Oscar Update: Costumes, Makeup and Hair and Visual Effects / Cannes Moving Back??? / Interviews with Hopkins and Pollard

OSCAR UPDATE: COSTUMES, MAKEUP AND HAIR AND VISUAL EFFECTS

Here's an update on three technical categories.  I last predicted these on February 15th.  Their position at that time is in parentheses.  Telluride #47 films are in Bold. 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

1) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1)

2) Emma (2)

3) Mank (3)

4) News of the World (4)

5) Mulan (5)

6) Promising Young Woman (9)

7) Ammonite (8)

8) Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (-)

9) The United States vs. Billie Holiday (6)

10) The Personal History of David Copperfield (7)

Other Possibles: The Glorias, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Hot: Promising Young Woman

Not: The United States vs. Billie Holiday, The Personal History of David Copperfield

BEST MAKEUP/HAIR

1) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1)

2) Hillbilly Elegy (2)

3) Birds of Prey (4)

4) Mank (3)

5) Emma (5)

6) Pinocchio (6)

7) One Night in Miami (8)

8) The Glorias (9)

9) Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey (10)

10) The Little Things (7)

Hot: Birds of Prey

Not: The Little Things

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

1) Tenet (1)

2) The Midnight Sky (2)

3) Mank (3)

4) Mulan (4)

5) Welcome to Chechnya (50

6) The One and Only Ivan (8)

7) Birds of Prey (6)

8) Soul (7)

9) Love and Monsters (9)

10) Bloodshot (10)

Hot: The One and Only Ivan

Not: Soul

CANNES MOVING BACK???

Earlier this week, Deadline's Tom Grater reported that the Cannes Film Festival, which looked to be headed to run in July (and perhaps even later as some rumors have it going into late summer) may be backtracking.

Grater reports that Cannes may plan a "pre-screening" event earlier than the planned July dates as a response to industry desires.  The Deadline story suggests the possible "pre-screening" would be:

"virtual and will be purely based around industry screenings, without a traditional physical market, and will feature market titles potentially alongside films from the festival selection"

Grater also writes that Cannes is getting pressure from sales agants and French distributors to do the earlier "pre-screenings".

The upshot is that we could be back to finding out at least some of the films Cannes has chosen for whatever version of the actual festival comes to pass and that could give us some Telluride clues.

The complete Deadline story is linked here.

INTERVIEWS WITH HOPKINS AND POLLARD

(photo via Sundance film Festival and Screen Daily)

Screen Daily published an interview this week with acting legend Anthony Hopkins.  Hopkins would have been one of the tribute recipients had a TFF #47 gone off last Labor Day.  

Hopkins role in The Father (the TFF and Sundance selection) has earned a good deal of Oscar speculation.

Here's the link to that interview.

Meanwhile, The Playlist posted an interview with director Sam Pollard whose documentary MLK/FBI, is on The Academy's Feature Documentary Shortlist.  MKL/FBI was also a TFF #47 selection.

That interview is linked here. 

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar Update-New Categories: International Feature, Documentary, Cinematography, Film Editing / NYFCC and More / Kershaw Talks Truffles

    OSCAR UPDATE: NEW CATEGORIES!

After several weeks of posting and updating the topline Oscar categories (Picture, Director, Acting and Writing), here's my first stab at additional categories beyond those eight.  As always, TFF films are in Bold.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

1) Another Round

2) Quo Vadis Aida

3) Collective

4) I'm No Longer Here

5) The Night of Kings

6) The Two of Us

7) Dear Comrades

8) A Sun

9) My Little Sister

10) Charlatan

Other Possibles: Sun Children, This Is a Burial Not a Resurrection, Notturno

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Stacey Abrams from All In: The Fight for Democracy

1) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

2) Dick Johnson Is Dead

3) Collective

4) Boys State

5) Time

6) All In: The Fight for Democracy

7) Welcome to Chechnya

8) The Truffle Hunters

9) John Lewis: Good Trouble

10) The Dissident

Other Possibles: The Way I See It, MLK/FBI, Totally Under Control, The Social Dilemma

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1) Mank

2) Nomadland

3) News of the World

4) Tenet

5) Judas and the Black Messiah

6) Minari

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) Da 5 Bloods

9) The Trial of the Chicago 7

10) First Cow

Other Possibles: One Night in Miami, Midnight Sky, I'm Thinking of Ending Things

FILM EDITING

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7

2) Nomadland

3) Mank

4) News of the World

5) Tenet

6) The Father

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) One Night in Miami

9) Da 5 Bloods

10) Judas and the Black Messiah

Other Possibles: Minari, Sound of Metal

NYFCC AND MORE

The New York Film Critics Circle awarded their superlatives for film in 2020 last night.  The NYFCC announcement kicks off a week that will see a number of major film awards announcements including the American Film Institute, the National Board of Review and The Independent Spirit nominations among others.

From the NYFCC, TFF winners:

Best Picture: First Cow

Best Director: Chloe Zhao/Nomadland

KERSHAW TALKS TRUFFLES

The Truffle Hunters has come on like gangbusters as we have moved through the end of 2020 into the beginning of 2021 as a serious threat in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature.  The TFF #47 selection from Sony Pictures Classics sits in my first pass at predicting the nominees for that category just outside the possible nominees at #8 (in an incredibly competitive category).  Meanwhile Variety's Clayton Davis has the film at #3 and Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter has it at #5.

In light of all of that, Gold Derby featured an interview with co-director Gregory Kershaw this week.

You can take a look at that using this link.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

 

Oscar Update: Best Adapted Screenplay / Nomadland Tops World of Reel Poll / Speaking of Nomadland... / New Video for TFF #47 Films / Pollard Talks MLK/FBI / SPC Announces New Release Dates

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Adapted Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Nov. 9th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Nomadland (1)

2) One Night in Miami (2)

3) The Father (3)

4) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (4)

5) News of the World (5)

6) I'm Thinking of Ending Things (6)

7) First Cow (8)

8) Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (7)

9) The United States vs. Billie Holiday (-)

10) Pieces of a Woman(-)

Other possibles: French Exit, The Mauritanian, Emma, The Personal History of David Copperfield

Hot: The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday, Pieces of a Woman

Not:  Hillbilly Elegy, The Personal History of David Copperfield

NOMADLAND TOPS WORD OF REEL POLL

Jordan Ruimy has collected responses from over 100 film critics who he asked to name the best films of the year.  Chloe Zhao's Nomadland topped the list.  Nomadland was an official selection on the TFF #47 list of films that would have screened had the festival been able to have proceeded.

Other Telluride films that made the list of the 40 best of 2020 included:

#39 Beanpole (TFF #46)

#29 The Climb (TFF #46)

#22 The Father (TFF #47)

#18 The Assistant (TFF #46)

#2 First Cow (TFF #46)

#1 Nomadland (TFF #47)

The complete list is here in Jordan's post.

SPEAKING OF NOMADLAND...

Here's an interview with Variety's Awards Circuit podcast along with a written summary with Nomadland writer/director Chloe Zhao.

Zhao on Varity's awards Circuit podcast.

NEW VIDEO FOR TFF #47 FILMS

Frances Lee's Ammonite starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan has a new trailer as the film has moved to premium video on demand thus past week.  Here's the new trailer from YouTube:

Meanwhile, check out this post from smoothradio.com which includes looks at two new clips from Frank Marshall's documentary The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart.

POLLARD TALKS MLK/FBI

Director Sam Pollard talked to Variety's Damon Wise for an interview that was posted back on Nov. 29th.  Pollard talks about his doc MLK/FBI that would have played a TFF #47.  The film just screened as a part of the IDFA Film Fest.

Here's the link to that interview .

SPC ANNOUNCES NEW RELEASE DATES

Sony Pictures Classics has announced a new set of release dates for the films currently in their charge including TFF #47 selections The Father and The Truffle Hunters both of which are making serious waves as we move into the expanded awards season.

According to the story from Indiewire:

“The Father,” starring Anthony Hopkins, will now be released February 26, 2021; Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s festival darling “The Truffle Hunters” will now be released March 12, 2021"

"Sony Pictures Classics said that all films would still qualify for year-end top 10 lists and awards, meaning that limited qualifying runs remain in play."

The complete article from Indiewire is linked here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar Update: Best Actor / IDA Nominations and TFF #47 / Dweck and Kershaw on The Truffle Hunters / Italy Chooses Notturno / THR's Favorites of the Decade

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ACTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actor updated since I last posted this category on  Oct. 29th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Chadwick Boseman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2)

2) Anthony Hopkins/The Father (1)

3) Delroy Lindo/Da 5 Bloods/ (4)

4) Gary Oldman/Mank (3)

5) Riz Ahmed/Sound of Metal (6)

6) Tom Hanks/News of the World (5)

7) Steven Yeun/Minari (7)

8) Kingsley Ben-Adir/One Night in Miami (-)

9) Ben Affleck/The Way Back (8)

10) George Clooney/The Midnight Sky (-)

Others: Colin Firth/Supernova, Daniel Kaluuya or LaKeith Stanfield/Judas and the Black Messiah

Hot: Bosman, Ahmed, Ben-Adir, Clooney

Not: Firth

IDA NOMINATIONS AND TFF #47

The International Documentary Association announced nominations for this year's crop of docs and a couple of TFF #47 films were among the most nominated.  Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters and Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI were two of the most honored films as each film nabbed three nominations apiece.  

The Truffle Hunters (which admittedly has now become a bit of an obsession for me this awards season) was nominated for Best Feature Doc, Director(s) and Cinematography.  

Meanwhile, MLK/FBI was nominated for Best Doc Feature, Director an ABC Video Source Award and Director Sam Pollard was also cited for a career achievement.

Also from TFF #47, short docs The Lost Astronaut from director Ben Proudfoot was nominated as was Unforgivable from director Marlen Vinayo.

The complete list of IDA nominees is linked here from Next Best Picture.

DWECK AND KERSHAW ON THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS

A couple of big interviews this week with the directors of The Truffle Hunters.  Eric Kohn of Indiewire leads a 40ish minute video interview with Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck about the film as a part of the IDA Documentary Screening Series.  That is here from YouTube:

Additionally, Dweck and Kershaw also were interviewed by Pat Saperstein for Variety and that was posted yesterday.  That interview/profile is linked here.

ITALY CHOOSES NOTTURNO

Italy has anmed Gianfranco Rosi's documentary, Notturno as its official selection for competition for the Academy Awards Best International Feature category.  The film was a selection of TFF #47.  Notturno is described as:

"a new documentary is an immersive portrait of those trying to survive in the war-torn Middle East."

In addition to TFF #47, the film was also selected by Toronto, New York, London, IDFA and the AFI Fest among others.

Notturno was chosen over the Edoardo Ponti project The Life Ahead which features the first performance from legend Sophia Loren since Rob Marshall's Nine in 2009.

Variety has the story here.

THR'S FAVORITES OF THE DECADE

The Hollywood Reporter polled 3,500 "industry professionals" and asked them for their "favorite movies" of the decade.  The results of that poll were published Wednesday and TFF films did well.  Among the top 20 fave films of the decade that made an appearance at TFF:

#20 The King's Speech

#11 Birdman

#9 Argo

#6 La La Land

#2 12 Years a Slave

Lots of big budget actioners and superhero films made the list and Jordan Peele's Get Out was named the overall favorite of the decade.

The complete list of 20 films from THR can be found linked here.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar Update: Best Director / Ammonite News / The Climb Releases / MLK/FBI Trailer

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST DIRECTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Direction updated since I last posted this category on  Sept. 21st.  A director's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Chloe Zhao/Nomadland (1)

2) David Fincher/Mank (2)

3) Aaron Sorkin/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (4)

4) Regina King/One Night in Miami (7)

5) Florian Zeller/The Father (6)

6) Spike Lee/Da 5 Bloods (5)

7) Lee Isaac Chung/Minari (10)

8) Paul Greengrass/News of the World (3)

9) George C. Wolfe/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (9)

10)Shaka King/Judas and the Black Messiah (8)

Others: Christopher Nolan/Tenet

Hot: Regina King, Lee Isaac Chung

Not: Paul Greengrass, Shaka King, Francis Lee, Sophia Coppola

AMMONITE NEWS

An interview here with Ammonite star Saoirse Ronan. from ETonline.

Annabelle Gutterman separates fact from fiction about the characters and story of Ammonite for Tome.com.  That's linked here.

THE CLIMB RELEASES

From TFF #46. The Climb rose into theaters this past week.  Here's the trailer from YouTube:

 

Here's an interview from The Film Stage with directors Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin

MLK/FBI TRAILER

Here's the trailer for Sam Pollards' documentary MLK/FBI from YouTube

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar Update: Best Original Screenplay / DOC NYC Shortlist Features TFF #47 Choices / All In Directors Talk Stacey Abrams and Last Week's Election

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Original Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Oct. 12th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) Mank (2)

3) Minari (3)

4) Soul (4)

5) Promising Young Woman (8)

6) Judas and the Black Messiah (5)

7) Palm Springs (10)

8) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (6)

9) Da 5 Bloods (7)

10) Ammonite (9)

DOC NYC SHORTLIST FEATURES TFF #47 CHOICES

Indiewire's Anne Thompson reported this week on the 15 film shortlist for DOC NYC.  The fest itself opened yesterday with over 100 feature documentaries programmed.

Thompson points out the influence/predictive power of the fest writing:

"Historically, most of the DOC NYC short list titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the last nine years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has screened 24 of the last 25 Oscar-nominated documentary features. In 2019, DOC NYC screened 13 of 15 titles that were named to the subsequent Academy Award Documentary Shortlist."

This year's shortlist includes TFF #47 selections Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI (IFC Films)  and Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics).

The complete Indiewire article is linked here.

ALL IN DIRECTORS TALK STACEY ABRAMS AND LAST WEEK'S ELECTION

Eric Kohn of Indiewire published an interview earlier this week with the directors, Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes, of All In: The Fight for Democracy, a documentary focused on the fight to protect voting rights spearheaded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.  Abrams is widely credited with what appears to be Joe Biden's win in that state.

The film was a selection of the 47th Telluride Film  Festival zand is currently in release on Amazon Prime.

That interview is linked here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar Update: Best Supporting Actress / TFF #47 Docs Short Listed / Bee Gees Doc Is Dated by HBO / Tidbits

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Supporting Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Oct. 1st.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Olivia Colman/The Father (1)

2) Amanda Seyfried/Mank (2)

3) Glenn Close/Hillbilly Elegy (4)

4) Saoirse Ronan/Ammonite (3)

5) Helena Zengel/News of the World (5)

6) Ellen Burstyn/Pieces of a Woman (6)

7) Youn Yuh-jung/Minari (-)

8) Maria Bakalova/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (-)

9) Lily Collins/Mank (-)

10) Meryl Streep/The Prom (7)

TFF #47 DOCS SHORT LISTED

The International Documentary Association announced their short list for their awards this past week and three films from the TFF #47 announced list made the cut:

Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI

Gianfranco Rosi's Notturno

Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters

According to Indiewire's Anne Thompson, the IDA will announce nominees on Nov. 24th and winners will be announced via a virtual ceremony at some point in January 2021.

Here's the link to the full story from Thompson/Indiewire.

BEE GEES DOC IS DATED BY HBO

Frank Marshall's documentary about the Bee Gees, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend Broken Heart, which was a TFF #47 selection has been scheduled by HBO and HBO Max.  Deadline reports that the film will drop on HBO on Dec. 12th at 8:00pm (EST) and that it will also be available to stream on HBO Max.

HBO also released a first trailer for the film this past week.  Here that is from YouTube:

The complete Deadline article is linked here.

TIDBITS

Among this Monday's "Tidbits"...

The Cannes Film Festival has announced three separate contingency plans for re-scheduling should Covid conditions in France require that they move off their currently scheduled (and traditional) dates in May (11-22).  Variety reports that Cannes organizers are eye-balling three different sets of dates in July and August.

The whole Variety story is here.

AND... Searchlight Films have grabbed a new film in development.  Currently titled Dust, the film has Clare Foy attached to star at the moment.  I include it into today's post for a couple of reasons:

1) Searchlight and Telluride have had a really good relationship over the years...sooo...maybe a future TFF selection.  and

2) The film is set in the dust bowl of 1930's Oklahoma.  Yea...that's right...the film is set 90 years ago in my backyard.  HELLO SEARCHLIGHT...Location shooting?  Call me.  Extras in the area: Give me a ring-a-ding.  Research co-ordination: Hello???  I mean Guymon, OK. is literally the heart/bullseye for the Dust Bowl.  My only actual IMDb entry is the special thanks for Ken Burns' The Dust Bowl.  The wife and I did some location scouting and co-ordination.

Here's the link to the story about the Searchlight acquisition of the film and some of the details from The Wrap.

And, by way of proof, the screenshot of my Dust Bowl credit from IMDb:

That's Monday...BTW...if you haven't already...vote tomorrow.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar 2021 First Attempt-Best Original Screenplay / TFF #47 Running Totals / Variety's Davis Looks at Documentary Oscar Chances / Indiewire Talks with Nomadland's Chloe Zhao

 OSCAR 2021 FIRST ATTEMPT-BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

MTFB continues its first pass at predicting Oscar nominees for 2020-21 in various major categories.  Today we're looking at Best Original Screenplay with, as always, a focus on those performances that were a part of the list of 29 films that TFF released that would have been screened as a part of TFF #47.  Performers designated with *** are in films that may not be released prior to the Feb, 28, 2021 Oscar eligibility deadline.   TFF#47 performers are in Bold:

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7

2) Mank

3) Minari

4) Soul

5) Judas and the Black Messiah

6) Never Rarely Sometimes Always

7) Da 5 Bloods

8) Promising Young Woman

9) Ammonite

10) Palm Springs

TFF #47 RUNNING TOTALS

Nomadland: Best Picture, Director (Zhao), Actress (McDormand), Supporting Actor (Stratharin), Adapted Screenplay. Total of 5 in these categories.

Ammonite: Best Picture, Actress (Winslet), Supporting Actress (Ronan).  Maybe: Director (F. Lee) Best Original Screenplay.  Total: 2.

The Father: Actor (Hopkins), Supporting Actress (Colman)., Adapted Screenplay Maybe: Best Picture, Director (Zeller).  Total: 3

VARIETY'S DAVIS LOOKS AT DOCUMENTARY OSCAR CHANCES

Newly minted Variety Oscarologist Clayton Davis is a busy man as he has Oscar nomination predictions up at the venerable website/publication for 19 categories at this early stage of the now elongated Oscar season. 

The most recent category addition to his Oscar analysis is for Best Documentary Feature.  Among his Top 20 are a number of titles that were on the TFF #47 "Would Have Played" list.  They are:

1) All In:The Fight for Democracy

8) MLK/FBI

9) The Truffle Hunters

12) The Way I See It

Take a look at Davis' complete list of possible Oscar candidates linked here.

INDIEWIRE TALKS WITH NOMADLAND'S CHLOE ZHAO

Recently, Indiewire chief critic Eric Kohn talked to director/writer Chloe Zhao whose Nomadland has made big waves over the last month.  The film won both the Golden Lion at Venice and the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Zhao talks about the process that she used in collaboration with star Frances McDormand in order to make one of the most critically lauded films of 2020.

Here's that interview/article from Indiewire.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Oscar 2021-First Attempt at Best Picture / Trailer for The Father / Rosi Talks Notturno / McDormand's Side Hustle?

OSCAR 2021-FIRST ATTEMPT AT BEST PICTURE

Well...here we are.  Normally (and I am really tired of writing the word "normally") I'd be collating rating data from TFF attendees and industry professionals as we rated the films that had been screened at the 47th Telluride Film Festival.

Also, normally, I'd be gathering thoughts about making the turn into Oscar season for this space.  Traditionally, after TFF is done this space becomes a tracker, of sorts, for TFF films that become part of the Oscar conversation-and that's still going to be true.  It's just going to be different for a variety of reasons.

1) We have a list of TFF #47 films that none of us saw in Telluride.  That list, however, is going to count for my approach this year.  They are the TFF #47 films I'll be paying attention to.

2) It's a significantly longer Oscar season this time around.  The Academy added two months to the eligibility period as a response to the effects of Covid-19 on the film industry meaning that the window to screen a film so that it would be Oscar eligible went from Dec. 31 to Feb. 28.  It also moved the ceremony to the end of April.  There has been a bit of scuttlebutt that The Academy might further adjust their calendar but at the moment my expectation is that they'll stick with the current dates irrespective of any other considerations such as...

3) The release schedule is...um...fluid.  Frankly, I doubt that the "moveable feast" of what gets released when is over.  The big test case of releasing Christopher Nolan's Tenet to underwhelming box office in its first week and Warners decision to keep the box office numbers under wrap for its second week will probably mean more release date shuffling.  That makes Oscar eligibility for some big films a moving target.

So, I'm going to do the best I can here...but...wow...it's a challenge.

That said...here's my first stab at predicting the Best Picture Oscar for 2020 (and part of 21) with a couple of caveats and comments about the unique circumstances.  TFF #47 films are listed in Bold.

BEST PICTURE

1) Nomadland (Zhao)
2) Mank (Fincher)
3) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Sorkin)
4) West Side Story (Spielberg)
5) Da Five Bloods (S. Lee)
6) News of the World (Greengrass)
7) Ammonite (F. Lee)
8) The French Dispatch (Anderson)
9) Dune (Villeneuve)
10) Hillbilly Elegy (Howard)

That said...I believe fully 4-5 of these films may end up being moved out of the screening eligibility window: West Side Story, News of the World, The French Dispatch, Dune and maybe Hillbilly Elegy.

I can easily envision that any or all of these might hold off for a Cannes premiere or a summer 2021 release or even being held as long as November-December 2021.

So, I'm going list five more films that either have already fit into the new Oscar eligibility window or probably will:

11) The Father (Zeller)
12) Tenet (Nolan)
13) One Night in Miami (King)
14) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Wolfe)
15) Minari (Chung)


TRAILER FOR THE FATHER


From Sony Pictures Classics we have this new trailer for The Father starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman.  Both are getting serious Oscar buzz for their performances.  Here's the new trailer from YouTube:

ROSI TALKS NOTTURNO

Alex Ritman, writing for The Hollywood Reporter has a new interview with the director of the documentary Notturno.  Gianfranco Rosi's doc about the Middle East has been a choice of a number of film fests in addition to Telluride with inclusions by Toronto, Venice and New York as well.

Here's that interview from The Hollywood Reporter.


MC DORMAND'S SIDE HUSTLE?

Marta Balaga reports that Frances McDormand was so successful in creating her character for the upcoming Nomadland that a Target store in one of the Nebraska communities in which the film was shooting offered McDormand a job.

McDormand plays a character that becomes a "nomad" in America during the Great Recession.

Balaga's story was in Variety and is linked here.



MLK/FBI HAS DISTRIBUTION

Deadline reports that IFC Films has acquired Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI for U.S. distribution.  That story appeared on Tuesday.  Deadline additionally reported that IFC will release the film on Jan. 15, 2021.

The film focuses on the FBI's surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960's as the civil rights icon's influence grew.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

Nomadland Wins a Lion and Plays at the TFF Drive-In / First Clip from MLK/FBI / Truffles Gets a Gala and a Trailer / Focus on All In

NOMADLAND WINS A LION AND PLAYS AT THE TFF DRIVE IN

It was a big weekend for Chloe Zhao's Nomadland.  The film won the Golden Lion as Best Film to screen as a part of this year's Venice Film Festival.  Coverage of the film's win and other Venice awards are linked here in this report from The Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, the second of two special presentations linked to the 47th edition of the Telluride Film Festival occurred on Friday night in Los Angeles as Nomadland was screened at the Rose Bowl.  The venerable sports institution was converted into a drive-in theater for the evening.  Director Zhao and star- two time Oscar winner and one of the film's producers-Frances McDormand both appeared in person at the event.

Nomadland was also screened in Toronto on Friday.  The film has received rapturous reviews and its brewing Oscar narrative seems to be morphing into reality.

The Playlist provided coverage of the L.A. drive in experience on Saturday and that article is linked here.



FIRST CLIP FROM MLK/FBI

We've been treated to s first clip from Sam Pollard's documentary MLK/FBI that was selected as one of the 29 features that would have played at a TFF #47.  Here that clip is from YouTube:

MLK/FBI is described on IMDb as follows:

Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The film will be bowing at both the Toronto and New York Fests in the next two weeks.



TRUFFLES GET A GALA AND A TRAILER

The Zurich Film Fest has announced its first ten galas and that includes TFF #47 selection Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters.

Variety covered the announcement.  That's linked here.

The very well received documentary also had a trailer release this past weekend.

FOCUS ON ALL IN

Stacey Abrams in All In

Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes' All In: The Fight for Democracy  is about the fight to make casting a ballot easier in this country and fighting those that would disenfranchise potential voters.  Just this week the filmmakers were highlighted by The Southern Poverty Law Center.

That interview is linked here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

New York Announces / Truffles Appear in Zurich / TFF #47 Film First Announced for International Oscar

 NEW YORK ANNOUNCES

The 2020 New York Film Festival lineup was announced last Thursday after MTFB had already been published.  Here's the competition lineup:

Opening Night: Lover's Rock/McQueen
Centerpiece: Nomadland/Zhao
Closing Night:  French Exit/Jacobs

Atarrabi and Mikelats/Green
Beginning/Kulumbegashvili
The Calming/Fang
City Hall/Wiseman
Days/Ming-liang
The Disciple/Tamhane
Gunda/Kossakovsky
I Carry You with Me (Te Llevo Conmigo)/Ewing
Isabella/Piñeiro
Malmkrog/Puiu
Mangrove/McQueen
MLK/FBI/Pollard
Night of the Kings (La Nuit des Rois)/Lacôte
Notturno/Rosi
Red, White and Blue/McQueen
The Salt of Tears (Le sel des larmes)/Garrel
Swimming Out Till the Sea Turns Blue/Zhangke
Time/Bradley
Tragic Jungle (Selva Trágica)/Olaizola
The Truffle Hunters/Dweck and Kershaw
Undine/Petzold
The Woman Who Ran/Sangsoo

Four were named for both NYFF and TFF #47:  Nomadland, Notturno, MLK/FBI and The Truffle Hunters.  The NYFF list also included a couple of films that I thought might be TFF choices: City Hall and Undine as well as the Steve McQueen films: Mangrove, Lover's Rock and Red White and Blue.

The New York Film Fest is scheduled to run from Sept. 25-Oct. 11.

Here's rundown of the NYFF films with some commentary from Indiewire.
With the addition of the New York choices, here is the updated list of films that would be playing TFF #47 and the other film fests which have also scheduled some of those titles:

Ammonite:TIFF, Cannes

Charlatan: Berlin

Concrete Cowboy: TIFF

The Duke: Venice

The Father: TIFF, Sundance

Fireball: TIFF

Ibrahim: Cannes

Mainstream: Venice

Mandibules: Venice

MLK/FBI: TIFF, NYFF

Never Gonna Snow Again: Venice

Nomadland: TIFF, Venice, NYFF (centerpiece)

Notturno: TIFF, Venice, NYFF

There Is No Evil: Berlin

The Truffle Hunters: Cannes, Sundance, NYFF

TRUFFLES APPEAR IN ZURICH

The day after we found out that TFF #47 selection The Truffle Hunters (dir: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw) had been selected for the New York Film Festival came news that the film was among the first 10 Gala Selections for the the Zurich Film Festival.

You could say it was a good week for the documentary that focuses on the exploits of three septuagenarian Italians as they forage for the delicacy.  IMDb describes the film as follows:

"Deep in the forests of Piedmont, Italy, a handful of men, seventy or eighty years young, hunt for the rare and expensive white Alba truffle-which to date has resisted all of modern science's efforts at cultivation."

ZFF will announce the remainder of its lineup on Sept. 14th.

Linked here are details of the selections announced Friday from Variety.



TFF #47 FILM FIRST ANNOUNCED FOR INTERNATIONAL OSCAR

Poland wasted no time declaring that Never Gonna Snow Again from director Malgorzata Szumowska will be its entry for the 2021 International FIlm Oscar race.  That news was reported by Deadline.

Never Gonna Snow Again was one of 29 films named to Telluride's list of films that would have played had the film fest been able to go forward.  The film is also set to premiere as a part of the Venice Film Festival lineup.

Here's its IMDb description:
"A Ukrainian migrant working as a masseur in Poland becomes a guru-like figure in the gated community where his clients live."

And here's the link to the Deadline story.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays