Category Archives: Awards

Documentary “More Than Santa Baby” Honors Composer Philip Springer

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The new documentary short More Than Santa Baby shines a spotlight on the remarkable life of composer Philip Springer, best known for writing the holiday classic “Santa Baby.” Directed by his daughter, Tamar Springer, the film reveals an artist whose career stretches across eight decades and far beyond his most famous song.

Running 39 minutes, the film blends archival footage, rare recordings, and interviews to trace Springer’s creative journey from 1940s Tin Pan Alley to the studio eras of New York and Hollywood. Along the way, his work connected with icons including Eartha Kitt, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, and Judy Garland.

The documentary has quickly become a festival favorite—premiering at Dances With Films in Los Angeles, winning the Documentary Short Audience Award, and continuing with a successful multi-city run, including the Big Apple Film Festival.

Set partly in New York City, the film serves as both a tribute to the Golden Age of American songwriting and a personal look at resilience, legacy, and lifelong creativity. Now 99, Springer continues to compose, making the film a timely portrait of enduring artistry.

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Uruguay Selects Don’t You Let Me Go as Its Oscar Submission

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Uruguay has chosen Don’t You Let Me Go (Agarrame fuerte), the latest feature from filmmakers Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, as its official entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. The film previously premiered at the Tribeca Festival, where it won the Nora Ephron Award, and later earned a nomination for Best Ibero-American Film at Spain’s Goya Awards.

Produced by Agustina Chiarino’s Bocacha Films, the 74-minute drama centers on Adela, a woman grieving the sudden death of her closest friend. During the funeral, she slips into an otherworldly journey that takes her back a decade, where she reunites with her younger friend group for one final weekend together. Through its mix of intimate realism and gentle fantasy, the film explores memory, loss, and the enduring bonds that shape women’s lives.

Featuring performances by Chiara Hourcade, Victoria Jorge, and Eva Dans, the film continues the longtime collaboration between Guevara, Jorge, and Chiarino, and underscores their focus on female-driven stories both in front of and behind the camera.

International sales are handled by Alpha Violet.

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SFFILM Names 2025 Awards Night Honorees

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del-toro

L to R: Scott Cooper, 20th Century Studios. Benicio Del Toro, Warner Bros. Discovery, Wunmi Mosaku, Warner Bros. Discovery, Kristen Stewart, Emily Soto.

SFFILM has announced the recipients of its 2025 Awards Night honors, recognizing four artists whose work has had a major impact on contemporary cinema. This year’s event will celebrate filmmaker Scott Cooper, actors Benicio Del Toro and Wunmi Mosaku, and actor-filmmaker Kristen Stewart. The ceremony will take place December 8 at San Francisco’s Gateway Pavilion.

Cooper will receive the Irving M. Levin Award for Film Direction, joining past honorees including Denis Villeneuve, Greta Gerwig, and Ryan Coogler. Del Toro will receive the Maria Manetti Shrem Award for Acting, presented by Regina Hall, acknowledging a career that includes an Academy Award, a Cannes Best Actor win, and collaborations with many major directors.

The George Gund III Award for Virtuosity will be presented to Mosaku, whose recent work includes Sinners, Lovecraft Country, and the MCU. Actor Delroy Lindo will present the honor. Stewart will receive the Nion McEvoy & Leslie Berriman Award for Storytelling, recognizing her evolving work as both performer and filmmaker, including her feature directorial debut The Chronology of Water.

Proceeds from Awards Night support SFFILM’s year-round programming and artist development initiatives.

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Kendrick Lamar Leads 2026 Grammy Nominations With Nine

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grammy2026The Recording Academy has announced the nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards, with Kendrick Lamar leading the field at nine nominations. His album GNX and the single Luther position him as a top contender across major categories.

Lady Gaga, Jack Antonoff, and Cirkut follow with seven nominations each. Rising artist Leon Thomas earned a breakout six nods, matching Sabrina Carpenter, Bad Bunny, and mixer Serban Ghenea.

Bad Bunny scored nominations in album, record, and song of the year, marking a strong showing for Latin music in the general categories. Carpenter also returned to the top fields with Man’s Best Friend, while Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan secured placements with their standout singles.

Hip hop performed better than expected in a commercially slow year for the genre, with Doechii, Clipse, and Tyler, the Creator each picking up five nominations. Country artists were again largely absent from the top categories.

The 2026 Grammy Awards will air live on CBS and Paramount Plus on February 1 at 8 p.m. ET.

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Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, Tessa Thompson Among Honorees for Critics Choice’s Celebration of Black Cinema & Television

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Critics Choice AssociationThe Critics Choice Association has announced honorees for its 8th Annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, taking place December 9 in Los Angeles. Jay Pharoah returns as host, and STARZ is back as official media partner, with the ceremony airing in early 2026.

Spike Lee will receive the Career Achievement Award for his four-decade career, most recently Highest 2 Lowest. David Alan Grier earns the Vanguard Award for his acclaimed work across stage and screen, including St. Denis Medical. Ryan Coogler will be honored with the Director Award for Sinners, his record-breaking IMAX 70 mm feature for Warner Bros.

Reginald Hudlin and Shola Lynch take the Documentary Award for Apple TV’s Number One on the Call Sheet. Janelle James wins the Comedy Award for Abbott Elementary. Tessa Thompson, Sterling K. Brown, and Jurnee Smollett are recognized for Hedda, Paradise, and Smoke, respectively.

The Ensemble Award goes to Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti for One Battle After Another. Damson Idris earns Supporting Actor – Film for F1, and Skye P. Marshall wins Supporting Actress – Series for Matlock, receiving STARZ’s #TakeTheLead honor. Tenika Davis (Spartacus: House of Ashur) is named Breakthrough Performer, and Naya Desir-Johnson (Sarah’s Oil) takes Rising Star.

Singer-songwriter Aiyana-Lee will perform her song from Highest 2 Lowest. “It’s truly an honor to continue our tradition of celebrating excellence in Black cinema and television,” said executive producer Shawn Edwards.

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Cannes 2025: ‘It Was Just an Accident’ Wins Palme d’Or Amid Strong Year for Global Cinema

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cannes-2025The 78th Cannes Film Festival concluded with Iranian director Jafar Panahi winning the Palme d’Or for It Was Just an Accident, a tense moral thriller inspired by his own imprisonment in Iran. The film, which follows a group of former detainees confronting their alleged torturer, marked Panahi’s first in-person appearance at Cannes in over two decades. His emotional return and the film’s urgent themes of oppression and justice drew widespread acclaim and a standing ovation at the ceremony.

Panahi, long banned from leaving Iran, dedicated the prize to artists exiled from their home countries. His win also extended indie distributor Neon’s streak to six consecutive Palme d’Or victories, including previous titles like Parasite and Anora.

Beyond Panahi’s triumph, the festival showcased a wide range of standout films. Joachim Trier won the Grand Prix for Sentimental Value, while the Jury Prize was split between Óliver Laxe’s Sirât and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling. Brazil’s The Secret Agent took home Best Director for Kleber Mendonça Filho and Best Actor for Wagner Moura. Best Actress went to Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister.

The Camera d’Or for best first film was awarded to Hasan Hadi’s The President’s Cake, the first Iraqi film to win at Cannes. A special award was given to Bi Gan for Resurrection.

Despite a power outage affecting the region hours before the ceremony, the festival concluded without major disruption, ending what many considered one of Cannes’ strongest years in recent memory.

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SFFILM Announces 2024 Awards Night Honorees

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Today, SFFILM announced their honorees for the annual 2024 SFFILM Awards Night: Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Denis Villeneuve; award winning global superstar Demi Moore; emerging filmmaker Malcolm Washington; and Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman.

The celebratory event honors exemplary achievement in film craft and is a fundraiser with proceeds from the event supporting the organization’s mission to discover, nurture, and showcase the next generation of film artists. The annual dinner and awards presentation event is well established in film industry awards season schedules and philanthropic social calendars. SFFILM Awards Night will take place on Monday, December 9, 2024 at San Francisco’s Gateway Pavilion at Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.

SFFILM

From L to R: Denis Villeneuve, Demi Moore, Malcolm Washington, Jason Reitman . Photos courtesy of rights holders.

“For 67 years, SFFILM has provided a gateway for bold voices in film to thrive and reach discerning audiences who embrace the experience of going out to the movies,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director, Anne Lai. “SFFILM Awards Night is not only a celebration of the year’s most trailblazing artists, but also an opportunity to honor distinctive talent who inspire the next generation of filmmakers who will enrich our lives and communities in the years to come.”

“We are so proud to honor this group of individuals as we close out 2024. Their craft and artistry elevates the cinematic experience and reminds us why we collectively love the power of film,” said SFFILM Director of Programming Jessie Fairbanks. “Denis, Demi, Malcolm, and Jason are all intrepid, tenacious, and imaginative creatives. We look forward to honoring their work at SFFILM’s annual fundraiser.”
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Annual Annie Awards 2025: “The Wild Robot” Leads Nominations

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The-Wild-RobotDreamworks Animation “The Wild Robot” topped the nominations for the feature competition of the 52nd Annie Awards for animation. The Chris Sanders’ animated science fiction led with 10 nominations.

Disney/Pixar’s “Inside Out 2” and Aardman and Netflix’s “Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,” received norminations seven apiece; while Locksmith Animation and Netflix’s “That Christmas,” followed with six.

Honoring excellence in the field of animation, the 52nd Annual Annie Awards will be presented in 37 categories including Animated Feature, Animated Feature-Independent, Television/Media Production(s), Sponsored Production, Short Subject and Student Film, as well as the Achievement and Honorary awards.

The 52nd Annual Annie Awards is set to be held on February 8, 2025 at 7:00 pm PT at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Here are the nominees:

Best Feature
Inside Out 2 – Pixar Animation Studios
Kung Fu Panda 4 – DreamWorks Animation
That Christmas – Locksmith Animation for Netflix
The Wild Robot – DreamWorks Animation
Ultraman: Rising – Netflix Presents in association with Tsuburaya Productions
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl – Aardman and Netflix

Best Feature – Independent
Chicken for Linda! – Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma.
Flow – Sacrebleu Productions, Take Five, Dream Well Studio
Kensuke’s Kingdom – Paramount Pictures
Look Back – Studio Durian
Mars Express – Everybody on Deck, Je Suis Bien Content
Memoir of a Snail – Snails Pace Films / Arenamedia
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2025 PGA Awards Announce Documentary Motion Pictures Nominees

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SuperMan--The-Christopher-Reeve-Story-The Producers Guild of America has released its 2025 PGA Awards nominees for the category of Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures.

The nominees were announced on December 10, 2024. The ceremony is set take place on February 8, 2025 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California.

The films nominated for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures are listed below in alphabetical order:

  • Gaucho Gaucho
  • Mediha
  • Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
  • Porcelain War
  • Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
  • We Will Dance Again

These films are in the process of being vetted for individual producer eligibility.

“The Producers Guild Awards honors excellence in motion picture, television and emerging media productions, as well as the most notable names in the industry shaping the producing profession. Honorees this year include Chris Meledandri (David O. Selznick Achievement Award) and Dana Walden (Milestone Award).”

Last year, producers Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman and Joedan Okun were honored with the award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture for “American Symphony.”

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52nd Saturn Awards Nominations Announced

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The 52nd Annual Saturn Awards nominations have been announced, with some high profile blockbusters leading the list.

Warner Bros. received 35 total nominations in the Film category, with its film Dune: Part Two topping the overall nominations with 14. This includes Best Science Fiction Film and acting noms for Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. Beetlejuice 2 received 13 noms including Best Fantasy Films.

“The Saturn Awards organization is the official awards group of The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The Academy was founded in 1972 and is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.”

On the TV front, video game adaptation Fallout led with five nominations including Best Science Fiction Television Series, Best Actor on Television (Walton Goggins) and Best Actress on Television (Ella Purnell).

The winners are set to be announced during an awards ceremony in Los Angeles on February 2, 2025. It is also set to be streamed on The Roku Channel and ElectricNOW.

Here is the complete list of nominees:

Best Science Fiction Film
Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros./Legendary)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Lionsgate Films)
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century Studios)
Megalopolis (Lionsgate Films/American Zoetrope)
Venom: The Last Dance (Sony Pictures/Marvel)

Best Fantasy Film
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony Pictures)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary)
My Old Ass (Amazon/MGM)
Poor Things (Searchlight)
Wonka (Warner Bros. Pictures)
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