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MTFB Oscar Update: Winners Predicitons: Above the Line / Looking Forward to Cannes / Trailer for The Friend / Interviews and Profiles: The Seed of the Sacred Fig and Nickel Boys

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MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: WINNERS PREDICTIONS: ABOVE THE LINE




The difference two weeks can make.  Since the last posting of theses six "Above the Line" categories, the Karla Sofia Gascon implosion has done major damage to the Oscar chances of Emilia Perez and the 1-2-3 blitz from last weekend of Anora winning Best Picture from the Critics' Choice as well as the Producers' Guild and the directing trophy from the Directors' Guild has re-shaped the Oscar map.  Here's where we are as of this morning.  As always TTFF films are Bold and a film/performer's position from the last set of predictions is indicated in parentheses to the right.


BEST PICTURE




1) Anora (4)
2) Conclave (3)
3) A Complete Unknown (5)
4) The Brutalist (2)
5) Wicked (6)
6) Emilia Perez (1)
7) The Substance (7)
8) I'm Still Here (10)
9) Dune Part Two (9)
10) Nickel Boys (8)


BEST DIRECTION

1) Sean Baker/Anora (3)
2) Brady Corbet/The Brutalist (1)
3) James Mangold/A Complete Unknown (4)
4) Coralie Fargeat/The Substance (5)
5) Jacques Audiard/Emilia Perez (2)


BEST ACTRESS

1) Demi Moore/The Substance (1)
2) Fernanda Torres/I'm Still Here (3)
3) Mikey Madison/Anora (3)
4) Cynthia Erivo/Wicked (5)
5) Karla Sofia Gascon/Emilia Perez (4)


BEST ACTOR




1) Adrien Brody/The Brutali

James Mangold Honored With Trailblazer Award; Cynthia Erivo Honored With Visionary Award at 2025 Sundance Film Festival Gala

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James Mangold Honored With Trailblazer Award; Cynthia Erivo Honored With Visionary Award at 2025 Sundance Film Festival Gala

Writer-director-producer James Mangold (Searchlight Pictures’ A Complete Unknown) were honored with the Trailblazer Award. Multi-hyphenate, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winning and two-time Academy Award nominated actress, singer, producer, and author Cynthia Erivo, currently starring in Universal Pictures’ Wicked, were honored with the Visionary Award at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival’s gala fundraiser, Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV

 

As previously announced, the evening also honored Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs at SundanceInstitute, for her longstanding commitment to nurturing artists and cultivating independent film through the Sundance Labs, where visionary artists convene to develop groundbreaking projects through an in-depth creative process, for the past four decades. The gala was an evening in celebration of the Sundance Institute and its impact on the filmmaking community. The annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will be awarded during the evening to Sean Wang, writer and director of Dìdi (弟弟), and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. 

 

This year's gala took place on January 24, 2025 at the new Grand Hyatt Deer Valley in Utah, co-chaired by Board Chair Ebs Burnough and long time Board Trustee Pat Mitchell. The annual gala enables the nonprofit to raise funds to support independent artists year-round through labs, grants, and public programming that nurture artists from all over the world. 

 

James Mangold was honored with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of his unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of cinema. As a writer, director, and producer he continues the tradition of filmmakers who can project their own vision and style onto a range of genres, uniting his films with constant humanist themes, intimate performances, and striking staging and imagery. Mangold’s relationship with Sundance began in 1994, when he first participated in the Institute’s year-round artist programs, designed to support emerging filmmakers. It was then that he developed the screenplay for his 1997 film Copland at the Sundance Screenwriters and Directors Labs. His directorial debut, Heavy, received the Special Jury Prize for Directing at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Over the years, Mangold has played a role in shaping the landscape of film, leaving an indelible impact on both the industry and popular culture. From Girl, Interrupted and Walk the Line to 3:10 to Yuma, Ford v. Ferrari and A Complete Unknown, this award celebrates Mangold's lasting legacy of powerful storytelling. 

 

“Sundance has been many things in my life; a far away dream on a mountain, a laboratory at which I developed the script for Cop Land, a festival a

MTFB Oscar Update: First Winners Predictions: Picture, Directing and Acting / International Cinephile Society and TFF / Interviews and Profiles: Eisenberg and Ross

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MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: FIRST WINNERS PREDICTIONS: PICTURE, DIRECTING AND ACTING




 We're four weeks and a couple of days away from Oscar Night.  Today MTFB is moving into the business of predicting who will actually win The Academy Award on March 2nd.  We start with six "above-the-line" categories: Picture, Direction, and all four Acting categories.  As always, TFF films are in Bold.

BEST PICTURE




1) Emilia Perez
2) The Brutalist
3) Conclave
4) Anora
5) A Complete Unknown
6) Wicked
7) The Substance
8) Nickel Boys
9) Dune: Part Two
10) I'm Still Here

 BEST DIRECTION

1) Brady Corbet/The Brutalist
2) Jacques Audiard/Emilia Perez
3) Sean Baker/Anora
4) James Mangold/A CompleteUnknown
5) Coralie Fargeat/The Substance

BEST ACTRESS

1) Demi Moore/The Substance
2) Mikey Madison/Anora
3) Fernanda Torres/I'm Still Here
4) Karla Sofia Gascon/Emilia Perez
5) Cynthia Erivo/Wicked

BEST ACTOR

1) Timothee Chalamet/A Complete Unknown
2) Adrien Brody/The Brutalist
3) Ralph Fiennes/Conclave
4) Colman Domingo/Sing Sing
5) Sebastian Stan/The Apprentice

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS




1) Zoe Saldana/Emilia Perez

Oscar Noms and TFF #51

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OSCAR NOMS AND TFF #51

Good Morning...Oscar nominations are in.  My correct picks to the right in parentheses.  TFF #51 films/performers in Bold.

BEST PICTURE (8/10)

Conclave
Emilia Perez
The Brutalist
Anora
A Complete Unknown
Wicked
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
Nickel Boys
I'm Still Here


BEST DIRECTION (4/5)

Brady Corbet/The Brutalist
Sean Baker/Anora
Jacques Audiard/Emilia Perez
Coralie Fargeat/The Substance
James Mangold/ A Complete Unknown


BEST ACTRESS (5/5)

Demi Moore/The Substance
Mikey Madison/Anora
Karla Sofia Gascon/Emilia Perez
Cynthia Erivo/Wicked
Fernanda Torres/I'm Still Here


BEST ACTOR (4/5)

Adrien Brody/The Brutalist
Ralph Fiennes/Conclave
Timothee Chalamet/A Complete Unknown
Colman Domingo/Sing Sing
Sebastian Stan/The Apprentice


BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS (4/5)

Zoe Saldana/Emilia Perez
Ariana Grande/Wicked
Isabella Rossellini/Conclave
Felicity Jones/The Brutalist
Monica Barbaro/A Complete Unknown


BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (5/5)

Kieran Culkin/A Real Pain
Edward Norton/ A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce/The Brutalist
Yura/Borisov/Anora
Jeremy Strong/The Apprentice


BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY (5/5)

Conclave
Emilia Perez
Nickel Boys
A Complete Unknown
Sing Sing


BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (5/5)

Anora
The Brutalist
A Real Pain
The Substance
September 5


BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE (4/5)

Emilia Perez
I'm Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
The Girl with the Needle
Flow


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE (5/5)

The Wild Robot
Flow
Inside Out 2
Wallace and Gromet: Vengeance Most Fowl
Memoir of a Snail


BEST DOCUMNETARY FEATURE (4/5)

No Other Land
Sugarcane
Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
Black Box Diaries
Porcelain Wars


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (4/5)

The Brutalist
Nosferatu
Dune: Part Two
Maria
Emilia Perez


BEST EDITING (4/5)

MTFB OSCAR SPECIAL: FINAL NOMINATION PREDICTIONS

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 MTFB OSCAR SPECIAL; FINAL NOMINATION PREDICTIONS



Well, here we are...months removed from the close of TFF #51 and now down to less than 24 hours until the big reveal of nominees for the 97th Academy Awards.  It could be a history making day for film from Telluride and the Oscars.  The largest number of nominees in a single year that have come from TFF films is 35 which has happened thrice with TFF films from 2016, 2021 and 2023 (those are the years of the fest).  TFF could see 35+ nominations for films that screened there by the end of the announcement tomorrow morning.  Exciting stuff...


So, drumroll please, here are the MTFB final Oscar nomination predictions (as always, TFF films are in Bold.  The film's previous rank is to the right in parentheses).


BEST PICTURE




1) Conclave
2) Emilia Perez
3) The Brutalist
4) Anora
5) A Complete Unknown
6) Wicked
7) Dune: Part Two
8) A Real Pain
9) The Substance
10) Sing Sing

Others: September 5, Nickel Boys and All We Imagine as Light.

Comment: It looks like TFF films will land four of the 10 slots which ties a record for TFF.  However, if any of the "Other" possibilities sneak in over Sing Sing or The Substance, a new record could be set.  I'd really love it if September 5 could slide in.


BEST DIRECTION

1) Brady Corbet/The Brutalist
2) Sean Baker/Anora
3) Jacques Audiard/Emilia Perez
4) Edward Berger/Conclave
5) Coralie Fargeat/The Substance

Others: James Mangold/ A Complete Unknown, RaMell Ross/Nickel Boys and Payal Kapadia/All We Imagine as Light.


BEST ACTRESS

1) Demi Moore/The Substance
2) Mikey Madison/Anora
3) Karla Sofia Gascon/Emilia Perez
4) Cynthia Erivo/Wicked
5) Fernanda Torres/I'm Still Here

Others: Marianne Jean-Baptiste/Hard Truths, Pamela Anderson/The Last Showgirl and Angelina Jolie/Maria.


BEST ACTOR

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Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV, co-chaired by Ebs Burnough and Pat Mitchell

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Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV, at the  Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, in Park City, Utah, starting January 24 at 6:30 p.m. MT with a cocktail reception. The dinner and program will begin at 8 p.m. MT.

Celebrating Sundance Institute Presented by Google TV, co-chaired by Ebs Burnough and Pat Mitchell, will celebrate Michelle Satter, Sundance Institute’s Founding Senior Director of Artist Programs, for her unparalleled commitment to nurturing and supporting artists through the Sundance Labs for the past four decades. Sundance Labs and Festival alum James Mangold, writer-director of A Complete Unknown, will be honored with the Trailblazer Award in recognition of his unwavering dedication and notable contributions to the field of cinema. Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award–winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo, currently starring as Elphaba in Universal Pictures’ Wicked, will be honored with the Visionary Award in recognition of her uncompromising work and notable contributions to the entertainment industry.The annual Vanguard Awards Presented by Acura will be awarded to Sean Wang, writer-director of Dìdi (弟弟), and Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, co-directors of Sugarcane, who premiered their films at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

Your support, this evening and beyond, directly contributes to Sundance Institute’s year-round work enabling artists to bring their stories to life. Through these ongoing grants, mentorships, and other critical resources, the work that Michelle has built and championed will continue for decades to come.

Since 1981, the nonprofit Sundance Institute, founded by Robert Redford, has been dedicated to the discovery and development of independent artists and audiences. Through our programs, we seek to uplift, support, and inspire independent film and media artists from around the world, and to introduce audiences to their new work. Be a part of the night’s magic all while helping support the Institute’s mission to cultivate the next generation of filmmakers.

 

Honorees
Sundance Institute Trailblazer Award

James Mangold

 
 

With A Complete Unknown James Mangold continues the tradition of filmmakers who can project their own vision and style onto a range of genres, uniting his films with constant humanist themes, intimate performances, and striking staging and imagery. Mangold’s diverse award-winning writing and directing work includes Heavy, Cop Land, Girl, Interrupted, Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma, Best Adapted Screenplay nominee Logan, and Best Picture nominee Ford v. Ferrari. Over his career, Mangold has collaborated with legendary actors such as Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Tom Cruise, Sylvester Stallone, Vanessa Redgrave, Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Reese Witherspoon (Oscar winner for Walk the Line), Joaquin Phoenix (Oscar nominee for Walk the Line), Meg Ryan, Matt Damon, Angelina Jolie (Oscar winner for Girl, Interrupted), Winona Ryder, and Harrison Ford.

 

Sundance Institute Visionary Award

BAFTA and TFF #51 / MTFB Oscar Update-It's in Flux-Updating the Big Eight / Interviews and Profiles

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BAFTA AND TFF #51



First came the longlists and now we have the actual nominees from the British Academy of Film and Televisions Arts (BAFTA).  The Brits have nominated 14 films that played at TFF #51 for a total of 45 nominations.  Conclave and Emilia Perez had the most noms with a dozen and 11 respectively.  Here's the complete rundown of BAFTA nominations and TFF films:

Conclave (12): Best Film, Outstanding British Film, Direction, Actor (Fiennes), Supporting Actress (Rossellini), Casting, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Score and Costumes.

Emilia Perez (11): Best Film, Best Film Not in the English Language, Direction, Actress (Gascon), Supporting Actress (Saldana), Supporting Actress (Gomez), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Score and Makeup/Hair.

Anora (7): Best Film, Direction, Actress (Madison), Supporting Actor (Borisov), Original Screenplay, Casting and Editing.

The Apprentice (3): Best Actor (Stan), Supporting Actor (Strong) and Casting.

A Real Pain (2): Best Supporting Actor (Culkin) and Original Screenplay.

The Outrun (2): Outstanding British Film and Best Actress (Ronan).

All other films have a single nomination as follows:

Nickel Boys: Best Adapted Screenplay.
No Other Land: Best Documentary.
Will & Harper: Best Documentary.
The Seed of the Sacred Fig: Best Film Not in the English Language.
All We Imagine as Light: Best Film Not in the English Language.
Bird: Outstanding British Film.
Santosh: Outstanding Debut.
Better Man: Best Special Visual Effects.


The BAFTA Awards will be handed out on Feb. 16th.



MTFB OSCAR UPDATE-IT'S IN FLUX




It's all pretty messy now.  Oscar nominations are now set to be announced on Jan. 23rd.  Today I'm updating the nomination predictions for the Big Eight categories: Picture, Direction, all four acting categories and the two screenplay categories.  My plan at the moment is to focus on updating close races in Monday's post and do a Special Final Oscar Nom post on Wednesday the 22

VIDEO The Golden Globes 2025 Award Winners

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The Golden Globes, often referred to as “Hollywood’s Party of the Year®,” is the largest awards show in the world to celebrate the best of both film and television. Emmy®-nominated comedian and actress Nikki Glaser hosted this year’s show, and multi-Emmy Award®-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment (WCE) served as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. A Dick Clark Productions : the annual Golden Globes have been viewed in more than 185 countries and territories worldwide.

And the winners are:... Emilia Perez won 4 trophies (and 10 nominations)

Best Motion Picture, Drama
“The Brutalist”
Nominees in this category: “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Nickel Boys”; “September 5”
 

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
“Emilia Pérez”
Nominees in this category: “Anora”; “Challengers”; “Emilia Pérez”; “A Real Pain”; “The Substance”; “Wicked”

 

Best Motion Picture, Animated
“Flow”
Nominees in this category: “Flow”; “Inside Out 2”; “Memoir of a Snail”; ”Moana 2”; “The Wild Robot”; “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”


Cinematic and Box Office Achievement
“Wicked”
Nominees in this category: “Alien: Romulus”; “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice”; “Deadpool & Wolverine”; “Gladiator II”; “Inside Out 2”; “Twisters”; “Wicked”; “The Wild Robot”

Best Motion Picture, Non-English Language
“Emilia Pérez”
Nominees in this category: “All We Imagine as Light”; “Emilia Pérez”; “The Girl With the Needle”; “I’m Still Here”; “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”; “Vermiglio”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
Nominees in this category: Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”; Angelina Jolie, “Maria”; Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”; Tilda Swinton, “The Room Next Door”; Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”; Kate Winslet, “Lee”

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Nominees in this category: Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”; Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”; Daniel Craig, “Queer”; Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”; Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”; Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Nominees in this category: Amy Adams, “Nightbitch”; Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”; Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”; Mikey Madison, “Anora”; Demi Moore, “The Substance”; Zendaya, “Challengers”

MTFB Oscar Update: Lead Acting and More / THR's Most Anticipated for 2025 / Interviews and Profiles

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 MTFB OSCAR UPDATE: LEAD ACTING AND MORE




I'm updating the Lead Acting categories today as well as Cinematography, Editing and Production Design.  These categories were last updated on Dec. 19th.  An actor's/film's previous position is indicated in (parentheses).  TFF #51 films are in Bold. 


BEST ACTRESS




1) Mikey Madison/Anora (1)
2) Angelina Jolie/Maria (4)
3) Karla Sofia Gascon/Emilia Perez (3)
4) Cynthia Erivo/Wicked (2)
5) Demi Moore/The Substance (5)

Others: Marianne Jean-Baptiste/Hard Truths, Nicole Kidman/Babygirl and Fernanda Torres/I'm Still Here.


BEST ACTOR

1)  Adrien Brody/The Brutalist (2)
2) Ralph Fiennes/Conclave (1)
3) Timothee Chalamet/A Complete Unknown (3)
4) Colman Domingo/Sing Sing (4)
5) Daniel Craig/Queer (5)

Others: Sebastian Stan/The Apprentice, Jesse Eisenberg/A Real Pain and Sebastian Stan/A Different Man.


BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY




1) The Brutalist (2)
2) Maria (3)
3) Dune Part Two (1)
4) Nickel Boys (4)
5) Nosferatu (5)

Others: Conclave, Wicked Part 1 and The Girl with a Needle.

BEST EDITING

Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Talking Pictures Program

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Conversations to include guests from films Babygirl, A Real Pain, Sing Sing, and Wicked;

Emilia Pérez and Maria to be presented by Women In Motion

 

The Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) has announced the lineup for its Talking Pictures program, featuring in-depth discussions with actors being honored at the Palm Springs International Film Awards. This year’s program includes Babygirl with Nicole Kidman; Emilia Pérez with director Jacques Audiard as well as actors Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Edgar Ramírez; Maria with Angelina Jolie; A Real Pain with Jesse Eisenberg; Sing Sing with Colman Domingo; and Wicked with Cynthia Erivo , Ariana Grande, and John M. Chu. The Emilia Peréz and Maria Talking Pictures will be presented by Women In Motion, a Kering program to shine a light on women in arts and culture. The schedule is listed below along with attending guests.

 

Thursday, January 2

 

3:30 p.m.

A Real Pain at Annenberg Theater. Q&A following screening with actor, director, producer and screenwriter Jesse Eisenberg.

 

Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg, the film stars Eisenberg alongside Culkin with a cast rounded out by Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes.

 

Friday, January 3

 

10:00 a.m.

Sing Sing at Palm Springs Cultural Center (Camelot Theatres). Q&A following screening with actor Colman Domingo.

 

Divine G (Colman Domingo), imprisoned at Sing Sing for a crime he didn’t commit, finds purpose by acting in a theatre group alongside other incarcerated men, including wary newcomer (Clarence Maclin), in this stirring true story of resilience, humanity, and the transformative power of art, starring an unforgettable ensemble cast of formerly incarcerated actors. Directed by Greg Kwedar, Domingo also executive produced the film.

 

10:30 a.m.

Babygirl at Richards Center for the Arts at Palm Springs High School. Q&A following screening with actress Nicole Kidman and director Halina Reijn.

 

In Babygirl, Romy, played by Kidman, is a high-powered CEO who puts her career and family on the line when she begins a torrid affair with her much younger intern. As a polished CEO, a mother and wife living in New York City, Romy lives in a world of careful control, tight scheduling, and an all-too-keen awareness of how she’s perceived at the heights of a male-dominated field. In her own long-term marriage, she has also never truly found pleasure with her sweet, caring, and artistically driven husband. As Romy attempts to hold together her gilded persona, she is quickly undone after she meets Samuel. The film also stars Harris Dickinson, Antonio Banderas, and Sophie Wilde.

 

11:00 a.m.

Maria at Annenberg Theater. Q&A following screening with actress Angelina Jolie. 

From director Pablo Larraín, Maria stars Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas, one of the greatest opera singers of the 20th century. The film follows the American-Greek soprano as she retreats to Paris after a glamorous and tumultuous life in the public eye. Maria reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days as the diva reckons with her identity and life

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