Sullivan's Travels: And the Oscar race heats up...

Good to be back online and getting the chance to share some thoughts with you...

While I did particularly well in predicting the 'best picture' nominees a few weeks ago, I'm not yet so confident that I can make final predictions on who is going to win... and that goes for almost every category, with the exception of Film Editing, which I believe is a solid shot for ARGO.

I can, however, take a quick look at the possible trends that may be developing as I write this.  First off, in the Best Picture category I still believe that LINCOLN is the one to beat, although the momentum around ARGO has heated up quite a bit.  But ARGO has no Best Director nomination and that makes it a longer shot, together with ZERO DARK THIRTY.  That leaves an open channel for SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, the sort of 'Oscar sleeper' that can come from left field and walk away with the gold... especially if its nominated actors start racking up awards throughout the night.  As for the other Best Pic contenders, here's my current take:  AMOUR will win in the Best Foreign Language category and that's it.  DJANGO UNCHAINED is only nominated because there were ten slots to fill (and the Academy wrongfully filled nine of those, shutting out opportunities for THE MASTER and FLIGHT).  In a year where only five films would be nominated, DJANGO would only score a Screenplay nomination and nothing else.  LES MISERABLES would be nominated even with only five slots, but like ARGO and ZERO, its director apparently didn't have a hand in creating the Best Picture contender.  LIFE OF PI has a weird kind of CRASH-like chance, especially after its director, Ang Lee, made the top five slots, and since CRASH beat his front-running BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN back in 2005.  A PI win would be the Academy's way of letting Ang know they like him a lot, but unfortunately had to quit him back in '05.  And finally, BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD is such a dark horse, I can't even comment on its chances of landing a Best Picture win.  As for its little actress, Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis, don't be too shocked if she beats out Oscar fave, Jessica Chastain, or runner-up contender, Jennifer Lawrence. The only thing wrong with such a win would be the fact that little Ms. Wallis only got that nomination because her director, the nominated Benh Zeitlin, shaped her performance into what it was.  Ms. Wallis was only seven at the time the film was shot and I have huge doubts that she was aware of and able to manage her character arc all on her own, which also explains why Mr. Zeitlin got nominated.

That's it for now... On my next travels I'll take a look at some of the other categories...

THE NICKEL SERIES kicks off February 1st!

Check out teaser...

'Twas The Night Before Nominations...

Okay, so... without getting too philosophical about stuff, let me just throw out some predictions before the Academy officially announces its 2012 nominees... Assuming they go with ten best pic nods, here's the way I think it'll go down:

Best Picture

AMOUR

ARGO

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD

DJANGO UNCHAINED

LES MISERABLES

LIFE OF PI

LINCOLN

THE MASTER

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK

ZERO DARK THIRTY

(dark horses: SKYFALL & MOONRISE KINGDOM)

Director

Ben Affleck (Argo)

Tom Hooper (Les Miserables)

Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)

Michael Haneke (Amour)

Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty)

(dark horses: Ang Lee "Life of Pi" and P.T. Anderson "The Master")

Actor

Hugh Jackman (Les Miserables)

Daniel Day Lewis (Lincoln)

Joaquin Phoenix (The Master)

Denzel Washington (Flight)

John Hawkes (The Sessions)

(dark horse: Bill Murray "Hyde Park on Hudson"Bradley Cooper (Silver Linings Playbook)

Actress

Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)

Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook)

Helen Mirren (Hitchcock)

Emmanuel Riva (Amour)

Rachel Weisz (The Deep Blue Sea)

(dark horse: Naomi Watts "The Impossible" & Quvenzhane Wallis "Beasts of the Southern Wild" )

Supporting Actor

Philip Seymour Hoffman (The Master)

Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln)

Javier Bardem (Skyfall)

Alan Arkin (Argo)

Robert DeNiro (Silver Linings Playbook)

(dark horse: Matthew McConaughey "Magic Mike")

Supporting Actress

Anne Hathaway (Les Miserables)

Sally Field (Lincoln)

Amy Adams (The Master)

Helen Hunt (The Sessions)

Ann Dowd (Compliance)

(dark horse: Nicole Kidman "The Paperboy")

I can go on and on... but I will stick to these top categories for now... and the nomination goes to... 

Darko Sullivan signing off!

  

SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS

Hello all and thank you for visiting the Society blog.  After many years of being m.i.a., or actually living life as a mere mortal, I'm delighted to be back in touch with those good ol' Guerrilla boys... and now a whole slew of girls.  I recently came face to face with the old crew and they immediately mentioned that they had a blog page that needed some serious TLC and someone who could string a few sentences together to get some points across.  So, here I am... stopping by, along my many travels to share with you some thoughts, anecdotes, and who knows, maybe even some after-thoughts.  Those of you familiar with Guerrilla Filmmaker will know me from my SULLIVAN'S CORNER column I used to dedicate to new DVD releases.  For those of you who don't know me, allow me to introduce myself... I am Darko Sullivan and I'm currently working with Domani Vision's Feature Screenwriting Competition at Visionfest, in the capacity of Submissions Director, which basically means I read a lot... really a lot... A lot more than normal.  On these pages. however, I plan to write a little... a little more than these guys used to, but a lot less than how much I read... and that's for your sake as well...

On this first entry of TRAVELS, I've been asked - somewhat politely - to give you a heads-up on some upcoming Domani Vision Film Society events (and I've been told that they're using my same text in their December Newsletter -- uncredited!!! The nerve)... But here's the lowdown:

The Domani Vision Film Society is proud to officially announce that on February 1, 2013, in collaboration with actor/writer/producer, Annette Beatrice, it will be co-hosting a special, one-night-only exclusive screening at New York's The Players (16 Gramercy Park).  With doors opening at 6pm, the event will kick off with an hour of cocktails and mingling, followed by the unveiling of a select collection of short films (titles to be determined) derived from past editions of VISIONFEST: The Other Festival, as well as new works from up and coming Gotham-based filmmakers.  The screening will be followed by a Q&A and networking opportunities with the filmmakers whose works are being showcased.  The event may be attended only via special advance reservations, with priority seating designated for Players Club and Domani Vision Film Society members.  Updates regarding the line-up, info on making reservations, and other pertinent details will be available in the next issue of THE VISIONARY and on the Domani Vision Film Society Website at www.domanivision.org  Of course, I will also keep on eye on new developments and share those with you as I get them.

Well... that does it this time around.  I'll be doing some pre-Oscar handicapping along the way, so please join me on my TRAVELS and be merry on your way!               - Darko

VISIONFEST 13 ANNOUNCES DATES!

VISIONFEST 13: The Other Festival, has announced its event dates for the VF13 edition: The film festival will have its 13th annual run at Tribeca Cinemas, in New York City, June 26 thru June 30, 2013.  Taking advantage of its campaign design, which has some sinister and brooding echoes of darkness, VF13 plans to dedicate its Friday, June 28th screenings exclusively to fare that mirrors the tonality of its new campaign.  Dubbed "Fright Night" at VF13, the evening will offer projects that are sure to raise the hairs on your arms.

Kicking off this new campaign, VF13 and the Domani Vision Film Society also welcome on board Festival Coordinator, Kate Mistretta, and their newest team addition, Director of Development: Jennifer M. Snyder.

Also on the very near horizon:  Domani Vision Film Society is currently in talks with filmmaker/writer and producer, Annette Beatrice, to bring forth a new initiative of DVFS, which will consist of monthly or bi-monthly screenings of past VF films and will feature very cool networking opportunities, as well as one-on-one discussions with the filmmakers who have made the films that will be screened.

Stay tuned for more details coming your way...

VISIONFEST 12 WRAPS WITH A SONG...

VISIONFEST12 WRAPS ANNUAL EDITION WITH A BALANCED SHARE OF

HONORED WORKS AT ITS INDEPENDENT VISION AWARD (IVA) CEREMONY

SHEENA McCANN CROWNED WITH DOMANI VISION AWARD 2012!

New York, NY (June 25, 2012) – VF12: The Other Festival wrapped its 5-day run last night with the 2012 Independent Vision Awards (IVA) Ceremony and the World Premiere of its exclusive filmmaking initiative, the 5x5 New York State of Mind Digital Project.  VF12 co-director, Bruno Derlin, kicked things off with a musical twist, literally breaking into song with an ode to Billy Crystal’s “It’s a wonderful night for Oscar” and replacing the award name with IVAs.  He followed the zany introduction by handing out the first set of awards, which saw three writers from the Visionfest Feature Screenwriting Competition recognized, as follows: Third place recipient, Austen Brauker for HOMUNCULUS; in second place, Thomas Pace, for his screenplay, THE HIGH MESA COLONY; and the winner of the 2012 Feature Screenwriting Competition, Giles Daoust for FOUNDING FATHERS.  Second place winner, Thomas Pace, was on hand to accept his award, humorously threatening to walk off with one of the acrylic statuettes intended for the film honorees.

The evening was fueled by the generous energy of the the crowd, which was at capacity in Tribeca Cinemas Theater 2, and often broke into slightly rowdy but respectful applause and cheers as each IVA recipient was called to the stage.  Unlike recent years, there was not a single film sweep, with many of the nominated projects taking home a nicely balanced share of the honors. 

Filmmaker Sheena McCann was crowned with the festival’s top honor, the Domani Vision Award for Emerging Talent, for her short subject narrative, THE DARKNESS IS CLOSE BEHIND, which also took home a statuette as the year’s Best Short.  McCann’s Domani Vision Award win marked the first time since 2002 that a short subject filmmaker was honored with the Domani Vision Film Society special prize.

Directing honors were bestowed upon Richard Bosner, whose narrative feature, FALLING UPHILL, also won the Jack Nance Breakthrough Performance Award for its female lead, Jessiqa Pace.  Bosner took to the stage to accept both awards, graciously thanking everyone at the festival for his award and defining Ms. Pace as “a truly special and talented actress.”

Scott Schaeffer’s narrative short subject, THE CARRIER, was cited for Outstanding Achievement in Production, with Schaeffer going up to accept the award on behalf of the film’s team of producers, Anna Ramey, Chris Wilson, and Mark Hartzell.

VF12 Opening Night feature, BROADWAY’S FINEST, by Stephen Marro, landed wins in two categories: Writing (Stephen Marro) and the Abe Schrager Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography (Adrian Correia) – the latter award sponsored by the American Society of Cinematographers.  Mr. Marro joked about his poor spelling skills as he accepted his award, adding that “that’s exactly what makes this award extra special.”  Adrian Correia humbly embraced his statuette, stating: “I didn’t personally know Abe (Schrager), but I hope to be able to honor his memory with this award. Thank you.”

Ali Scher’s THE MAIDEN AND THE PRINCESS was singled out in Acting for its male lead, David Anders, and for Short Form Screenwriting (Ali Scher & Joe Swanson); the latter prize marking the only “tie” result in this year’s IVA winners’ list, with WEB OF LIES scribe, Kathryn Gould, taking home a Certificate of Award for her work.

Female Acting Lead honors were assigned to Nicki Micheaux for her work in NARCOCORRIDO, a Student Academy Award winner, directed by Ryan Prows.  The short was also cited for its Sound Design with a Certificate of Award for Brett Hinton.

A Special Jury Prize for Technical and Artistic Achievement was issued to Harvey Hubbell V for his documentary, DISLECKSIA: THE MOVIE, which enjoyed a standing room only screening at VF12 and was defined as “a genuine crowd pleaser” by countless attendees.

Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking was bestowed upon Grant Hamilton for his epic feature doc, TIME ZERO: THE LAST YEAR OF POLAROID FILM.  Mr. Hamilton took to the stage to accept his award, giving a warm and loving ‘shout out’ to his executive producer and wife, Sara Hamilton.  He returned to his seat and celebrated his triumphant moment with Ms. Hamilton by ‘sealing it with a kiss’ in what was probably the evening’s warmest “Polaroid moment.”  

The Editing Award winner was the feature film, IN MONTAUK, by Kim Cummings.  Ms. Cummings accepted the award with an emotionally charged acceptance speech, assigning the larger part of the credit to Eleanor Burke, who, as stated by Ms. Cummings, ultimately took the film from rough to finished form.

Original Score & Music honors went to Rob Kleiner for Steve Bladerson’s CULTURE SHOCK. Kleiner, who was nominated this year for the third consecutive year, had previously won the award with his music score for  STUCK! at VF10 and was a runner-up last year with THE CASSEROLE CLUB.

Rounding out all of the award winners were: Visual Comforts (aka Michael Wiehart) for the Production Design on RE:LEASE and Alexander Yan with the Domani Visionary 2012 Award for his short, ELKO; and a Special Jury Prize for Artistic/Technical Achievement for Brendan Gabriel Murphy for his short, experimental film, PERCEPTIO.

The audience responded with sustained applause to the unveiling of the 2012 5x5 New York State of Mind Digital Project, and the Project’s producer, Nyle Cavazos Garcia, thanked all the writers and directors of the five digital shorts (Jon Carlos Evans, Roald Graves, Geoff Lerer, Bryan Norton, and Jef Taylor; working from scripts written by Nicholas Begnaud, Randy Brown, Alexander Jorgensen, and Jackson Wade), inviting the audience to meet and greet with them at the VF12 after-party, which was held in the Tribeca Cinemas’ Varick Room Lounge.

Following is the complete list of IVA winners:

Domani Vision Award for Emerging Talent  - Sheena McCann (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Outstanding Achievement in Production - The Carrier (Anna Ramey, Chris Wilson, Mark Hartzell)

Directing - Richard Bosner (Falling Uphill)

Writing - Stephen Marro (Broadway's Finest)

Short Subject Narrative - The Darkness is Close Behind

The Jack Nance Breakthrough Performance Award - Jessiqa Pace (Falling Uphill)

Acting (Male Lead) - David Anders (The Maiden and the Princess)

Acting (Female Lead) - Nicki Micheaux (Narcocorrido)

Special Jury Prize – Technical/Artistic Achievement Statuette - Harvey Hubbell V (Dislecksia: The Movie)

The Abe Schrager Award for Cinematography - Adrian Correia (Broadway's Finest)

Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking - Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid Film

Editing - Eleanor Burke & Kim Cummings (In Montauk)

Original Score - Rob Kleiner (Culture Shock)

Production Design - Visual Comforts – Michael Wiehart (RE:LEASE)

The DVFS Visionary 2012 Award - Alexander Yan (Elko)

Short Form Screenwriting - TIE 

Ali Scher & Joe Swanson (The Maiden and the Princess) / Kathryn Gould (Web of Lies)

Sound Design - Brett Hinton (Narcocorrido)

Special Jury Prize – Technical/Artistic Achiement Certificate - Brendan Gabriel Murphy (Perceptio)

 

For press inquiries: click on the link or visit the website at: http://www.visionfest.com/press/accreditation/  

For more information and the full festival lineup for VF12, visit us online at: www.visionfest.com

LIKE us on Facebook at: Domani Vision Film Society

Blog with us at: The Society & You

Tweet us at: @visionfestNYC

For more information on Visionfest 12: The Other Festival,

please contact Kate at 413-626-0479 or via e-mail at kate@visionfest.com. 

VF12 IVA Nominations Announced!

VISIONFEST12 KICKS OFF WITH A SOLD OUT SHOW AND

 INDEPENDENT VISION AWARD (IVA) NOMINATIONS:

MAIDEN RACKS UP A ROYAL 9 NODS & LEADS THE PACK UPHILL, ALSO WITH 9

New York, NY (June 21, 2012) – VF12: The Other Festival kicked off its Opening Night with a SOLD OUT screening of Stephen Marro’s feature, BROADWAY’S FINEST, and the shorts, RE:LEASE, by Michael Wiehart, add FAITH, by Erik Pagan.  All three of the filmmakers were on hand to talk about their work in a brief Q&A, which immediately followed their screenings, and all three films were included in the list of nominees for the 2012 Independent Vision Awards, which were announced before the large crowd, in the Tribeca Cinemas’ Varick Room Lounge.  Marro’s feature was showered with 7 nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Direction and the two shorts landed 1 nod each.

At the top of the leader board,  vying for 9 awards apiece, were Ali Scher’s short, THE MAIDEN AND THE PRINCESS, and Richard Bosner’s feature, FALLING UPHILL – both films are also going head to head for the festival’s top honor, the Domani Vision Award for Emerging Talent.  Sheena McCann’s THE DARKNESS IS CLOSE BEHIND, another narrative short which recently made the finalists’ list in the annual Student Academy Awards, nabbed 7 mentions, which, when paired with the 6 nominations collected by Scott Schaeffer’s THE CARRIER, managed to give the leading edge to narrative short subject films over any other category, a first in Visionfest history.

Kathryn Gould and Nelson Goforth, whose 10-minute black and white short, WEB OF LIES, garnered 5 nods, were smiling big following the official announcement, which saw their film also going for the top prize, as well as other major awards, including writing, cinematography, and original score.  Another entry from the Student Academy Awards A-list, the winning finalist, NARCOCORRIDO, by Ryan Prows, rounded out the multiple nominees list, tying with Alexander Yan’s ELKO, with 4 mentions.

Last year’s triumphant IVA recipient, Steve Balderson, returned to VF12 with his newest feature, CULTURE SHOCK, which got singled out for its original score by Rob Kleiner (himself a returning VF award winner), editing, and sound design, adding to the possibility of increasing Balderson’s already impressive  tally, which currently stands at 10 wins (a VF record), originating from three features in a span of seven years. 

The long awaited doc by Harvey Hubbell V, DISLECKSIA: THE MOVIE, was cited in the Documentary category, along with Grant Hamilton’s TIME ZERO: THE LAST YEAR OF POLAROID, which also nabbed an editing nod.  CARBON FOR WATER, CAMP CASSEROLE, and RUNNING THROUGH: THE JORDAN CULBREATH STORY rounded out the docs in competition.

The awards will be presented on Sunday, June 24, 2012, at 7:45 p.m., in Tribeca Cinemas’ Theater 2.  Following is the complete list of IVA nominees for this year’s edition of VF...

Domani Vision Award for Emerging Talent

Sheena McCann (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Richard Bosner (Falling Uphill)

Ali Scher (The Maiden and the Princess)

Ryan Prows (Narcocorrido)

Kathryn Gould & Nelson Goforth (Web of Lies)

Outstanding Achievement in Production

Broadway's Finest (Jack Adalist, Doug LeClaire)

The Carrier (Anna Ramey, Chris Wilson, Mark Hartzell)

Falling Uphill (Barrett Hacia)

The Maiden and the Princess (Becca Luisel & Ian Ward)

In Montauk (Kim Cummings, Jeremiah Kipp)

Directing

Stephen Marro (Broadway’s Finest)

Scott Schaeffer (The Carrier)

Sheena McCann (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Richard Bosner (Falling Uphill)

Ali Scher (The Maiden and the Princess)

Writing

Stephen Marro (Broadway's Finest)

Sheena McCann (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Richard Bosner  (Falling Uphill)

Ali Scher & Joe Swanson (The Maiden and the Princess)

Kathryn Gould (Web of Lies)

Short Subject Narrative

The Carrier

The Darkness is Close Behind

Elko

Narcocorrido

The Maiden and the Princess

The Jack Nance Breakthrough Performance Award

Adam Storke (Broadway's Finest)

Jessiqa Pace (Falling Uphill)

Sean McGee (Falling Uphill)

Annalee Scott (Elko)

Conor Casey (Mouthful)

Acting (Male Lead)

Caleb Hunt (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Michael Desjardin (Elko)

Ari Kanamori (Falling Uphill)

Alex Roesch (Human Geography)

David Anders (The Maiden and the Princess)

Acting (Female Lead)

Rita Wilson (The Carrier)

Jessiqa Pace (Falling Uphill)

Jena Hunt (Falling Uphill)

T. Sahara Meer (The Kook)

Nicki Micheaux (Narcocorrido)

The Abe Schrager Award for Cinematography

Adrian Correia (Broadway's Finest)

John Barr (The Carrier)

Michael David Lynch (Perceptio)

Doug Carr (The Stronger)

Nelson Goforth (Web of Lies)

Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking

Camp Casserole

Carbon for Water

Dislecksia: The Movie

Running Through: The Jordan Culbreath Story

Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid

Editing

Mark Hartzell & Aaron Butler (The Carrier)

Steve Balderson (Culture Shock)

Joops Fragale (Date Night)

Eleanor Burke & Kim Cummings (In Montauk)

Per-Hampus Stalhandske (Time Zero: The Last Year of Polaroid)

Original Score

Ben Goldberg & Marshall Grantham (Broadway's Finest)

Rob Kleiner (Culture Shock)

Alex Fleshman (Falling Uphill)

Corey Wallace (The Maiden and the Princess)

Bryan Dennis (Web of Lies)

 

Production Design

Kevin Margo (Grounded)

Ian Strandberg (Last Seen on Dolores Street)

Tricia Roberts (The Maiden and the Princess)

Teo Guardino (Perceptio)

Visual Comforts (RE:LEASE)

The DVFS Visionary 2012 Award

Alexander Yan (Elko)

Dee Robertson (I Kill Flowers To Save The World)

Avital Epstein (Peace at Home)

Michael McKowan (1609)

Carlos Florez (Sekso, Kickit, Nasa)

Short Form Screenwriting

Sheena McCann (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Neil LaBute (Double or Nothing)

Erik Pagan (Faith)

Ali Scher & Joe Swanson (The Maiden and the Princess)

Kathryn Gould (Web of Lies)

Sound Design

Paul Goodrich (Broadway's Finest)

Sabi Tulok (Culture Shock)

Chris Johnston   (The Darkness is Close Behind)

Brett Hinton (Narcocorrido)

Brian Bender (The Hungry Boy)

For press inquiries: click on the link or visit the website at: http://www.visionfest.com/press/accreditation/ and complete the press accreditation form for a full-access badge to VF12 and tickets for the 5x5 New York State of Mind Project.

For more information and the full festival lineup for VF12, visit us online at: www.visionfest.com

LIKE us on Facebook at: Domani Vision Film Society

Blog with us at: The Society & You

Tweet us at: @visionfestNYC

For more information on Visionfest 12: The Other Festival, please contact Kate at 413-626-0479 or via e-mail at kate@visionfest.com.