from Stardom

Boston Society of Film Critics
Winners at Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Art of Killing

Boston Online Film Critics Association
Winners at Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Central Ohio Film Critics Association
Nominations: News Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Gravity
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Color
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Chicago Film Critics Association
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site - News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom

Denver Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: Gravity
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Detroit Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site News
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Brie Larson in Short Term 12
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

Dublin Film Critics Circle
Winners: News
Best Film: Gravity
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Bruce Dern in Nebraska
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Florida Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association ( Dorian Awards)
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: News Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: N/A
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: Bridegroom

Georgia Film Critics Association
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

The Guardian UK Top 10 films
Article with list: Official Site
Number 1 Film: The Act of Killing

The Houston Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site - News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom

Indiana Film Journalist Association
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blueis the Warmest Color
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Indiewire Annual Critics Survey
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Lead Performance: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Iowa Film Critics Association
Winners: News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: 20 Feet from Stardom

Kansas City Film Critics Circle
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: (tie) Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity and Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Salve
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Las Vegas Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site - News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Emma Thompson in Saving Mr. Banks
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: Blackfish

London Film Critics Circle
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

National Society of Film Critics
Winners: News - Official Site
Best Film: Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen for Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac in Llewyn Davis
Best Documentary: (tie) The Act of Killing and At Berkeley

Nevada Film Critics Society
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Meryl Streep in August: Osage County
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: NA

New York Film Critics Online
Winners: Official Site News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

North Carolina Film Critics Association
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: Stories We Tell

North Texas Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Gravity
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock in Gravity
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: 20 Feet From Stardom

Oklahoma Film Critics Circle
Winners: News
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Online Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Phoenix Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Best Documentary: 20 Feet from Stardom

St. Louis Film Critics
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: Blackfish

San Diego Film Critics Society
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Her
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

San Francisco Film Critics Circle
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Sight&Sound Film Magazine (100 International Critics)
Article in magazine here
Number 1 Film: The Act of Killing

Southeastern Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site - News
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwitel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Toronto Film Critics Association
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

Utah Film Critics Association
Winners: News
Best Film: Gravity
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Color
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

UK Regional Film Awards (Richard Attenborough)
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: N/A

Vancouver Film Critics Circle
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

The Village Voice Critics Poll
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Director: Steve McQueen for 12 Years a Slave
Best Actress: Adèle Exarchopoulos in Blue is the Warmest Color
Best Actor: Oscar Isaac in Inside Llewyn Davis
Best Documentary: The Act of Killing

The Washington DC Area Film Critics
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: Official Site
Best Film: 12 Years a Slave
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón for Gravity
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary: Blackfish

Women Film Critics Circle (Not added to tally)
Nominations: Official Site
Winners: News
Best Movie About Women: Philomena
Best Woman Storyteller (Screenwriting): Julie Delpy for Before Midnight
Best Actress: Judi Dench in Philomena
Best Actor: Chiwetel Ejiofor in 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary by or about Women: Stories We Tell

Tally

The following is a summary with winners in the five main categories. Tally will be update when each group makes their announcement.

Best Film
29 - 12 Years a Slave (BSFC, NYFCO, WAFCA, BOFCA, AAFCA, SFFCC, KCFCC, IFJA, HFCS, SEFCA, DFWFCA, OFCS, CFCA, PFCS, SLFC, IW, LVFC, FFCC, BFCC, NFCS, AWFJ, IFCA, GG, NCFCA, VFCC, CCMA, GALECA, CCFA, UKRFA, IPA)
7 - Her (NBR, LAFCA, SDFCS, DFCS, AFCA, OFCC, GFCA )
6 - Gravity (LAFCA, DFCC, UFCA, COFCA, NTFCA, DFCS)
3 - Inside Llewyn Davis (TFCA, TVVC, NSFC)
1 - American Hustle (NYFCC)

Best Director
26- Alfonso Cuarón (NYFCO, LAFCA, WAFCA, SDFCS, DFCS, SFFCC, KCFCC, HFCS, DFWFCA, OFCS, TFCA, PFCS, AFCA, DFCC, UFCA, NFCS, COFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, GFCA, GG, VFCC, DFCS, CCMA, CCFA, UKRFA)
18 - Steve McQueen (NYFCC, BSFC, BOFCA, AAFCA, KCFCC, IFJA, SEFCA, CFCA, SLFC, IW LVFC, FFCC, TVVC, BFCC, AWFJ, IFCA, NCFCA, IPA)
1 - Spike Jonze (NBR)
1 - Joel and Ethan Coen (NSFC)

Best Actress
31 - Cate Blanchett (NYFCC, BSFC, NYFCO, LAFCA, WAFCA, SDFCS, BOFCA, SFFCC, SEFCA, DFWFCA, OFCS, TFCA, CFCA, PFCS, SLFC, DFFC, FFCC, AWFJ, NSFC. OFCC, GFCA, IFCA, GG, NCFCA, VFCC, DFCS, CCMA, GALECA, CCFA, UKRFA, IPA)
5 - Adèle Exarchopoulos (LAFCA, IFJA, TVVC, UFCA, COFCA)
4 - Sandra Bullock (AAFCA, KCFCC, HFCS, NTFCA)
3 - Brie Larson (DFCS, AFCA, BFCC)
2 - Emma Thompson (NBR, LVFC)
1 - Meryl Streep (NFCS)

Best Actor
25- Chiwetel Ejiofor (BSFC, NYFCO, WAFCA, BOFCA, SFFCC, KCFCC, IFJA, HFCS, SEFCA, OFCS, CFCA, AFCA, SLFC, IW, BFCC, UFCA, COFCA, NTFCA, OFCC, GFCA, IFCA, NCFCA, CCFA, UKRFA)
11 - Matthew McConaughey (DFCS, DFWFCA, PFCS, LVFC, FFCC, NFCS, AWFJ, GG, DFCS, CCMA, GALECA, IPA)
5 - Oscar Isaac (SDFCS, TFCA, TVVC, NFSC, VFCC)
3 - Bruce Dern (NBR, LAFCA, DFCC)
1 - Robert Redford (NYFCC)
1 - Forest Whitaker (AAFCA)

Best Documentary
23 - The Art of Killing (BSFC, NYFCO, SDFCS, BOFCA, SFFCC, KCFCC, IFJA, SEFCA, OFCS, TFCA, CFCA, AFCA, IW, DFCC, FFCC, TVVC, UFCA, COFCA, NFSC, OFCC, VFCC, DFCS, CCFA)
7 - Stories We Tell (NYFCC, NBR, LAFCA, DFCS, AWFJ, GFCA, NCFCA)
7 - 20 Feet From Stardom (HFCS, DFWFCA, PFCS, BFCC, NTFCA, IFCA, CCMA)
4 - Blackfish (WAFCA, SLFC, LVFC, IPA)
1 - American Promise (AAFCA)
1 - At Berkley (NFSC)
1 - Bridegroom (GALECA)

2013 BAFTA Awards Winners

Posting winners as they are announced....  Twitter reactions to Affleck winning over Haneke are pouring and some are hilarious!

Argo is 2013 BAFTA top winner. Ceremony is over and I'm glad as was hoping Amour getting MORE love than what got. Sigh.

Winners are in *BLUE.


1/9/13
Early today the British Academy announced the nominations for the current edition and in my opinion these nominations look very similar to what we will learn tomorrow from Hollywood. Leading the pack is Lincoln (10 nods) that many foresee will get the most nods tomorrow as already got here and in the Golden Globes. Following close by Skyfall, Life of Pi and Les Misérables; perhaps the surprise is that Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina got six nominations as film was received with a cool critical reception and besides one or two categories film is not seen as a contender in Oscars.

Also surprising is the absence of great independent films like Sightseers or Berberian Sound Studio as in the best film category nods include mainly mainstream films and were shut down from tech categories.

But the best news for me is that Amour got four nominations which gives me hope that Oscar could give film an opportunity in Best Film as surely if BAFTA had more slots than five, film could have gotten a nod. Great!

Now the aprox. 6,500 Academy members will have to vote to decide winners to be announced at the awards ceremony hosted by Stephen Fry on February 10 at the Royal Opera House in London.

These are the nominations.

Best Film
*Argo, Ben Affleck
Les Misérables, Tom Hooper
Life of Pi, Ang Lee
Lincoln, Steven Spielberg
Zero Dark Thirty, Kathryn Bigelow

Outstanding British Film
Anna Karenina, Joe Wright
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, John Madden
Les Misérables, Tom Hooper
Seven Psychopaths, Martin McDonagh
*Skyfall, Sam Mendes

Animated Film
*Brave, Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell
Frankenweenie, Tim Burton
Paranorman, Chris Butler and Sam Fell

Film Not in the English Language
*Amour (Love), Michael Haneke
Hodejegerne (Headhunters), Morten Tyldum
Jagten (The Hunt), Thomas Vinterberg
De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone), Jacques Audiard
Intouchables (Untouchable), Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache

Director
Michael Haneke for Amour
*Ben Affleck for Argo
Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Ang Lee for Life of Pi
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director of Producer
*Director Bart Layton and Producer Dimitri Doganis for The Imposter
Director/writer David Morris, Director/producer Jacqui Morris, Director/writer Dexter Fletcher and writer Danny King for Wild Bill
Director James Bobin for The Muppets
Director/writer Tina Gharavi for I Am Nasrine

Leading Actress
*Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone

Supporting Actress
Amy Adams in The Master
*Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Judi Dench in Skyfall
Sally Field in Lincoln

Leading Actor
Ben Affleck in Argo
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
*Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master

Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin in Argo
*Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
Javier Bardem in Skyfall
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln

Original Screenplay
Michael Haneke for Amour
*Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola for Moonrise Kingdom
Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty

Adapted Screenplay
Chris Terrio for Argo
Lucy Allibar and Benh Zeitlin for Beasts of the Southern Wild
David Magee for Life of Pi
Tony Kushner for Lincoln
*David O. Russell for Silver Linings Playbook

Cinematography
Seamus McGarvey for Anna Karenina
Danny Cohen for Les Misérables
*Claudio Miranda for Life of Pi
Janusz Kaminski for Lincoln
Roger Deakins for Skyfall

Editing
*William Goldenberg for Argo
Fred Raskin for Django Unchained
Tim Squyres for Life of Pi
Stuart Baird for Skyfall
Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg for Zero Dark Thirty

Production Design
Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer for Anna Karenina
*Eve Stewart and Anna Lynch-Robinson for Les Misérables
David Gropman and Anna Pinnock for Life of Pi
Rick Carter and Jim Erickson for Lincoln
Dennis Gassner and Anna Pinnock for Skyfall

Costume Design
*Jaqueline Durran for Anna Karenina
Beatrix Aruna Pasztor for Great Expectations
Paco Delgado for Les Misérables
Joanna Johnston for Lincoln
Colleen Atwood for Snow White and The Huntsman

Make Up and Hair
Ivana Primorac for Anna Karenina
Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel and Howard Berger for Hitchcock
Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor and Rick Findlater for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
*Lisa Westcott for Les Misérables
Lois Burwell and Kay Georgiou for Lincoln

Original Music
Dario Marianelli for Anna Karenina
Alexandre Desplat for Argo
Mychael Danna for Life of Pi
John Williams for Lincoln
*Thomas Newman for Skyfall

Sound
Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Wylie Stateman for Django Unchained
Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge and Chris Ward for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
*Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst for Les Misérables
Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett and D. M. Hemphill for Life of Pi
Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers for Skyfall

Special Visual Effects
Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb and Andrew Lockley for The Dark Night Rises
Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
*Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer for Life of Pi
The Avengers (nominees TBC)
Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood and Paul Butterworth for Prometheus

Documentary
The Imposter, Bart Layton
Marley, Kevin Macdonald
McCullin, David Morris and Jacqui Morris
*Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul
West of Menphis, Amy Berg

Short Animation
Here To Fall, Kris Kelly and Evelyn McGrath
I’m Fine Thanks, Eamonn O’Neill
*The Making of Longbird, Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson

Short Film
The Curse, Fyzal Boulifa and Gavin Humphries
Good Night, Muriel d’Asembourg and Eva Sigurdardottir
*Swimmer, Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton and Diarmid Scrimshaw
Tumult, Johnny Barrington and Rhianna Andrews
The Voorman Problem, Mark Gill and Baldwin Li

Perhaps with exception of the many nods for Skyfall plus Anna Karenina, these nods definitively look like what Oscar could nominate tomorrow.  Perhaps the hardest category for voters has to be Director as how can anyone compare the work of master filmmaker Michael Haneke to other directors?  Just being nominated along Haneke is a huge honor for the other nominees.

Watch the recording of the live announcement.

2013 Richard Attenborough UK Regional Film Awards Winners

Today the UK Regional Critics' announced the winners for the current RAFA's edition after the voting that run from January 14 to 25. Winners are decided solely by the votes of arts/entertainment journalists, staff and freelance, editors, critics and bloggers in all forms of regional and local media around the UK.

Feature-length films of any genre and from any country of origin were eligible for consideration provided they had a UK theatrical release between 10 February 2012 and 8 February 2013.

The UK regional critics’ award winners in all categories are as follows:

Film of the Year: Argo
Director of the Year: San Mendes for Skyfall
Screenwriters of the Year: Amy Jump, Alice Lowe and Steve Oram for Sightseers
Rising Star: Ben Whishaw in Skyfall

British Performance of the Year -voted by the public-: Robert Pattinson in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

Is the first major UK award in the local season that surprisingly went for an American film as usually UK films are honored with this famous distinction.

33rd London Film Critics' Circle Winners

On January 20, the critics' group had their award ceremony and Michael Haneke's Amour was triumphant as won three awards including the top honor, film of the year as well as Actress and Screenplay. To read the full press release go here.

Winners are in *BLUE.

12/18/12
A few minutes ago the British group announced their nominations that seem somehow to follow the trend of what we have seen from across the pond. But it's official, this is the best list of films, filmmakers and actors I have seen up to this moment; there may be a few exceptions, but in general this is a fantastic list with many extraordinary films and master directors. Absolutely agree with the following excerpt from the official announcement.

In all categories, the films are of outstanding quality this year, indicating how the London critics view all films from around the world on a level footing - brilliance is the only benchmark. Choosing winners will be harder than ever, but never will they have been more deserving.

Michael Haneke's Amour and Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master lead the nominations with seven (7) nods each. And just take a look at the honored directors, especially the their category -all right miss Jacques Audiard- nevertheless is a great list of five. Most interesting is to see the actresses that are honored with a nomination as list can't be better as includes Isabelle Huppert, Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Helen Hunt, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Emmanuelle Riva, Anne Hathaway, and more. Also remarkable is that they didn't forgot to honor Mads Mikkelsen.

This edition their highest honor, the Dilys Powell Award for Excellence in Film goes to Helena Bonham Carter. Award ceremony will take place on January 20, 2013 at May Fair Hotel; worth mention is that this group characterizes for tying their annual event to charity and this year their charity partner is Missing People, a 24/7 lifeline when someone disappears.

The nominations in full.

Film of the Year
*Amour
Argo
Beasts Of The Southern Wild
Life Of Pi
The Master

British Film of the Year
*Berberian Sound Studio
The Imposter
Les Miserables
Sightseers
Skyfall

Foreign Language Film of the Year
Amour
Holy Motors
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
*Rust and Bone
Tabu

Director of the Year
Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Kathryn Bigelow for Zero Dark Thirty
Nuri Bilge Ceylan for Once Upon A Time In Anatolia
Michael Haneke for Amour
*Ang Lee for Life Of Pi

Actress of the Year
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
*Emmanuelle Riva in Amour

Supporting Actress of the Year
Amy Adams in The Master
Judi Dench in Skyfall
Sally Field in Lincoln
*Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Isabelle Huppert in Amour

Actor of the Year
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Mads Mikkelsen in The Hunt
*Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Jean-Louis Trintignant in Amour

Supporting Actor of the Year
Alan Arkin in Argo
Javier Bardem in Skyfall
Michael Fassbender in Prometheus
*Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln

Screenwriter of the Year
Paul Thomas Anderson for The Master
Mark Boal for Zero Dark Thirty
*Michael Haneke for Amour
Quentin Tarantino for Django Unchained
Chris Terrio for Argo

British Actress of the Year
Emily Blunt in Looper and Your Sister's Sister
Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Alice Lowe in Sightseers
Helen Mirren in Hitchcock
*Andrea Riseborough in Shadow Dancer

British Actor of the Year
Daniel Craig in Skyfall
Charlie Creed-Miles in Wild Bill
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
*Toby Jones in Berberian Sound Studio
Steve Oram in Sightseers

Young British Performer of the Year
Samantha Barks in Les Misérables
Fady Elsayed in My Brother The Devil
*Tom Holland in The Impossible
Will Poulter in Wild Bill
Jack Reynor in What Richard Did

Breakthrough British Film-Maker
Ben Drew, writer/director of Ill Manors
Sally El Hosaini, writer/director of My Brother The Devil
Dexter Fletcher, co-writer/director of Wild Bill
Bart Layton, writer/director of The Imposter
*Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, writers of Sightseers

Documentary of the Year
*The Imposter
London: The Modern Babylon
Nostalgia For The Light
Queen of Versailles
Searching for Sugar Man

Technical Achievement Award
Jaqueline Duran for costumes in Anna Karerina
William Goldenberg for film editing in Argo
Ben Richardson for cinematography in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Joakim Sundstrom and Stevie Haywood for sound design in Berberian Sound Studio
Bernard Floch for makeup in Holy Motors
Claudio Miranda for cinematography in Life of Pi
*Bill Westenhofer for visual effects in Life of Pi
Jack Fisk and David Crank for production design in The Master
David Raedeker for cinematography in My Brother the Devil
Alexandre Desplat for music in Rust and Bone

Have to close by commenting that even the technical nominees are especially remarkable for the movies they are honoring but most important the tech areas they point-out in each movie. Great.

List is suggesting me that, in current award season, maybe BAFTA could be a lot more interesting than Oscar.

2013 BAFTA Rising Star Nominations

A few moments ago BAFTA announced the nominees for the current edition and most interesting is to find that is a ladies year as four out of the five are actresses. Nominees were selected by a jury headed by Pipa Harris and if you vote you'll have a chance of winning tickets to BAFTA Film Awards ceremony on Sunday February 10th.

Voting starts today, January 7th and ends tomorrow, January 8th. To Vote go here.

These are the nominees that had a "breakout year in 2012":

Andrea Risenborough, Elizabeth Olsen, Juno Temple, Suraj Sharma and Alicia Vikander

After thinking for a while my vote went to Alicia Vikander for her magnificent performance in A Royal Affair.

Kon-Tiki

Directed by Norwegian most famous directing duo, Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, film tells another Norway's history not that much known tale. First was 2008 Max Manus and now Thor Heyerdahl amazing story where to prove he was right on his scientific findings crossed the Pacific on a balsa wood raft in 1947.

The story is truly fantastic and one the world should be aware as he was the first to prove that the Inca traveled to Polynesia which before trip he hypothesized but no one believe him as then it was common knowledge that Polynesia inhabitants origin came only from Asia. So film presents us the character as a kid, an excerpt of his life in Fatu Hiva -where he creates his theory-, his inability to find interest in the expedition, his persistence until succeeding, and the 101-days trip across the ocean.

But as fascinating as the story is, the movie is not much entertaining as drama is built oddly, action takes too much time with the sharks and script needed much more development for viewers to sustain the almost two hours film takes to tell story. There are moments -when the group is at the sea- that you get tired as story doesn't built up but becomes repetitive and some of us knew the end, so movie was about the ride not about reaching an unknown end.

Then acting is too stiff for my liking even when I imagine that they had to represent Nordic behavior under extreme circumstances as close as possible to reality; but a bit of less stiffness could have been more emotions shown by actors while still being very Nordic.

As can be easily imaginable, film has many outstanding visuals; but the most extraordinary does not come with the men at sea, but from the beginning. The opening sequence with a still camera is impressive as also are most of the winter scenes. While watching spontaneously thought that movie keeps the same camera style no matter where they are (winter, hot weather, urban setting, etc) and perhaps if they had changed the style according to the setting then probable visuals would have been even more remarkable in the non-winter moments. Tech specs are great in general as is the biggest ever Norwegian production up to date - co produced with UK and Denmark-.

But if you wish to learn the story in a more engaging way I suggest you watch the "real" documentary directed by Thor Heyerdahl with the same name that went to win the 1951 Oscar in the documentary category. There are two versions, one narrated in English and the other in Norwegian, both narrated by Thor Heyerdahl himself. Still I know documentary is not easy to find, so many will have to conform with the 2012 film.

As we know film is Norway submission to 2013 Oscar, got a 2013 Golden Globes nomination, and more honors surely will come to film. I liked Max Manus as director's storytelling and filmmaking style was good for the story they were telling, but in this sense I find Kon Tiki not as good as their previous film.

Enjoy!!

Watch trailer @MOC

15th British Independent Film Award Winners

So unfortunately that BIFA didn't streamed live the awards ceremony, but with everything that is happening today at the same time, I'm really glad they didn't. With the amount of awards that Berberian Sound Studio collected I was suspecting that could get the top award, but thankfully the top honor went to Broken that out of 9 nomination won one, but is the one that truly counts and matters.

Award winners are in *BLUE.

---///---
11/5

A few minutes ago BIFA's nominations were announced at St Martins Lane, London by actor and BIFA Patron, Adrian Lester.

Joint Directors, Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 Nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year’s appointed independent Jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films.”

First feature film and opening film at the 2012 Cannes Semaine de la Critique Broken by Rufus Norris has the highest number of nominations with nine (9) followed by 2012 Cannes Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Sightseers and Berberian Sound Studio with 7 nominations each.

These are the nominees.

Best British Independent Film
Berberian Sound Studio, Peter Strickland
*Broken, Rufus Norris
Sightseers, Ben Wheatley
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, John Madden
The Imposter, Bart Layton

Best Director
Bart Layton for The Imposter
Ben Wheatley for Sightseers
John Madden for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
*Peter Strickland for Berberian Sound Studio
Rufus Norris for Broken

Best Debut Director
*Bart Layton for The Imposter
Ben Drew for Ill Manors
Rowan Athale for Wasteland
Rufus Norris for Broken
Sally El Hosaini for My Brother the Devil

Best Screenplay
Abi Morgan for The Iron Lady
*Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, and Amy Jump for Sightseers
Mark O'Rowe for Broken
Paul Andrew Williams for Song for Marion
Peter Strickland for Berberian Sound Studio

Best Actress
Alice Lowe in Sightseers
*Andrea Risenborough in Shadow Dancer
Elle Fanning in Ginger & Rosa
Judi Dench in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed in Ill Manors
Steve Oram in Sightseers
Terence Stamp in Song for Marion
Tim Roth for Broken
*Toby Jones in Berberian Sound Studio

Best Supporting Actress
Alice Englert in Ginger & Rosa
Eileen Davies in Sightseers
Maggie Smith in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
*Olivia Colman in Hyde Park on Hudson
Vanessa Redgrave in Song for Marion

Best Supporting Actor
Billy Connolly in Quartet
Cillian Murphy in Broken
Domhnall Gleeson in Shadow Dancer
*Rory Kinnear in Broken
Tom Wilkinson in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Most Promising Newcomer
Ellito Tittensor in Spike Island
Eloise Laurence in Broken
*James Floyd in My Brother the Devil
Paul Brannigan in The Angels' Share
Zawe Ashton in Dreams of a Life

Best Achievement in Production
*Berberian Sound Studio
Ill Manors
Sightseers
The Imposter
The Sweeney

Best Technical Achievement
Nick Knowland for Cinematography in Berberian Sound Studio
*Stevie Hayword and Joakim Sundström for Sound Design in Berberian Sound Studio
Electric Wave Bureau for Music in Broken
Robbie Ryan for Cinematography in Ginger & Rosa
Andrew Hulme for Editing in The Imposter

Best Documentary
Dreams of a Life, Carol Morley
London: The Modern Babylon, Julien Temple
Marley, Kevin Mcdonald
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, Laurent Bouzereau
*The Imposter, Bart Layton

Best British Short
Friday
Junk
Skyborn
Swimmer
*Volume

Best International Independent Film
Amour (Love), Michael Haneke
Beast of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin
De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone), Jacques Audiard
Searching For Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul
*Jagten (The Hunt), Thomas Vinterberg

The Raindance Award
Frank
*Strings
Love Tomorrow
City Slacker
Janson Becker: Not Dead Yet, Jesse Vile

*The Richard Harris Award: Sir Michael Gambon
*The Variety Award: Jude Law
*The Special Jury Prize: Sandra Hebron

The award ceremony will be on Sunday, December 9 and to read the press release at the official site go here.

Perhaps because I have been following several of the nominated films plus there are great actors nominated, this year the awards will be must be seen for me. Besides there are a few films I was not aware of that now I'm interested in watching. Good.