BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today a $1 million gift from director Brett Ratner to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
"Brett has a sincere love of movies and film history, and we are excited to welcome him to our group of supporters," said Bill Kramer, the museum's managing director of development.
The Academy launched the Museum's capital campaign in 2012 and has already secured more than half of the campaign's $300 million goal in commitments. The campaign is chaired by Bob Iger and co-chaired by Annette Bening and Tom Hanks.
"Thanks to the generosity of founding supporters like Brett, we are now able to realize the long-held dream of the Academy and that of the global film community to build a museum dedicated to the history and future of the movies," said Iger.
"I feel blessed to be part of such a magnificent museum. I was blown away by the recent Kubrick exhibit at LACMA, which the Academy co-sponsored. I couldn't be more excited that our Academy will finally have its own museum that will preserve and exhibit cinema's greatest work," said Ratner.
Designed by architects Renzo Piano and Zoltan Pali, the Academy Museum will be located next to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in the historic Wilshire May Company building. Slated to open in early 2017, the Academy Museum will contain nearly 300,000 square feet of state-of-the-art galleries, exhibition spaces, theaters, screening rooms, education centers, and special event spaces.
The design for the Academy Museum fully restores the Wilshire and Fairfax street-front facades of the original 1939 Streamline Moderne building. It also includes a spherical wing at the northern end of the original building that will replace an extension made to the structure in 1946. Designed to represent the marriage of art and technology, the wing will house The David Geffen Theater and will be a spectacular new piece of contemporary architecture that will perfectly complement the historic building.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – As part a citywide celebration of Alfred Hitchcock films, the Academy will present “Blackmail Times Two!” a double feature of the silent and sound versions of “Blackmail” (1929), featuring live musical accompaniment, on Tuesday, June 18. “Blackmail Times Two!”
The celebration continues with a screening of the 3D digital projection of “Dial M for Murder,” hosted by Oscar®-winning visual effects artist Rob Legato on Wednesday, June 19. Both screenings are at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. “Dial M for Murder”
Other Los Angeles area Hitchcock screenings include “Vertigo,”( “Vertigo” at Oscars Outdoors ) presented as Los Angeles Film Festival’s and the Academy’s “The Iconic Moment” costume design event at Oscars® Outdoors; “the Hitchcock 9” screening series at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) ( “Hitchcock 9” series at LACMA ); and Cinefamily’s and Academy’s co-presentation of “Hitchcock Home Movies and Other Rarities,” featuring rarely seen work from the Academy’s Alfred Hitchcock collection. (“Hitchcock Home Movies and Other Rarities” at Cinefamily )
Johnny Games Prologue (Featurette Film) to the first of 3 Feature Films = One Epic Trilogy.
"The Worlds New Dark Flawed Super Hero"
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To be a fully, independently funded, super hero movie, and in turn make one of the greatest Super Hero/Thriller Featurette Films ever!
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Enter, Stage Left: Kickstarter Kickstarter has long been known to be a meaningful platform for creative projects. In fact, Kickstarter has been the home of many an award-winning movie! And, since the Kickstarter community is scattered around the world, ANYONE can contribute.
Who is Making the Film Nicholas Givanio - Creator/Writer/Producer/Actor (Johnny Games)
Born and raised in Sacramento, CA, Nicholas resides in Los Angeles, CA. Of Greek and Italian heritage, Nicholas is naturally drawn to the arts and drama. His positive outlook on life and his firm belief that anything is possible if you put your mind to it has carried him throughout life. His experiences are varied: College, Corporate, Entrepreneur, and now, Television and Motion Pictures.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – The Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved rules for the 86th Oscars®. The most significant change affects the Animated Feature Film category.
In this category, the new rule designates a maximum of two award recipients, one of whom must have a producer credit. The director and/or key creative individual shall continue to be a recipient, and in the circumstance of a two-person team with shared and equal director credit, a third statuette may be awarded.
Previously announced rules changes for the 86th Academy Awards® include allowing members to see the nominated documentary shorts and foreign language films either at a theatrical screening or on DVD. Prior to the final round of voting, the Academy will provide members with DVDs of the nominated films in five categories: Foreign Language Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short Film, and Live Action Short Film.
Other adjustments to the rules include standard date and other routine changes.
Rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then evaluates all proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Academy’s Board of Governors for approval.
Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar® Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre™ at Hollywood & Highland Center and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA –Thirteen students from nine U.S. colleges and universities as well as three students from foreign universities have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Student Academy Awards competition. They will be brought to Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony, hosted by 1978 Student Academy Award winner and comedian Bob Saget, on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
This year saw first-time honors go to Elon University, Occidental College and the University of Michigan in the U.S. competition, as well as to Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland, and RITS School of Arts, Belgium, in the foreign competition. The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in each of the award categories will be announced at the June 8 ceremony.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title): Alternative “Bottled Up,” Rafael Cortina, Occidental College “The Compositor,” John Mattiuzzi, School of Visual Arts “Zug,” Perry Janes, University of Michigan
Animation “Dia de los Muertos,” Lindsey St. Pierre and Ashley Graham, Ringling College of Art and Design “Peck Pocketed,” Kevin Herron, Ringling College of Art and Design “Will,” Eusong Lee, California Institute of the Arts
Documentary “Every Tuesday: A Portrait of The New Yorker Cartoonists,” Rachel Loube, School of Visual Arts “A Second Chance,” David Aristizabal, University of Southern California “Win or Lose,” Daniel Koehler, Elon University
Narrative “Josephine and the Roach,” Jonathan Langager, University of Southern California “Ol’ Daddy,” Brian Schwarz, University of Texas at Austin “Un Mundo para Raúl (A World for Raúl),” Mauro Mueller, Columbia University
Foreign Film “Miss Todd,” Kristina Yee, National Film and Television School, United Kingdom “Parvaneh,” Talkhon Hamzavi, Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland “Tweesprong (Crossroads),” Wouter Bouvijn, RITS School of Arts, Erasmus College Brussels, Belgium
To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send up to three finalists in each of the four categories. The Student Academy Awards Executive Committee screened and voted on the finalists in the Foreign Film category.
The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. The roster includes such distinguished filmmakers as John Lasseter, Pete Docter, Robert Zemeckis, Trey Parker and Spike Lee.
The 40th Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 8 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets are available online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.
Monday, May 13, 2013
13TH ANNUAL BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL
ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS AT GALA AWARDS
CEREMONY
“Wampler’s Ascent” Wins Golden Palm Award
— BHFF Expands into Japan —
— Late Oscar-winning
Screenwriter William Saroyan Honored with 2013
Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Award, Presented by Jon Voight
— For additional coverage and interviews, visit theINshow.com
BEVERLY HILLS, CA (May 13, 2013) – Last night, at the 13th Annual International Beverly Hills Film Festival (BHFF) (www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com) closing Gala Awards Ceremony, “Wampler’s Ascent,” a feature-length documentary directed by Elizabeth Wampler, received the Golden Palm Award. The film features
Steve Wampler, a man with severe cerebral palsy that ascends the biggest rock face in the world, El Capitan in Yosemite National Park: 20,000 pull-ups, 5 nights, 6 days on the sheer face of the mountain with the use of only one limb. The new Beverly Hills Film Festival Japan CEO, Hiroki Ohwada from Tokyo was in
attendance to present the Best Foreign Film award to “Rouge Sang (The Storm Within).” The event was held at the The Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, located at 300 South Doheny, and featured over 300 distinguished guests.
Another highlight of the evening was the 2013 Parajanov-Vartanov
Institute Award (http://institute.parajanov.com/)—named
after legendary filmmakers Sergei Paradjanov and
Mikhail Vartanov—which honored late Oscar-winning screenwriter
William Saroyan (1908-1981). Oscar-winning actor Jon
Voight presented the award to Saroyan’s granddaughter, Cream
Saroyan.
BHFF founder and president Nino Simone, said, “It is an
honor to host so many incredibly talented independent filmmakers and
screenwriters at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. We are proud that we have
been able to give acknowledgement for their work for the past thirteen years,
while creating a bridge for up-and-coming filmmakers to the Hollywood
establishment.”
The 2013 BHFF Jury included Steven Paul (Crystal
Sky, CEO & President), producer/sales rep Cassian
Elwes; agent Matt DelPiano (CAA);
casting director Fern Champion; producer Michael
Hertzberg (“Blazing Saddles,” “Entrapment”), casting director
Kim Matuka (Schuller Entertainment Group),
producer Alan Mruvka and producer Scott Karol
(“Tekken”).
About William Saroyan
Considered one of the
greatest writer’s of the 20th century, William Saroyan won the Pulitzer Prize
for “The Time of Your Life” (1939) and the
Oscar for “The Human Comedy” (1943).
American icons have praised Saroyan’s work, including the likes of
Arthur Miller, Kurt Vonnegut and Tennessee
Williams. Stephen Fry has said of Saroyan: “He is one
of the most underrated writers of the century. He takes his place naturally
alongside Hemingway, Steinbeck and Faulkner.”
Past Parajanov-Vartanov Institute Awards that have been presented to underrated
artists include the legendary screenwriter Mardik Martin, who
penned Martin Scorsese’s classics “Mean
Streets” (1973) and “Raging Bull” (1980), as well as
French film genius Jean Vigo (1905-1934) who has credited with
inspiring directors from Fellini to Scorsese.
2013 Beverly Hills Film Festival Awards 2013 BHFF award recipients were awarded with custom-made crystal and
marble trophies. Out of 50 competition films, a complete list of the 2013
winners follows:
The Golden Palm Award (best film in all categories)
went to “Wampler’s Ascent,” directed by Elizabeth
Wampler.
Best Director went to Hadzi-Aleksandar
Djuovic for “Love Comes After."
Best Producer went to Hersh W.
Chadha and Gauri Chadha for “Gawah.”
Best Actor went to
Brad Dourif for “Santa Monica.”
Best Actress went to Isabel
Guerard for “Rouge Sang (The Storm Within).”
Best Screenplay went to Matt K.
Firpo for “Child’s Play.”
Best Foreign Film went to “Rouge Sang (The
Storm Within).”
Best Animation went to "Vengeance +
Vengeance" from filmmaker Mark Chavez.
Best Cinematography went to Phil
Holland for "Illusion.”
Best Editing went to “Darkness,"
from filmmaker Levi A. Taylor.
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS Best Short Film
went to “Spine" from writer/director
Sophie Miller.
Best Documentary went to
"Death by China 2.0” from
writer/director Peter Navarro.
Best Feature Film went to
“The Yellow Kid" from
writer/director Tetsuya Mariko.
SPECIAL JURY AWARDS Best Feature
Film went to “Lost on Purpose" from
writers/directors Ian Nelms and Eshom Nelms.
Best Documentary went to “Jihad in America:
The Grand Deception," directed by Steven Emerson and
Rachel A. Milton.
Best Short Film went to “Abstraction"
from writer/director Daniel Gomes.
Steven Paul and Jon Voight also gave special recognition to editor
Bobby Ferretti for “The Will of Victory (A Doc
Opera).”
GOLDEN PALM SCREENPLAY COMPETITION
The
Golden Palm Screenplay Competition Award went to
David Schroeder for “This Modern Man is Beat.”
The first runner-up award went to Jason Fenton for
"Infinity." The second runner-up award went
to “Tec A’man,” written by Crosby
Selander.
About
BHFF
The annual International Beverly Hills Film Festival was
founded in 2001 by award-winning independent filmmaker Nino Simone. The 13th
annual event, taking place from May 8 – 12, 2013, is dedicated to showcasing and
promoting non-studio films to the entertainment industry. Designed to bridge the
world of premiere independent cinema with the renowned community of Beverly
Hills, the festival hosts world-class screenings, networking events and industry
seminars. Sponsors include TCL Chinese 6 Theatres,
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, Level 3 Hollywood, Four Seasons Los
Angeles at Beverly Hills, Hugo Naturals, Hill Street
Watch Company, We Share Media and Beverly
Hills Luxury Motors.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – For the first time, the entire voting membership
of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will automatically
be eligible to vote in all 24 Oscar categories, Academy President Hawk
Koch announced today at a meeting of the Academy’s members. The
Academy’s Board of Governors approved a plan that will allow members to
see the nominated documentary shorts and foreign language films either
at a theatrical screening or on DVD.
Prior to the final round of voting, the Academy will provide members
with DVDs of the nominated films in five categories: Foreign Language
Film, Documentary Feature, Documentary Short Subject, Animated Short
Film, and Live Action Short Film. In previous years, members had been
required to see the nominated films in a theater in order to vote.
“This change continues our efforts to expand our members’
participation in all aspects of the Academy’s activities including, of
course, voting for the Oscars,” said Koch. “Building on this past
season’s 90% record voter turnout, we want to give our members as many
opportunities as possible to see these great films and vote in these
categories next year.” The nomination processes for all categories
remain unchanged.
Academy Awards rules are reviewed annually by individual branch and
category committees. The Awards Rules Committee then reviews all
proposed changes before presenting its recommendations to the Board of
Governors for approval. The Oscars® for outstanding film achievements of
2013 will be presented on Sunday, March 2, 2014, at the Dolby Theatre™
at Hollywood & Highland Center®. The Oscar presentation also
will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA – Thirty-eight students from 17 U.S. colleges and
universities as well as nine students from foreign universities have
been selected as finalists in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences’ Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought
to Los Angeles for a week of industry activities and social events that
will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 8, at 7:30
p.m. in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The finalists are (listed alphabetically by film title): Alternative
“Beyond the Spheres,” Meghdad Asadi Lari, Rochester Institute of Technology
“Bottled Up,” Rafael Cortina, Occidental College
“Bye Hyungjik,” Hyungjik Lee, Florida State University
“The Compositor,” John Mattiuzzi, School of Visual Arts
“File Not Found,” Maria Sequeira, University of Southern California
“The Pirate of Love,” Sara Gunnarsdottir, California Institute of the Arts
“Zug,” Perry Janes, University of Michigan
Animation
“Couch & Potatoes,” Chris Lam and Eunsoo Jeong, San Jose State University
“Dia de los Muertos,” Lindsey St. Pierre and Ashley Graham, Ringling College of Art and Design
“Drifters,” Ethan Clarke, California Institute of the Arts
“Make a Wish,” Heejin Kim, School of Visual Arts
“Peck Pocketed,” Kevin Herron, Ringling College of Art and Design
“Runaway,” Emily Buchanan and Esther Parobek, Ringling College of Art and Design
“Still I Breathe,” Sang Ho Lee, School of Visual Arts
“Watercolors,” Robert Kornstein, New York University
“Will,” Eusong Lee, California Institute of the Arts
