Escape From Tomorrow

Randy Moore's Escape From Tomorrow (US, 2013) - Shot without permits at Disney World, "Escape From Tomorrow" is a sneakily subversive exercise in low-budget surrealism and anti-corporate satire. Portraying the preeminent family fun park as a toxic treat that one regurgitates only if he's lucky, writer-director Randy Moore's debut feature comes on like a queasy-making "Carnival of Souls" for the Occupy era, its stylistic flaws seeming wholly forgivable in the context of David's sidesplitting poke at Goliath. The Mouse House couldn't possibly appreciate the joke, which is to say that, while "Tomorrow" may well prove unreleasable, its cult status will remain immortal. 2013SUN. RATING: 6

Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes

Francesca Gregorini's Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes (US, 2013) - Offbeat, but also frequently off-key and somewhat off-putting, Francesca Gregorini's "Emanuel and the Truth About Fishes" comes up with a mightily strained framework to deal with the grief of familial loss: the friendship between a sullen motherless teen and a woman mothering a rather singular child. Played flatly head-on with some poetic pretensions, the concept never becomes particularly credible or appealing. Pic is unlikely to find much critical support, let alone an audience beyond the fest circuit, but the presence of Jessica Biel will at least make it viable as a download title. 2013SUN. RATING: 6.

The East

MUST SEE: Zal Batmanglij's The East (US, 2013) - Having rattled off an ingenious story of cult subterfuge in his low-budget 2011 debut, "Sound of My Voice," writer-director Zal Batmanglij plays with some of the same ideas on a broader, more polished canvas in "The East." The second picture in a fascinating collaboration with producer-writer-star Brit Marling, this clever, involving spy drama builds to a terrific level of intrigue before losing some steam in its second half. Still, the appreciable growth in filmmaking confidence here should translate into a fine return on Fox Searchlight's investment, and generate good word-of-mouth buzz among smart thrill-seekers. 2013SUN. RATING: 8

Don Jon's Addiction

Joseph Gordon Levitt's Dob Jon's Addiction (US, 2013) - Only an actor as appealing as Joseph Gordon-Levitt could pull off the role he creates for himself in "Don Jon's Addiction," an endearingly masturbatory look at how a culture of objectification erodes our capacity for intimacy. Serving up his directorial debut as the cherry atop a year of enormous career growth, the "Looper" star plays a lothario whose insatiable appetite for Internet porn stands in the way of a meaningful relationship. Jaunty handling of the taboo subject could also bar the way of a wide release, calling for a possible rethink of how the racy Sundance cut samples X-rated footage. 2013BERp, 2013SUN. RATING: 7.

Dirty Wars

MUST SEE: Richard Rowley's Dirty Wars (US, 2013) - Filed from the frontlines of the war on terror, documentarian Richard Rowley's astonishingly hard-hitting "Dirty Wars" renders the investigative work of journalist Jeremy Scahill in the form of a '70s-style conspiracy thriller. A reporter for the Nation, Scahill follows a blood-strewn trail from a remote corner of Afghanistan, where covert night raids have claimed the lives of innocents, to the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), a shadowy outfit empowered by the current White House to assassinate those on an ever-expanding "kill list," including at least one American. This jaw-dropping, persuasively researched pic has the power to pry open government lockboxes. 2013SUN. RATING: 8

Concussion

Stacie Passon's Concussion (US, 2013) - The unjust dearth of Sapphic cinema helps explain, more than excuse, the desperate "Concussion," a head injury of a film in which a middle-aged suburban femme with a frigid wife and a bump on the noggin starts turning tricks for a distaff clientele at $800 a pop. That this queer "Belle de Jour" favors style over substance without really getting down and dirty befits its shrewd bid to titillate an aud that scratches itches by mouse click -- which is to say that the Radius-TWC pickup stands to score almost exclusively via VOD. 2013SUN. RATING: 6

Circles

Srdan Goulubovic's Circles (Serbia, 2013) - The past comes back to haunt everyone in Srdan Golubovic's "Circles," an unorthodox morality tale about Serb-on-Serb crime in which concentric narratives make for considerable resonance. The ghosts of the Bosnian War have stalked Balkan film for nearly 20 years, and Golubovic's take will leave specialty auds rattled -- and perhaps hopeful, as the screenplay by Srdan Koljevic and Melina Pota Koljevic strains to end on an upbeat. Commercial prospects are limited, but viewers will be rewarded. 2013SUN. RATING: 7

Breathe In

Drake Doremus' Breathe In (US, 2013) - Convincingly playing a character younger than she did in Drake Doremus' last film, "Like Crazy," Felicity Jones once again beguiles in "Breathe In," this time as a foreign-exchange student whose presence complicates a superficially ideal New York household. If that sounds like a step in a less mature direction, think again, as Doremus and co-writer Ben York Jones try to examine the late-career insecurities of the family patriarch (Guy Pearce). While the plot -- too low-key to be called a thriller -- points toward obvious extramarital cliches, delicate changes in the overall mood reveal deeper truths likely to resonate with middle-aged arthouse patrons. 2013SUN. RATING: 7

Blue Caprice

Alexandre Moors' Blue Caprice (US, 2013) - "Blue Caprice" is a chillingly plausible and responsibly handled attempt to dramatize the disturbing bond between the two men behind the 2002 Beltway sniper attacks. Precision-honed performances and a nonsensationalistic approach distinguish this impressive first feature from French helmer Alexandre Moors, which avoids pat explanations as it offers a speculative glimpse into murderous minds. With the debate over gun violence and its root causes back in the media spotlight, "Caprice" already has generated a fair amount of publicity, which should only improve the otherwise limited commercial prospects for this grim, bruising psychological drama. 2013SUN. RATING: 7.

Blood Brother

MUST SEE: Steve Hoover's Blood Brother (US, 2013) - Documentaries don't come any bigger-hearted than "Blood Brother," a highly worked yet non-manipulative first feature for Steve Hoover that requires no string-pulling to achieve its inspirational impact. The subject could hardly be more of an at-first-glance turnoff for most auds -- American goes to India seeking fulfillment, finds it among a community of abandoned women and children with AIDS -- but, almost from the get-go, is so engaging and joyful that word of mouth could well make it a viable theatrical proposition. Broadcast sales are inevitable. 2013SUN. RATING: 8.

Black Fish

MUST SEE: Gabriela Cowperthwaite's Blackfish (US, 2013) - A mesmerizing psychological thriller with a bruised and battered killer whale at its center, "Blackfish" goes even further than 2008's Oscar-winning "The Cove" to launch a direct attack on Sea World and the practice of keeping marine mammals in captivity. Righteous, captivating and entirely successful as single-issue-focused documentaries go, Gabriela Cowperthwaite's film draws on startling video footage and testimonies from former orca trainers, building an authoritative argument on behalf of this majestic species. Magnolia and CNN Films have a powerful educational tool on their hands, and would do well to push it into appropriate science-friendly venues beyond theatrical and cable play. 2013SUN. RATING: 8

Big Sur

Michael Polish's Big Sur (US, 2013) - Last year's much-anticipated adaptation of Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" may have landed softly, but the Beat goes on at Sundance this year: Premiering days after "Kill Your Darlings" shed light on the renegade author's college years, Michael Polish's "Big Sur" offers an elegantly muted take on the midlife ennui of Kerouac's autobiographical 1962 novel. A typically atmospheric effort from the "Northfork" director -- here working without twin brother Mark -- this oblique, episodic study of a writer (Jean-Marc Barr, effectively if unexpectedly cast) seeking refuge from his own success is strictly an arthouse proposition, but should stimulate Kerouac and Polish acolytes alike. 2013SUN. RATING: 2

Austenland

Jerusha Hess' Austenland (US, 2013) - A costumed pageant and the wild spoof of a costumed pageant, Austenland is a clever romp for Jane Austen fans and for those who see Jane Austen mania as an infinitely expanding punchline.  Jerusha Hess’s adaptation of Shannon Hale’s 2008 novel about an Austen maven visiting the promised land – a Jane Austen theme manor – will have a global reach, just as Austen does. 2013SUN. RATING: 7

Ass Backwards

Chris Nelson's Ass Backwards (US, 2013) - Indictingly titled "Ass Backwards" proves that no amount of comic talent can shine -- or raise a chuckle -- in the absence of even halfway decent material. This painfully unfunny vehicle for writer-stars June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson is, depressingly, a comedy built on the amusement value of stupid people that is itself too stupid to be funny. Slick packaging and some cast names will make it viable for undiscriminating home-format buyers, but viewer beware. 2013SUN. RATING: 6

American Promise

MUST SEE: Joe Brewster's American Promise - Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson dedicated 12 years of their family's life to "American Promise," and the payoff turns out to be more than just a glorified homemovie. In this intimate look at what it's like to be young, black and male in a largely white private school, Brewster and Stephenson chart the progress of their son, Idris, and his friend and peer, Seun, through Middle School at New York's prestigious Dalton School, and then as they go their separate ways, to high school. The result isn't as revelatory or dramatic as like-minded landmark "Hoop Dreams," but remains riveting nonetheless. 2013SUN. RATING: 8.

 

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Ain't Them Bodies Saints

MUST SEE: David Lovery's Ain't Them Bodies Saints - Bowing at Sundance, David Lowery's "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" landed with the excitement of a bold new voice, and yet, there's also something undeniably old-fashioned in his approach, suggesting a lost artifact freshly unearthed from the 1970s, or the origin story behind a half-forgotten folk ballad about criminal lovers whom prison couldn't keep apart. Slow as molasses but every bit as rich, Lowery's gorgeously shot third feature (following two tiny indies) may be too lyrical for mainstream expectations, though strong reviews and a star cast should make this romantic deconstruction of classic outlaw pictures a powerful indie player. 2013SUN. RATING: 8.

Afternoon Delight

Jill Soloway's Afternoon Delight (US, 2013) - In "Afternoon Delight," the feature bow of smallscreen scribe-producer Jill Soloway ("United States of Tara"), a familiar sitcom premise -- a marriage that has lost its zing -- literally gets tarted up when the wife takes a shine to a young sex worker and moves her into the family home. Although there are moments when it feels the plot might move in unexpected directions, in the end, the expected cliches reign. Visually undistinguished, with some good lines but broad performances, the pic is most likely to reach an audience beyond smug marrieds and urban hipsters in home formats. 2013SUN. RATING: 5.

A.C.O.D

Stuart Zicherman's ACOD (US, 2013) - A.C.O.D. brings together a superb comic cast — including Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, and Jane Lynch — for a film that really ought to be funnier than it is. Aspiring to offer a painfully humorous look at how divorce wreaks havoc on all those concerned (especially the children), the feature directorial debut of Stu Zicherman starts off with great promise before getting derailed by a drab story about a seemingly content thirtysomething who at last comes to terms with his parents’ separation. RATING: 7

Pandora's Promise

Sure to be controversial, this jaw dropping pro nuclear documentary is a must see for everyone who are concern what the world might look 25 years from now. Nuclear as renewable source of energy and has the lowest risk - can it be true? ****

Crystal Fairy

Sebastian Silva's Crystal Fairy (Chile / US, 2013) - A selfish man-child's Chilean quest to drink mescaline extracted from a San Pedro cactus turns into a more conventional sort of trip in "Crystal Fairy & the Magical Cactus and 2012," writer-director Sebastian Silva's emphatically goofy but ultimately sentimental coming-of-age comedy. Engaging perfs by Michael Cera in the lead and Gaby Hoffmann as a hippie chick along for the ride exclusively elevate a pic that promotes the pleasures of altered consciousness, but proves insufficiently psychedelic itself. Commercial prospects appear even more marginal than those for the average drug farce, as counterculture auds will be left jonesing for a stronger dose. 2013SUN. RATING: 6

May in The Summer

Cherian Dabis's May in The Summer (US / Jordan, 2013) - Having explored a Palestinian woman's difficulty assimilating into U.S. culture in her winning 2009 debut, "Amreeka," writer-director Cherien Dabis flips the script to more ambitious but less satisfying effect in "May in the Summer." Observing the upheaval that ensues when an Arab-American bride-to-be returns to the family homestead in Amman, Jordan, this warmly conceived but largely formulaic picture is by turns sensitive and shrill, culturally perceptive and overly broad in its dysfunctional-family melodramatics. Easy-viewing arthouse audiences should find "Summer's" combo of accessible, femme-centric material and exotic environs to their liking. 2013SUN. RATING: 7

Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion

GREAT MOVIES: Elio Petri's Investigation of A Citizen Above Suspicion (Italy, 1970) - 1970CANic Grand Jury Prize and FIPRESCI Prize Winner. 1970DAV Best Film and Best Actor Winner. 1971AA Best Foreign Language Film. An Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film, this 1970 motion picture encapsulates an era of political disorder. Insp. Il Dottore (Gian Maria Volonte) receives a mission to remove local protesters but instead brutally murders his married mistress (Florinda Bolkan). When the homicide team descends on the crime scene, the murderer himself is appointed to lead the investigation, which launches a twisted tale of corruption at every turn. 1970CANic, 1970DAV, 1971AA, 1972AA, 1971OE. RATING: 9

Upstream Color

Shane Carruth's Upstream Color (US, 2013) - RATING: 6

2013 Asian Film Awards

South Korea’s Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time and Chinese director Lou Ye’s Mystery top the list of nominees for this year’s Asian Film Awards, with six nods apiece.

FULL LIST OF AFA 2013 NOMINEES:
Best Film:
Drug War (China)
Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 1 & 2(India)
Mystery (China)
Outrage Beyond (Japan)
Pieta (South Korea)
Best Director:
Anurag KASHYAP - Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 1 & 2 (India)
Abbas KIAROSTAMI - Like Someone In Love (Japan)
KIM Ki-duk - Pieta (South Korea)
KITANO Takeshi - Outrage Beyond (Japan)
LOU Ye - Mystery (China)
Best Actor:
Joseph CHANG - GF*BF (Taiwan)
CHOI Min-sik - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
Eddie GARCIA - BWAKAW (The Philippines)
Tony LEUNG Ka Fai - Cold War (Hong Kong)
LIU Ye - The Last Supper (China)
Best Actress:
Nora AUNOR - Thy Womb (The Philippines)
CHO Min-soo - Pieta (South Korea)
Golshifteh FARAHANI - The Patience Stone (Afghanistan)
GWEI Lun-mei - GF*BF (Taiwan)
HAO Lei - Mystery (China)
Best Newcomer:
CHIEN Man-shu - When A Wolf Falls In Love With A Sheep (Taiwan)
HIGASHIDE Masahiro - The Kirishima Thing (Japan)
HUANG Yu-siang - Touch Of The Light (Taiwan)
KIM Sung-kyun - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
QI Xi - Mystery (China)
Best Supporting Actor:
HA Jung-woo - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
KASE Ryo - Like Someone In Love (Japan)
Nawazuddin SIDDIQUI - The Answer Lies Within (India)
Chapman TO - Diva (Hong Kong)
Rhydian VAUGHAN - GF*BF (Taiwan)
Best Supporting Actress:
JUN Ji-hyun - The Thieves (South Korea)
KIM Hye-soo - The Thieves (South Korea)
LI Lieh - Together (Taiwan)
QIN Lan - The Last Supper (China)
WATANABE Makiko - Capturing Dad (Japan)
Best Screenwriter:
Anand GANDHI - Ship Of Theseus (India)
KIYASU Kohei, YOSHIDA Daihachi - The Kirishima Thing (Japan)
MEI Feng, YU Fan, LOU Ye - Mystery (China)
WAI Ka-fai, YAU Nai-hoi, Ryker CHAN, YU Xi - Drug War (China)
YUN Jong-bin - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
Best Cinematographer:
Touraj ASLANI - Rhino Season (Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey)
CHOI Young-hwan - The Thieves (South Korea)
Rajeev RAVI - Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 1 & 2 (India)
YANAGIJIMA Katsumi - Like Someone In Love (Japan)
ZHANG Li, MA Cheng - The Last Supper (China)
Best Production Designer:
CHO Hwa-sung - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
Bahman GHOBADI, Ali DARYAI - Rhino Season (Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey)
Wasiq KHAN - Gangs Of Wasseypur Part 1 & 2 (India)
MAN Lim-chung - The Silent War (China-Hong Kong)
YEE Chung-man, Eric LAM Chi-ki - The Last Tycoon (China-Hong Kong)
Best Composer:
Pritam CHAKRABORTY - Barfi! (India)
JO Yeong-wook - Nameless Gangster: Rules Of The Time (South Korea)
Peyman YAZDANIAN, Johann JOHANNSSON - Mystery (China)
SUZUKI Keiichi - Outrage Beyond (Japan)
UENO Koji - The Floating Castle (Japan)
Best Editor:
KITANO Takeshi, OHTA Yoshinori - Outrage Beyond (Japan)
KUSAKABE Mototaka - The Kirishima Thing (Japan)
Valerie LOISELEUX - Rhino Season (Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey)
David RICHARDSON, Allen LEUNG - Drug War (China)
SHIN Min-kyung - The Thieves (South Korea)
Best Visual Effects:
Chas CHAU, Lewis CHAN, Benson POON, Johnny LIN - When A Wolf Falls In Love With A Sheep (Taiwan)
KWAK Tae-yong, HWANG Hyo- kyun, LIM Jung-hoon - Doomsday Book (South Korea)
Farbod KHOSHTINAT - Rhino Season (Iraqi Kurdistan-Turkey)
LEE In-ho, JE Young-ho - Soar Into The Sun (South Korea)
ONOUE Katsuro, OYA Tetsuo, SATO Atsuki, TSUJINO Minami - The Floating Castle (Japan)
Best Costume Designer:
CHEN Xue-bing, ZHONG Jia-ni - The Last Supper (China)
Jessie DAI Mei-ling, CHAN Chi-man - The Last Tycoon (China-Hong Kong)
KWAK Jung-ae - A Werewolf Boy (South Korea)
MAN Lim-chung - The Silent War (China-Hong Kong)
OTSUKA Mitsuru, MATSUNAGA Kazuta, INAMURA Akihiko - The Floating Castle (Japan)

I, Me Aur Main

COMING SOON: Kapil Sharma's I, Me Aur Mein (India, 2013) - The story of a young man played by John Abraham who is a simpleton, and falls in love with two women, Prachi Desai and Chitrangada Singh. A slice-of-life film based on the decision of a young man and his life partner.

The Grandmaster

COMING SOON: Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster (Hong Kong, 2013) - Venturing into fresh creative terrain without relinquishing his familiar themes and stylistic flourishes, Hong Kong auteur Wong Kar Wai exceeds expectations with "The Grandmaster," fashioning a 1930s action saga into a refined piece of commercial filmmaking. Boasting one of the most propulsive yet ethereal realizations of authentic martial arts onscreen, as well as a merging of physicality and philosophy not attained in Chinese cinema since King Hu's masterpieces, the hotly anticipated pic is sure to win new converts from the genre camp. Wong's Eurocentric arthouse disciples, however, may not be completely in tune with the film's more traditional storytelling and occasionally long-winded technical exposition. 2013BERoc.

Zero Dark Thirty

GREAT MOVIES: Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty (US, 2012) - he US government’s 10-year search for Osama bin Laden ended in success not because of lofty speeches and soaring heroics but, rather, hard work, intelligence and sheer tenacity. That’s the case director Kathryn Bigelow makes rather magnificently in Zero Dark Thirty, a taut, methodical retelling of the methods that led to the terrorist’s killing in May 2011 at the hands of American Navy SEALs. As a follow-up film to her Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker, this true-life thriller again finds Bigelow investigating the toll taken on those engaged in warfare, but her commitment to a dispassionate, stripped-down approach results in a film whose impact sneaks up on you, leaving you blindsided by its visceral final reels. 2012AA. RATING: 9

Not Fade Away

David Chase's Not Fade Away (US, 2012) - Written and directed by Chase ("The Sopranos"), "Not Fade Away" centers on a young musician (played by John Magaro) who forms a band with his friends in 1960s New Jersey. James Gandolfini and Brad Garrett also are among the cast, appearing alongside a young ensemble that includes Jack Huston, Will Brill and Bella Heathcote. 2012NYFF. RATING: 7.

The Best Offer

COMING SOON: Geoffrey Rush and Jim Sturgess in Giuseppe Tornatore new english language film The Best Offer - a quirky art-world drama set in some unnamed Mitteleuropean city. Geoffrey Rush gives his all as a dried-up old crotchet of an auctioneer leant a new lease of life when he falls in love with a mysterious young beauty

Tied

COMING SOON: Helen Fillieres' Tied (France, 2013) - Although the end result comes perilously close to being a parody of a certain kind of European art film in which troubled, isolated, individuals suffer in sleek settings reeking of affluence, the willowy, androgynous, French actress Hélène Fillieres makes an assured directing debut with Tied (Une Histoire d’amour). This glacial fictionalisation of the true tale of an obscenely wealthy French banker who was wearing a form-fitting latex body suit when his mistress killed him - possibly at his own request - charts an S & M romance without so much as a homeopathic dose of backstory. This take-it-or-leave-it approach will irritate some, but Benoit Poelvoorde and Laetitia Casta are occasionally brave and never less than intriguing as the transgressive couple known only as “The Banker” and “The Young Woman.”

2013 Academy Awards

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln leads with 12 nominations while Ben Affleck and Kathryn Bigelow snub from Best Director category

Nominations in full

BEST PICTURE
Amour: Nominees to be determined
Argo: Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Dan Janvey, Josh Penn and Michael Gottwald
Django Unchained: Stacey Sher, Reginald Hudlin and Pilar Savone
Les Misérables: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward and Cameron Mackintosh
Life of Pi: Gil Netter, Ang Lee and David Womark
Lincoln: Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
Silver Linings Playbook: Donna Gigliotti, Bruce Cohen and Jonathan Gordon
Zero Dark Thirty: Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow and Megan Ellison
BEST DIRECTOR
Amour: Michael Haneke
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi: Ang Lee
Lincoln: Steven Spielberg
Silver Linings Playbook: David O. Russell
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Argo: Screenplay by Chris Terrio
Beasts of the Southern Wild: Screenplay by Lucy Alibar & Benh Zeitlin
Life of Pi: Screenplay by David Magee
Lincoln: Screenplay by Tony Kushner
Silver Linings Playbook: Screenplay by David O. Russell
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Amour: Written by Michael Haneke
Django Unchained: Written by Quentin Tarantino
Flight: Written by John Gatins
Moonrise Kingdom: Written by Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
Zero Dark Thirty: Written by Mark Boal
BEST ACTOR
Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Alan Arkin in Argo
Robert De Niro in Silver Linings Playbook
Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Master
Tommy Lee Jones in Lincoln
Christoph Waltz in Django Unchained
BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain in Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence in Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva in Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis in Beasts of the Southern Wild
Naomi Watts in The Impossible
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams in The Master
Sally Field in Lincoln
Anne Hathaway in Les Misérables
Helen Hunt in The Sessions
Jacki Weaver in Silver Linings Playbook
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Brave: Mark Andrews and Brenda Chapman
Frankenweenie: Tim Burton
ParaNorman: Sam Fell and Chris Butler
The Pirates! Band of Misfits: Peter Lord
Wreck-It Ralph: Rich Moore
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Anna Karenina: Seamus McGarvey
Django Unchained: Robert Richardson
Life of Pi: Claudio Miranda
Lincoln: Janusz Kaminski
Skyfall: Roger Deakins
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Amour: Austria
Kon-Tiki: Norway
No: Chile
A Royal Affair: Denmark
War Witch: Canada
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi
The Gatekeepers Nominees to be determined
How to Survive a Plague Nominees to be determined
The Invisible War Nominees to be determined
Searching for Sugar Man Nominees to be determined
COSTUME DESIGN
Anna Karenina: Jacqueline Durran
Les Misérables: Paco Delgado
Lincoln: Joanna Johnston
Mirror Mirror: Eiko Ishioka
Snow White and the Huntsman: Colleen Atwood
FILM EDITING
Argo: William Goldenberg
Life of Pi: Tim Squyres
Lincoln: Michael Kahn
Silver Linings Playbook: Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers
Zero Dark Thirty: Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg
MAKEUP AND HAIR
Hitchcock: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane
Les Misérables: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell
ORIGINAL SCORE
Anna Karenina: Dario Marianelli
Argo: Alexandre Desplat
Life of Pi: Mychael Danna
Lincoln: John Williams
Skyfall: Thomas Newman
ORIGINAL SONG
Before My Time from Chasing Ice
Music and Lyric by J. Ralph
Everybody Needs A Best Friend from Ted
Music by Walter Murphy; Lyric by Seth MacFarlane
Pi’s Lullaby from Life of Pi
Music by Mychael Danna; Lyric by Bombay Jayashri
Skyfall from Skyfall
Music and Lyric by Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth
Suddenly from Les Misérables
Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyric by Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Anna Karenina: Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Production Design: Dan Hennah; Set Decoration: Ra Vincent and Simon Bright
Les Misérables: Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Anna Lynch-Robinson
Life of Pi: Production Design: David Gropman; Set Decoration: Anna Pinnock
Lincoln: Production Design: Rick Carter; Set Decoration: Jim Erickson
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Adam and Dog: Minkyu Lee
Fresh Guacamole: PES
Head over Heels: Timothy Reckart and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly
Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare: David Silverman
Paperman: John Kahrs
LIVE ACTION SHORT
Asad: Bryan Buckley and Mino Jarjoura
Buzkashi Boys: Sam French and Ariel Nasr
Curfew: Shawn Christensen
Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw): Tom Van Avermaet and Ellen De Waele
Henry: Yan England
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Inocente: Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine
Kings Point: Sari Gilman and Jedd Wider
Mondays at Racine: Cynthia Wade and Robin Honan
Open Heart: Kief Davidson and Cori Shepherd Stern
Redemption: Jon Alpert and Matthew O’Neill
SOUND EDITING
Argo: Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn
Django Unchained: Wylie Stateman
Life of Pi: Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton
Skyfall: Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers
Zero Dark Thirty: Paul N.J. Ottosson
SOUND MIXING
Argo: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia
Les Misérables: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes
Life of Pi: Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin
Lincoln: Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins
Skyfall: Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson
VISUAL EFFECTS
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and R. Christopher White
Life of Pi: Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer and Donald R. Elliott
Marvel’s The Avengers: Janek Sirrs, Jeff White, Guy Williams and Dan Sudick
Prometheus: Richard Stammers, Trevor Wood, Charley Henley and Martin Hill
Snow White and the Huntsman: Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, Philip Brennan, Neil Corbould and Michael Dawson

Nominations by numbers

Film	Nominations
Lincoln	12
Life of Pi	11
Silver Linings Playbook	8
Les Miserables	8
Argo	7
Amour	5
Django Unchained	5
Skyfall	5
Zero Dark Thirty	5
Beasts of the Southern Wild	4
Anna Karenina	4
The Hobbit	3
The Master	3
Flight	2

2013 Rotterdam Film Festival

Soldate Jeannette

IN COMPETITION

36           Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit      Thailand               2012

Dummy Jim         Matt Hulse          UK          2013

Fat Shaker           Mohammad Shirvani        Iran        2012

Halley    Sebastian Hofmann          Mexico 2013

It Felt Like Love Eliza Hittman      US          2013

Karaoke Girl        Visra Vichit Vadakan        Thailand               2013

King, The             Giovanni Columbu            Italy       2013

Longing For The Rain       Yang Lina             Hong Kong          2013

My Dog Killer      Mira Forney        Slovakia               2013

Night / Noche    Leonardo Brzezicki           Argentina            2013

Penumbra            Eduardo Villanueva          Mexico 2013

Resurrection of A Bastard             Guid Van Driel    Netherlands        2013

Silent Ones          Ricky Rijneke      Netherlands        2013

Soldate Jeannatte / Soldier Jane Daniel Hoesl       Austria 2013

They'll Come Back            Marcello Lordello             Brazil     2013

Watchtower       Pelin Esmer         Turkey   2013

2012 BAFTA Nominations

Steven Spielberg's Lincoln Top BAFTA nomination

Full list of nominations

BEST FILM

• ARGO Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck, George Clooney
• LES MISERABLES Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh
• LIFE OF PI Gil Netter, Ang Lee, David Womark
• LINCOLN Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy
• ZERO DARK THIRTY Mark Boal, Kathryn Bigelow, Megan Ellison

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

• ANNA KARENINA Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Webster, Tom Stoppard
• THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL John Madden, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Ol Parker
• LES MISÉRABLES Tom Hooper, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Debra Hayward, Cameron Mackintosh, William Nicholson, Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Herbert Kretzmer
• SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS Martin McDonagh, Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin
• SKYFALL Sam Mendes, Michael G. Wilson, Barbara Broccoli, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

• BART LAYTON (Director), DIMITRI DOGANIS (Producer) The Imposter
• DAVID MORRIS (Director), JACQUI MORRIS (Director/Producer) McCullin
• DEXTER FLETCHER (Director/Writer), DANNY KING (Writer) Wild Bill
• JAMES BOBIN (Director) The Muppets
• TINA GHARAVI (Director/Writer) I Am Nasrine

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE

• AMOUR Michael Haneke, Margaret Ménégoz
• HEADHUNTER Morten Tyldum, Marianne Gray, Asle Vatn
• THE HUNT Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen, Morten Kaufmann
• RUST AND BONE Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux
• UNTOUCHABLE Eric Toledano, Olivier Nakache, Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun

DOCUMENTARY

• THE IMPOSTER Bart Layton, Dimitri Doganis
• MARLEY Kevin Macdonald, Steve Bing, Charles Steel
• McCULLIN David Morris, Jacqui Morris
• SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN Malik Bendjelloul, Simon Chinn
• WEST OF MEMPHIS Amy Berg

ANIMATED FILM

• BRAVE Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
• FRANKENWEENIE Tim Burton
• PARANORMAN Sam Fell, Chris Butler

DIRECTOR

• AMOUR Michael Haneke
• ARGO Ben Affleck
• DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
• LIFE OF PI Ang Lee
• ZERO DARK THIRTY Kathryn Bigelow

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

• AMOUR Michael Haneke
• DJANGO UNCHAINED Quentin Tarantino
• THE MASTER Paul Thomas Anderson
• MOONRISE KINGDOM Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola
• ZERO DARK THIRTY Mark Boal

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

• ARGO Chris Terrio
• BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin
• LIFE OF PI David Magee
• LINCOLN Tony Kushner
• SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK David O. Russell

LEADING ACTOR

• BEN AFFLECK Argo
• BRADLEY COOPER Silver Linings Playbook
• DANIEL DAY-LEWIS Lincoln
• HUGH JACKMAN Les Misérables
• JOAQUIN PHOENIX The Master

LEADING ACTRESS

• EMMANUELLE RIVA Amour
• HELEN MIRREN Hitchcock
• JENNIFER LAWRENCE Silver Linings Playbook
• JESSICA CHASTAIN Zero Dark Thirty
• MARION COTILLARD Rust and Bone

SUPPORTING ACTOR

• ALAN ARKIN Argo
• CHRISTOPH WALTZ Django Unchained
• JAVIER BARDEM Skyfall
• PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN The Master
• TOMMY LEE JONES Lincoln

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

• AMY ADAMS The Master
• ANNE HATHAWAY Les Misérables
• HELEN HUNT The Sessions
• JUDI DENCH Skyfall
• SALLY FIELD Lincoln

ORIGINAL MUSIC

• ANNA KARENINA Dario Marianelli
• ARGO Alexandre Desplat
• LIFE OF PI Mychael Danna
• LINCOLN John Williams
• SKYFALL Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY

• ANNA KARENINA Seamus McGarvey
• LES MISÉRABLES Danny Cohen
• LIFE OF PI Claudio Miranda
• LINCOLN Janusz Kaminski
• SKYFALL Roger Deakins

EDITING

• ARGO William Goldenberg
• DJANGO UNCHAINED Fred Raskin
• LIFE OF PI Tim Squyres
• SKYFALL Stuart Baird
• ZERO DARK THIRTY Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg

PRODUCTION DESIGN

• ANNA KARENINA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
• LES MISÉRABLES Eve Stewart, Anna Lynch-Robinson
• LIFE OF PI David Gropman, Anna Pinnock
• LINCOLN Rick Carter, Jim Erickson
• SKYFALL Dennis Gassner, Anna Pinnock

COSTUME DESIGN

• ANNA KARENINA Jacqueline Durran
• GREAT EXPECTATIONS Beatrix Aruna Pasztor
• LES MISÉRABLES Paco Delgado
• LINCOLN Joanna Johnston
• SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN Colleen Atwood

MAKE UP & HAIR

• ANNA KARENINA Ivana Primorac
• HITCHCOCK Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger
• THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater
• LES MISÉRABLES Lisa Westcott
• LINCOLN Lois Burwell, Kay Georgiou

SOUND

• DJANGO UNCHAINED Mark Ulano, Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti, Wylie Stateman
• THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Tony Johnson, Christopher Boyes, Michael Hedges, Michael Semanick, Brent Burge, Chris Ward
• LES MISÉRABLES Simon Hayes, Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson, Jonathan Allen, Lee Walpole, John Warhurst
• LIFE OF PI Drew Kunin, Eugene Gearty, Philip Stockton, Ron Bartlett, D. M. Hemphill
• SKYFALL Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell, Per Hallberg, Karen Baker Landers

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

• THE DARK KNIGHT RISES Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Peter Bebb, Andrew Lockley
• THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, R. Christopher White
• LIFE OF PI Bill Westenhofer, Guillaume Rocheron, Erik-Jan De Boer
• MARVEL AVENGERS ASSEMBLE Nominees TBC
• PROMETHEUS Richard Stammers, Charley Henley, Trevor Wood, Paul Butterworth

SHORT ANIMATION

• HERE TO FALL Kris Kelly, Evelyn McGrath
• I’M FINE THANKS Eamonn O’Neill
• THE MAKING OF LONGBIRD Will Anderson, Ainslie Henderson

SHORT FILM

• THE CURSE Fyzal Boulifa, Gavin Humphries
• GOOD NIGHT Muriel d’Ansembourg, Eva Sigurdardottir
• SWIMMER Lynne Ramsay, Peter Carlton, Diarmid Scrimshaw
• TUMULT Johnny Barrington, Rhianna Andrews
• THE VOORMAN PROBLEM Mark Gill, Baldwin Li

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public, previously announced)

• ELIZABETH OLSEN
• ANDREA RISEBOROUGH
• SURAJ SHARMA
• JUNO TEMPLE
• ALICIA VIKANDER

Japan's Tragedy

Masahiro Kobayashi's Japan's Tragedy (Japan, 2012) - In 2010, 31,560 people ended their own lives and about 20,000 people died or went missing with the earthquake. Unemployed widower Fujio Murai’s family tragedy contains instances of both. diagnosed with lung cancer, Fujio refuses surgery and returns home with his son Yoshio; his daughter-in-law and granddaughter unseen since the earthquake. In complete despair, Fujio locks himself in a room with a photo of his wife and announces that he will mummify himself within his home. Yoshio is not able to stop his father. director Kobayashi Masahiro’s camera doesn’t miss any of what happens within Fujio’s house, with consistent, fixed positions throughout the film capturing Fujio’s tragedy. The only respite from the oppressive mood of the black and white images is the short sequence recalling how Fujio and his wife met Yoshio and his wife holding their newborn. Ironically, those vivid and colorful scenes seems like a faded past, with Fujio’s present an exemplar of the misfortunes of modern Japanese. 2012BUS. RATING: 7

Bwaka

Jun Robles Lana's Bwakaw (Philippines, 2012) - BWAKAW is the film you hope for at any festival, a work by an unknown director that comes out of nowhere to captivate and enthrall with its emotional truth, high humor and sage assessment of the human condition. Filipino cinema great Eddie Garcia gives a career-capping performance as Rene, a 70-plus single gent in a quiet provincial town who, having alienated almost everyone with his caustic comments, is resigned to seeing out his days alone, save for the company of his loyal canine companion (whose name gives the movie its title). Rene has his secrets but is disinclined to share them until he befriends a brawny tricycle taxi driver. Employing frequent outrageous humor, director Jun Robles Lana elegantly captures the quality of everyday life in this backwater while crafting a superior character study of a man who has allowed most of life to pass him by until an emotional jolt emboldens him to go where he's never dared venture before. 2012NYFF, 2012TOR, 2013OE. 2013PALM. RATING: 7

One Night

Lucy Mulloy's One Night (Cuba, 2012) - Marked by a vibrant evocation of Havana street life and excellent performances from three non-pro naturals, "Una noche" throws off a restless energy well attuned to its tale of impetuous Cuban teens preparing to make the dangerous ocean journey to Florida. Writer-director Lucy Mulloy's sexy, pulsing debut feature has an undercurrent of ribald comedy that doesn't entirely prepare the viewer for the harrowing turn it eventually takes, but it nonetheless amounts to a bracing snapshot of desperate youths putting their immigrant dreams into action. Pic will dock at more festivals en route to select ports of call offshore. 2012BERgen, 2012TRI, 2013PALM. RATING: 7.

The Impossible

GREAT MOVIES: Juan Antonio Bayona's The Impossible (Spain, 2012) - An extraordinary account of true events from the 2004 tsunami, The Impossible cannot fail to move even the hardest heart. Bravura filmmaking captures a visceral, pulse-racing sense of the chaos and carnage when nature was unleashed. Fearless, committed performances convey an authentic sense of the appalling human suffering that resulted. / Based on a true story, The Impossible is the unforgettable account of a family caught in the mayhem of one of the worst natural catastrophes of our time. True-life terror is tempered by the unexpected displays of compassion and simple kindness this family encounters during the darkest hours of their lives. Starring Naomi Watts, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast and Ewan McGregor. 2012SANSoc, 2012SITGES, 2012TOR. RATING: 9

Home For The Weekend

GREAT MOVIES: Hans Christian Schmid's Home For The Weekend (Germany, 2012) - A credible, professionally executed chamber piece about a haute bourgeois German family splintering under the strain of the mother's long-term mental illness, "Home for the Weekend" consistently absorbs even if it doesn't rewrite any rule books. Pic reps a solid return to the form that distinguished "Requiem," helmer Hans-Christian Schmid and screenwriter Bernd Lange's first impressive collaboration, and an improvement on their not-so-hot second effort, "Storm." Ensemble's strong perfs as sympathetic but flawed folk and a well-structured script make this appealing, feel-sad viewing for upscale auds at home and even offshore in select niches. 2012BERic, 2012MONwg. RATING: 9

Coming Home

Frederic Videau's Coming Home (France, 2012) - A young woman sits at a remote bus stop looking at the image of a missing girl. It is her own photograph; eight years ago, Gaëlle was kidnapped and shut away from the world. Now she has to cope with her traumatic experience and her strange new-found liberty. The film takes the viewer back in time to witness her incredible struggle for survival. Gaëlle crouches in a windowless cellar. She waits and waits for her kidnapper to appear. Since he is her only interlocutor she must somehow find a way to connect with him. As she attempts to establish a relationship slowly the balance of power begins to change. The young girl starts bossing her tormentor; complaining about his long working hours and demanding to be taken out on trips by car at night. After her release she still finds herself left to her own devices, since nobody close to her knows how to behave with someone who has spent half their young life in captivity. COMING HOME is a controversial work with a disturbingly powerful protagonist who is obliged to carve out her own idiosyncratic path in life. 2012BERic, 2012SEA. RATING: 7

Texas Chainsaw

John Luessenhop's Texas Chainsaw (US, 2013) - The makers of "Texas Chainsaw" -- or "Texas Chainsaw 3D," as it's being widely advertised -- would like to you forget all about nearly 40 years' worth of sequels, prequels, remakes and reboots, and pretend that only a couple of decades or so have passed since the events depicted way back in "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (1974). Helmer John Luessenhop ("Takers") and a small army of scripters go back to the bloody roots of the long-running franchise to concoct a better-than-average horror-thriller that relies more on potent suspense than graphic savagery or stereoscopic tricks. Don't be surprised if it scores a B.O. killing. RATING: 7

Araf - Somewhere in Between

MUST SEE: Yesim Ostauglu's Araf - Somewhere In Between (Turkey, 2012) - 2012ABU Best Film Winner. The title refers as much to the film’s main location—a tiny Turkish town comprised of no more than a few houses and a large motorway rest stop where the locals work impossibly long hours—as it does to adolescence, the way station where the child transforms into an adult. What seems at first like a piece of low-key realism comes into dramatic focus when an adolescent girl begins an obsessive sexual relationship with a middle-aged trucker, fueling the fury of the teen-aged boy who hoped to marry her. Yesim Ustaoglu, whose debut feature JOURNEY TO THE SUN is one of the treasures of the New Turkish cinema, is not only a visual poet of her country’s harshly beautiful landscapes; she also depicts with great empathy and uncompromising honesty the heart’s desires and the body’s needs. 2012ABU, 2012NYFF, 2012VENh. RATING: 8

Southwest

Eduardo Nunez's Southwest (Brazil, 2011) - Slow-moving, almost dreamlike Brazilian black-and-white film "Southwest" has the initial feel of a tropical Tarkovsky or a Bela Tarr movie with better weather. But though rookie scribe-helmer Eduardo Nunes' technical approach to storytelling might be partly borrowed, he ensures that his tale of a girl whose entire life passes in a single day is also singular enough to captivate hard-to-please auteurist auds. With its extremely wide aspect ratio, richly detailed bichrome photography and two-hour-plus running time, adventurous fests are the logical venue for this effort, which deserves to be seen on the bigscreen. 2011RIO, 2012ROTic. RATING: 7.

2012 South Korean TOP 10 Box Office HITS

Choi Dong Hoon's The Thieves take the Top Crown at 2012 South Korean Box Office race beating The Avengers by almost double.

1 The Thieves

2 Masquerade

3 A Werewolf Boy

4 The Grand Heist

5 Nameless Gangster

6 All About My Wife

7 Deranged

8 Architecture 101

9 Dancing Queen

10 Unbowed