Actress Christiane Paul and Benjamin Herrmann pose for opening ceremony
Actress Christiane Paul and Benjamin Herrmann pose for opening ceremony
Actress Christiane Paul and Benjamin Herrmann pose as they arrive for the opening ceremony of the 59th Berlinale film festival in Berlin, February 5, 2009.
The 59th International Film Festival Berlin takes place in the German capital from Feb. 5 until Feb. 15, 2009.
Winslet,Hathaway and other celebs arrive at nominees luncheon for 81st Oscars
Actress Amy Adams, nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Doubt", arrives at the nominees luncheon for the 81st annual Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California February 2, 2009. [Agencies]
Actress Amy Adams, nominated for best supporting actress for her role in "Doubt", arrives at the nominees luncheon for the 81st annual Academy Awards in Beverly Hills, California February 2, 2009. [Agencies]
Danny Boyle wins top director award for
Danny Boyle wins top director award for "Slumdog"
Indian actress Freida Pinto (C) and British actor Dev Patel (R), cast members of the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire,' pose with director of the movie Danny Boyle at the 20th annual Producers Guild Awards at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, January 24, 2009.
Actress Natalie Portman arrives at the 20th Annual Producers Guild Awards, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo)
Producer Daniel Zelman and wife actress Debra Messing, right, arrive at the 20th Annual Producers Guild Awards, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2009, in Los Angeles.
Danny Boyle, whose rags-to-riches romance "Slumdog Millionaire" has won over U.S. audiences, was named best director by the Directors Guild of America on Saturday, cementing the movie's position as the Oscar front-runner.
The win put a positive end to a week of controversy for the film that tells of a young Indian boy raised in the slums of Mumbai who goes on to compete for a fortune on a TV talk show and, in the process, also tries to win the girl of his dreams.
"Slumdog" has met with praise in the United States, but in India it has sparked some protests over its depiction of people who live in Indian slums.
This week, the film's makers also came under fire in a British newspaper report claiming they had not properly cared for or paid the children who play the slum dwellers, but Boyle and producer Christian Colson said that report was inaccurate.
On Saturday, controversy seemed far from British director Boyle's mind when he accepted the Directors Guild honor. He talked of achieving dreams and challenged the other film and television makers in the room to press on with work in which they believe.
"If I can get here, you can," he said as he accepted the trophy. "Dream kind and dream hard."
The DGA honor is an indicator of which movie is the front-runner for the best picture Oscar, the world's top film award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In all but six of the award's 61 years, the DGA winner has also won the best director Academy Award, and generally over the history of the Oscars, the winner of best director sees his film go on to claim best movie.
"Slumdog" already has won the best drama Golden Globe Award. It has been honored by the Producers Guild of America as the year's best movie and has seen its actors earn the best ensemble cast from the Screen Actors Guild.
Other DGA film nominees were David Fincher with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," Gus Van Sant with "Milk," Christopher Nolan for "The Dark Knight" and Ron Howard with "Frost/Nixon."
The DGA's film documentary directing award went to Ari Folman for war remembrance "Waltz with Bashir."
Elsewhere, the DGA also gave out honors for TV directing. Top winners in that arena were Paul Feig for best comedy director with "The Office" and Dan Attias for best drama director with an episode of "The Wire."
Louvre-Set
Louvre-Set "Face" to premiere at Cannes
BEIJING, Feb. 2 -- Director Tsai Ming-Liang's new feature "Face," also known as "Visages," will premiere at this year's Cannes film festival, which is scheduled to take place from May 13 to 24, reported sina.com.
The Taiwan-France production has finished shooting at the Louvre palace and is now in Taiwan to film the final scenes in two weeks when French actress Fanny Ardant arrives on the island, the report said.
The movie tells the story of Taiwan film director Hsiao-Kang and his travel to the Louvre to shoot a film that explores the myth of Salomｅ. French model Laetitia Casta plays the role of Salome, with Taiwan actor Kangsheng Li plays Hsiao-Kang.
Batman & Bollywood? Oscars eye 'Knight,' 'Slumdog'
Batman & Bollywood? Oscars eye 'Knight,' 'Slumdog'
In this file image originally released by Warner Bros., Heath Ledger starring as The Joker, is shown in a scene with Christian Bale, starring as Batman in 'The Dark Knight.' . (Agencies)
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. – "The Dark Knight" is the box-office behemoth with the deceased acting front-runner whose name everyone knows. "Slumdog Millionaire" is the out-of-nowhere surprise with a cast no one ever heard of before.
Thursday's Academy Awards nominations could set up a duel between those two rarities: One a superhero saga so esteemed that it has lifted the comic-book genre into best-picture territory, the other a tiny tale whose rags-to-riches theme mirrors the film's rise to success.
On the one-year anniversary of Heath Ledger's death, he is expected to earn a supporting-actor nomination for his feverish performance as Batman's archenemy, the Joker, in Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight."
Ledger has been the solid favorite throughout awards season. The film had been considered a longshot in other top categories, but it has gained momentum for best picture, director and screenplay as it grabbed across-the-board nominations for awards from one Hollywood guild after another.
"Slumdog Millionaire" leaped onto the awards radar as it premiered at film festivals late last summer, while "The Dark Knight" was soaring beyond the half-billion mark at the domestic box office.
Directed by Danny Boyle, "Slumdog Millionaire" became a darling of critics, and the film has climbed to nearly $50 million at the box office playing in narrow release compared to the theater blitz of "The Dark Knight" and other studio blockbusters. It swept its four categories at the Golden Globes, including the prize for best drama.
"The Dark Knight" continues the story Nolan started with "Batman Begins," starring a top-name cast that includes Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman.
"Slumdog Millionaire" features a cast of unknowns in the story of a youth rising to fame and fortune after terrible hardships on the streets of Mumbai, the heart of India's Bollywood film industry.
Other best-picture contenders could include two films about fallen political figures: the Richard Nixon drama "Frost/Nixon" and the Harvey Milk tale "Milk." Also in the running are the Roman Catholic drama "Doubt," the marital tragedy "Revolutionary Road" and the romantic fantasy "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Frank Langella as Nixon in "Frost/Nixon" and Sean Penn as the slain gay-rights pioneer in "Milk" are likely best-actor nominees.
Kate Winslet has a shot at two nominations, best actress for "Revolutionary Road" and supporting actress for the Holocaust-themed drama "The Reader." Winslet won both prizes at the Golden Globes.
Among other acting prospects are Winslet's "Titanic" co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for "Revolutionary Road," Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett for "Benjamin Button," Anne Hathaway for the family drama "Rachel Getting Married" and Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams for "Doubt."
The Oscars also might offer a classic Hollywood comeback story. A pariah for years because of bad-boy behavior that wrecked his career, Mickey Rourke has returned to grace with the sports drama "The Wrestler," which earned him the Globe for best dramatic actor.
Oscar nominees are chosen in most categories by specific branches of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, such as actors, directors and writers. The academy's full membership of about 6,000 was eligible to vote for best-picture nominations and can cast ballots for the winners in all categories at the Oscar ceremony itself.
The 81st Oscars will be presented Feb. 22 in a ceremony airing on ABC from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.
This year's Oscars already present a departure from previous shows. Rather than a comedian, such as past hosts Billy Crystal, Chris Rock or Jon Stewart, the emcee this time is Hugh Jackman, star of the "X-Men" flicks and a Tony Award winner for best actor in a musical
