The post OffScript Is Back for an All-New Season! appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>OffScript w/ Ruth and Mitch is BACK for an all-new season. The podcast, co-hosted by our very own Ruth Vitale and Recording Industry Association of America Chairman and CEO Mitch Glazier, brings together members of the creative community and policymakers for conversations about art, policy, and life. This season follows a slightly altered format, with each episode broken into four parts.
The first episode of our new season features Congressman Rob Wittman and actor, playwright, and former elected official Peter Lawson Jones. Our two guests discussed how they ended up in their respective careers and the many “odd jobs” they held before finding success.
The second episode features Congressman Ritchie Torres and former COO of Warner Bros. Carolyn Blackwood, who discuss their time in the Bronx, their mutual interest in the entertainment industry, and the important role that policymakers play in the protection of a thriving creative economy.
Upcoming episodes will feature more policymakers and prominent figures from the creative industries, so make sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with new episodes!
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]]>The post SXSW® 2024: Highlights from the Film and TV Festival appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>In the Opening Session, U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón and NASA scientist Lori Glaze hosted a fireside chat on the wonders of space. Who wouldn’t be up for that? Other appealing sessions have included Snack with Purpose and Could Dogs be Key to Unlocking Human Longevity?
Of course, we’ve been enjoying the 31st edition of the SXSW® Film and TV Festival. Numerous films have been screened in world premieres, and 11 juries have given awards to feature films, documentaries,
shorts, music videos, and more. You can find the full list of award winners here.
As we look back on the festival, we want to cover some feature films and television shows from the lineup. Regardless of if they won or not, these projects appealed to our eclectic taste.
Here is our selection of highlights from SXSW® 2024.
Headliners
Festival organizers slated eight feature films for the Headliner section. These star-studded world premieres will be celebrated with red-carpet fanfare.
Perhaps the most widely anticipated screening is Doug Liman’s Road House starring Jake Gyllenhaal, a remake of Rowdy Herrington’s Road House starring Patrick Swayze. As in the original, a bouncer fights small-town bullies and other jerks, repeatedly handing them their asses. What’s not to love? Also: abs!
The Headliner section includes other films from established directors. For instance, Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation) is premiering Civil War, and David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) is premiering The Fall Guy.
There are also several feature directorial debuts. We’ll give a few examples.
In Pamela Adlon’s Babes, Eden (Ilana Glazer) seeks advice from a married mother of two (Michelle Buteau) about her own, unconventional pregnancy. Glazer co-wrote the script with Josh Rabinowitz. They previously worked together, though not as co-writers, on Broad City. We have high hopes for another screwball comedy … especially because Adlon will receive the Comedy Director Award at Variety’s annual SXSW® event, The Power of Comedy.
In Michael Showalter’s The Idea of You, Solène (Anne Hathaway) starts dating Hayes Campbell (Nicholas Galitzine), the lead singer of her daughter’s favorite boy band. The consequences are SO much more embarrassing than when other moms drop their kids off at school. The script is based on a novel by multi-hyphenate Robinne Lee.
In Dev Patel’s Monkey Man, Patel plays an unnamed hero seeking revenge for his mother’s murder. The main character is based on Hanuman, the monkey god who helps defeat the demon Ravana in the Sanskrit epic Ramayana. Patel first rose to fame after starring in Slumdog Millionaire. His directorial debut is produced by Jordan Peele.
Television Premieres and Spotlights
Festival organizers chose seven titles for the TV Premiere section. The lineup of new series includes an adaptation of a phenomenally popular sci fi novel and a reality show about a prominent comedian, actor, and producer.
In 3 Body Problem, detectives investigate serial murders targeting great scientists. Horrifyingly, clues suggest the crimes were perpetrated by an alien force. The show is based on Cixin Liu’s novel, which won the Hugo Award in 2015. Showrunners David Benioff and D. B. Weiss previously oversaw Game of Thrones.
In Jerrod, multi-hyphenate Jerrod Carmichael shares a behind-the-scenes view of his personal life. Carmichael was the star, co-creator, and co-writer of The Carmichael Show, a semi-autobiographical sitcom. He made TIME’s list of The 100 Most Influential People of 2023. Most recently, Carmichael played the pragmatic aristocrat Harry Astley in Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards® and won four.
Meanwhile, festival organizers chose nine ongoing shows for the TV Spotlight section. A witty comedy will launch its third season, while a beloved sci fi series will begin to say goodbye.
In the third season of Hacks, Ava (Hannah Einbinder) continues writing for her irascible but loveable boss, the stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). Our office took a poll, and we agreed: None of us has ANY idea what that job would be like! For portraying Ava’s experiences so vividly, Einbinder will receive Variety’s Comedy Actress Award, presented by Smart, at The Power of Comedy.
In the fifth and final season of Star Trek: Discovery, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and her crew must find a mysterious artifact before enemies of the Federation can exploit its destructive power. Evaluating the show’s legacy, one critic wrote, “Star Trek: Discovery was the franchise’s first foray into serialized prestige television, and it raised the bar for Star Trek series in terms of cinematic visuals and production values.”
We can’t wait to see where Discovery and other Star Trek series will “boldly go” in 2024.
Enjoy the Festival!
There are many other unique and exciting films premiering at the festival. For instance, we’re intrigued by Phoebe Jane Hart’s Bug Diner, an animated short with an irresistible premise. We’re also looking forward to Bess Kargman’s Diane Warren: Relentless, a documentary about one of Hollywood’s greatest songwriters.
We encourage you to check out the complete lineup. Soon, we’ll know which titles have won awards, but all of them look terrific, boding well for film and television in 2024.
Please join us in congratulating all the amazing filmmakers featured at SXSW® in 2024!
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]]>The post Academy Awards® 2024: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>Access to the event is quite limited – even Oscar® nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph is pleading for additional tickets! Fortunately, we and other fans of her performance in The Holdovers can watch the Academy Awards® live on ABC at 4 pm PST / 7 pm EST.
Here’s everything else you need to know as you cheer for all the amazing films and filmmakers at the Academy Awards® in 2024.
The Host
“Why do all the beautiful dummies come to me for advice?” asked Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), as you can see at the end of this advertisement for the awards show. She felt understandably exasperated because Jimmy Kimmel said he would rather snack on a churro than serve as the host.
Fortunately, the Emmy®-winning comedian changed his mind. Kimmel is best known as the producer and host of the talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live! and has previously hosted the Oscars® in 2017, 2018, and 2023.
As Kimmel admitted, “I always dreamed of hosting the Oscars exactly four times.”
Therefore, according to released footage, Kimmel leapt into the Weird Wagon so that Weird Barbie could guide him to Hollywood. He psyched himself up with timely help from Gloria (America Ferrera). Finally, they joined forces to correct a woefully ill-informed Ken (Ryan Gosling) before the festivities.
Award Nominees
Because of the intense competition, simply being nominated for an Oscar® is an honor. According to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 321 films were eligible to compete in 2024.
The nominees in 23 award categories were announced on January 23, 2024. Ultimately, just 15 films received two or more nominations.
All films that earned five or more nominations are also contenders for Best Picture. The most nominated film was Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which received 13 nominations. Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things came in second place with 11 nominations.
These leaders were followed by Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon (10 nominations), Greta Gerwig’s Barbie (8 nominations), and Bradley Cooper’s Maestro (7 nominations).
Four contenders for Best Picture tied with five nominations apiece. They are Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers, and Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest.
The remaining Best Picture nominee is Past Lives, a terrific directorial debut from playwright Celine Song. We’re continually referencing the enthusiastic praise in our Thanksgiving blog and indie film roundup. To keep us from repeating ourselves, how about seeing the film? Check out legal options here!
This year’s Best Picture lineup is remarkably strong. According to Los Angeles Times, it is the best one since 2009, the year that the number of nominees was increased from five to 10.
We won’t wade into that debate, but we can’t help noting the success of nominated films at earlier festivals. Poor Things won the Golden Lion at Venice, and Anatomy of a Fall won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Meanwhile, Barbie became the first film to win the newly introduced Golden Globe® for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement after making over $1.4 BILLION worldwide.
Four contenders for Best Picture also earned nominations for both directing and screenwriting. They are Anatomy of a Fall, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest.
Justine Triet and Jonathan Glazer received their first Oscar® nominations for Best Director. Christopher Nolan was previously nominated for Dunkirk; Yorgos Lanthimos, for The Favourite. The fifth contender is Martin Scorsese, the only nominee who has previously won an Oscar® in the category (for The Departed).
Anatomy of a Fall, co-written by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, will compete for Best Original Screenplay with three other Best Picture contenders. They are The Holdovers by David Hemingson, Maestro by Bradley Cooper and Josh Singer, and Past Lives by Celine Song.
The fifth nominee for Best Original Screenplay is May December, a provocative film from director Todd Haynes. The script was written by Samy Burch, who collaborated with Alex Mechanik on the story. You can learn more in our indie film roundup!
In the race for Best Adapted Screenplay, all nominated films are also Best Picture nominees. Cord Jefferson adapted American Fiction from Percival Everett’s novel Erasure. Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach based Barbie on the famous Mattel® doll. Christopher Nolan adapted Oppenheimer from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, American Prometheus. Tony McNamara adapted Alasdair Gray’s novel Poor Things. Jonathan Glazer adapted Martin Amis’ novel The Zone of Interest.
With three exceptions, all actors and actresses nominated for Oscars® appeared in films competing for Best Picture.
None of the contenders for Best Leading Actor has won an Oscar® in the category. Only one, Bradley Cooper (Maestro), has been previously nominated (for Silver Linings Playbook, American Sniper, and A Star Is Born). The other nominees are Colman Domingo (Rustin), Paul Giamatti (The Holdovers), Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), and Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction). Whoever the winner is, he will earn his first Academy Award® for Leading Actor on March 10!
In the contest for Best Supporting Actor, one nominee, Robert De Niro (Killers of the Flower Moon), has already won Oscars® for acting (Best Supporting Actor for The Godfather Part II and Best Leading Actor for Raging Bull). Another nominee, Sterling K. Brown (American Fiction), received his first Oscar® nomination. The other candidates are Robert Downey, Jr. (Oppenheimer), Ryan Gosling (Barbie), and Mark Ruffalo (Poor Things).
One nominee for Best Leading Actress, Emma Stone (Poor Things), has previously won the award (for La La Land). Two nominees, Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall), received their first Oscar® nominations. The other candidates, Annette Bening (Nyad) and Carey Mulligan (Maestro), have not won Oscars® but have earned multiple nominations.
No nominee for Best Supporting Actress has previously won the award, but Jodie Foster (Nyad) holds 2 Oscars® for Best Leading Actress (for The Accused and The Silence of the Lambs). The other nominees received their first Oscar® nominations. They are Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), America Ferrera (Barbie), and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers).
Enjoy the Show!
Since all the nominated films and filmmakers are excellent, we’re not fretting over the winners. We’re simply eager to relish the awards celebration.
It has been a wonderful year for creativity, so we would like to thank the millions of talented people who work in the film industry. Because of their efforts, audiences around the world get to enjoy hundreds of new films every year.
Finally, please join us in wishing good luck to all the nominees for Academy Awards® in 2024!
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]]>The post Amazing Artists and Places near Santa Fe appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>In 1610, Santa Fe was founded as a Spanish missionary town. It belonged to Mexico before becoming part of the United States in 1846. Today, it enjoys a well-deserved reputation as “the cultural capital of the Southwest.”
Georgia O’Keefe, N. Scott Momaday, and Cormac McCarthy lived in Santa Fe. In addition to those legends, here are some people and places that have made “The City Different” so amazing.
William Shuster (1893-1969), Painter
This World War I veteran moved to Santa Fe for its dry climate, which helped him to cope with tuberculosis and the ravages of toxic gas. As his lungs healed, William Shuster captured New Mexico’s beauty in works like Dome Room (1924), one of the earliest paintings of Carlsbad Caverns. He and other members of Los Cinco Pintores (The Five Painters) made Santa Fe famous among art lovers in the early 1920s.
Shuster contributed most remarkably to local culture by creating Zozobra, a giant puppet burned every year to exorcise gloomy feelings. The effigy has grown from 6 feet tall in 1924 to 40 feet tall in 1960 to over 50 feet tall in 2023. Admittedly, Zozobra has yet to cure our bad attitudes – but the centennial bonfire on August 30, 2024, might be large enough to do the trick!
Santa Fe Indian Market (est. 1922)
Every August, the world’s preeminent festival for Native art takes place on the Santa Fe Plaza. It is organized by the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts, which selects over 1,000 artists to participate. The festival draws around 100,000 people, who spend more than $160 million on art or local goods and services. There is also a juried competition.
Last year, Jennifer Tafoya won Best in Show for “Caught by Surprise,” an etched pot depicting dinosaurs. Other award-winning works included “Talavi Morning Katsina,” a wooden sculpture by Arthur Holmes, Jr., and “Autumn Rose Carnival,” a woven shawl and shoulder bag by TahNibaa Naataanii. After glimpsing photographs of these exquisite works, you will surely need to see the market for yourself.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (est. 1943)
Located about 35 miles northwest of Santa Fe, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is a federal research institute specializing in national security. It was founded to create the first atomic bomb, but its mission now includes nuclear deterrence and cybersecurity. As you might imagine, access is slightly restricted, but visitors can enjoy nearby hiking trails and the Bradbury Science Museum.
LANL has reported a welcome surge in public interest following the release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which tells the story of the laboratory’s first director. In this podcast, a LANL historian discusses events depicted in the film. We recommend listening to it during the drive from Santa Fe.
Valerie Martínez (b. 1961), Poet
After completing an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, Valerie Martínez taught at numerous colleges or universities, mainly in the Southwest. In 2009, she left academia during her term as Santa Fe’s second poet laureate. Since then, Martínez has worked for community improvement organizations while writing excellent book-length poetry.
Each and Her, a poem about the Ciudad Juárez femicides, won the Arizona Book Award (2011) and earned a Pulitzer Prize nomination. Most recently, Martínez published Count, which confronts the climate catastrophe. Asked about her process, Martínez explained that she “weav[es] together what I imagine, what I know, what I read in books, magazines, and newspapers, what I see in art, what I watch on TV, and more.” She is currently employed as Founding Director of Artful Life.
Kaela Waldstein (b. 1982 or 1983), Filmmaker
Kaela Waldstein, owner of Mountain Mover Media, makes short documentaries about Southwestern culture. While studying film at Santa Fe Community College, she won a Rocky Mountain Emmy Award® for Walk with Pride, a six-minute film about the Santa Fe Indian Market’s Indigenous Fashion Show. To create the documentary, Waldstein partnered with Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, producer of the fashion show and a professor at Santa Fe’s Institute of American Indian Arts.
Continuing to collaborate, Waldstein and Bear Robe just released Cara Romero: Following the Light. The 27-minute documentary explores the photography of Cara Romero, who splits her time between her Santa Fe studio and the Chemehuevi reservation. Romero’s portraits celebrate the contemporary vitality of indigenous people and can be quite provocative, as in the case of Last Indian Market. According to Waldstein, the documentary illuminates Romero’s “meticulous” work. Stream it on PBS today!
Geronimo (est. 1991), Restaurant
In 1756, Geronimo Lopez constructed an adobe home, the Borrego (Lamb) House. For 30+ years, it has been an award-winning restaurant bearing the Spaniard’s name. It is conveniently located on Canyon Road, a pedestrian-friendly, half-mile stretch famous for art galleries.
As Chef Sllin Cruz and his business partner, Chris Harvey, explained, Harvey was a waiter during Geronimo’s early days. Cruz took over for a highly beloved chef, the late Eric DiStefano, in 2016. While jet-setters prefer the elk steak, Cruz and Harvey recommend the short ribs, prepared for THREE FULL DAYS in a sous vide. They aren’t currently on the menu, but Cruz generously shared his recipe.
Shiprock Santa Fe (est. 2005), Native American Art Store and Gallery
Located on the Santa Fe Plaza, this remarkable store sells breath-takingly beautiful objects like turquoise jewelry, decorative pottery, woven rugs, wooden furniture, oil paintings, and more. The only wares that fit comfortably in our personal budgets are the books. Fortunately, Shiprock doubles as a viewing gallery, promoting new exhibits on an almost monthly basis.
Shiprock was opened almost 20 years ago by Jed Foutz, who grew up on the Navajo reservation. His store is named for Shiprock Peak, a site sacred to the Diné (Navajo) people. According to legend, the tribe came to their ancestral home by riding a giant bird, which subsequently turned to stone. You can admire Tsé Bit’ a’í, “Rock with Wings,” about 250 miles northwest from Santa Fe.
House of Eternal Return (est. 2016), Immersive Experience
The Seligs have gone missing after an experiment went awry, fracturing time and space inside their Victorian-style family home. Now, a fireplace, washing machine, or refrigerator might conceal a portal to another world, as likely to contain a prehistoric mammoth fossil as a holographic travel agent. While visitors marvel at such wonders, they may also search for clues concerning the Seligs’ disappearance.
This immersive story-telling experience was created by the artists’ collective Meow Wolf – with millions of dollars in support from George R. R. Martin, author of Game of Thrones and co-executive producer of the HBO series. Meow Wolf has continued to update the Selig’s home with new exhibits, but they didn’t need to do that to guarantee our eternal return.
That’s our roundup!
We’ll be back soon with another, if we don’t wander into a restricted zone at Los Alamos (scary), break our bank accounts at Shiprock (tempting), or join the Seligs beyond time and space (likely).
Until next time, find some creativity wherever you can. Stay safe, and be well. #StandCreative
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]]>The post Tell Washington: Bring Common Sense Anti-Piracy Tools to the United States! appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, piracy costs the U.S. economy as much as $71 billion and 560,000 American jobs every year.
Illegal offshore piracy websites entice users with “free” movies and television shows, then profit from questionable advertising, malware, credit card fraud, and identity theft.
One highly effective tool to curb piracy is judicially ordered “site blocking,” which allows courts to direct service providers to stop providing services for, or access to, these illegal, offshore sites after a full and fair proceeding. For over a decade, site blocking has proven effective in more than 40 COUNTRIES – including democracies such as Australia, Canada, the UK, and the European Union. Yet the United States has yet to adopt this commonsense measure.
More than a decade ago, the U.S. was primed to lead the way with the world’s first site-blocking law. But Silicon Valley famously derailed that effort with a campaign of scare tactics and hyperbole, speciously claiming that allowing for court-ordered site blocking of illegal offshore pirate sites would “break the internet,” chill free speech, turn ordinary internet users into criminals, and destroy democracy.
History has proven these arguments wrong. In every country in which it has been adopted, site blocking has been proven to work, reducing piracy and driving traffic to legitimate sites, without harm to the internet democracy, or free speech!
Over 100,000 Americans have already signed our petition urging lawmakers to take action.Add your name todayandtell Congress: It’s long past due… bring site blocking to America now!
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]]>The post BAFTA Film Awards 2024: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>The nominees were announced one month in advance, on January 18. In total, 38 films were nominated for 25 awards.
Within the U.K., audiences can watch the awards show on BBC One at 8 pm GMT or stream it on BBC iPlayer. In the U.S., Canada, and certain other countries, audiences can stream the show on BritBox International.
Here’s everything you need to know to enjoy this year’s BAFTA Film Awards.
Host
The ceremony will be hosted by Scottish actor David Tennant, who has brought to life a remarkable variety of characters.
Onstage, Tennant has played Shakespearean roles including Hamlet, Macbeth, and Richard II. Onscreen, Tennant has embodied Barty Crouch, Jr., in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and voiced Scrooge McDuck for DuckTales and Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers.
Tennant is best known for playing Doctor Who from 2005-2010. The time-traveling hero, who has died and reconstituted himself many times, assumed Tennant’s form once again in 2022-2023, near the 60th anniversary of the original series, making Tennant the 10th and 14th Doctor, by Entertainment Weekly’s reckoning.
We will pass quietly by the Doctor’s good looks, simply noting that Tennant has been The Pink Paper’s Sexiest Man in the Universe and Cosmopolitan’s 16th Sexiest Man in the World. On this subject, we have no professional opinion.
Award Nominees
BAFTA has done a wonderful job of recognizing new talent. Emerging creatives appear alongside established celebrities even in the most glamorous and trumpeted award categories.
Six films will compete for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer. (We added the Oxford comma – and will zealously continue to do so!)
The nominated debuts are Lisa Selby’s documentary about battling addiction, Blue Bag Life; Moses Bwayo and Christopher Sharp’s documentary about a Ugandan musician/activist, Bobi Wine: The People’s President; Savannah Leaf’s drama about single motherhood, Earth Mama; Molly Manning Walker’s drama about three teenage girls’ summer road trip, How to Have Sex; and Ella Glending’s documentary about being a little person, Is There Anybody Out There?
Five remarkable performers have been honored with nominations for the Rising Star Award.
Phoebe Dynevor portrayed Emily in Fair Play (2023) and the Duchess of Hastings in Bridgerton (2020-2022). Ayo Edebiri plays Sydney Adamu in The Bear (2022-) and voiced April O’Neil in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (2023). Jacob Elordi played Felix Catton in Saltburn (2023) and Nate Jacobs in the first two seasons of Euphoria (2019-2022). Mia McKenna-Bruce played Tara in How to Have Sex (2023). Sophie Wilde played Mia in Talk to Me (2022).
The nominations for marquee categories – Best Leading Actress, Best Leading Actor, Best Director, and Best Film – feature experienced filmmakers as well as relative newcomers.
The nominations for Best Leading Actress may help to introduce audiences to at least two performers. Vivian Oparah was nominated for playing Yas in the contemporary London comedy Rye Lane. Fantasia Barrino, a past winner of American Idol (season 3, 2004), was nominated for playing Celie in the film adaptation of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple.
Sandra Hüller is already an accomplished actress, but she is perhaps better known in Europe than in the U.S. In 2006, her starring role in Requiem earned a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. This year, she earned a BAFTA nomination for playing accused husband-killer Sandra Voyter in Anatomy of a Fall.
The other nominees – Carey Mulligan (Maestro), Margot Robbie (Barbie), and Emma Stone (Poor Things) – probably need no introductions.
The nominations for Best Leading Actor include two performers who may be unfamiliar to U.S. audiences. Barry Keoghan was nominated for starring as a strange summer visitor to an English estate in Saltburn. Teo Yoo was nominated for portraying a man whose love is not completely unrequited in Past Lives.
Colman Domingo has an impressive resume that includes roles in Selma, Lincoln, and Fear the Walking Dead. In 2022, he won an Emmy® for portraying Ali in Euphoria. This year, Domingo earned a BAFTA nomination for starring as a 1960s-era civil rights activist in Rustin.
Another accomplished contender, Paul Giamatti, played the dissatisfied main character, Miles, in Sideways. Giamatti has won Golden Globes® for roles in three films, including the boarding school comedy The Holdovers. His starring role as teacher Paul Hunham also earned a BAFTA nomination.
The remaining nominees are Bradley Cooper (Maestro) and Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer), who are well known to fans of cinema.
As BAFTA pointed out, none of the six nominees for Best Director has previously won the award, and four have earned their first nominations in the category. The first-time nominees are Jonathan Glazer for The Zone of Interest, Andrew Haigh for All of Us Strangers, Alexander Payne for The Holdovers, and Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall.
Bradley Cooper, nominated for Maestro, was previously nominated for A Star Is Born. Christopher Nolan, nominated for Oppenheimer, was previously nominated for Dunkirk and Inception.
Finally, the nominations for Best Film put works from rising auteurs next to works from the greatest luminaries in the film industry.
Justine Triet is soaring to worldwide acclaim with Anatomy of a Fall, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. Similarly, Yorgos Lanthimos has enchanted audiences around the world with Poor Things, which won the Golden Lion at Venice.
Alexander Payne has earned critical acclaim for numerous films, including Sideways and The Descendants. Now, The Holdovers is continuing that legacy.
The remaining films are by megastar directors Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese. Nolan’s Oppenheimer already won the Golden Globe® for Best Motion Picture (Drama). Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon has received 10 nominations for Academy Awards®, including Best Picture.
Enjoy the Awards Show!
We hope you’re looking forward to the BAFTA Film Awards. Whether the winners turn out to be veterans of the film industry or recent entrants, they will be highly deserving of awards.
We thank BAFTA for recognizing talented creatives at every level of experience. Please join us in wishing good luck to the amazing nominees!
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]]>The post Berlinale 2024: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>One talented and lucky filmmaker will earn the festival’s top prize, the Golden Bear. Seven Silver Bears will be awarded for excellent directing, acting, screenwriting, or other crafts. A Golden Bear and a Silver Bear will also be awarded to two directors of short films.
During the first week of the festival, filmmakers will meet distributors at the European Film Market, which is preparing to welcome 11,500 guests from February 15-21.
Here’s everything you need to know as you prepare for this year’s Berlinale.
Honorees
During the festival, two eminent and distinctive filmmakers will receive lifetime achievement awards.
On February 20, halfway through the festival, an Honorary Golden Bear will be awarded to Martin Scorsese. You probably don’t need an introduction to this American filmmaker. He has a long, consistent record of excellent directing.
Scorsese has been nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Achievement in Directing (formerly called Best Director) an astounding TEN times: for Raging Bull in 1981, The Last Temptation of Christ in 1989, Goodfellas in 1991, Gangs of New York in 2003, The Aviator in 2005, The Departed in 2007, Hugo in 2012, The Wolf of Wall Street in 2014, The Irishman in 2020, and Killers of the Flower Moon, his most recent film, in 2024.
Appropriately, the ceremony honoring Scorsese will culminate in a screening of The Departed, the film for which he won an Academy Award® for directing. The Departed also won Academy Awards® for Best Picture, Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay), and Best Achievement in Film Editing.
On February 22, two days later, the Berlinale Camera will be awarded to German writer and director Edgar Reitz. The award recognizes “personalities and institutions who have made a special contribution to filmmaking and with whom the festival feels closely connected.”
Reitz was a foundational figure in the New German Cinema movement, which began in the early 1960s. In 1967, Mahlzeiten (Table for Love), which Reitz wrote and directed, won the award for Best First Work at the Venice Film Festival. As noted by The Hollywood Reporter, Reitz is most famous for the Heimat (Home) series, which uses fictional narratives about a single family to examine German history from around 1840 to 2000.
His latest film, a documentary called Filmstunde_23, will premiere at the Berlinale immediately after Reitz accepts his award.
Juries
The International Jury determines the winners of the Golden Bear for Best Film and seven Silver Bears. Silver Bears are awarded for the films in second place (Grand Jury Prize) and third place (Jury Prize), as well as for Best Director, Best Leading Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Screenplay, and the most Outstanding Artistic Contribution through a craft or trade.
This year’s President of the International Jury is actor Lupita Nyong’o. In 2014, Nyong’o earned the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Patsey in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave. Other notable roles include Adelaide Wilson (and her menacing alter ego, Red) in Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) and the Wakandan spy Nakia in Marvel’s Black Panther (2018) and its sequel, Wakanda Forever (2022).
Separate juries determine the winners of awards for films screened outside the official lineup. The International Short Film Jury gives a Golden Bear for Best Short Film and a Silver Bear Jury Prize. The remaining juries give other prizes, such as bear plaques or Crystal Bears.
In addition, numerous independent organizations attend the Berlinale to bestow their own awards. Examples of such organizations include Amnesty International, the International Federation of Film Critics, and TEDDY, which gives the world’s most prestigious award for queer films.
The Films
The lineup of 20 films in the official competition was announced on January 22, 2024. Instead of trying to cover them all, we’ll highlight a few that appealed us. We freely admit that our taste is subjective, sometimes even eccentric. We like to think that’s why you read our blogs!
The festival’s opening film is Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These. It is based on Claire Keegan’s novel, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022. The film follows Bill Furlong as he discovers secrets kept by a convent in a small Irish town during the 1980s. Furlong is played by Cillian Murphy, who starred in Oppenheimer and is up for the Academy Award® for Best Actor.
While the official lineup contains many films by experienced directors, it also showcases two debuts.
Tunisian-American director Meryam Joobeur, who works out of Montréal, will premiere her first feature film, Mé el Aïn (Who Do I Belong To). It is a drama about a Tunisian mother’s struggle to welcome home her war-scarred son. Previously, Joobeur has made successful shorts – most notably, Brotherhood, which was nominated for the Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short Film in 2020.
Italian actress Margherita Vicario makes her directorial debut with a feminist retelling of the origins of classical music, called Gloria! According to Variety, classmates in an 18th-century girls’ school decide “to challenge classical canons and invent a precursor to pop.” Vicario has acted in a variety of films, television shows, and music videos. You can sample the music videos on Vicario’s YouTube channel.
Three films were made at least partly in the U.S. We love art from all around the world, but we like to highlight American-made films because they support our local businesses!
In Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala, a pregnant woman scours the Himalayas for her missing husband. In Alonso Ruizpalacios’ La Cocina, coworkers in a New York City restaurant navigate cross-cultural differences. In Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man, Edward finds he can’t quite move on after doctors cure his facial disfigurement.
Finally, we can’t resist mentioning Pepe by Dominican director Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias. In this one-of-a-kind film, the Colombian jungle is haunted by the ghost of drug lord Pablo Escobar’s escaped hippopotamus.
Enjoy the Festival!
There’s so much more to enjoy at the Berlinale! We haven’t even begun to describe the lineups for Berlinale Classics or Encounters, a series that features independent filmmakers.
We hope you’ll use our blog as a starting point for learning more. In addition, we hope you share our anticipation for the films premiering at this year’s festival.
Finally, please join us in wishing good luck to all the filmmakers premiering works, competing for awards, or negotiating deals during the Berlinale 2024!
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]]>The post GRAMMYs® 2024: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>This year, 94 awards will be given in 12 categories. In addition to awards in the general field like Album Of The Year and Record Of The Year, awards will be presented in 11 categories for specific genres or technical aspects of recording.
Here’s everything you need to know as you get ready for the GRAMMYs® 2024.
The Host
The host of the event will be South African comedian Trevor Noah. He began to work for The Daily Show in 2014 and became its host after Jon Stewart retired in 2015.
Noah has hosted the GRAMMYs® every year since 2021, so he will be taking his fourth consecutive turn as host. His one-hour special I Wish You Would is one of five nominees for Best Comedy Album this year.
New Awards
The Recording Academy, whose members vote to choose GRAMMY® nominees and winners, has added three new awards in 2024. They are Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album, and Best Pop Dance Recording.
When announcing the new awards in June 2023, the CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason jr., explained that they will help the Recording Academy “to acknowledge and appreciate a broader array of artists.”
Award Nominees
Since we can’t cover all nominees, we’ll start with an overview of nominations for the premier awards. Then, we’ll highlight the musical success of last year’s films – particularly Barbie!
Generally, each GRAMMY® award has five nominees, but there are eight nominees for the most celebrated and fiercely contested awards: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.
Five artists nominated for Record of the Year reappear in nominations for both Album and Song of the Year. They are Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, and SZA.
Batiste earned his best record nomination for “Worship” but his best song nomination for “Butterfly.” If Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year for Midnights, she will take home her fourth award in that category.
Among the eight candidates for Best New Artist, one also received a Record of the Year nomination: Victoria Monét.
Make sure to watch the full music video for Monét’s “On My Mama” to hear a budding artist, Monét’s daughter Hazel, singing, “I look fly. I look good.” Fair warning: Ariana Grande said it made her cry!
SZA received a total of nine nominations, more than any other artist, but Barbie was recognized an astounding 10 TIMES in this year’s GRAMMY® nominations. Of course, Greta Gerwig’s $1.4 billion blockbuster featured prominently in categories closely related to film, but it commanded recognition even in purely musical categories.
Nominations for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media went to the team behind Barbie, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, and just two other composers.
Ronson, who holds seven GRAMMYs®, won Record of the Year (as producer) for “Rehab” in 2007 and “Uptown Funk” in 2015. Wyatt, who holds two GRAMMYs®, won Best Rock Album (as producer) for Patient Number 9 in 2023.
Ludwig Göransson was nominated for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and for Oppenheimer. He won Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for the first Black Panther film in 2018, when he also won both Song and Record of the Year (as songwriter and producer) for “This Is America,” performed by Childish Gambino (the musical alias of Donald Glover).
John Williams was nominated for The Fabelmans and for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Williams already has 10 GRAMMYs® for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, making him the record holder for that award.
As Billboard reminded us, three of those GRAMMYs® came from Star Wars films: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and The Force Awakens. The others came from Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan, and Memoirs of a Geisha.
Demonstrating the remarkable extent to which Barbie was a multimedia event, the film accounted for four out of the five nominees for Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Those nominees were “Barbie World,” performed by Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (featuring Aqua), “Dance the Night,” performed by Dua Lipa, “I’m Just Ken,” performed by Ryan Gosling, and “What Was I Made For?” performed by Billie Eilish.
The remaining nominee, “Lift Me Up,” performed by Rihanna, was featured in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Barbie also reached the top of nominations in two musical genres. “Barbie World,” performed by Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (featuring Aqua), was nominated for Best Rap Song. Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance.
Finally – and most remarkably – two of the eight nominees for Song of the Year came from Barbie. They were Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” The latter was even nominated for Record of the Year.
Enjoy the 2024 GRAMMYs®!
This year, could some of the most prestigious GRAMMYs® go to Barbie?
Of course not! Barbie is a doll, but a staggering array of talented creatives continue to make this doll into a commercial, cinematic, and musical success.
Let’s keep our attention focused on artists at the 2024 GRAMMYs®. Please join us in wishing good luck to all the amazing nominees!
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]]>The post Meta Versus Us: Updating the Facebook Timeline of Scandal and Strife appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>Thus far, the world has been spared the dubious sight of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk grappling in the Colosseum. At least Zuck seems like he’s ready to spar with a serious competitor, billionaire or not.
Unfortunately, the battle-hungry CEO can’t seem to put his company in order. That’s why we’re updating The Facebook Timeline of Scandal and Strife with shocking privacy violations, outrageous failures to protect children, and jaw-dropping ways that Meta profits from illegal activities.
In our last update, the CreativeFuture Big Tech Fine Tracker (patent pending) reached a total of $1,416,000,000. But Meta keeps running up the score!
May 22, 2023 – Meta Busts Record for Highest Fine Under EU Digital Privacy Law
The EU Data Protection Board has fined Meta $1.3 BILLION for transmitting personal data from member countries overseas, which violates the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Claiming that the data transfers were necessary, a Meta spokesperson faulted US and EU governments for failing to complete a transatlantic privacy agreement. Unimpressed by the excuses, the EU regulator said Meta’s violations were “systematic, repetitive and continuous.” Accordingly, the Data Protection Board assessed its highest fine to date, more than doubling Meta’s total liabilities to date under the GDPR. When our Fine Tracker registered the drastic increase, it shuddered and sparked. Miraculously, it has not exploded … yet.
Fine Tracker Total: $2,716,000,000
June 7, 2023 – Among Social Media Apps, Instagram Has Worst Pedophilia Problem
In separate studies, journalists and researchers showed that Instagram’s recommendation algorithms support massive pedophilia rings. Hundreds of accounts advertising child sexual abuse materials (CSAM) offered for sale made-to-order images or arranged in-person encounters. These accounts identified themselves with easily searchable hashtags like #preteensex, repurposed emojis like cheese pizza (alliterative shorthand for child pornography), and thinly veiled phrases that expressed minors’ ages, such as “on chapter 14.” Following even one CSAM account caused Instagram to recommend many, many more CSAM pages. The problems were measurably worse on Instagram than on similar platforms. It seems to be Meta’s strategy – make bad problems worse.
July 7, 2023 – Facebook Scammers Are Still Misusing Celebrity Likenesses to Fool Consumers
Although popular financial advisor Martin Lewis never does endorsements, Facebook can’t seem to pull down a deepfake video of Lewis promoting a scam. Lewis is furious. He asked Meta years ago to prevent scammers from misusing celebrity likenesses. He settled a UK defamation lawsuit in 2019 when Facebook promised to crack down on such abuse. Unfortunately, as Lewis observed, the internet remains “an absolute wild west.” When encountering scam ads, consumers should remember that “one of the Big Tech firms is being paid to promote that advert,” Lewis said. The emphasis was his, so we didn’t have to add it.
July 26, 2023 – Australia Fines Meta $13.5 Million for Misleading Statements About Privacy Tool
Australia’s consumer protection authority has fined two Meta subsidiaries a total of $13.5 million for misleading statements about Onavo Protect, a free VPN app that Facebook launched after purchasing Onavo in 2013. While Facebook advertised Onavo Protect as a tool for improving online privacy, the app actually made much more personal data available to Facebook itself. Facebook exploited this knowledge to identify competitive threats so that they could be neutralized, potentially through timely acquisitions. Meta denies that it intended to deceive consumers. We have one piece of advice for Meta: shut up and pay!
Fine Tracker Total: $2,729,500,000
August 1, 2023 – Instead of Compensating Publishers, Meta Blocks News Throughout Canada
In retaliation for Canada’s Online News Act, which passed despite Meta’s strenuous objections, Meta has stopped Facebook and Instagram users from viewing news media or links within Canada. The Act, which has not yet taken effect, will require social media platforms to license news content from its owners for fair rates. Instead of agreeing to share ad revenue with the publishers whose creativity Meta profits from, the company decided to strangle flows of reliable information. The consequences have been serious during raging Canadian wildfires. Many residents of rural areas, such as the Northwest Territories, depended on Facebook to read and exchange important news. Meta opted to protect its profits while homes burned.
August 23, 2023 – Journalist Exposes Basic Failures of Content Moderation for Instagram Ads
Instagram does not use even the most basic methods to enforce policies against ads for counterfeit bills, drugs, firearms, hacked login credentials, or stolen credit cards. That’s the conclusion of Jason Koebler, former editor-in-chief at Vice’s Motherboard. As Koebler found, whether Instagram advertisers push stolen Netflix passwords or meth by the kilo, they generally direct marks or buyers to the messaging app Telegram. Koebler was able to surface numerous prohibited ads simply by searching for “t.me,” which appears in Telegram links. Why does Meta do so little to vet advertisers? Because of profits, of course!
August 30, 2023 – Oversight Board Says to Suspend Cambodian Leader for Violent Threats. Facebook Says Nah.
Meta has rejected the Oversight Board’s first-ever recommendation to suspend a country’s leader, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, from the platform. In June 2023, the Oversight Board advised Facebook to remove Hun Sen because he posted a video threatening political opponents with violence. Enraged, Hun Sen temporarily quit Facebook and considered banning it throughout Cambodia. While Facebook wondered what to do, Hun Sen installed his son as his successor. Now, Meta claims company policies call for removing only the original offensive video, not banning Hun Sen. Continuing a tradition of flouting the Oversight Board, Meta will appease oppressive leaders to retain access to a profitable market.
September 6, 2023 – Meta Must Pay up to $8.3 Million for Privacy Violations in Norway
A Norwegian court has upheld the decision of Datatilsynet, Norway’s digital privacy regulator, to fine Meta $93,200 per day for three months because Meta collected personal data and subjected users to targeted ads without obtaining consent, which is required under the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Although Norway is not in the EU, it enforces the GDPR as a member of the European Economic Area. To account for Datatilsynet’s rolling penalty, the Fine Tracker will register another $8,388,000 ($93,200/day × 90 days). We’ll correct the total if Meta stops invading privacy before the three-month term ends. (Spoiler: it won’t.)
Fine Tracker Total: $2,737,888,000
September 7, 2023 – At Least 17 Million People Likely to Be Paid in Cambridge Analytica Settlement
A whopping 28 MILLION user claims were received by lawyers in Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica class-action legal settlement. “That’s the largest number of claims ever filed in a class action in the United States,” according to a lawyer for the plaintiffs. The claims need further review, but already, at least 17 million – well over 50% of the claims – appear to be valid. Since Meta agreed to the $725 million settlement in December 2022, it is already included in the Fine Tracker.
We were glad Facebook users were finally about to get paid, but later, we read that Meta didn’t bother to meet the Oct. 31 deadline. Now, lawyers for the plaintiffs are understandably asking for over $319,000 in interest on the late payment. We guess the $725 million got lost in Meta’s sofa cushions, since the company is worth over $900 BILLION.
October 3, 2023 – New AI Stickers Tool Seems to Violate Policies Against Infringement – and Worse
Soon after Meta launched AI Stickers, an in-message tool that generates images from text prompts, users showed how readily it appears to violate policies against copyright infringement, harassment, and the glorification of terrorist acts. The earliest reported examples included Luigi gripping a rifle and Justin Trudeau baring his ass. Further examples included Elmo brandishing a knife, Sonic the Hedgehog sporting sparkly tits (we apologize for making you read that), and the World Trade Center going up in flames. As artist Pier-Olivier Desbiens wrote, “We really do live in the stupidest future imaginable.” We tend to agree, but things can always get worse, as Meta constantly demonstrates.
October 24, 2023 – Meta Accused of Harming Kids in 10 New Lawsuits from 42 Attorneys General
42 attorneys general are suing Zuck’s proverbial ass in federal, state, and Washington, D.C. courts for Meta’s harms to children and teenagers. In a press release on the lawsuits, New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem.” Key evidence comes from Meta’s internal documents, leaked to The Wall Street Journal by whistleblower Frances Haugen in 2021. In December 2023, New Mexico sued Meta for exposing children to sexual predators, which brought the number of lawsuits up to 11 and attorneys general up to 43. No amount of money can make up for children’s suffering, but we hope Meta’s leaders pay dearly for being such shitty human beings.
November 2, 2023 – Meta Knows Its Platforms Harm Kids, New Whistleblower Confirms
Another whistleblower, former Facebook employee Arturo Bejar, has come forward with damning evidence that Meta’s platforms are dangerous for children and teenagers. Bejar worked for Facebook from 2009-2015 and again from 2019-2021, when he consulted for Instagram’s Well-Being Team. Concerned about his teenage daughter’s experiences on Instagram, Bejar launched a survey called Bad Emotional Experience Feedback (BEEF). Its most outrageous finding? Over a quarter of teenagers under age 16 reported that they had experienced sexual harassment on Instagram.
In October 2021, on the same day that whistleblower Frances Haugen first testified before Congress, Bejar shared his findings with Zuck and other Facebook leaders. They chose to cover up the scandal, so Bejar began working with the attorneys general who sued Meta in October 2023. As Bejar explained during Congressional testimony on November 7, 2023, Meta rolls out safety features only as a charade. That’s why he has got BEEF with Meta – and so do we.
December 4, 2023 – Harvard Accepted Zuck’s $500 Million, Then Fired Prominent Social Media Critic
In complaints to the U.S. Department of Education and the Massachusetts Attorney General, misinformation scholar Joan Donovan claimed that Harvard University wrongfully fired her to appease Meta. You see, Donovan upset Facebook’s former Head of Communications and Policy, Elliot Schrage, by giving a talk on The Facebook Papers, which were leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen in October 2021. Soon after, Harvard Dean Doug Elmendorf began subjecting Donovan’s research to intense scrutiny; then, in August 2022, Elmendorf said Donovan’s position was being terminated. Her last day was August 31, 2023, even though her contract was supposed to continue through December 31, 2024.
If that doesn’t sound suspicious enough, then let us mention one tiny fact: Zuck’s nonprofit organization, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, gave Harvard $500 MILLION for AI research on December 7, 2021.
Check out the full complaint for more sordid details, such as the obvious non-coincidence that Elmendorf said Harvard would no longer support Donovan’s work FOUR DAYS after attending the wedding of his former advisee, Harvard alumna Sheryl Sandberg, who was still serving as Meta’s Chief Operating Officer.
The scandal unfortunately suggests that Meta has abused its wealth and influence to stifle free speech and undermine the public good. Who’d’ve thunk it, right?!
Zuck and Musk apparently won’t battle in the Colosseum, despoiling the UNESCO World Heritage Site to gratify their narcissism. Unfortunately, a ridiculous and destructive clash remains an apt metaphor for Big Tech’s impact on society.
As Shoshana Zuboff has written, Big Tech’s business model, which she calls surveillance capitalism, amounts to “a bloodless battle for power and profit as violent as any the world has seen.” Its victims are democratic norms, as well as people across the world.
In recent months, Meta has continued doing business as usual.
The spectacle of Zuck goading a rival isn’t a distraction from Meta’s harms.
It’s a reminder that Meta’s real opponent is … all of us.
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]]>The post Sundance 2024: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on CreativeFuture.
]]>As usual, film screenings and other festival events are scheduled at venues in Park City and Salt Lake City. This year, the festival has a new director: Eugene Hernandez, who helped to found IndieWire in 1996.
Speaking on behalf of festival organizers, Hernandez wrote, “We’re more passionate than ever about the importance of celebrating and protecting fiercely independent voices; finding, nurturing and supporting a diverse roster of art and artists; as well as spotlighting work that can entertain us while it challenges and moves us.”
Here’s everything you need to know as you prepare for Sundance 2024.
Honorees
The winners of Vanguard Awards, the Visionary Award, and the first ever Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award will be honored at a 40th anniversary gala on the festival’s opening night.
The Vanguard Award for Fiction will go to Korean and Canadian American playwright-turned-filmmaker Celine Song. Song premiered her debut film, Past Lives, at Sundance in 2023. We praised it in our Thanksgiving blog and in a recent indie film roundup, so check them out to learn more about Song’s amazing work!
The Vanguard Award for Nonfiction will go to Chilean filmmaker Maite Alberdi. Alberdi has premiered two documentaries at Sundance: The Mole Agent in 2020 and The Eternal Memory in 2023. The latter film, which depicts a couple’s struggle against Alzheimer’s disease, won the Grand Jury Prize (World Cinema Documentary) in 2023.
The first ever Vanguard Award for Philanthropy will go to journalist and documentary producer Pat Mitchell. Mitchell joined Sundance’s Board of Trustees in 1995, and she chaired the Board for over 10 years. Her award-winning documentaries include Survivors of the Holocaust (1996) and Refuge (2021).
The Visionary Award will go to American actress Kristen Stewart. The short film Come Swim, which Stewart wrote and directed, was screened at Sundance in 2017. Remarkably, Stewart has acted in nine Sundance films and will add two more this year.
The first ever Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award will go to Christopher Nolan. His film Memento won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance in 2001. Since then, Nolan has created blockbusters including The Dark Night (2008), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), and Oppenheimer (2023).
The Juries
The members of the seven juries for 2024 have not been announced, but they are likely to include Sundance alumni and other accomplished independent filmmakers.
A separate jury oversees each of the main competition categories: U.S. Dramatic, U.S. Documentary, World Cinema Dramatic, World Cinema Documentary, and Shorts. A Grand Jury Prize is given in each of these categories.
Finally, there are separate juries for the NEXT Innovator Award and Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize.
The Films
In honor of the Sundance Film Festival’s 40th anniversary, the organizers will screen ground-breaking films from Sundance history, going back to the first festival in 1985. Meanwhile, the official lineup has 91 films, almost all of which are world premieres.
The lineup for the 40th Edition Celebration Screenings has eight films. Several will be shown after digital restoration from 35mm to 4K.
From oldest to newest, the selections are The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), Mississippi Masala (1991), Go Fish (1994), Three Seasons (1999), a newly extended cut of DIG! (2004), Napoleon Dynamite (2004), Pariah (2011), and The Babadook (2014).
Like the Sundance Film Festival itself, The Times of Harvey Milk will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Rob Epstein’s documentary about the assassinated San Francisco supervisor won Best Documentary prizes at Sundance and the Academy Awards®.
Three other films from the celebration lineup are past Sundance winners:
As usual, competition for the official lineup was intense. Festival organizers accepted 82 feature films out of 4,410 submissions (1.86%), 8 episodic films out of 573 submissions (1.4%), and 1 New Frontier experience out of 385 submissions (2.6%). (New Frontier is a category for interactive or otherwise experimental works.)
In other words, the acceptance rate was under 3%!
Most awards will be made at the end of the festival, but the winner of the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize was chosen in advance. It is an award for films about STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
This year’s Sloan Prize winner is Sam and Andy Zuchero’s Love Me, “a love story between a satellite and a buoy.” We don’t know what that means, but we’re intrigued! The film stars Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun, another CreativeFuture favorite.
Other titles that caught our eye include Jazmin Jones’ Seeking Mavis Beacon, a documentary about the missing Haitian star from the well-known educational typing program; Richard Linklater’s God Save Texas: Hometown Prison, an episode for a documentary series about Texas; and Christopher Jenkins’ 10 Lives, an animated film about a naughty, unstoppable cat.
Enjoy the Festival!
We hope you share our excitement for the Sundance Film Festival! Because the festival is so selective, it’s an honor for a film simply to be included.
The program for the 40th edition looks as bold and exciting as ever. Please join us in wishing good luck to all the independent filmmakers featured at Sundance 2024!
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