After nearly 50 years of hiding, Leatherface returns to terrorize a group of idealistic young friends who accidentally disrupt his carefully shielded world in a remote Texas town.

Based on characters created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper. Story by Fede Álvarez & Rodo Sayagues. Screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin. Directed by David Blue Garcia.

When the Westphal family learned that their 6-year-old Kyle was on the Autism spectrum, they feared they might never develop a real connection to their child. Withdrawn and constantly wrapping himself in fabric and blankets, Kyle was retreating from the world around him. Determined to find a way to connect, his parents embarked on an intense and radical journey which involved compassionately joining Kyle in his unique behaviors. Twenty years later, the entire family looks back at Kyle's journey with candor and humor. Let Me Be Me reveals what happens when a boy who used fabric as his shield to hide himself grows up to become a fashion designer, forging connections with friends and family along the way.

The following films are longlisted for the 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards, listed alphabetically by title, with the exception of the performance categories, listed alphabetically by the surname of the performer, followed by the film title.

The nominations will be announced on Thursday 3 February 2022. The winners will be announced on Sunday 13 March.

Round Two voting, to determine the nominations in the member voted categories, will open between Friday 14 and Thursday 27 January 2022.

BEST FILM

15 films go through to the Round Two of voting, and five will be nominated. This is the only category voted for by all film voting members in all voting rounds. 217 films were submitted for consideration.

• Being The Ricardos
• Belfast
• CODA
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• House of Gucci
• King Richard
• Licorice Pizza
• No Time To Die
• The French Dispatch
• The Lost Daughter
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• tick tick...BOOM!
• West Side Story

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

20 films will go through to Round Two of voting. The top five films from the opt-in chapter vote in Round One automatically receive a nomination. The next ranking 15 films will be considered by a jury, who will vote for five nominations. 10 films will be nominated in this category. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner in this category. 64 films were submitted for consideration, all of which passed the BFI Diversity Standards.

• After Love
• Ali & Ava
• Belfast
• Benediction
• Boiling Point
• The Colour Room
• Cruella
• Cyrano
• The Duke
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
• Everybody's Talking About Jamie
• House of Gucci
• The King's Man
• Last Night in Soho
• Mothering Sunday
• Munich- The Edge of War
• No Time To Die
• Operation Mincemeat
• Passing
• Spencer

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER

10 films have been longlisted, and five will be nominated. The longlist, nominees and winner in this category are voted on by a jury. 37 films were submitted for consideration.

• After Love
• Boiling Point
• Censor
• Dying to Divorce
• The Harder They Fall
• Hostile
• Keyboard Fantasies
• Passing
• The Power
• Sweetheart

FILM NOT IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

15 films will progress to Round Two of voting, and five will be nominated. This category is voted for in all three Rounds by an opt-in Chapter. 50 films were submitted for consideration.

• A Hero
• Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
• Compartment No. 6
• Drive My Car
• Flee
• The Hand of God
• I'm Your Man
• Lamb
• The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
• Parallel Mothers
• Paris, 13th District
• Petite Maman
• Riders of Justice
• Titane
• The Worst Person in the World

DOCUMENTARY

15 films will progress to Round Two of voting. The top two films from the opt-in chapter vote in Round One automatically receive a nomination. The next ranking 13 films will be considered by a jury, who will vote for three nominations.  Five films will be nominated in this category. In Round three, the Documentary opt-in chapter will select the winner in this category.

• 14 Peaks: Nothing Is Impossible
• Becoming Cousteau
• Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry
• Cow
• Flee
• JFK Revisited: Through The Looking Glass
• Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story
• The Lost Leonardo
• The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
• The Real Charlie Chaplin
• The Rescue
• The Sparks Brothers
• Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
• Tina
• The Velvet Underground

ANIMATED FILM

Seven films will progress to Round Two of voting, and four will be nominated. This category is voted for in all three Rounds by an opt-in Chapter. 14 films were submitted for consideration.

• Encanto
• Flee
• Luca
• The Mitchells vs the Machines
• Raya and the Last Dragon
• Ron's Gone Wrong
• Sing 2

DIRECTOR

20 films will progress to Round Two of voting, and six will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is voted on by a jury (nominations) and Round Three is voted on by the general membership (winner). To determine this longlist, in Round One, the directing chapter voted; the top seven female and top seven male directed films were automatically longlisted. The remaining 3 female and 3 male directors were voted for by a Longlisting jury, who have considered the next 10 ranking female and male directed films. A nominating jury will vote for the six nominations. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 184 films were submitted for consideration.

• After Love
• Belfast
• CODA
• Don't Look Up
• Drive My Car
• Dune
• First Cow
• The Hand of God
• Happening
• King Richard
• Licorice Pizza
• The Lost Daughter
• Passing
• Petite Maman
• The Power of the Dog
• The Souvenir Part II
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Titane
• West Side Story
• Zola

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 78 films were submitted for consideration.

• After Love
• Being The Ricardos
• Belfast
• The Card Counter
• C'mon C'mon
• Don't Look Up
• The Duke
• The French Dispatch
• The Hand of God
• King Richard
• Last Night in Soho
• Licorice Pizza
• Parallel Mothers
• Petite Maman
• The Worst Person in the World

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 62 films were submitted for consideration.

• CODA
• Cyrano
• Drive My Car
• Dune
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• The Green Knight
• House of Gucci
• The Last Duel
• The Lost Daughter
• No Time To Die
• Passing
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• tick tick...BOOM!
• West Side Story

LEADING ACTRESS

15 performances will progress to Round Two of voting, and six will be nominated. To determine this longlist, in Round One the acting chapter voted; the top 12 were automatically longlisted. The remaining three places have been voted on by the Longlisting jury, who have considered the next 10 placed performances from the chapter vote. Round Two is voted on by a jury who will vote for the six nominations. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner in this category. 82 performances were submitted for consideration.

• Jessica Chastain The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Olivia Colman The Lost Daughter
• Lady Gaga House of Gucci
• Alana Haim Licorice Pizza
• Jennifer Hudson Respect
• Emilia Jones CODA
• Nicole Kidman Being The Ricardos
• Jennifer Lawrence Don't Look Up
• Frances McDormand The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Renate Reinsve The Worst Person in the World
• Claire Rushbrook Ali & Ava
• Joanna Scanlan After Love
• Kristen Stewart Spencer
• Tessa Thompson Passing
• Rachel Zegler West Side Story

LEADING ACTOR

15 performances will progress to Round Two of voting, and six will be nominated. To determine this longlist, in Round One the acting chapter voted; the top 12 were automatically longlisted. The remaining three places have been voted on by the Longlisting jury, who have considered the next 10 placed performances from the chapter vote. Round Two is voted on by a jury who will vote for the six nominations. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner in this category. 102 performances were submitted for consideration.

• Riz Ahmed Encounter
• Adeel Akhtar Ali & Ava
• Mahershala Ali Swan Song
• Javier Bardem Being The Ricardos
• Daniel Craig No Time To Die
• Benedict Cumberbatch The Power of the Dog
• Leonardo DiCaprio Don't Look Up
• Peter Dinklage Cyrano
• Adam Driver House of Gucci
• Andrew Garfield tick tick...BOOM!
• Stephen Graham Boiling Point
• Cooper Hoffman Licorice Pizza
• Joaquin Phoenix C'mon C'mon
• Will Smith King Richard
• Denzel Washington The Tragedy of Macbeth

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

15 performances will progress to Round Two of voting, and six will be nominated. To determine this longlist, in Round One the acting chapter voted; the top 12 were automatically longlisted. The remaining three places have been voted on by the Longlisting jury, who have considered the next 10 placed performances from the chapter vote. Round Two is voted on by a jury who will vote for the six nominations. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner in this category. 202 performances were submitted for consideration.

• Caitríona Balfe Belfast
• Cate Blanchett Don't Look Up
• Jessie Buckley The Lost Daughter
• Ana de Armas No Time To Die
• Ariana DeBose West Side Story
• Ann Dowd Mass
• Judi Dench Belfast
• Kirsten Dunst The Power of the Dog
• Aunjanue Ellis King Richard
• Kathryn Hunter The Tragedy of Macbeth
• Rita Moreno West Side Story
• Ruth Negga Passing
• Vinette Robinson Boiling Point
• Meryl Streep Don't Look Up
• Anya Taylor-Joy Last Night in Soho

SUPPORTING ACTOR

15 performances will progress to Round Two of voting, and six will be nominated. To determine this longlist, in Round One the acting chapter voted; the top 12 were automatically longlisted. The remaining three places have been voted on by the Longlisting jury, who have considered the next 10 placed performances from the chapter vote. Round Two is voted on by a jury who will vote for the six nominations. In Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner in this category. 283 performances were submitted for consideration.

• David Alvarez West Side Story
• Bradley Cooper Licorice Pizza
• Benicio del Toro The French Dispatch
• Jamie Dornan Belfast
• Ciarán Hinds Belfast
• Mike Faist West Side Story
• Andrew Garfield The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• Troy Kotsur CODA
• Jared Leto House of Gucci
• Woody Norman C’mon C’mon
• Al Pacino House of Gucci
• Jesse Plemons The Power of the Dog
• Mark Rylance Don't Look Up
• J.K. Simmons Being The Ricardos
• Kodi Smit-McPhee The Power of the Dog

CASTING

15 films will progress to Round Two of voting, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is voted on by a jury (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 89 films were submitted in this category. Casting Statements, written by the Casting Directors about the casting process, are provided by the entrants and shared with the jury in Round Two and published on BAFTA View.

• After Love
• Belfast
• Boiling Point
• CODA
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The Hand of God
• House of Gucci
• King Richard
• Licorice Pizza
• The Lost Daughter
• Passing
• The Power of the Dog
• tick tick...BOOM!
• West Side Story

CINEMATOGRAPHY

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 126 films were submitted for consideration.

• Belfast
• C'mon C'mon
• Cyrano
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The French Dispatch
• House of Gucci
• The Last Duel
• Last Night in Soho
• Licorice Pizza
• Nightmare Alley
• No Time To Die
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• West Side Story

COSTUME DESIGN

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 86 films were submitted for consideration.

• Being The Ricardos
• Belfast
• Cruella
• Cyrano
• Dune
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• The French Dispatch
• House of Gucci
• Last Night in Soho
• Licorice Pizza
• Nightmare Alley
• The Power of the Dog
• Spencer
• West Side Story

EDITING

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 154 films were submitted for consideration.

• Belfast
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The French Dispatch
• The Hand of God
• House of Gucci
• Last Night in Soho
• Licorice Pizza
• The Lost Daughter
• No Time To Die
• The Power of the Dog
• Summer of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
• tick tick...BOOM!
• Titane
• West Side Story

MAKE UP & HAIR

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 77 films were submitted for consideration.

• Being The Ricardos
• Coming 2 America
• Cruella
• Cyrano
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
• The Eyes of Tammy Faye
• The French Dispatch
• House of Gucci
• The King's Man
• The Last Duel
• Last Night in Soho
• No Time To Die
• West Side Story

ORIGINAL SCORE

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 101 films were submitted for consideration. Music cue sheets are provided by the entrants and published on BAFTA View for the music chapter in Rounds One and Two, and for all voting members in Round Three.

• Being The Ricardos
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
• The French Dispatch
• The Green Knight
• The Harder They Fall
• King Richard
• The Last Duel
• Last Night in Soho
• The Lost Daughter
• Nightmare Alley
• No Time To Die
• The Power of the Dog
• Spencer

PRODUCTION DESIGN

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 99 films were submitted for consideration.

• Being The Ricardos
• Belfast
• Cruella
• Cyrano
• Dune
• The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
• The French Dispatch
• House of Gucci
• The Last Duel
• Licorice Pizza
• Nightmare Alley
• No Time To Die
• The Power of the Dog
• The Tragedy of Macbeth
• West Side Story

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 56 films were submitted for consideration. Entrants can submit a supporting Statement and a show-reel of the SVFX work (up to five minutes in duration); this will be published on BAFTA View for the general voting membership in Round Three.

• Black Widow
• Cruella
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• Eternals
• Free Guy
• The French Dispatch
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• The King's Man
• Last Night in Soho
• The Matrix Resurrections
• No Time To Die
• Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
• The Suicide Squad
• Venom: Let There Be Carnage

SOUND

15 films will progress to Round Two, and five will be nominated. Round One is a chapter vote, Round Two is a chapter vote (nominations) and in Round Three, the general voting membership will select the winner. 126 films were submitted for consideration.

• A Quiet Place Part II
• Belfast
• CODA
• Don't Look Up
• Dune
• The French Dispatch
• Ghostbusters: Afterlife
• The Harder They Fall
• The Last Duel
• Last Night in Soho
• The Matrix Resurrections
• No Time To Die
• The Power of the Dog
• tick tick...BOOM!
• West Side Story

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION

Six films have been longlisted, and three will be nominated. Rounds One and Two (longlist and nominations) are a jury vote, and an opt in chapter will select the winner in Round Three.

• Affairs of the Art
• Do Not Feed The Pigeons
• A Film About A Pudding
• Homebird
• Night of the Living Dread
• Robin Robin

BRITISH SHORT FILM

10 films have been longlisted, and five will be nominated. In Round One, members of the opt-in shorts chapter vote to form a preliminary longlist, and from the highest ranking films a jury vote for the longlist of 10 films. In Round Two, the jury vote on the nominations. In Round Three, an opt in chapter will select the winner.

• The Black Cop
• Three Meetings Of The Extraordinary Committee
• Femme
• The Palace
• Play It Safe
• Rough
• Roy
• Stuffed
• Punch-Drunk
• The Tunnel

Round Two voting, to determine the nominations in the member voted categories, will open between Friday 14 and Thursday 27 January 2022.

All longlisted films are available for voting members to watch on BAFTA View.

The EE Rising Star Award nominations will be announced on Tuesday 1 February 2022.

The EE British Academy Film Awards nominations will be announced on Thursday 3 February 2022.

Round Three voting, to determine the winners, will open between Wednesday 9 February and Tuesday 8 March 2022.

The EE British Academy Film Awards ceremony takes place on Sunday 13 March 2022.

A rock climbing adventure between two friends turns into a terrifying nightmare. After Kelly (Brittany Ashworth) captures the murder of her best friend on camera, she becomes the next target of a tight-knit group of friends who will stop at nothing to destroy the evidence and anyone in their way. Desperate for her safety, she begins a treacherous climb up a mountain cliff and her survival instincts are put to the test when she becomes trapped with the killers just 20 feet away.

Featuring: Brittany Ashworth, Ben Lamb, Louis Boyer, Nathan Welsh, Anaïs Parello, David Wayman

In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, “Midway”) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, “Game of Thrones”) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.

Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Roland Emmerich & Harald Kloser & Spenser Cohen, the film also stars Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor, Carolina Bartczak, and Donald Sutherland.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced shortlists in 10 categories for the 94th Academy Awards®...

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Feature category for the 94th Academy Awards.  One hundred thirty-eight films were eligible in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Ascension” 
“Attica”
“Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”
“Faya Dayi”
“The First Wave”
“Flee”
“In the Same Breath”
“Julia”
“President”
“Procession”
“The Rescue”
“Simple as Water” 
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
“The Velvet Underground”
“Writing with Fire”

DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT
Fifteen films will advance in the Documentary Short Subject category for the 94th Academy Awards.  Eighty-two films qualified in the category.  Members of the Documentary Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Águilas”
“Audible”
“A Broken House”
“Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis”
“Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker”
“Day of Rage”
“The Facility”
“Lead Me Home”
“Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day””
“The Queen of Basketball”
“Sophie & the Baron”
“Takeover”
“Terror Contagion”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM
Fifteen films will advance to the next round of voting in the International Feature Film category for the 94th Academy Awards.  Films from 92 countries were eligible in the category.

Academy members from all branches were invited to participate in the preliminary round of voting and must have met a minimum viewing requirement to be eligible to vote in the category. 

In the nominations round, Academy members from all branches are invited to opt in to participate and must view all 15 shortlisted films to vote.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Austria, “Great Freedom”
Belgium, “Playground”
Bhutan, “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”
Denmark, “Flee”
Finland, “Compartment No. 6”
Germany, “I’m Your Man”
Iceland, “Lamb”
Iran, “A Hero”
Italy, “The Hand of God”
Japan, “Drive My Car”
Kosovo, “Hive”
Mexico, “Prayers for the Stolen”
Norway, “The Worst Person in the World”
Panama, “Plaza Catedral”
Spain, “The Good Boss”

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
Ten films will advance in the Makeup and Hairstyling category for the 94th Academy Awards.  All members of the Academy’s Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Branch will be invited to view seven-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Sunday, January 30, 2022.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar® consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Coming 2 America”
“Cruella”
“Cyrano”
“Dune”
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
“House of Gucci”
“Nightmare Alley”
“No Time to Die”
“The Suicide Squad”
“West Side Story”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
Fifteen scores will advance in the Original Score category for the 94th Academy Awards.  One hundred thirty-six scores were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The scores, listed in alphabetical order by film title, are:

“Being the Ricardos”
“Candyman”
“Don’t Look Up”
“Dune”
“Encanto”
“The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun”
“The Green Knight”
“The Harder They Fall”
“King Richard”
“The Last Duel”
“No Time to Die”
“Parallel Mothers”
“The Power of the Dog”
“Spencer”
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
Fifteen songs will advance in the Original Song category for the 94th Academy Awards.  Eighty-four songs were eligible in the category.  Members of the Music Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The original songs, along with the motion picture in which each song is featured, are listed below in alphabetical order by film title:

“So May We Start?” from “Annette”
“Down To Joy” from “Belfast”
“Right Where I Belong” from “Brian Wilson: Long Promised Road”
“Automatic Woman” from “Bruised”
“Dream Girl” from “Cinderella”
“Beyond The Shore” from “CODA”
“The Anonymous Ones” from “Dear Evan Hansen”
“Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up”
“Dos Oruguitas” from “Encanto”
“Somehow You Do” from “Four Good Days”
“Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall”
“Be Alive” from “King Richard”
“No Time To Die” from “No Time to Die”
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from “Respect”
“Your Song Saved My Life” from “Sing 2”

ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Animated Short Film category for the 94th Academy Awards.  Eighty-two films qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Affairs of the Art”
“Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice”
“Bad Seeds”
“Bestia”
“Boxballet”
“Flowing Home”
“Mum Is Pouring Rain”
“The Musician”
“Namoo”
“Only a Child”
“Robin Robin”
“Souvenir Souvenir”
“Step into the River”
“Us Again”
“The Windshield Wiper”

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Fifteen films will advance in the Live Action Short Film category for the 94th Academy Awards.  One hundred forty-five films qualified in the category.  Members of the Short Films and Feature Animation, Directors, Producers and Writers Branches vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Ala Kachuu - Take and Run”
“Censor of Dreams”
“The Criminals”
“Distances”
“The Dress”
“Frimas”
“Les Grandes Claques”
“The Long Goodbye”
“On My Mind”
“Please Hold”
“Stenofonen”
“Tala’vision”
“Under the Heavens”
“When the Sun Sets”
“You’re Dead Helen”

SOUND
Ten films will advance in the Sound category for the 94th Academy Awards.  Members of the Sound Branch vote to determine the shortlist and the nominees.  All members of the Sound Branch will be invited to view eight-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films beginning Friday, January 28, 2022.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Belfast”
“Dune”
“Last Night in Soho”
“The Matrix Resurrections”
“No Time to Die”
“The Power of the Dog”
“A Quiet Place Part II”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
“tick, tick...BOOM!”
“West Side Story”

VISUAL EFFECTS
Ten films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 94th Academy Awards.  The Visual Effects Branch Executive Committee determined the shortlist.  All members of the Visual Effects Branch will be invited to view 10-minute excerpts and interviews with the artists from each of the shortlisted films on Saturday, January 29, 2022.  Branch members will vote to nominate five films for final Oscar consideration.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by title, are:

“Black Widow”
“Dune”
“Eternals”
“Free Guy”
“Ghostbusters: Afterlife”
“Godzilla vs. Kong”
“The Matrix Resurrections”
“No Time to Die”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”

Nominations voting begins on Thursday, January 27, 2022, and concludes on Tuesday, February 1, 2022.

Nominations for the 94th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, February 8, 2022.

The 94th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, March 27, 2022, at the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland® in Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

You are invited back to the magic. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore is in theaters April 15, 2022.

Professor Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) knows the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald (Mads Mikkelsen) is moving to seize control of the wizarding world. Unable to stop him alone, he entrusts Magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) to lead an intrepid team of wizards, witches and one brave Muggle baker on a dangerous mission, where they encounter old and new beasts and clash with Grindelwald’s growing legion of followers. But with the stakes so high, how long can Dumbledore remain on the sidelines?

Boys Do Cry from Tom Campbell on Vimeo.

In the last 12 months in Australia 2,384 men have taken their own lives. That's an average of 7 men every day, making suicide the leading cause of death in Australian males aged 15-49. Some of these men might still be alive today if they had felt able to speak to someone about how they were feeling.

Generations of men have grown up with the idea that "Boys Don't Cry" - that when the going gets tough, a man should keep his feelings to himself, "man up" and put on a brave front. The Boys Do Cry project aims to put an end to this idea once and for all, so that when the going gets tough, men get talking.

Yes...it's that time of the year when John reveals his favourite films. We've seen most of them...and, surprise surprise, not one of them would make it onto ours or anyone else's pick-of-the year.

Special mention must go to Mandibles and Saint Narcisse...two utterly dreadful films!

1
ANNETTE (Leos Carax) 
The best movie of the year is an insane, over-the-top, and thankfully self-indulgent Sparks Brothers musical about an angry macho performance artist, his opera-diva girlfriend, and their daughter, who is somehow born a puppet. See it by yourself so no one you know can possibly ruin this nutcase masterpiece. Oh yeah—it’s really long.

2
SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
Beautifully edited from forgotten footage left behind in a lab, the so-called Black Woodstock concert film, originally shot in 1969 in Harlem, rises to the top of 2021 with a vengeance. The camera practically goes down Clara Ward’s throat to show us just where her great gospel voice actually begins. Wait till you see Nina Simone—never angrier! She’ll kick your ass and so will this movie.

Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), 2021, 2K video, color, sound, 117 minutes. Nina Simone.

3
VORTEX (Gaspar Noé) 
The director’s most humane and unironic yet scarily claustrophobic feel-bad drama about death is filmed in split-screen Duo-Vision, so be prepared for twice the disturbing power of his other cinematic shockers.

Gaspar Noé, Vortex, 2021, 4K video, color, sound, 142 minutes.

4
FRANCE (Bruno Dumont) 
This psychological study of a fictitious popular female newscaster may start out conventionally, but the assured director’s long pauses and cruel plot twists quickly turn a quasi attack on the media and its ravenous consumers into a searing critique of both the tedium and the emotional risk of living in the public eye.

Bruno Dumont, France, 2021, 2K video, color, sound, 133 minutes. Center: France de Meurs (Léa Seydoux). Production still. Photo: R. Arpajou.

5
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD (Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri)  
Imagine, today, openly gay director Luchino Visconti being allowed inside a high school to parade auditioning half-naked teenage boys in front of him for his film Death in Venice. This harrowing documentary explores the perils of teen stardom for the kid who got the part and went from being the most beautiful to the most fucked up.

6
MANDIBLES (Quentin Dupieux) 
The stupidest art film of the year, directed by a Gallic auteur who specializes in one-joke dumbbell comedies, about a giant fly and two French stooges, is also one of the funniest and most charming.

Quentin Dupieux, Mandibles, 2021, 4K video, color, sound, 78 minutes.

7
RED ROCKET (Sean Baker) 
Shocking? Refreshing? The male gaze comes out of today’s PC closet in an incredibly well-cast tale of a washed-up hetero male porn star who goes back to his meth-head ex-wife and mother-in-law in Texas to start a new dysfunctional life. Finally, fuckin’, fightin’, and frontal nudity are back on the art-house screen, where they belong.

8
THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH (Joel Coen) 
If Ingmar Bergman came back from beyond the grave today to direct Shakespeare on film, this is what it would look like. Kathryn Hunter as all three of the witches has to be seen to be believed.

9
SAINT-NARCISSE (Bruce LaBruce) 
The Canadian punk queer director’s most successfully realized movie, elegantly shot and seamlessly put together. Think Vali the Witch of Positano meets twin Joe Dallesandros. Catholic, sexy, and oh so deviantly devout.

10
THE ONANIA CLUB (Tom Six) 
OK, I’m really going out on a limb here, replacing Pedro Almodóvar’s exquisite Parallel Mothers, a film everybody should love, with this loathsome unreleased feature everybody will probably hate. The Human Centipede director tops himself with a story of rich Los Angeles women who gather together to masturbate while watching news footage of the world’s misery. Often wrongheaded but sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, it has been rejected by film distributors worldwide. All I can say is that the movie sure as hell delivers. You will probably never be able to see it. Maybe that’s a good thing . . . 

A story behind one of the most influential shows of all time. Here’s the official trailer from Being the Ricardos, in theaters December 10 and on Prime Video December 21.

Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem) are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos in Academy Award®-winning writer and director Aaron Sorkin’s behind-the-scenes drama Being the Ricardos. A revealing glimpse of the couple’s complex romantic and professional relationship, the film takes audiences into the writers’ room, onto the soundstage and behind closed doors with Ball and Arnaz during one critical production week of their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy.”

One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?

Day 1 - 27 October 2021...

Day 2 - 28 October 2021...

Day 3 - 29 October 2021...

Day 4 - 30 October 2021...

Day 5 - 31 October 2021...

Day 6 - 1 November 2021...

Day 7 - 2 November 2021...

Day 8 - 3 November 2021...

Day 9 - 4 November 2021...

Day 10 - 5 November 2021...

Day 11 - 6 November 2021...

Day 12 - 7 November 2021...

Short films...

Experience the greatest love story ever told.

Directed By: Joe Wright

Cast: Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin, and Ben Mendelsohn

A dream team of formidable female stars come together in a hard-driving original approach to the globe-trotting espionage genre in The 355.

When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Oscar®-nominated actress Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger, In the Fade), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Oscar® winner Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing, X-Men: Days of Future Past), who is tracking their every move.

As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the wealth and glamour of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world—or get them killed.

by David Anderson Cutler

It's been a long time coming, the wait is finally over...normal services have [partially] resumed...the BFI: London Film Festival is back!!!

Day 1...

Via BFI Player...

Day 2...

What we did watch...and, so glad we did!

What we wanted to watch...but, alas, bizarre time restrictions on the BFI player...and, a press screening that was overly attended. Note to BFI: prioritise the press!

Day 3...

Via BFI Player...

Day 4...

Via BFI Player...

Day 5...

Via BFI Player...

Day 6...

Day 7...

Day 8...

Day 9...

Day 10...

Day 11...

Day 12...

Short films...

The Matrix Resurrections in theaters and on HBO Max December 22 #TheMatrixMovie

From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited fourth film in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.

Directed by Academy Award® winner Steven Spielberg, from a screenplay by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Tony Kushner, “West Side Story” tells the classic tale of fierce rivalries and young love in 1957 New York City. This reimagining of the beloved musical stars Ansel Elgort (Tony); Rachel Zegler (María); Ariana DeBose (Anita); David Alvarez (Bernardo); Mike Faist (Riff); Josh Andrés Rivera (Chino); Ana Isabelle (Rosalía); Corey Stoll (Lieutenant Schrank); Brian d’Arcy James (Officer Krupke); and Rita Moreno (as Valentina, who owns the corner store in which Tony works). Moreno – one of only three artists to be honored with Academy®, Emmy®, GRAMMY®, Tony® and Peabody Awards – also serves as one of the film’s executive producers.

Bringing together the best of both Broadway and Hollywood, the film’s creative team includes Kushner, who also serves as an executive producer; Tony Award® winner Justin Peck, who choreographed the musical numbers in the film; renowned Los Angeles Philharmonic conductor and GRAMMY Award® winner Gustavo Dudamel, who helmed the recording of the iconic score; Academy Award®-nominated composer and conductor David Newman (“Anastasia”), who arranged the score; Tony Award®-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), who supervised the cast on vocals; and Grammy®-nominated music supervisor Matt Sullivan (“Beauty and the Beast,” “Chicago”), who served as executive music producer for the film. The film is produced by Spielberg, Academy Award®-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger and Tony Award®-winning producer Kevin McCollum. “West Side Story” has been adapted for the screen from the original 1957 Broadway show, with book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and concept, direction and choreography by Jerome Robbins.

The Worst Person in The World is a modern dramedy about the quest for love and meaning in contemporary Oslo. It chronicles four years in the life of Julie (Reinsve), a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is.

Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.

Only in Theaters December 17

In NIGHTMARE ALLEY, an ambitious carny (Bradley Cooper) with a talent for manipulating people with a few well-chosen words hooks up with a female psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett) who is even more dangerous than he is.

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Willem Dafoe, Richard Jenkins, Rooney Mara, Ron Perlman, David Strathairn

Mejor película LGTBI del 69 Festival de San Sebastián en cualquiera de sus secciones oficiales a concurso y que refleje los valores y la realidad de lesbianas, gais, transexuales y bisexuales.

Honek, 69. Donostia Zinemaldian, LGTBI filma bat sarituko du; lehietako sailetan aukeratuko duena eta Lesbianen, gayen, transexualen eta bisexualen balioak eta errealitatea islatuko dituena.

Best LGTBI film of the 69th edition of the San Sebastian Festival in any of its official sections in competition. The film reflects the values and reality of lesbians, gays, transsexuals and bisexuals.

 

Queer Lion 2021...

La Dernière Séance / The Last Chapter

by 

Gianluca Matarrese 

The Queer Lion 2021 goes to La dernière séance (The Last Chapter) by Gianluca Matarrese, for its ability to draw a portrait shifting from intimate to universal, thanks to the documentary form used with outstanding narrative cogency, to give voice to the necessary memory of a chapter of history – the era of Aids – that is far from over, while at the same time cleverly dismantling the taboo surrounding BDSM practices.

The jury – composed by Ilaria Feole (journalist, film critic), Antonella Benanzato (journalist, artist), Angelica Lorenzon (interpreter) – chose the winner among the following 10 titles:

The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion (New Zealand, Australia, 125’, 2021)
Competencia oficial by Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn (Spain, Argentina, 114’, 2021)
Madres paralelas by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain, 120’, 2021)
Il bambino nascosto by Roberto Andò (Italy, France, 110’, 2021)
Il paradiso del pavone by Laura Bispuri (Italy, Germany, 89’, 2021)
El hoyo en la cerca by Joaquín del Paso (Mexico, Poland, 100’, 2021)
La santa piccola by Silvia Brunelli (Italy, 97’, 2021)
Deserto Particular by Aly Muritiba (Brazil, Portugal, 120’, 2021)
Il silenzio grande by Alessandro Gassmann (Italy, Poland, 106’, 2021)
La dernière séance by Gianluca Matarrese (Italy, France, 100’, 2021)

Main Venice Awards

The Venezia 2021 Jury, chaired by Bong Joon Ho, with Saverio Costanzo, Virginie Efira, Cynthia Erivo, Sarah Gadon, Alexander Nanau, and Chloé Zhao, having viewed all 21 films in the competition, has decided:

Golden Lion for Best Film:
Happening (L'événement) by Audrey Diwan (France)

Silver Lion Grand Jury Prize:
The Hand of God (È stata la mano di Dio) by Paolo Sorrentino (Italy)

Silver Lion Award for Best Director:
Jane Campion for the film The Power of the Dog

Coppa Volpi for Best Actress:
Penélope Cruz in the film Parallel Mothers by Pedro Almodóvar

Coppa Volpi for Best Actor:
John Arcilla in the film On the Job: The Missing 8 by Erik Matti

Award for Best Screenplay:
Maggie Gyllenhaal for The Lost Daughter directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal

Special Jury Prize:
Il Buco by Michelangelo Frammartino

Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress:
Filippo Scotti in the film The Hand of God by Paolo Sorrentino

"Luigi De Laurentiis" Venice Award for a Debut Film:
Immaculate (Imaculat) by Monica Stan & George Chiper

Orizzonti Section Awards

The Orizzonti 2021 Jury, chaired by Jasmila Žbanić, and comprised of Mona Fastvold, Shahram Mokri, Josh Siegel e Nadia Terranova, after screening the 19 films + 12 shorts in the competition, has decided to award:

Orizzonti Award for Best Film:
Pilgrims (Piligrimai) by Laurynas Bareiša (Lithuania)

Orizzonti Award for Best Director:
Full Time (À Plein Temps) by Éric Gravel (France)

Special Orizzonti Jury Prize:
The Great Movement (El Gran Movimiento) by Kiro Russo

Orizzonti Award for Best Actress:
Laure Calamy in the film Full Time (À Plein Temps) by Éric Gravel

Orizzonti Award for Best Actor:
Piseth Chhun in the film White Building (Bodeng Sar) by Kavich Neang

Orizzonti Award for Best Screenplay:
Peter Kerekes & Ivan Ostrochovský for 107 Mothers (Cenzorka)

Here are the Queens...

15. Queer Lion Award: films in competition...

The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion (New Zealand, Australia, 125 ‘, 2021)
Set in the 20’s, the story centers on the Burbank brothers, Phil and George, well-off siblings owners of a Montana ranch overlooking the valley. The two could not be more different: whereas Phil is a bright but cruel man, with an overbearing and violent attitude, George is a stubborn and fussy, but always kind. When George secretly marries Rose, a young widow, Phil refuses to accept it and starts a ruthless war against her,  using her son Peter as a pawn.

Competencia oficial by Gastón Duprat, Mariano Cohn (Spain, Argentina, 114 ‘, 2021)
Looking for a prestige project that will leave a mark, a billionaire decides to finance a film. He hires renowned director Lola Cuevas, who, however, immediately finds herself in trouble, having to manage the clashing egos of the two leads, Hollywood star Félix and “serious theater” actor Iván. In order to try to create some chemistry between the two men, she comes up with a series of weird labours they will have to overcome.

Madres paralelas by Pedro Almodóvar (Spain, 120 ‘, 2021)
Two women from Madrid, both single and dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, find themselves giving birth on the same day in the same hospital: middle-aged Janis, comforts younger Ana, frightened about the future, and the words they exchange in those hours, in an anonymous hospital corridor, will end up changing their lives in an unexpected way.

Il bambino nascosto by Roberto Andò (Italy, France, 110 ‘, 2021)
Gabriele Santoro, a piano teacher at San Pietro a Majella Conservatory, lives in a low-class district in Naples. Silent, cultured, solitary, he is a man of hidden, secret passions. One morning a ten-year-old boy sneaks into his apartment and hides in it. Gabriele will soon discover that the child is the son of a Camorra man and that, as it often happens to those denied of their childhood, Ciro ignores the alphabet of feelings.

Il paradiso del pavone by Laura Bispuri (Italy, Germany, 89 ‘, 2021)
On a winter’s day, Nena gathers her family to celebrate her birthday. Il paradiso del pavone (The peacock’s paradise) is a small journey into the intimacy and authenticity of human beings: a film about an extended family in which everyone talks but no one really listens. Until an unexpected event forces the family members to look into each other’s eyes and reveal themselves for what they really are.

El hoyo en la cerca by Joaquín del Paso (Mexico, Poland, 100 ‘, 2021)
As every year, the Los Pinos school, a prestigious school of the confessional type, sends its students on retreat to the countryside. Under the watchful eye of teachers and priests, the children are led on the path of their physical and moral development. Through the gaze of several middle and upper class teenagers, the film shows how their upbringing affects the future of society itself.

La santa piccola by Silvia Brunelli (Italy, 97 ‘, 2021)
Mario and Lino, two friends, born and raised in the Sanità quarter in Naples, are two eighteen-year-olds who never stepped out from that micro-reality. They lead a monotonous life, until the sister of one of them convinces the locals that she has performed a miracle and she starts being whorshipped as a living Saint. The fate of her family abruptly changes and both boys find out that they are different from what they thought: Mario realizes that he is homosexual and in love with Lino, who, instead, does not notice it, and, actually tries to find a way out from the routine of his life.

Deserto Particular by Aly Muritiba (Brazil, Portugal, 120 ‘, 2021)
A lonely forty-year-old policeman lives in the rich south of Brazil. His heart beats for a woman he met online. Although they never met in person, their relationship becomes deeper and more and more solid. One day the woman disappears from the web and he decides to leave for Bahia and look for her. Upon reaching his destination, he will discover that the woman he loves actually is a man.

Il silenzio grande by Alessandro Gassmann (Italy, Poland, 106 ‘, 2021)
Villa Primic, once a luxurious mansion, now nothing more than a ruin that looks like something out of a ghost story, has been put up for sale. A painful decision, taken by Mrs. Rose Primic, and shared by Massimiliano (who comes out in a very touching way) and Adele, heirs to the dilapidated fortune of the family: the only one who is not happy at all is the head of the family, Valerio, who will discover that he never really got to know his dear ones and, perhaps, not even himself, to the point of reaching the bitter awareness that living does not mean being alive.

La dernière séance by Gianluca Matarrese (Italy, France, 100 ‘, 2021)
Bernard has just retired. He is 63 years old, he lives alone with his two cats and decides to move to a new house, the one where he will live the last chapter of his life. Preparing the boxes, he begins to make a selection: what to leave, what to bring? Bernard is my master and I am his slave. His last lover I help him to put the whip in a box, between fragments of his memories; memories of the loves that AIDS has stolen from his arms, the traces of an adoptive family that rejected him, of the rigid upbringing that forged him, of a mother and father he never knew. Our sexual games are the chances for two generations to meet: between a whiplash and a leather harness we discuss about love, death, the AIDS epidemic in the Eighties, his new life project, about us. The wounds and grave goods of a survivor, a cry for life in the light of sexual impulses.

15. Queer Lion Award: out of competition...

La scuola cattolica by Stefano Mordini (Italy, 106’, 2021)
In a residential area of Rome, there is a well-known Catholic school for boys, where children from the cream of the crop of upper-middle class are educated. Their families feel that in that context, children can grow up protected from the turmoil that society is going through, and that that rigid education will open the doors to a bright future for them.

 Ariaferma by Leonardo Di Costanzo (Italy, Switzerland, 117 ‘, 2021)
An old nineteenth-century prison, located in an inaccessible and unspecified Italian area, is about to be closed. Due to bureaucratic problems, transfers are blocked and a dozen of prisoners await for their new destination, along with the few agents left. In a suspended atmosphere, the rules of separation are loosened and new forms of relationships seem to blossom among the men.

Bodeng sar (White Building) by Kavich Neang (Cambodia, France, China, Qatar, 90 ‘, 2021)
Growing up in Phnom Penh’s historic White Building, 20-year-old Samnang, along with two friends, Tol and Ah Kha, dreams of becoming a dance star thanks to a TV contest. All changes when, unexpectedly, Ah Kha reveals that he will soon be leaving Cambodia.

Isolation by Michele Placido, Julia von Heinz, Olivier Guerpillon, Jaco Van Dormael, Michael Wintebottom (Italy, Uk, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, 88’, 2021)
A collective documentary film, from five european directors asked to witness the revolutions and dramas caused in their own Countries by the pandemic; among them, “Two Fathers”, directed by Julia von Heinz (20’). After the death of his father, Hans-Michael von Heinz, the director finds out the truth about her parent true sexual identity. In order to know more, she starts emailing persons who got to know him over the last years, among them his closest friend, director Rosa von Praunheim.

Caveman – Il gigante nascosto by Tommaso Landucci (Italy, Switzerland, 91’, 2021)
It has been almost thirty years since Filippo Dobrilla started to sculpt a giant male nude inside a cave 650 metres deep in the Apuan Alps. This almost inaccessible place has jealously protected his secret: his youthful passion for a fellow climber, a passion Filippo was only able to indulge in here in the intimacy of this cave. Even after it was over and ever since then, Filippo has been returning regularly to the cave to work on the most important sculpture of his life, a masterpiece no one will see.

Techno, mama by Saulius Baradinskas (Lithuania, 18’, 2021)
Nikita loves to listen to techno music and dreams to go to Berlin and visit the famous club “Berghain”. His mother Irena doesn’t know about his son’s dreams and soon enough their mutual expectations will clash.

In The Mist by Tung-yen Chou (Taipei, 15’)
Theater and new media director Chou Tung-Yen touches on the unspeakable life experience of the gay community culture, exploring a male sauna through poetic lenses to take a peek into something that’s hidden under the desire—the love without love.

Era ieri (It Was Yesterday) by Valentina Pedici (Italy, 14’, 2016)
13-year-old Giò and Matteo are best friends. A small strip of land between the sky and the sea in Southern Italy is their kingdom. They head a group of boys, they do some petty thefts to feel grown up in an age of hope and childish games.

Retiring to his cottage in Dorset Lawrence hopes to forget his past fighting in Arabia but soon he is drawn into political intrigue and his many enemies begin to plot against him. Was a motorcycle crash an accident or attempt at assassination by the British Secret Service? "Lawrence: After Arabia" tells the story of the last years of the life of the 20th century hero, T.E. Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence was a writer and poet with friendships with GB Shaw, Thomas Hardy, Henry Williamson, EM Forster, Siegfried Sassoon and others but he was also a political agitator and good friends with Winston Churchill. Lawrence lived at Cloud's Hill, his simple cottage near Bovington in Dorset where he spent years escaping the "Lawrence of Arabia" and hero epithets by using pseudonyms and changing his name. He still had strong ties with his Arab friends, was building bridges with Mosely and the Blackshirts and was also be prepared for a leadership position in the Secret Service. In common with many other soldiers, he suffered from depression and post traumatic stress disorder. His uncompromising and direct manner and beliefs created many powerful and influential enemies. Chronologically the story follows on from David Lean's "Lawrence of Arabia" (1962) with the late Peter O'Toole playing Lawrence and "Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia" (1990) with Ralph Fiennes who played the title role. The screenplay is a British period drama and a character study of a man that uses extracts from letters and other contemporaneous documents from the period to reconstruct the final years of Lawrence's life, the accident, inquest and his funeral and why the authorities want to eliminate him. — Mark J.T. Griffin

This has got to be seen...to be believed!

Watch the new trailer for "The Last Duel" a tale of betrayal & vengeance set against the brutality of 14th century France directed by Ridley Scott and starring Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. In theaters October 15.

The winners are:

Palme d’Or
Titane

Grand Prix (two winners)
Asghar Farhadi, A Hero
Juho Kuosmanen, Compartment No. 6

Best Director
Leos Carox, Annette

Best Screenplay
Hamaguchi Ryusuke and Takamasa Oe, Drive My Car

Best Actress
Renate Reinste, The Worst Person in the World

Jury Prize
Memoria, Apichatpong Weerasethakul

Jury Prize
Ahed’s Knee, Nadav Lapid

Best Actor
Caleb Landry Jones, Nitram

Honorary Palme d’Or
Marco Bellocchio

Camera d’Or
Murina, Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic

There seems to be a little trouble in the Queer Palm camp...press coverage has been minimal and their social media activity has been meagre...they seem to have abandoned Twitter altogether!

The winners...

Divide (The) by Catherine Corsini

And, 2 short films won:

Frida by Aleksandra Odic

Fall of the Swift (The) by Gonzalo Quincoces

Here's an article we found...it explains the apparent dis-interest...but, it doesn't say why!!!

Cannes cold shoulders its 'Queer Palm' prize...

https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210716-cannes-cold-shoulders-its-queer-palm-prize

It has been won by big-name Hollywood directors and is headed by one of France's top comic stars, but the "Queer Palm" prize which celebrates LGBTQ movies at Cannes still has no official place at the world's top film festival.

Awards for films with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer content are already an integral part of other major movie gatherings, including Berlin which has handed out its "Teddy Award" since 1987, and made it part of its official programme.

Not so at Cannes, where the festival's leadership won't even allow the "Queer Palm" -- which has been running for a decade -- to set up shop in its main building, the Palais du Festival.

"We're not ugly ducklings," actor and director Nicolas Maury, who heads up the "Queer Palm" jury this year, told AFP [Agence France-Presse].

Maury, one of the stars of hit Netflix show "Call My Agent", added: "It's a central prize that doesn't deserve to be sidelined. I think it would be a good idea for it to be part of the official ceremony."

Maury said the award, created in 2010 and independently financed, is aimed at "courageous films that feature openness and humanity" where people who are often discriminated against "are finally noticed and listened to".

Past winners include Todd Haynes for "Carol" and Xavier Dolan for "Laurence Anyways". "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" by Celine Sciamma won at the last Cannes in 2019.

This year's shortlist of 26 movies includes Paul Verhoeven's "Benedetta" -- vying for the Palme d'Or in the main Cannes competition -- which tells the story of a lesbian nun in 17th-century Italy.

"Compartment No 6" by Juho Kuosmanen of Finland and "The Divide" by French director Catherine Corsini, which both feature lesbian lead characters, are also in the running, as is the gender-fluid shocker "Titane" by Julia Ducournau and several others spread over the festival's various categories.

"Queer Palm" founder Franck Finance-Madureira told AFP he was delighted that this year's Cannes selections made for rich pickings for his prize shortlist.

"This shows that queer themes are more and more prevalent in films," he said.

© 2021 AFP

2021 films in competition:

Films from the official selection

Benedetta de Paul Verhoeven

The divide by Catherine Corsini

The Olympics by Jacques Audiard

Titanium of Julia Ducournau

Compartment N ° 6 de Juho Kuosmanen

Everything went well by François Ozon

Films from the Un Certain Regard selection

Great Freedom de Sebastian Meise

Money Boys de Jilin Chen Bo

Women Do Cry de Mina Mileva et Vesela Kazakova

Films from the Directors’ Fortnight selection

The hill where the lionesses roar by Luàna Bajrami

Neptune Frost by Saul Williams and Anisia Uzeyman

Return to Reims (Fragments) by Jean-Gabriel Périot

Films from the Critics’ Week selection

The Loves of Anaïs by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet

Bruno Reidal by Vincent Le Port

Small type of Samuel Theis

Films from the ACID selection

Ghost Song de Nicolas Peduzzi

Came to the shore de Lin Wang

Short films in competition:

Top hearts d’Adrian Moyse Dullin

Simone is gone de Mathilde Chavanne

Out of water by Jela Hasler

Brutalia, days of toil by Manolis Mavris

Billy Boy by Sacha Amaral

Cicada the Yoon Dae-woen

King Max of Adèle Vincenti-Crasson

The Fall of the Swift by Gonzalo Quincoces

Frida d’Aleksandra Odic

In 2018, David Gordon Green’s Halloween, starring icon Jamie Lee Curtis, killed at the box office, earning more than $250 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing chapter in the four-decade franchise and setting a new record for the biggest opening weekend in history for a horror film starring a woman.

And the Halloween night when Michael Myers returned isn’t over yet.

In Theaters and Streaming Only on Peacock October 15

Amazing...

"Tajabone" is a short film about the french black queer community taking pride in who they are, what they have achieved, and embracing the bodies they are in. Wearing leopard-print leotards that embody their fierce dancing styles, the stars of "Tajabone" use their bodies to explore the fragility, strength, and conviction at the heart of a community bonded by radical self-expression...

Mercado Livre - "Pride" from Vellas on Vimeo.

The creator of “Hamilton” and the director of “Crazy Rich Asians” invite you to the event of the summer, where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big... “In the Heights.”

Lights up on Washington Heights...The scent of a cafecito caliente hangs in the air just outside of the 181st Street subway stop, where a kaleidoscope of dreams rallies this vibrant and tight-knit community. At the intersection of it all is the likeable, magnetic bodega owner Usnavi (Anthony Ramos), who saves every penny from his daily grind as he hopes, imagines and sings about a better life.

AT LAST...it finally is being released...June 11 2021

The thriller, written and directed by Josef Kubota Wladyka (Narcos, The Terror), centers on a former boxer who embarks on the fight of her life when she goes in search of her missing sister.

Leading the cast, in her first film role, is professional boxer Kali Reis. Known for competing in the first female boxing match ever televised, Reis is also the first Native American fighter to win the International Boxing Association middleweight crown.

To become the Queen, she needed to find her voice. Academy Award® Winner Jennifer Hudson is Aretha Franklin. Watch the new trailer now, and don’t miss #RespectMovie in theaters this August.

In Theaters June 18...

How can one rock band be successful, underrated, hugely influential, and criminally overlooked all at the same time? Edgar Wright’s debut documentary THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which features commentary from celebrity fans Flea, Jane Wiedlin, Beck, Jack Antonoff, Jason Schwartzman, Neil Gaiman, and more, takes audiences on a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers/bandmates Ron and Russell Mael celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.

Directed by Edgar Wright.