Helen Mirren Set for Chaplin Award, European Film Academy Honors Newcomers, and More — Awards Roundup
Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our bi-weekly Awards Roundup column.
– The Film Society of Lincoln Center has announced that Academy Award–winning actor Helen Mirren will be honored at the 45th Chaplin Award Gala on Monday, April 30, 2018. A beloved figure of stage, screen, and television, Mirren has bestowed upon the world a series of iconic performances in a career spanning more than fifty years. The annual event will be attended by a host of notable guests and presenters and will include movie and interview clips, culminating in the presentation of the Chaplin Award.
“It is an honor and a pleasure for us to present Helen Mirren with our 45th Chaplin Award,” said Ann Tenenbaum, the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Board Chairman. “From housemaid to Queen and everything in between, Ms. Mirren has delivered masterful performances of complex characters, upending stereotype after stereotype along the way.”
The Film Society’s Annual Gala began in 1972 when it honored Charlie Chaplin, who returned to the U.S. from exile to accept the commendation. Since then, the award has been renamed for Chaplin, and has been presented to many of the film industry’s most notable talents, including Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Laurence Olivier, Federico Fellini, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis, James Stewart, Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese, Diane Keaton, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sidney Poitier, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, and, last year, Robert De Niro.
– The European Film Academy has announced its five nominees for the European Discovery 2017 Prix FIPRESCI, an award presented annually as part of the European Film Awards to a young and upcoming director for a first full-length feature film. This year’s nominations were determined by a committee comprised of EFA Board Member Angeles González-Sinde (Spain), EFA Member Mihai Chirilov (Romania), and Isabelle Danel (France), Robbie Eskiel (Greece) and Michael Pattison (UK) as representatives of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics.
The nominees include Hubert Charuel’s “Bloody Milk,” Ralitza Petrova’s “Godless,” William Oldroyd’s “Lady Macbeth,” Carla Simón’s “Summer 1993,” and Ronny Trocker’s “The Eremites.” The 30th European Film Awards will be announced on December 9 in Berlin.
– SFFILM has announced that its second annual SF Honors program will acknowledge the groundbreaking accomplishments of “Darkest Hour,” from Focus Features and Working Title, with a public screening event Monday, November 6, 6:30 pm at the Castro Theatre. Director Joe Wright, the film’s star Gary Oldman, along with actor Ben Mendelsohn, writer/producer Anthony McCarten, and supervising sound editor Craig Berkey will attend in person and participate in a pre-screening special award presentation followed by an in-depth post-screening conversation about their work.
“The remarkable ability of cinema to capture a distinct moment in time drew us to Joe Wright’s ‘Darkest Hour’ and the extraordinary performance by Gary Oldman at its center. We are proud to name it this year’s ‘SF Honors’ recipient,” said SFFILM’s Executive Director Noah Cowan. “This award, a major event in the San Francisco cultural season, would not be possible without the support of Todd Traina and Diane B. Wilsey, significant long-time supporters of the cultural infrastructure of the Bay Area and SFFILM.”
– As part of its 9th Annual Awards Program, the African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) has proclaimed 2017 the “Year of the Woman in Cinema.” “There is no argument that women have made a bold step forward this year in Hollywood,” said AAFCA President Gil Robertson in an official statement. “The evidence demonstrated during the past year speaks for itself both in terms of box office and critical recognition by women and we predict that there will be continued momentum going forward. We are also pleased that African American women are a part of this progress and are taking advantage of increased opportunities to make their cinematic imprint.”
The organization also announced the recipients of its special achievement honors, with “Get Out” director Jordan Peele; Alcon Entertainment’s Co-CEO’s Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove; current LA Film Festival president, Claudia Puig and ABC Entertainment President, Channing Dungey being recognized.
AAFCA’s “Celebration of Women in Cinema” will take place during the organization’s annual ceremony on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at the Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. That show will be proceeded by the third edition of the AAFCA Special Achievement Luncheon on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, CA.
– The British Academy of Film and Television Arts Los Angeles (BAFTA Los Angeles) has announced that Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, director, and producer Aziz Ansari will receive the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence In Comedy presented by Jaguar Land Rover at the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards.
He joins previously announced honorees Dick Van Dyke, who will receive the Britannia Award for Excellence in Television presented by Swarovski, Ava DuVernay, who will receive the John Schlesinger Britannia Award for Excellence in Directing presented by the GREAT Britain campaign, Claire Foy, who will receive the Britannia Award for British Artist of the Year presented by Burberry, Kenneth Branagh, who will receive the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment, and Matt Damon, who will receive the Stanley Kubrick Britannia Award for Excellence in Film presented by Newegg. British comedian Jack Whitehall returns as host.
This year’s event will take place on Friday, October 27, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The event’s title sponsor is AMD, and the ceremony presented by American Airlines and Jaguar Land Rover. As part of a recently-launched ongoing partnership with IGN Entertainment, the 2017 AMD British Academy Britannia Awards will be livestreamed across IGN’s platforms that night.
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