Search results for: Gus Van Sant

On February 8 the curtain will rise in Berlinale Palast for the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Throughout the following ten days, the festival will show 373 films on some 50 cinema screens all over the city. At the growing European Film Market, the festival's business fair, more than 700 films will be presented to the industry. International guests, stars on the red carpet, packed theaters, hot debates, and wild parties - the Berlinale will play Berlin like no other event on the calendar does. Yet, it is a festival not only of the masses, but also of the many: of the many who in months of hard work organized the programme and provided the infrastructure, and of the many who are busy behind the scenes to keep the festival buzzing. Of course, it will again be a festival of stars, the ones we know and the ones to discover.

While what else did you expect? It’s a diner party where the guests drink (sometimes get drunk) and make their speeches a tad to long (Beatty), it’s a predictable awards show where newbies make insignificant victory speeches and where acting vets have at least one great line to deliver. It’s a moment where I get to know more about what’s going on in T.V land, and a moment when I ponder whether I should ever give a mini-series a chance.

The Chicago's film critics gave a trio of year’s best prizes to The Departed picking up Best Feature, director and adapted screenplay. The usual suspects won for acting awards and Emmanuel Lubezki looks like a sure pick for best cinematography at the Oscars this year for Children of Men. Futuristic film The Fountain won for best original score. Finally Rian Johnson was named most promising filmmaker for Brick.

Promoting themselves as a barometer for Oscar predictions – this pretty much group all the favorites and safe picks. Leading the pack are “Babel," "The Departed," "Dreamgirls" and "Little Miss Sunshine" each with seven nominations each. Now its in 12th year, the Critics Choice Award is voted on by film critics from almost 200 television, radio and online critics. The 12th annual Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony will be held on Friday, January 12, 2007, at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

It's all said and done and Michelle Williams stole the show. Read on true believers.