Category Archives: Festivals and Awards

The FCC complaints regarding John Cena presenting at the Oscars

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Kory Grow reveals in Rolling Stone what the Three People [who] Did Not Enjoy John Cena’s Physical Perfection at [the] Oscars wrote.

He begins with the admission that “Rolling Stone was able to review the irate messages via a Freedom of Information Act request.”

One wrote:

“Indecent Prime Time TV: There is no reason why a grown man will come to national television like a streaker and molest and abuse all the children who will hear and see this in TV and in the various media the following day. There is need for Cena and the Oscar organizers to be cancelled for promoting gratuitous and inappropriate nudity in such horrific levels that they deserve boycott in the first order.”

Another wrote:

“What more can I say….other than an undresses [sic] man coming out on stage with only and piece of paper covering his private parts! Do your job! Get this filth off our TVs!”

A third wrote:

“Double standards with nudity: John Cena’s almost-complete nudity during the Oscars on March 12th, 2024, was abhorrent. If that had been a woman, the world would have ended.”

Riley Utley reports on Cinemablend that the Academy specified that “a bulge cannot be showing, and you can’t show crack.”

No crack proof.

Watch the costume change.

My take: lol! The world did not end. In fact, it was one of the high points of the broadcast. Perhaps those three were just jealous?

How to piss off film festivals in 16 easy steps

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Elliot Grove lists on Raindance the 16 Things Film Festivals Hate About Filmmakers.

Here are the points but please visit the site for the full elaboration:

  1. Filmmakers who don’t read the festival rules and regulations
  2. Filmmakers who don’t complete submission details
  3. Filmmakers who send wrong or incorrect email and telephone numbers
  4. Filmmakers who are incommunicado
  5. Filmmakers who are too communicative
  6. Filmmakers who are having fights with their team
  7. Filmmakers who haven’t cleared music rights
  8. Filmmakers who send faulty preview discs
  9. Filmmakers who want us to watch their films on DVD
  10. Filmmakers who send bad production stills
  11. Filmmakers with no social network
  12. Filmmakers without a press kit
  13. Filmmakers who are rude
  14. Filmmakers who don’t understand the role of a festival
  15. Filmmakers who fall for cons
  16. Filmmakers who ignore relationships

In other words, if you want to be loved by film festivals, do the exact opposite of this list.

My take: FilmFreeway lists over 13,000 film festivals. The biggest piece of advice that I think is missing from Elliot’s list above is: choose wisely. In other words, understand the goals for your film, set a budget and then narrow down your list of festivals to the ones that have shown films like yours in the past. Be honest with yourself about the film’s quality and uniqueness. After all, it will be competing against potentially thousands of other submissions: “For TIFF, we get between 4,000 to 4,500 films every year. Sundance gets 10,000 to 11,000 every year.”

Academy makes it harder for indies to qualify for Best Picture in 2024

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Josh Rottenberg and Glenn Whipp report in The Los Angeles Times that The Oscars are changing the rules for best picture.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the news on Wednesday, June 21, 2023:

“The Academy’s Board of Governors has approved new requirements to broaden the public theatrical exhibition criteria for Oscars® eligibility in the Best Picture category starting with the 97th Academy Awards®, for films released in 2024.
Upon completion of an initial qualifying run, currently defined as a one-week theatrical release in one of the six U.S. qualifying cities, a film must meet the following additional theatrical standards for Best Picture eligibility:

  • Expanded theatrical run of seven days, consecutive or non-consecutive, in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets, no later than 45 days after the initial release in 2024.
  • For late-in-the-year films with expansions after January 10, 2025, distributors must submit release plans to the Academy for verification.
  • Release plans for late-in-the-year films must include a planned expanded theatrical run, as described above, to be completed no later than January 24, 2025.
  • Non-U.S. territory releases can count towards two of the 10 markets.
  • Qualifying non-U.S. markets include the top 15 international theatrical markets plus the home territory for the film.”

My take: These new rules begin in 2024, for Best Picture contenders in the 2025 awards. It’s interesting to compare the number of theatres for winners Everything Everywhere All At Once, The Whale and Nomadland.

How the most-awarded film in history did it

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Hilton Dresden tallies in The Hollywood Reporter 2023’s Oscar Wins By Film: ‘EEAAO’ Leads With 7 Statues.

They write:

“As expected, Daniels Kwan and Scheinert’s Everything Everywhere All At Once has come out on top at 2023’s Oscars ceremony, with the most wins of anything nominated. The A24 multiverse dramedy, only the second feature film from the directing duo, took home seven awards: best picture, director, lead actress for Michelle Yeoh, original screenplay, editing, supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan and supporting actress for Jamie Lee Curtis.”

Alex Stedman analyzes on IGN How Everything Everywhere All At Once Went From Intriguing Indie to Awards Juggernaut.

She plots out this timeline:

  • Dec. 14, 2021: Trailer Debuts and Picks Up Steam
  • March 11, 2022: Everything Everywhere All At Once Opens SXSW to Rave Reviews
  • March 25, 2022: Everything Everywhere Opens in Limited Theaters
  • April 16, 2022: A24 Doubles the Theater Count, Continues to Expand, and Cashes in
  • Jan. 24, 2023: Everything Everywhere Scores 11 Oscar Nominations and Begins Awards Sweeps

To date, the film has made almost $108M worldwide on a budget of $25M.

Guy Lodge explains in The Guardian how ‘A24 finds the zeitgeist and sets the trend’: how a small indie producer came to dominate the Oscars.

He writes:

“With 11 nominations, Everything Everywhere All at Once leads the Oscar field; A24, likewise, is the leader among studios, having also secured nominations in various categories for its films Aftersun, The Whale, Causeway, Close and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. And this kingmaker status has been achieved with surprisingly few concessions to the mainstream.”

He traces the company’s 10-year history and quotes filmmaker Lulu Wang as saying:

“‘A24’s brand is intertwined with the identities of the artists that it works with, and [is] known for championing unique voices. At the same time, they just have a really incredible ability to identify the zeitgeist before everybody else has. They set the trend…. The world has changed. Our industry has changed. And who is saving cinema? We have to draw people to theatres. And we don’t want the tentpoles to be the only things on offer. If A24 are able to continue getting independent films made, and protecting the voices that make those independent films, I don’t care if it has to come with a mug.’”

My take: Great work, A24! This is evidence the tide has turned and more interesting films are in vogue once again. I guess we’ll know for sure in 12 months.

BIFA replaces gendered acting awards

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Annie Martin reports on UPI that the British Independent Film Awards introduce gender-neutral acting categories.

She says:

“BIFA will replace its gendered acting categories with five new awards: Best Lead Performance, Best Supporting Performance, Best Joint Lead Performance — for two or three performances that are the joint focus of the film — and Best Ensemble. The new categories join Breakthrough Performance. Other organizations have also switched to gender-neutral categories, including the Berlin Film Festival, the MTV Movie Awards and the BRIT Awards.”

Meanwhile, John Norris argues on The Daily Beast Why the Oscars Should Do Away With Gender.

He says:

“It’s long past time for acting awards like the Oscars to be non-gendered. Whenever this, to my mind, sensible, modest proposal is brought up, the objections generally come down to three areas: (1) that if men and women competed against one another for Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, BAFTAs and Golden Globes, the result would be an XY tsunami, in which women would hardly stand a chance; (2) the inequality of acting opportunity in Hollywood and beyond is so skewed in favor of men that having separate female categories is necessary; and (3) that no one, from award show producers to networks to the public, wants to see any change that could potentially decrease the number of stars on stage or on a red carpet in a designer gown.“

He proposes that the two five-person categories should be combined into one ten-person category. Note that Best Picture is a ten film category.

My take: just to play Devil’s Advocate, I think we should acknowledge more excellence by female creators and therefore recognize male and female winners in every category. How about separate nights for each Academy Awards: one night the women can bask in their collective successes and the next the men can duke it out among each other for supremacy?

Cannes 2022: film quotas drive national production

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Scott Roxborough reports in The Hollywood Reporter that Wall Street Hits the Croisette: Why Private Equity Investors Are Bullish on Indie Film.

He claims:

“Private equity, or PE, firms are pumping money into the entertainment content, financing independent production and snatching up companies at a level never seen before in the indie industry…. Some of the biggest players packaging projects and inking deals on the Croisette have backing from private equity groups…. The bet PE investors are making is that the explosive growth in streaming services will lead to a similar demand boom for content. And that the companies that own the IP, the original films and TV shows the streamers need, will be best positioned to benefit.”

He traces this demand squarely back to government policy:

“Many see particularly strong growth potential in Europe, where European Union (EU) content quotas for SVOD platforms — 30 percent of all content on streaming services in Europe must be European-made — has created guaranteed demand for original, home-grown films and series which most streamers will be unable to fill on their own.”

As to Cannes, filmmaker Jeremy Lutter (pictured above) compares this year’s experience with previous ones:

“Cannes is in some ways the same and in some ways different. I would say it’s two thirds the size as previous non-COVID years in terms of events. But, considering the situation, it’s impressive! The crowds are smaller but it’s still busy. As for deals — people are looking — there’s been less movies made recently — everyone is hungry for movies. Oh yeah, instead of a gift bag, this year you get a PPE mask with a logo on it!”

My take: of course, quotas drive national production. We proved that with CanCon and Canadian music; witness the dozens of Canadian superstars, who, as Simu Liu points out about Shawn Mendes, Avril Lavigne and Arcade Fire, “like me have fulfilled the ultimate Canadian dream of making it in America — but to our credit, we always come back!”

Michael Korican to host Q & A at Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival

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Thursday night, May 5, 2022, at the Vic Theatre, Victoria, BC.

As you may know, I’m the current President of CineVic, Victoria’s largest media arts centre, and sound editor and co-producer of its podcast, Push In.

I’m also the Selection Committee Chair of its Short Circuit Pacific Rim Short Film Festival.

It’s in that capacity that I’ll be hosting the Questions and Answers for Thursday night’s screening.

Joining us will be:

  • Joyce Kline (Director, Cancelled Stamp)
  • Jocelyn Russell (Producer, Cancelled Stamp)
  • Tammy Tsang (Director, Lauren in the Bathroom)
  • David Lennon (Actor, Wallpaper)

The films are:

  1. A Tight Ten (California • 17 mins • Chelsea Spirito)
  2. Cancelled Stamp (Victoria • 13 mins • Joyce Kline)
  3. Fumes (Singapore • 7 mins • Dominic Graham)
  4. Wallpaper (Vancouver • 9 mins • Tanya Jade)
  5. Lauren in the Bathroom (Vancouver • 2 mins • Tammy Tsang)
  6. The Old Man Next Door (New Zealand • 15 mins • Aidan Otene Dickens)
  7. Purea (New Zealand • 6 mins • Kath Akuhata-Brown)

My take: Honoured to do this!

CODA wins three Oscars

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Troy Kotsur won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in CODA last Sunday night.

CODA also won Best Picture, the first time a streamer (AppleTV) has done so. CODA’s director Siân Heder won in the adapted screenplay category as well.

Kotsur becomes the second Deaf actor to win an Oscar; Marlee Matlin, his co-star in CODA, won Best Actress in 1987, 35 years ago.

I asked Sarah Nicole Faucher, a filmmaker with a hearing deficit in Victoria, how she felt about CODA’s wins:

“They made me feel hopeful that positive change is coming, not just for profoundly deaf people who only communicate with ASL, but for all disabled people like UK actors Alex Brooker (paraplegic amputee), Heather Mills (amputee), and Genevieve Barr (professional lip-reader) as well as American actors like R.J. Mitte (cerebral palsy) and the very well-known Peter Dinklage (achondroplasia). Better late than never.”

Sarah Nicole won CineVic’s CineSpark competition last year and her short “Going Home” will premiere at this year’s Short Circuit Pacific Rim Short Film Festival.

“For that, I’m very grateful. The director, Trent Peek, and the cameraman-editor, Connor Nyhan, are passionate about the project. ‘Going Home’ is a true drama based on an incident that happened not quite 40 years ago. Some members of our team experienced synchronistic incidents just prior and during the filming. Disabled people, some with hidden disabilities, including two background actors, came up to us expressing that no one makes films about difficulties experienced by people with disabilities. They were moved, touched, and thanked us that it was not ‘inspiration porn‘. My hopes for specifically deaf and hard of hearing stories are that they are coming for the sake of an inclusive, diversified society. We can not be afraid of change.”

My take: of course, there was another “upset” at the Oscars. All I’m going to say about that is that Chris Rock ought to know better than to poke fun at a black woman’s hair. After all, he made a documentary all about it, called “Good Hair“:

The Future of Film Showcase 2021

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The annual Future of Film Showcase (FOFS) is happening now.

Evan Goldberg (google him if you don’t recognize the name) gave the opening keynote conversation.

Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail interviewed him leading up to this. On if heading off to Hollywood is the only way to make it, he says:

“Seth and I knew our sensibility was in making huge in-theatre comedies. But if you’re trying to make a dramatic indie film that’s not specifically designed to be a blockbuster that makes a lot of money, then Canada has an incredible system to help you. I feel that Canada is always pushing its filmmakers in an impressive way. Usually there’s the industry that pushes it, but the actual political forces of Canada push it forward, too. But I feel like it’s going to break through in a bigger way soon. Canada has been known as a great place to produce comedians, but there’s a wave of directors and producers coming up, too. And the opportunities are growing: We have giant corporations and studios setting up shop here.”

Most of the Industry Panels have passed or are full but there are still two ZOOM seminars available:

Watch this year’s films on CBC GEM and read about them here.

My take: a worthy cause and event — but maybe slightly ageist, as their definition of emerging means 40 and under. I guess that makes me “post-emerging?” (Back in the day, 30 was the supposed dividing line. Remember, “Don’t trust anyone over 30?”)

The future of film festivals

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The Whistler Film Festival, in partnership with Telefilm Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and Nordicity, has just released a report on The Future of Film Festivals; Emerging models and relevant practices for media arts organizations.

The takeaways? Sorta glass half full:

“The hybrid online/in-person model, in some form, is here to stay, bringing with it significant benefits as well as formidable challenges.

Digital programming allows film festivals to be more accessible but also makes it harder to stand out in a crowded online space.

The loss of organic connections is a crucial barrier, especially for emerging creators, to access networking and sales opportunities.”

Some key quotes:

“Film festivals are curators and will stay as curators, with this identity becoming more important than ever. For example, one festival noted that “we cannot compete with platforms like Netflix and do not plan on trying to.” Instead, festivals will continue to focus on providing the viewer with a different type of experience. Such niche experiences include screenings from independent filmmakers, providing region-specific content, or amplifying films from equity-seeking groups.”

And:

“Key strategic positioning considerations include the level of in-person vs. online screening and the balance of industry programming (e.g., panels, networking) vs. film screenings that may attract a wider, non-industry audience. Different festivals will have different approaches regarding the hybrid delivery and their positioning. Film festivals will need to have a clear understanding of their audiences and develop clear communications on what is held in-person and online.”

Further:

“As film festivals are competing for people’s time online in the attention economy, differentiating themselves in the online market will be a strategic necessity when retaining a hybrid model. Examples of differentiating strategies provided by interviewees include focusing on regional-specific content or specific film genres and niches. Articulating a specific identity as an organization will be key to making that differentiation clear to existing and potential new audiences.”

Download the final report.

My take: Once in-person gathering restrictions are lifted and cinemas reopen (and audiences feel safe enough to return,) film festivals will have three choices: remain online only, return to in-person only, or adopt a hybrid model. I think the hybrid model will maximize the benefits of both approaches: the intimacy of the theatre plus the global reach of online. Depending on the target audience, I think the hybrid model can work extremely well. Imagine a weekend in-person festival followed by a month of online screenings: the best of both! The wildcard will be “Zoom fatigue” though — have folks just had too much of their digital screens?