“We Shall Not Be Moved” Recognized as One of the Year’s Top International Films

Posted on December 11, 2025 by admin

We Shall Not Be Moved (No nos moverán), Mexico’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards®, has been named one of the year’s Best International Films by New York Film Critics Online. The recognition comes as the acclaimed debut feature from Mexican filmmaker Pierre Saint Martin continues its U.S. theatrical rollout.

Following a strong run in New York through Cinema Tropical, the dark dramedy will screen for one week at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco beginning December 18, before heading to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in January. A U.S. streaming release is expected to be announced soon.

Shot in black and white, the film follows Socorro, a 67-year-old retired lawyer played by Luisa Huertas, whose decades-long pursuit of the soldier responsible for her brother’s death during Mexico’s 1968 Tlatelolco massacre has consumed her life and fractured her family. When a new lead emerges, she risks everything to confront the past.

The film premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival, winning Best Mexican Film and the Audience Award, and went on to receive four Ariel Awards, including Best First Feature and Best Actress. It has screened at more than 40 international festivals and will also represent Mexico at Spain’s Goya Awards.

Saint Martin’s debut blends dark humor with an intimate exploration of memory, trauma, and political reckoning, offering a personal lens on one of Mexico’s most painful historical chapters.

‘One Battle After Another’ Leads 2026 Golden Globe Nominations; ‘The White Lotus’ Tops TV as Globes Expand Into Podcasts

Posted on December 8, 2025 by admin

The 2026 Golden Globe nominations were unveiled Monday morning, and the race quickly narrowed around a handful of major contenders. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another dominated the film side with nine nominations, the most of any title this year. Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value followed with eight, while Ryan Coogler’s Sinners earned seven, and Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet collected six. Frankenstein and Wicked: For Good landed five apiece.

On television, HBO’s The White Lotus led with six nominations, edging out Netflix’s Adolescence, which received five. Only Murders in the Building and Severance each secured four, continuing their awards-season consistency.

The ceremony returns to the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 11, airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+, with Nikki Glaser hosting. Marlon Wayans and Skye P. Marshall announced the nominees from Los Angeles, including categories for film, television, stand-up comedy, and, for the first time, the best podcast award.

This year’s podcast lineup reflects the Globes’ push toward broader media recognition, while also avoiding the political and culture-war flashpoints that have defined the category elsewhere. Titles such as Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang with Amy Poehler, The Mel Robbins Podcast, SmartLess, and NPR’s Up First made the inaugural shortlist.

On the distributor front, Neon led all film companies with 21 nominations, while Netflix dominated television with 22.

The Globes also continue building out their rebranding campaign, including the launch of “Golden Eve,” a primetime special honoring this year’s career-achievement recipients: Helen Mirren (Cecil B. DeMille Award) and Sarah Jessica Parker (Carol Burnett Award).

Below is the full list of nominees:

Here’s the full list of nominees.

Motion picture – Drama
“Sinners”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sentimental Value”
“Frankenstein”
“Hamnet”
“The Secret Agent”

Motion picture – Musical or comedy
“One Battle After Another”
“No Other Choice”
“Marty Supreme”
“Blue Moon”
“Bugonia”
“Nouvelle Vague”

Continue reading →

“One Battle After Another” Dominates National Board of Review Awards

Posted on December 6, 2025 by admin

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another continued its awards-season surge, leading the 2025 National Board of Review honors with five major wins, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio, Best Supporting Actor for Benicio Del Toro, and Breakthrough Performance for Chase Infiniti.

The strong showing follows the film’s recent victories at both the Gotham Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle, positioning the Warner Bros. title as one of this season’s most formidable contenders.

Rose Byrne was named Best Actress for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, continuing her streak across multiple critics groups. Other notable winners included Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value, Ryan Coogler for Sinners (Best Original Screenplay), and Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar for Train Dreams (Best Adapted Screenplay).

NBR also recognized Arco as Best Animated Feature, It Was Just an Accident as Best International Film, and Cover-Up as Best Documentary. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning earned the group’s stunt artistry honor, while Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw received Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography.

As usual, the organization released additional top-ten lists spanning films, international selections, documentaries, and independent features, which continue to serve as an early barometer of industry consensus.

The winners will be celebrated at the NBR’s annual gala on January 13, 2026, in New York City.

AFI Announces 2025 Honorees Across Film and Television

Posted on December 5, 2025 by admin

The American Film Institute has unveiled its selections for the 2025 AFI Awards, recognizing ten films and ten television programs that the organization deems the year’s most significant artistic achievements. One additional project, It Was Just an Accident, received the annual Special Award, given to works outside AFI’s standard eligibility.

This year’s film lineup spans major studio releases, acclaimed auteurs, and international literary adaptations, with titles including Avatar: Fire and Ash, Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Jay Kelly, Marty Supreme, One Battle After Another, Sinners, Train Dreams, and Wicked: For Good.

On the television side, the honorees reflect a broad mix of prestige drama, genre storytelling, and serialized world-building. The 2025 selections include Adolescence, Andor, Death by Lightning, The Diplomat, The Lowdown, The Pitt, Pluribus, Severance, The Studio, and Task.

AFI President and CEO Bob Gazzale emphasized the awards’ long-standing focus on celebrating collective achievement rather than competition. Honorees will be recognized at AFI’s annual luncheon on January 9, 2026, a gathering known for bringing filmmakers and television creators together in an informal, industry-wide celebration of the year’s work.

The AFI Awards have become a consistent bellwether for awards-season momentum, often overlapping significantly with later Oscar and Emmy nominations.

SFFILM to Honor Park Chan-wook With Career Tribute and Screening of ‘No Other Choice’

Posted on October 30, 2025 by admin

L to R. Director Park Chan-wook. Actor Lee Byung Hun in NO OTHER CHOICE. Photos: NEON.

San Francisco’s SFFILM will celebrate acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook with a Career Tribute and special screening of his new film No Other Choice on November 20 at the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA.

The event will feature an onstage conversation with Park and a showing of No Other Choice, his first film since Decision to Leave. The film, from NEON, reunites Park with Lee Byung Hun (Joint Security Area) in a darkly comic satire about a man’s descent into desperation after losing his corporate job.

“With No Other Choice, Director Park returns to the sharp social commentary of Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Stoker,” said Jessie Fairbanks, SFFILM’s Director of Programming. “It’s a brilliantly savage look at capitalism, masculinity, and ambition, another masterful addition to his career.”

SFFILM Executive Director Anne Lai called the tribute “a deep honor,” noting Park’s global influence and the organization’s commitment to international cinema.

Park, best known for Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Thirst, has won multiple Cannes awards and remains one of contemporary cinema’s most influential auteurs. No Other Choice, adapted from Donald E. Westlake’s The Ax, opens in select theaters December 25 via NEON and expands nationwide January 2026. Tickets: Available for SFFILM members October 30 and general audiences October 31 at sffilm.org
.

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

Posted on October 21, 2025 by admin

The 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.

TIFF Unveils Trailer for Karla Badillo’s Debut Feature Oca

Posted on September 8, 2025 by admin

Mexican filmmaker Karla Badillo’s debut feature Oca will have its world premiere in the Discovery section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 4–14, 2025).

Described as a lyrical fable of pilgrimage and revelation, the film follows Rafaela (Natalia Solián), a young nun traveling to a remote town where a new archbishop has been appointed. Along the way, she encounters a cross-section of Mexican society, testing her devotion and sense of purpose.

The cast also includes Cecilia Suárez, Leonardo Ortizgris, Gerardo Trejo-Luna, Raúl Briones, and Enrique Arreola, alongside non-professional performers from San Luis Potosí.

Shot by cinematographer Diana Garay, Oca was produced by María José Córdova, Badillo, Federico Eisnerbusyc, and Federico Sande. It is a Mexican-Argentine coproduction between Pina Films, Las Jaras, Pucará Cine, and Año Cero.

Marion Cotillard Leads Hadžihalilović’s Surreal Drama The Ice Tower

Posted on August 30, 2025 by admin

Acclaimed French filmmaker Lucile Hadžihalilović (Innocence, Evolution, Earwig) returns with her fourth feature, The Ice Tower, which is set to open in theaters on October 3, 2025. The film stars Marion Cotillard, Clara Pacini, August Diehl, and Gaspar Noé.

Co-written with Geoff Cox, The Ice Tower premiered earlier this year at the Berlin Film Festival. The project reunites Hadžihalilović with Cotillard, who also starred in her 2004 debut feature Innocence. Known for her surreal and unsettling narratives, the director brings her distinctive style to another collaboration with long-time creative partner Noé, with whom she co-founded the production company Les Cinémas de la Zone in the early 1990s.

Hadžihalilović’s work has previously received recognition at international festivals including San Sebastián, Toronto, and Cannes. The Ice Tower continues her exploration of atmospheric, psychological storytelling, blending elements of fantasy and existential unease.

The film will be released in U.S. theaters on October 3.

Animated Short Pigasus Launches Globally on YouTube

Posted on August 21, 2025 by admin

The award-winning animated short Pigasus is now available worldwide following its debut on YouTube on August 21, 2025. Produced by Arcana Studio and directed by Sean Patrick O’Reilly, the film has screened at nearly 200 international festivals and earned more than 60 awards.

Based on Don McDowell’s book Pigasus: The Lost Paradise Elysium, Battle for Evermore, the story follows a young pig on a fantastical journey of self-discovery, accompanied by creatures like Pegasus and Unicorn. The film blends adventure and fantasy while exploring themes of growth, resilience, and hope.

Originally released in 2023, Pigasus has been recognized at festivals including the World Film Festival in Cannes, the Vegas Movie Awards, and the Hollywood Gold Awards. Its online release marks the first time the short is widely accessible to a global audience.

“Preparation for the Next Life” Explores Love, Survival, and Displacement in a Divided City

Posted on August 4, 2025 by admin

By Armando

Director Bing Liu’s narrative debut Preparation for the Next Life will open in select U.S. theaters on September 5, 2025, with a newly released trailer offering a first look at the drama’s intimate focus on immigration, trauma, and connection.

Based on the acclaimed novel by Atticus Lish and adapted by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Martyna Majok, the film follows Aishe (Sebiye Behtiyar), a Uyghur woman working in the margins of New York City’s Chinatown. There, she meets Skinner (Fred Hechinger), a recently discharged U.S. soldier struggling to re-adjust after three tours in the Middle East.

The film centers on their evolving relationship, two people shaped by violence, displacement, and invisibility, who begin to imagine the possibility of a life different from the one they expected. Rather than offering a traditional romance, Preparation for the Next Life studies how love can exist amid precarity, revealing the quiet resilience of people surviving in the cracks of a divided city.

Liu, best known for his Oscar-nominated documentary Minding the Gap, brings a vérité sensibility to the story, blending documentary texture with deeply cinematic storytelling. His approach captures New York with an almost tactile realism, where each street corner feels lived-in and every moment carries emotional weight.

Produced by Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele Romanski, Mark Ceryak, and Barry Jenkins, the film reflects Liu’s signature blend of empathy and social observation, balancing raw intimacy with political awareness.

Watch the trailer for Preparation for the Next Life below.