Cuarón Named Best Director at the 2014 BAFTA Awards; “Gravity” Takes Home Six Awards

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Another awards ceremony, another big prize for Alfonso Cuarón…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker, who already has a Golden Globe, DGA Award and Critics’ Choice Movie Award, has picked up his latest Best Director trophy this awards season at the 2014 BAFTA Awards.

Cuarón, the heavy favorite to win Best Director at this year’s Oscars, won the award for helming his critically acclaimed 3D space disaster thriller Gravity.

But that wasn’t Cuarón’s only trophy of the night…

The filmmaker, one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year in 2013, also took home the prize for Best British Film as one of Gravity’s producers.

Meanwhile, Cuarón’s cinematographer-of-choice Emmanuel Lubezki took home the BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the Mexican Oscar nominee’s work on Gravity, his sixth career BAFTA Award.

In all, Gravity won an impressive six awards — just one award shy of The Artist in 2012 and The King’s Speech.

The British Academy Film Awards are presented in an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA).

Jonás Cuarón Earns His First BAFTA Awards Nomination

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

Like father, like son…

Jonás Cuarón, the son of Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón, has earned his first BAFTA Awards nomination.

The Mexican filmmaker has been nominated with his father in the original screenplay category, for writing their blockbuster hit Gravity.

It’s one of the whopping 11 nominations the 3D sci-fi film earned from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, including Best Film and Best British Film.

Cuarón’s father also earned a Best Editing and Best Director nod, the latest nomination in that category for one of Entertainment Weekly’s 2013 Entertainers of the Year. He’s up against 12 Years A Slave’s Steve McQueen, American Hustle’s David O. Russell, Captain Phillips’ Paul Greengrass and The Wolf Of Wall Street’s Martin Scorsese in the director field.

Meantime, Cuarón’s longtime collaborator, Mexican cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, earned a Best Cinematography nod for his work on Gravity.

Lastly, Rush star Daniel Brühl continues to earn awards recognition for portraying real-life racing legend Niki Lauda in Ron Howard‘s Formula One racing drama. Following his SAG Award and Golden Globe nods, the 35-year-old half-Spanish actor will take on Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), Matt Damon (Behind the Candelabra), Michael Fassbender (12 Years A Slave) and Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) in the race for the best supporting actor trophy.

The British Academy Film Awards will take place on February 16 at the Royal Opera House in London, with the ceremony broadcast exclusively on BBC One in the U.K. and in all major territories around the world.

Here’s the complete list of BAFTA nominations:

BEST FILM
12 YEARS A SLAVE
AMERICAN HUSTLE
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
GRAVITY
PHILOMENA

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
GRAVITY
MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM
PHILOMENA
RUSH
SAVING MR. BANKS
THE SELFISH GIANT

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
COLIN CARBERRY (Writer), GLENN PATTERSON (Writer) Good Vibrations
KELLY MARCEL (Writer) Saving Mr. Banks
KIERAN EVANS (Director/Writer) Kelly + Victor
PAUL WRIGHT (Director/Writer), POLLY STOKES (Producer) For Those in Peril
SCOTT GRAHAM (Director/Writer) Shell

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer, Signe Byrge Sørensen
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOUR Abdellatif Kechiche, Brahim Chioua, Vincent Maraval
THE GREAT BEAUTY Paolo Sorrentino, Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima
METRO MANILA Sean Ellis, Mathilde Charpentier
WADJDA Haifaa Al-Mansour, Gerhard Meixner, Roman Paul

DOCUMENTARY
THE ACT OF KILLING Joshua Oppenheimer
THE ARMSTRONG LIE Alex Gibney
BLACKFISH Gabriela Cowperthwaite
TIM’S VERMEER Teller,Penn Jillette, Farley Ziegler
WE STEAL SECRETS: THE STORY OF WIKILEAKS Alex Ginny

ANIMATED FILM
DESPICABLE ME 2 Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
FROZEN Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY Dan Scanlon

DIRECTOR
12 YEARS A SLAVE Steve McQueen
AMERICAN HUSTLE David O. Russell
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Paul Greengrass
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Martin Scorsese

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
AMERICAN HUSTLE Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell
BLUE JASMINE Woody Allen
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
NEBRASKA Bob Nelson

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
12 YEARS A SLAVE John Ridley
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Richard LaGravenese
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Billy Ray
PHILOMENA Steve Coogan, Jeff Pope
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Terence Winter

LEADING ACTOR
BRUCE DERN Nebraska
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR 12 Years a Slave
CHRISTIAN BALE American Hustle
LEONARDO DICAPRIO The Wolf of Wall Street
TOM HANKS Captain Phillips

LEADING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS American Hustle
CATE BLANCHETT Blue Jasmine
EMMA THOMPSON Saving Mr. Banks
JUDI DENCH Philomena
SANDRA BULLOCK Gravity

SUPPORTING ACTOR
BARKHAD ABDI Captain Phillips
BRADLEY COOPER American Hustle
DANIEL BRÜHL Rush
MATT DAMON Behind the Candelabra
MICHAEL FASSBENDER 12 Years a Slave

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
JENNIFER LAWRENCE American Hustle
JULIA ROBERTS August: Osage County
LUPITA NYONG’O 12 Years a Slave
OPRAH WINFREY The Butler
SALLY HAWKINS Blue Jasmine

ORIGINAL MUSIC
12 YEARS A SLAVE Hans Zimmer
THE BOOK THIEF John Williams
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Henry Jackman
GRAVITY Steven Price
SAVING MR. BANKS Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
12 YEARS A SLAVE Sean Bobbitt
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Barry Ackroyd
GRAVITY Emmanuel Lubezki
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Bruno Delbonnel
NEBRASKA Phedon Papamichael

EDITING
12 YEARS A SLAVE Joe Walker
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Christopher Rouse
GRAVITY Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger
RUSH Dan Hanley, Mike Hill
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET Thelma Schoonmaker

PRODUCTION DESIGN
12 YEARS A SLAVE Adam Stockhausen, Alice Baker
AMERICAN HUSTLE Judy Becker, Heather Loeffler
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Howard Cummings
GRAVITY Andy Nicholson, Rosie Goodwin, Joanne Woodlard
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin, Beverley Dunn

COSTUME DESIGN
AMERICAN HUSTLE Michael Wilkinson
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Ellen Mirojnick
THE GREAT GATSBY Catherine Martin
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN Michael O’Connor
SAVING MR. BANKS Daniel Orlandi

MAKE UP & HAIR
AMERICAN HUSTLE Evelyne Noraz, Lori McCoy-Bell
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA Kate Biscoe, Marie Larkin
THE BUTLER Debra Denson, Beverly Jo Pryor, Candace Neal
THE GREAT GATSBY Maurizio Silvi, Kerry Warn
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Find later

SOUND
ALL IS LOST Richard Hymns, Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor, Micah Bloomberg, Gillian Arthur
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS Chris Burdon, Mark Taylor,Mike Prestwood Smith, Chris Munro, Oliver Tarney
GRAVITY Glenn Freemantle, Skip Lievsay, Christopher Benstead, Niv Adiri, Chris Munro
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS Peter F. Kurland, Skip Lievsay, Greg Orloff
RUSH Danny Hambrook, Martin Steyer, Stefan Korte, Markus Stemler, Frank Kruse

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
GRAVITY Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, David Shirk, Neil Corbould, Nikki Penny
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds
IRON MAN 3 Bryan Grill, Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Dan Sudick
PACIFIC RIM Hal Hickel, John Knoll, Lindy De Quattro, Nigel Sumner
STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton, Patrick Tubach, Roger Guyed

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
EVERYTHING I CAN SEE FROM HERE Bjorn-Erik Aschim, Friederike Nicolaus, Sam Taylor
I AM TOM MOODY Ainslie Henderson
SLEEPING WITH THE FISHES James Walker, Sarah Woolner, Yousif Al-Khalifa

BRITISH SHORT FILM
ISLAND QUEEN Ben Mallaby, Nat Luurtsema
KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES Megan Rubens, Michael Pearce, Selina Lim
ORBIT EVER AFTER Chee-Lan Chan, Jamie Stone, Len Rowles
ROOM 8 James W. Griffiths, Sophie Venner
SEA VIEW Anna Duffield, Jane Linfoo

THE EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
DANE DEHAAN
GEORGE MACKAY
LUPITA NYONG’O
WILL POULTER
LÉA SEYDOUX

Cuarón Receives First-Ever Directors Guild Award Nomination

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special first for Alfonso Cuarón…

The 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker has earned the first-ever Directors Guild Awards nomination of his career from the Directors Guild of America.

Cuarón, one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year in 2013, earned the nod for his critically acclaimed 3D sci-fi thriller Gravity.

The talented director is up against Captain Phillips helmer Paul Greengrass, 12 Years a Slave‘s Steve McQueen, American Hustle’s David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese, who received his 11th DGA nom for his current film, The Wolf of Wall Street.

The nominees in the TV and commercials categories will be announced Thursday, while the documentary nominees are set to be unveiled Monday.

The winners will be announced at the 66th annual DGA Awards ceremony, taking place January 25 at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles. Glee’s Jane Lynch is set to host.

Cuarón to Receive Visual Effects Society’s Visionary Award

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Alfonso Cuarón is a visionary filmmaker… But now he’ll have an award to prove it.

The Visual Effects Society (VES), the industry’s professional honorary society, has named the 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker as the recipient of its Visionary Award in recognition of his extraordinary career, most recently including his landmark achievement on this year’s critically acclaimed 3D sci-fil film Gravity.

The VES Visionary Award recognizes an individual who has uniquely and consistently employed the art and science of visual effects to foster imagination and ignite future discoveries by way of artistry, invention and groundbreaking work. VES will honor Cuarón for his consummate artistry, expansive storytelling and profound ability to use and pioneer technology and visual effects to bring his unique visions to life.

A three-time Oscar nominee and one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year, Cuarón directed, co-wrote, produced and edited Gravity, which is one of the most acclaimed films of this or any year. The accolades that Cuarón and the film have received to date include: Best Director and Best Picture awards from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association; four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress (Sandra Bullock); and ten Broadcast Film Critics Association nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Visual Effects, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Art Direction.

Cuarón made his feature film directorial debut in 1992 with Sólo Con Tu Pareja, the biggest box office hit in Mexico that year, which brought him an Ariel Award as the film’s co-writer. Cuarón made his American feature film debut in 1995 with the widely acclaimed A Little Princess, followed in 1998 by Great Expectations. He then wrote and directed Y tu mamá también, for which he received his first Oscar nomination, for Best Original Screenplay, as well as BAFTA Award nominations for Best Foreign Film and Best Original Screenplay. He went on to helm Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the most successful motion picture franchise of all time. Cuarόn’s 2006 hit, Children of Men, was celebrated by critics and film fans for its groundbreaking techniques. The film brought two Oscar nominations to Cuarón, for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing.

“Alfonso pushes the known boundaries of filmmaking,” said Jeffrey A. Okun, VES Board Chair. “He has been at the forefront in using visual effects to tell remarkable, highly nuanced stories that change the way we think about what is possible to achieve. Throughout his career, Alfonso has shown a rare talent for using cutting-edge technology to engage us in his deeply visceral storytelling and create unforgettable cinematic experiences.”

The award will be presented at the 12th Annual VES Awards on February 12, 2014 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Previous winners of the VES Visionary Award have been Christopher Nolan and Ang Lee.

Isaac Earns First-Ever Golden Globe Award Nomination

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Oscar Isaac may be seeing gold in the near future…

The 33-year-old Guatemalan and Cuban American actor has earned the first Golden Globe award nomination of his career from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association during Thursday’s early morning nomination announcement.

Isaac is up for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy for his critically acclaimed role in Inside Llewyn Davis.

In the film, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, Isaac stars as the film’s title character, Llewyn Davis, a singer-songwriter who navigates New York’s folk music scene in the 1960s.

It’s the latest nod this awards season for Isaac…

He previously earned a Spirit Award nomination for his performance in Inside Llewyn Davis, as well as a Gotham Independent Film Awards nod.

But Isaac isn’t the only Latino earning the first nomination of his career.

Rush star Daniel Brühl, who earned his first SAG Award earlier this week, is nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of racing legend Niki Lauda in Ron Howard‘s Formula One drama Rush.

Helena Bonham Carter has earned her sixth Golden Globe nomination. The 46-year-old part-Spanish actress is up for Best Actress in a Mini-Series or TV Movie for her role in the BBC biopic Burton and Taylor.

Alfonso Cuarón, one of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year, received a nomination for Best Director for helming the blockbuster hit film Gravity.

In the music category, Robert Lopez and his wife and writing partner Kristen Anderson Lopez have been nominated for Best Original Song – Motion Picture to penning “Let It Go,” the power ballad from Disney’s latest animated film Frozen. The song is performed by Idina Menzel during the film and Demi Lovato in the closing credits.

Last but certainly not least, Sofia Vergara has earned her fourth consecutive Golden Globe nomination for her laughtastic role on ABC’s Modern Family.

The Golden Globes awards show will be held on January 12 in Beverly Hills. NBC will air the Golden Globes Awards live with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler returning for the second year in a row as hosts.

Here’s a look at the Golden Globe categories featuring Latino nominees:

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
 Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“Atlas”, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Music by: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion Lyrics by: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion
“Let It Go”, Frozen Music by: Kristen Anderson Lopez, Robert Lopez Lyrics by: Kristen Anderson Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Ordinary Love”, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom Music by: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., Brian Burton Lyrics by: Bono
“Please Mr Kennedy”, Inside Llewyn Davis Music by: Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen Lyrics by: Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
“Sweeter Than Fiction”, One Chance Music by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff Lyrics by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton & Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen,
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing On The Edge
Janet McTeer, White Queen
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Cuarón Named One of Entertainment Weekly’s Entertainers of the Year

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

There’s no denying Alfonso Cuarón has had a gravity-defying year… And now he’s being honored for his remarkable year.

Entertainment Weekly has named the 52-year-old Mexican filmmaker as one of its 2013 Entertainers of the Year, which celebrates the year’s standouts in the entertainment industry.

Cuarón is being feted for the remarkable worldwide success of his latest film Gravity.

The 3D science fiction thriller and space drama, starring fellow honoree Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, has earned more than $615 million dollars worldwide, making it the second biggest hit of his career behind only Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. And the film is still going strong at the global box office.

So what was Cuarón’s most memorable day of 2013?

”I wish I could tell you that it’s about Gravity — something that was great and cool, like the premiere in Venice. But actually it was one day in the summer when I was traveling with my kids and my girlfriend and her kids. We were in this tributary of the Amazon in this little boat, and it started to rain right after sunset. We were making our way back to the big boat, and all the kids suddenly started to sing ‘We Are Young’ by fun. in the middle of nowhere. At the top of their lungs. It was very sweet. If I remember one moment, it’s that one.”

Entertainment Weekly’s other honorees include twerking girl Miley Cyrus and Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence.

Rodriguez to Serve as Oscars “Backstage Pass” Correspondent

Posted on February 15, 2013 by Tom Castaneda

Rico Rodriguez is becoming Hollywood’s go-to teen host…

The 14-year-old Modern Family star and three-time SAG Award winner, who will be a presenter at this weekend’s WGA Awards, has been named a correspondent for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Backstage Pass on Oscar.com and the official Oscars app.

Rodriguez will be joined by Entertainment Weekly’s Jess Cagle and People’s Peter Castro, as well as returning co-hosts, ABC The View’s Sherri Shepherd and former All My Children star Cameron Mathison.

Backstage Pass will also debut a multimedia first-ever Red Carpet Digital Lounge anchored by Radio Disney’s Jake Whetter, Popsugar’s Allison McNamara and Mashable’s Brian Anthony Hernandez.

The Oscars Backstage Pass will feature more than 20 live cameras placed on the red carpet and throughout the backstage area of the Dolby Theatre during the telecast. They will capture sound bites, backstage action, short interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

On Oscar Sunday, the Backstage Pass feature goes live from the red carpet to the end of the show.

The Oscars will be presented on February 24 and hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on ABC.

Nava Named One of EW’s Top Music-Video Directors

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Tom Castaneda

He’s the man behind some of the most memorable music videos in recent years, including Beyonce’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”… And, now Jake Nava is getting some due-recognition for helming some of this year’s greatest clips.

The British-born music video and film director has been named to Entertainment Weekly’s list of this year’s Top 10 Music-Video Directors.

Nava directed two clips that were miles apart from each other in terms of content, but were both truly inspired: the bracing, surprising and bold clip for Kanye West’s “Monster” and the oh-so-somber video for Adele’s “Someone Like You.”

Nava has also been responsible for some of the greatest videos in recent years, only adding to a impressive resume that dates back to the early ’90s, and includes work for everyone from System of a Down to the Spice Girls. While you may not know his name, you most certainly know his work with the likes of Britney Spears, Shakira and more.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Entertainment Weekly