• Television Academy Delays Emmy Voting, Bans Campaign Events
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    Television Academy Delays Emmy Voting, Bans Campaign Events

    The Television Academy has moved back the dates of Emmy voting, changed some eligibility rules and suspended all “For Your Consideration” events in an effort to adjust to industry changes caused by the coronavirus, the Academy announced on Friday morning.In a release announcing the changes, the TV Academy said it has no current plans to cancel or postpone the Primetime Emmy Awards, which are scheduled for Sept. 20, or the Creative Arts Emmys ceremonies set for Sept. 12 and 13.However, it added, “As national and statewide directives and mandates on the COVID-19 pandemic remain fluid, the Television Academy and broadcast partner ABC will monitor recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the L.A. County Department of Public Health.”Also Read: TV Ad Sales Expected to Drop 13% This Year, Magna Global SaysKey dates in both the first and second rounds of voting have been changed, with the period of nominations voting shortened by three days and the final voting shortened by four days.The deadline for Emmy entries was changed by almost a full month, moving from its original May 11 date to June 5.Nomination voting, which was originally due to begin on June 15, has been pushed back to July 2, and will now run through July 13.Emmy nominations will be announced on July 28, two weeks later than the original July 14 date.Final voting will begin on August 21, four days later than originally planned, but ballots will still be due on the original date of August 31.Also Read: Golden Globes Suspend Eligibility Rules Because of Coronavirus Theater ClosingsThe Academy will also extend the eligibility date for “hanging episodes,” the Emmys’ name for episodes which air after the cutoff date, to qualify for this year’s awards. While the overall eligibility period remains June 1, 2019 through May 31, 2020, episodes can now air as late as June 30, 2020 and still be eligible for consideration for this year’s Emmys.In addition, the Academy has suspended all of its “For Your Consideration” events for this Emmy season. Those events typically took place at Television Academy theaters or made use of the Academy’s mailing list of voters, and most often attracted live audiences for screenings, Q&As and receptions. The new rule, though, suspends all such events “whether with a live audience, streaming or recorded for posting on a viewing platform.”Also Read: LA Mayor Says Staples Center, Movie Soundstages Could House COVID-19 Patients: 'Any Place Is On the Table'A pokes person for the Academy told TheWrap that the rule also prohibits a network or streaming service from hosting its own FYC events that would be promoted to Television Academy members.The changes, which have been expected in light of the interruption of production schedules and the self-quarantining rules in place in Los Angeles, New York and other locations, were first raised in a conference call with network and awards executives on Monday, and subsequently approved by the Academy’s Board of Governors.Here is the full text of the Television Academy release spelling out the changes:The Television Academy today announced changes to be implemented for the 72nd Emmy Awards® season in response to unprecedented challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.These updates include a revised Emmy voting calendar, modification of the hanging episode rule for series and limited series, and suspension of For Your Consideration industry events.Following discussions with key industry partners, the Television Academy Board of Governors voted to update the Emmy Awards calendar to better accommodate ongoing changes and disruptions in production and programming schedules across all network, cable and streaming services. Key dates in the competition have been pushed back, and voting windows have shortened:Revised Emmy Awards Calendar:June 5: Entry deadline July 2: Nominations-round voting begins July 13: Nominations-round voting ends July 28: Nominations announced August 21: Final-round voting begins August 31: Final-round voting endsCLICK HERE for the full Emmy Awards calendar.NOTE: There are no current plans to cancel or delay the Sept. 20 Emmy telecast or the Sept. 12 and 13 Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies. As national and statewide directives and mandates on the COVID-19 pandemic remain fluid, the Television Academy and broadcast partner ABC will monitor recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the L.A. County Department of Public Health.Modification of Hanging Episode Rule (Series and Limited Series)Due to production and programming delays, the Academy has extended the eligibility date for “hanging episodes” to June 30 (formerly May 31).Series eligibility: To qualify for eligibility in the current eligibility year, the series must have premiered by the end of the eligibility year (May 31, 2020). If the series has one or more episodes that fall into the subsequent eligibility year, those episodes must be broadcast or posted on an accessible platform by June 30 to gain eligibility for the current eligibility year. A minimum of six eligible episodes is still required to qualify for series eligibility.Limited Series eligibility: To qualify for eligibility in the current eligibility year, the limited series must have premiered by the end of the eligibility year (May 31, 2020). If the limited series has one or more episodes/parts that fall into the subsequent eligibility year, those episodes must be broadcast or posted on an accessible platform by June 30 to gain eligibility for the current eligibility year, provided the complete limited series is made available by the June 30 deadline. If those episodes/parts are not able to be broadcast/posted by June 30, then the complete limited series, along with the individual achievements, will be eligible in the subsequent eligibility year.For Your Consideration Events All Television Academy For Your Consideration events — whether with a live audience, streaming or recorded for posting on a viewing platform — have been suspended for this Emmy season.Read original story Television Academy Delays Emmy Voting, Bans Campaign Events At TheWrap

  • Roman Polanski Draws Protests, Wins Prizes at Stormy Cesar Awards
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    Roman Polanski Draws Protests, Wins Prizes at Stormy Cesar Awards

    The stormiest and most beleaguered Cesar Awards ever took place in Paris on Friday, with “Les Miserables” being named 2019’s best French film while protesters lined the streets outside the Salle Pleyel protesting the nominations for Roman Polanski’s “J’accuse,” which is known as “An Officer and a Spy” outside France.Despite the furor, Polanski won two Cesar awards, one for best director and another for adapted screenplay, which he shared with his co-writer Robert Harris. His film also won for its costumes. After Polanski’s best-director award was announced, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” actress Adele Haenel and director Celine Sciamma walked out of the theater.It was Polanski’s fifth Cesar in the directing category, the most of any director. His previous awards were for “Tess,” “The Pianist,” “The Ghost Writer” and “Venus in Fur.”Despite all the attention on Polanski, the Oscar-nominated “Les Miserables” was the big winner of the night, taking home four awards. In addition to the best-film prize, director Ladj Ly’s taut drama also won for most promising actor (Alexis Manenti) and best editing, as well as taking the audience award, the one category that is chosen by members of the public rather than the 4,000-plus voters in the Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences.Also Read: 'An Officer and a Spy' Review: Roman Polanski Is No Emile Zola in This Listless Retelling of the Dreyfus AffairThe best actor prize went to Roschdy Zem for “Oh Mercy!” and best actress to Anais Demoustier for “Alice and the Mayor,” while the supporting actor and actress awards were given to Swann Arlaud for “By the Grace of God” and Fanny Ardant for “La Belle Epoque,” respectively.The awards for the most promising actor and actress went to Alexis Manenti for “Les Miserables” and Lyna Khoudri for “Papicha,” respectively.Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy,” which dramatizes the Dreyfus affair in which a 19th-century French officer was unfairly convicted of treason, led all films with 12 nominations from the Academy of Cinema Arts and Sciences. The nominations for Polanski, who has been subject to multiple accusations of sexual misconduct, caused widespread protests not just about the nominations but about the organization itself.Earlier in February, more than 400 members of the French Academy signed an open letter calling for a “complete overhaul” of the organization, which is run by an unelected board of directors. In response, the entire board resigned, effective after the ceremony, and asked that a mediator oversee reforms.This week, Polanski announced that he would not attend the ceremony because he anticipated it would turn into a “public lynching.” None of the nominees from his film attended the show, which did not stop women’s groups from organizing protests outside the venue.Also Read: French Directors' Guild Looks to Suspend Roman Polanski Through Rule ChangeOther films that went into the show with multiple nominations included “Les Miserables” and “La Belle Epoque” with 11, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” with 10 and “By the Grace of God” and “The Specials” with eight.Other winners on Friday included “Papicha” for best first feature film, “M” for documentary and “I Lost My Body” for animated film.“La Belle Epoque” won for its original screenplay and production design, while craft awards went to “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” for cinematography, “I Lost My Body” for music and “Le Chant du Loup” for sound.The first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite,” beat “Joker,” “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” and “Pain and Glory” in the Best Foreign Film category.The Cesars normally take place just before the Oscars — but while the Academy scheduled this year’s show on Feb. 9, the earliest date ever, the Cesars retained its typical late-February slot.This is the complete list of Cesar nominees. Winners are indicated by *WINNER.Best Film “La Belle Epoque” “By the Grace of God” “Les Miserables” *WINNER “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “Oh Mercy!” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” “The Specials”Best Director Nicolas Bedos, “La Belle epoque” Arnaud Desplechin, “Oh Mercy!” Ladj Ly, “Les Miserables” Francois Ozon, “By The Grace Of God” Roman Polanski, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) *WINNER Celine Sciamma, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, “The Specials”Best First Feature Film “Atlantics” “Le Chant du Loup” “Les Miserables” “Nom de la Terre” “Papicha” *WINNERBest Actress Anais Demoustier, “Alice and the Mayor” *WINNER Eva Green, “Proxima” Adele Haenel, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Chiara Mastrianni, “Chambre 212” Noemie Merlant, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Doria Tillier, “La Belle epoque” Karin Viard, “The Perfect Nanny”Best Actor Daneil Auteuil, “La Belle epoque” Damien Bonnard, “Les Miserables” Vincent Cassel, “The Specials” Jean Dujardin, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) Reda Kateb, “The Specials” Melvil Poupaud, “By The Grace Of God” Roschdy Zem, “Oh Mercy!” *WINNERBest Supporting Actress Fanny Ardant, “La Belle epoque” *WINNER Josaine Balasko, “By The Grace Of God” Laure Calamy, “Only the Animals” Sara Forestier, “Oh Mercy!” Helene Vincent, “The Specials”Best Supporting Actor Swann Arlaud, “By The Grace Of God” *WINNER Gregory Gadebois, “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) Louis Garrel, “An Officer and a Spy” Benjamin Lavernhe, “Love At Second Sight” Denis Menochet, “By The Grace Of God”Most Promising Actress Luana Bajriani, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Mame Bineta Sane, “Atlantics” Celeste Brnquentuell, “The Dazzled” Lyna Khoudri, “Papicha” *WINNER Nina Meurisse, “Camille”Also Read: Why the Algerian Government Doesn't Want You to See the Country's Oscar Entry 'Papicha'Most Promising Actor Anthony Bajon, “In The Name of The Land” Benjamin Lessieur, “The Specials” Alexis Manenti, “Les Miserables” *WINNER Liam Pierron, “School Life” Djibril Zonga, “Les Miserables”Best Original Screenplay “La Belle Epoque” *WINNER “By the Grace of God” “Les Miserables” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” “The Specials”Best Adapted Screenplay “Adults in the Room” “I Lost My Body” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) *WINNER “Oh Mercy!” “Seules les Betes”Best Cinematography “La Belle Epoque” “Les Miserables” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “Oh Mercy!” “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” *WINNERBest Editing “La Belle Epoque” “By the Grace of God” “Les Miserables” *WINNER “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “The Specials”Best Costume Design “La Belle Epoque” “Le Chant du Loup” “Edmond” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) *WINNER “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”Best Production Design “La Belle Epoque” *WINNER “Edmond” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” “The Wolf’s Call”Best Sound “La Belle Epoque” “Le Chant du Loup” *WINNER “Les Miserables” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”Best Original Music “Atlantics” “I Lost My Body” *WINNER “Les Miserables” “An Officer and a Spy” (“J’accuse”) “Oh Mercy!”Best Documentary Film “The Cordirella of Dreams” “Lourdes” “M” *WINNER “68, Mon Pere et les Chous” “Wonder Boy”Best Animated Feature Film “The Bear’s Famous Invasion of Sicily” “I Lost My Body” *WINNER “The Swallows of Kabul”Best Animated Short Film “Ce magnifique gateau!” “Je sors acheter des cigarettes” “La nuit des sacs plastiques” *WINNER “Make It Soul”Best Short Film “Beautiful Loser” “Pile Poil” *WINNER “Le Chant d’Ahmed” “Le Chien bleu” “Nefta Football Club”Best Foreign Film “Joker” “Lola Vers la Mer” “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” “Pain and Glory” “Parasite” *WINNER “The Traitor” “Young Ahmed”Audience Award “Qu’est-ce qu’on a encore fait au Bon Dieu?” “Nous finirons ensemble” “The Specials” “Au nom de la terre” “Les Miserables” *WINNERRead original story Roman Polanski Draws Protests, Wins Prizes at Stormy Cesar Awards At TheWrap

  • ‘The Lion King’ Is King at the Visual Effects Society Awards
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    ‘The Lion King’ Is King at the Visual Effects Society Awards

    “The Lion King,” the Disney “live-action” remake that is made up almost entirely of computer-generated characters and backgrounds, has won three awards at the Visual Effects Society’s 18th annual VES Awards, which were handed out Wednesday night in Los Angeles.The film won for its virtual cinematography and created environment, and also took the award for Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature, the VES category that corresponds most closely to the Academy Awards’ Best Visual Effects category.“The Irishman,” with its extensive use of de-aging technology, won two awards, including Outstanding Supporting Effects in a Photoreal Feature. “Missing Link” was the top animated feature with two awards.Also Read: 'The Lion King' Crosses $500 Million Domestic, Will Soon Pass 'Beauty and the Beast'In the television categories, “Stranger Things” and “Game of Thrones” each received a pair of awards. So did “The Mandalorian” — including one for “The Child,” the episode built around the year’s most viral CG character, Baby Yoda.The film that wins the VES award in the Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature category (or its predecessor, Outstanding Visual Effects in an Visual Effects-Driven Motion Picture) has gone on to win the VFX Oscar 10 times in the last 17 years, but only once in the last five. The Outstanding Supporting Effects winner has won the Oscar twice in that time, including last year with “First Man.”Oscar nominees in the category this year include the two top VES winners, “The Lion King” and “The Irishman,” as well as “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” which won one VES award, and “Avengers: Endgame” and “1917,” which did not win any.Also Read: 'The Irishman': Martin Scorsese on De-Aging De Niro and Pacino Without 'Helmets or Tennis Balls on Their Faces'Also at the show, Sheena Duggal received the VES Award for Creative Excellence, Roland Emmerich was given the Visionary Award and Martin Scorsese received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Scorsese could not attend and accepted the award via video.The show took place at the Beverly Hilton and was hosted by Patton Oswalt.The winners:Outstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “The Lion King” Robert Legato Tom Peitzman Adam Valdez Andrew R. JonesOutstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature: “The Irishman” Pablo Helman Mitchell Ferm Jill Brooks Leandro Estebecorena Jeff BrinkOutstanding Visual Effects in an Animated Feature: “Missing Link” Brad Schiff Travis Knight Steve Emerson Benoit DubucOutstanding Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: “The Mandalorian”: “The Child” Richard Bluff Abbigail Keller Jason Porter Hayden Jones Roy K. CancinoOutstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Episode: “Chernobyl”: “1:23:45” Max Dennison Lindsay McFarlane Clare Cheetham Paul Jones Claudius Christian RauchOutstanding Visual Effects in a Real-Time Project: “Control” Janne Pulkkinen Elmeri Raitanen Matti Hämäläinen James TottmanOutstanding Visual Effects in a Commercial: Hennessy: “The Seven Worlds” Carsten Keller Selçuk Ergen Kiril Mirkov William LabanOutstanding Visual Effects in a Special Venue Project: “Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance” Jason Bayever Patrick Kearney Carol Norton Bill GeorgeOutstanding Animated Character in a Photoreal Feature: “Alita: Battle Angel”: Alita Michael Cozens Mark Haenga Olivier Lesaint Dejan MomcilovicOutstanding Animated Character in an Animated Feature: “Missing Link”: Susan Rachelle Lambden Brenda Baumgarten Morgan Hay Benoit DubucOutstanding Animated Character in an Episode or Real-Time Project: “Stranger Things 3”: Tom/Bruce Monster Joseph Dubé-Arsenault Antoine Barthod Frederick Gagnon Xavier LafargeOutstanding Animated Character in a Commercial: “Cyberpunk 2077”: Dex Jonas Ekman Jonas Skoog Marek Madej Grzegorz ChojnackiOutstanding Created Environment in a Photoreal Feature: “The Lion King”: The Pridelands Marco Rolandi Luca Bonatti Jules Bodenstein Filippo PretiOutstanding Created Environment in an Animated Feature: “Toy Story 4”: Antiques Mall Hosuk Chang Andrew Finley Alison Leaf Philip ShoebottomOutstanding Created Environment in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project: “Game of Thrones”: “The Iron Throne”: Red Keep Plaza Carlos Patrick DeLeon Alonso Bocanegra Martinez Marcela Silva Benjamin RossOutstanding Virtual Cinematography in a CG Project: “The Lion King” Robert Legato Caleb Deschanel Ben Grossmann AJ SciuttoOutstanding Model in a Photoreal or Animated Project: “The Mandalorian”: The Sin; The Razorcrest Doug Chiang Jay Machado John Goodson Landis Fields IVOutstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Don Wong Thibault Gauriau Goncalo Cababca François-Maxence DesplanquesOutstanding Effects Simulations in an Animated Feature: “Frozen II” Erin V. Ramos Scott Townsend Thomas Wickes Rattanin SirinaruemarnOutstanding Effects Simulations in an Episode, Commercial, or Real-Time Project: “Stranger Things 3”: Melting Tom/Bruce Nathan Arbuckle Christian Gaumond James Dong Aleksandr StarkovOutstanding Compositing in a Feature: “The Irishman” Nelson Sepulveda Vincent Papaix Benjamin O’Brien Christopher DoerhoffOutstanding Compositing in an Episode: “Game of Thrones”: “The Long Night”: Dragon Ground Battle Mark Richardson Darren Christie Nathan Abbott Owen LongstaffOutstanding Compositing in a Commercial: Hennessy:” The Seven Worlds” Rod Norman Guillaume Weiss Alexander Kulikov Alessandro GranellaOutstanding Special (Practical) Effects in a Photoreal or Animated Project: “The Dark Crystal: The Age of Resistance”: “She Knows All the Secrets” Sean Mathiesen Jon Savage Toby Froud Phil HarveyOutstanding Visual Effects in a Student Project: “The Beauty” Marc Angele Aleksandra Todorovic Pascal Schelbli Noel WinzenRead original story ‘The Lion King’ Is King at the Visual Effects Society Awards At TheWrap

  • ‘1917’ Named Top Film at Producers Guild Awards
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    ‘1917’ Named Top Film at Producers Guild Awards

    “1917” has won the Producers Guild of America’s award as the best-produced feature film of 2019, giving it an important victory at an awards show that usually honors the film that goes on to win the Oscar for Best Picture.The film, an immersive drama about World War I that was fashioned to look like a single shot, triumphed in a field that also included top Academy Award contenders “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” “The Irishman,” “Parasite” and “Joker.” While the PGA win makes it a de facto frontrunner of sorts in that race, this is a year in which the Oscar race still feels unsettled.“Apollo 11” won the award for documentary feature, while “Toy Story 4” won for animated feature.Also Read: '1917': How Sam Mendes & Co. Re-Created World War I in a Single TakeTelevision winners included “Succession,” “Fleabag,” “Chernobyl,” “Apollo: Missions to the Moon” and “Leaving Neverland.”As the only other major award to use the same ranked-choice voting system as the Academy to determine its top film prize, the Producers Guild Awards are one of the most reliable predictors of Oscar success. The PGA winner has gone on to win the Best Picture Oscar 21 times in 30 years, and eight times in the 10 years since both groups expanded to 10 nominees and instituted ranked-choice voting.But in one of those eight years, the Oscar winner, “12 Years a Slave,” tied with “Gravity” at the PGA – and in 2015 and 2016, the guild went for “The Big Short” and “La La Land” while the Oscars chose “Spotlight” and “Moonlight.”So while the win gives “1917” some valuable momentum in what has seemed to be a wide-open year, the compressed schedule leaves less time for any momentum to take hold before Oscar voting begins on Jan. 30 (but also less time to momentum to change). The film is not nominated for any Screen Actors Guild Awards, which will be handed out on Sunday.Also Read: Taika Waititi Joins Scorsese, Tarantino, Mendes and Bong With Directors Guild Nomination for 'Jojo Rabbit'Special awards were given to Netflix’s Ted Sarandos (Milestone Award), Plan B’s Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures); Marta Kauffman (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television); actress and producer Octavia Spencer (Visionary Award); and the film “Bombshell” (Stanley Kramer Award).The ceremony took place at the Hollywood Palladium.The winners:Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: “1917,” Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne‐Ann Tenggren, Callum McDougall Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures: “Apollo 11,” Todd Douglas Miller, Thomas Petersen Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: “Toy Story 4,” Mark Nielsen, Jonas Rivera Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama: “Succession” (Season 2), Jesse Armstrong, Adam McKay, Frank Rich, Kevin Messick, Mark Mylod, Jane Tranter, Tony Roche, Scott Ferguson, Jon Brown, Georgia Pritchett, Will Tracy, Jonathan Glatzer, Dara Schnapper, Gabrielle Mahon Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy: “Fleabag” (Season 2), Phoebe Waller‐Bridge, Harry Bradbeer, Lydia Hampson, Harry Williams, Jack Williams, Joe Lewis, Sarah Hammond David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited Series Television: “Chernobyl,” Craig Mazin, Carolyn Strauss, Jane Featherstone, Johan Renck, Chris Fry, Sanne Wohlenberg Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures: “Apollo: Missions to the Moon” Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television: “Leaving Neverland” Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (Season 6) Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (Season 11) Outstanding Sports Program: “What’s My Name / Muhammad Ali” Outstanding Children’s Program: “Sesame Street” (Season 49) Outstanding Short-form Program: “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (Season 11) PGA Innovation Award: “Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode 1”Read original story ‘1917’ Named Top Film at Producers Guild Awards At TheWrap

  • Terry Gilliam Lets Loose on ‘Don Quixote,’ Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Marvel and More
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    Terry Gilliam Lets Loose on ‘Don Quixote,’ Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Marvel and More

    “Welcome to my velvet prison,” Terry Gilliam said as he walked into the restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel in Beverly Hills. Casual in what appeared to be a robe of some sort, the filmmaker, animator and Monty Python member was in Los Angeles for a few days, ostensibly to whip up some awards attention for “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” the freewheeling riff on Cervantes that had been almost three decades in the making before he finally made it with Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce.But at the age of 79, Gilliam isn’t the kind of guy to stick to one subject – not when it’s the 50th anniversary of Python, not when he has a history of misadventures on screen and off with the likes of “Brazil,” “The Adventures of Baron Munchausen,” “The Fisher King,” “The Imaginariuym of Doctor Parnassus” and others, and not when there’s Brexit, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Netflix, Harvey Weinstein and the rise of the comedy police to talk about.So what brings you to Los Angeles? I don’t know. It’s a strange moment. My daughter, Amy, was one of the producers of “Quixote,” and she said, “This is crazy. It’s awards season, and we don’t exist.” Everybody’s talking about the 10 million Adam Driver films that have come out, and “Quixote” doesn’t exist because we had probably the worst distribution I’ve ever experienced in my life.So Amy talked to our fairy godmother, the lady who made the film possible — she’d come in at the last moment and given us the money we couldn’t get for years. And she said, “Let’s get Terry out here and do some things and get some press.”I don’t know what it means, because we’re not going to be nominated for anything. But we do actually have the Academy streaming the film, which is good. It’s slightly odd, but I just didn’t want the film to just disappear because it’s a really good film. And I think it’s Adam’s best performance this year, personally.Also Read: 'The Man Who Killed Don Quixote' Film Review: Terry Gilliam Finally Delivers Messy FunIn a way, I suppose it’s only fitting that even after you finished the damn thing, it’s still a struggle. It’s a perfect “Quixote” story. “Quixote” is always about the nightmare of thinking you’ve achieved something, and then bang, you’re down on the floor again.When you got to the end of it, was there a feeling of, “Oh s—, I finished this. What now?” Not really. (Pause) Well, there is the “What now?” question. Because I don’t have a f—ing clue what now. When you finish a film there’s always this postnatal depression that goes on for me [for] six months, but always there was “Quixote” waiting in the wings, saying, “Come on, come back and see if we can make this thing.” And now I don’t have anything.I’m playing with a few things, but I just don’t know. It’s the first time in my life I felt this. Maybe I have burned myself out. I’m reading like mad trying to get something that kicks me into belief again. Maybe the problem is getting old. You get weary. My life and my filmmaking has been about fights, and now there’s nobody attacking me. (Laughs)We’ll see what’s going. I’m working with Richard LaGravenese on an old script that we had years ago, trying to see if we can update it and make it work. We thought, well, maybe we can extend this and make a six-part TV series. Because the money is sitting there at Netflix and all the other streamers. But when you see Marty (Scorsese) doing what he does, the Coen brothers doing it, I’m not sure if Netflix is going to have any money left by the time I get there.Also Read: Terry Gilliam Feels a 'Huge Emptiness' Waiting for Him Now That 'Don Quixote' Is Finally FinishedSo that’s the likely course rather than theatrical? Independent distribution is really f—ed. They don’t have any money anymore. And how do you compete with “Avengers” and things like that? It’s only at this time of year when you get a sense that there are independent films out there, because they’re spending all their money for the awards.There must have been a point in your career when Hollywood would have given you “Avengers”-style movies. When I was younger, I would’ve loved to have done that kind of work. But not now. There’s so many good technical directors out there. I don’t know their names – nobody knows their names – but boy, they can do the job. And even fairly recently, somebody was talking to me about one of the big things. But I just don’t want to work on that kind of movie, because they’re basically factory systems. And why?The one person I admire at the moment is Taika Waititi. A couple of years ago at Christmas, my son put on “Thor: Ragnarok.” I said, “I don’t want to see this stuff,” but it was really funny. And I think “Jojo Rabbit” is wonderful, just fantastic.He’s facing questions like, “Should you really joke about Nazis today?” Exactly. You can’t joke about anything these days. You might cause offense, and offense is a crime against humanity and must be stopped. You might make somebody think, and that’s really dangerous.That’s why “Jojo Rabbit” is such a brilliant film, because he deals with Nazis and his touch is perfect. I never laughed as hard as I did in “Jojo Rabbit,” with the German version of “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” But his balance was so beautiful and the story is wonderful.I don’t know where we are these days. The problem is that our politicians in America and now Britain are so beyond satire. They’re the joke, but it’s not laughable. Boris Johnson and Donald Trump are the clowns, but they’re not funny. They’re the other side of clowning, the dark side.Also Read: Taika Waititi Says He Didn't Even Try to Pitch Studios on His WWII Comedy 'Jojo Rabbit'You left the United States, where you were born and raised, to go to Britain in the 1960s? ’67. I was fed up with America. I was angry because there was a war going on and the civil rights movement was in full flow and friends were getting seriously hurt. When you’re raised here, you begin to believe that America stands for truth, justice and all of those things. And it was a moment of looking around saying, “This is not the place I thought it was. I want out because I am angry, and when I’m angry I’m not much fun to be around.”Did it make you less angry to be over there? Yeah. I suppose that I realized for all the faults in the country, they weren’t my fault, because I wasn’t born there. Getting to England just took the weight off my shoulders, and I loved the culture there.I went there because I believed in what I thought the country stood for — a liberal attitude, an intelligent, liberal, embrace of everybody. And it’s now become bitter, racist, hating immigrants. It’s horrible. They’ve become as ideologically confused as Americans, and the big lie seems to work. We’re out of Europe. It is a f—ing little island that doesn’t make anything anymore, and I don’t know how it’s going to survive.When you’re thinking about what to do next, are you thinking about projects that would reflect what you see in the world? Yeah. But the problem is that it’s so hard to work out how you satirize this stuff, because it is already satirical in the worst possible way. I mean, everything I’ve done to me is relating to the world we live in in some way. And I’m finding it so hard at the moment to find a way of doing it that’s still funny. I’m just not laughing anymore.When they did the 40th anniversary re-release of “Monty Python’s Life of Brian” early this year, it could not have been much timelier. It’s totally prescient, that film. It’s prescient and it’s funny and it’s honest. But a year or so ago, the new head of comedy at the BBC made this big public statement that Monty Python would never be commissioned now, because it was six white guys. ‘Cause they’re into diversity now, not comedy. Well, I was diverse. I was an American, I wasn’t British. Graham Chapman was gay. So we were pretty diverse. Some studied English history, others weren’t into law. What more do you want? (Laughs)When I was promoting “Quixote,” I was asked my feelings about that in a press conference in Germany. And I said, “Well, as a white male, I’m really tired of being blamed for all the wrongs on the planet. From now on, I want you to call me Loretta. I’m a black lesbian in transition.”I got a laugh, of course. But the British liberal press has tried to be so much like the Hollywood press, and Hollywood is just crazed now. It’s like a little village where at any moment there’s only one way to think about things. And so I was pilloried for causing harm to people by what I said. Harm. They don’t even know what the word harm means anymore. I ruffled somebody’s feathers? That’s harm?And “I want you to call me Loretta” is, after all, a quote that Eric Idle’s character says in a scene from “Life of Brian” that’s all about the rise of extreme political correctness. The common good is not important anymore. It’s “me” and “I feel” and “you must never say anything critical of me or my behavior,” because that’s offending.I sound like some old right winger, I know. After I made that statement in Germany, I did an interview with a really good journalist who said, “Many of the things you say sound very similar to what the neo-Nazis say.” I’m 180 degrees the opposite of them. And I said, “Whatever you write, please write this: When we can’t distinguish between humor and hatred, we are f—ed.”Python must have gotten plenty of people saying, “Oh, you shouldn’t joke about that.” No, we didn’t. I did an interview for the 50th anniversary, and Python used to always refer to “fat, ignorant bastards.” And they were worried about the offense we were causing by saying that. I said, “They were fat, ignorant bastards – that wasn’t offensive, it was just a statement of fact.” (Laughs)You can’t be critical. You can’t say anything that’s humorous, critical, questioning, because somebody will be offended. I got an award once for an opera, and I talked about the fact that I didn’t want the lead singer to be just some 50-year-old fat woman. And there was so much shock over me saying fat woman that I had to backtrack and explain what I really meant: There are fat women who sing, and if they’re supposed to be playing a 16-year-old Juliet, give me a break.So basically, you’ve been saying things that get you into trouble for years. Right. I think the problem of being of an advanced age is just you get dismissed as an old fart who doesn’t know the world. I know what’s going on and, but I do a lot of complaining because I can get away with it. I don’t give a s— what you think, which is not particularly helpful.So when you started the TV show in ’69 did you guys have any sense that what you were doing was significant? We were just doing what we want to do and getting away with it. Nothing more. We were just delighted that we had the opportunity to do what we wanted to do, and we had the BBC as an outlet. There were only three channels then, right? So everybody saw what you did. We went on on Sunday night, and on Monday morning everybody at work was around the water cooler talking about it. That doesn’t exist anymore because there’s so many choices.We just thought about each show as the end, to make it as funny as we could. We argued amongst ourselves, but the good thing about the group was there was a mutual respect in the work. Individually, we’d get in huge fights about each other, but we all felt that the work was the key thing. And when I look back, it’s incredibly rare to have your own television show where there’s no producer, no executives saying, “This is what you need to do. This is the audience we want you to go for it.”That’s why I do find it funny that we are 50 years on and we’re legendary now. (Laughs) We’re national treasures, whatever that means. Because I certainly don’t feel like that. I take the tube, Mike Palin takes the tube. And occasionally, maybe a couple of times a week, someone says, “Nice, Terry.”Coming to Hollywood, the pressure is to be a real star. It’s a killer. I’ve got friends, two who committed suicide here, and on every level they were successful here. But there was always more success they hadn’t attained, and that’s the pressure of it. Which I think is terrible.Did you ever feel yourself falling into that? Yeah, yeah. That’s why I don’t like LA. I stay away from it. I know it’s contagious. (Laughs) Coming here for a couple of days, that’s it.It was one of those weird things, having grown up out here, in the Valley, and wanting to be in film somehow. It seemed so distant. Physically it wasn’t distant, but then to go to England and finally come back to Hollywood and make movies in Hollywood was always odd and interesting and quite wonderful.I think that separation is really important. I talk to friends out here, and their limited view bothers me. It’s all about how you get something through this particular system. And now I think it’s really hard if you’re a talented to survive out here and to still continue to do really good work other than just producing products.I also think it’s hard now because you make a film and you want feedback. And feedback is also the number of people that are watching it and how it plays in a cinema. You don’t get that on Netflix. You don’t know who, what, anything.And yet they gave Martin Scorsese the money to make “The Irishman” when no studio would. Exactly. Exactly. But the question is, what is the ultimate effect of the movie now? We don’t know. At least with films, you know how many people went, you can see them so you’re getting feedback so you know if you’re communicating. And maybe at a certain point and a certain age, like me and Marty, we don’t care if we’re communicating any more – we just want to do the things we’ve wanted to do for years. We want to say we’re getting away with it.Do you find it appealing to think about the longer form you could use if you did go with Netflix? Well, that’s one of the things that Richard LeGravenese and I have been doing. We did a breakdown for a six-part series which looked like it could work, but I’m not convinced. What I tend to do with my repetitive nature is dance between reality and imagination. In a two-hour, two-hour-plus film, you’ve got the audience trapped, so you play that game in route. If you’re doing it on TV, I’m not sure it works the same way. When you get to the end of an episode, do you leave it in reality or do you leave it in the imaginative stage? And then you come back and pick it up from there? But it may be the only way that it will ever get done is if we do it for Netflix.But you don’t have a timeline for when you’re liable to do your next thing? No. I don’t know. I’m reading like mad waiting for the muse to come back. I think the problem is that I know how long it takes to get a film set up, and I’m kind of worn out. What I really would like if somebody who’s got a good script and they’ve got the funding and they’re looking for a director. Hi!I mean, in a sense that that’s what happened after “Munchhausen.” That was just a nightmare, and along came the script for “The Fisher King.” I didn’t write it, I didn’t care, it’s a great script. All we need to do is get Robin Williams, and I can get Robin. And we were off. It was the same thing with “The Brothers Grimm,” which was my experience with the Weinstein bothers. That was like, you just wanted to give up. But we did “Tideland,” which was low budget and fast.So I think that’s what I’m feeling. I will work on various things. I’m doing a musical for the theater. I had a period when I did two operas. These are the things that come along — they’re ready to go and I jump in because I’ve got to work. I know all the film ideas I’ve got are not going to be easy to finance, and I’m impatient. My theory is I’m going to die very soon, and I’d like to knock off one or two more.Your problems with the Weinsteins were over their tendency to interfere in the filmmaking? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Wanting to be directors. And they’re not. If you want to be a director, direct a movie. But they can’t. They’ve got to get their fingerprints all over the thing, so they can claim they did. They fired my DP and forced another DP on me. At a certain point the fun and the joy of filmmaking was destroyed.In their earlier stages, they were very good at picking up really good films and then saying to the filmmakers, “Your film is very good. It could be great, if … ” They would then get the filmmakers to compromise and do what they thought would make the film more popular and more successful. And then the films would fail, so they destroyed these young filmmakers. Really destroyed them. Once you’ve been through that experience, you’ve lost all confidence in yourself. And I know several who just gave up.The problem is, they’re smart, Harvey in particular. But in “Brothers Grimm,” Robin Williams was originally going to play the part that Peter Stormare played. They wouldn’t do a deal with Robin because they thought Robin had betrayed them on “Good Will Hunting.” Robin was the reason the film got made, and when the film looked like it might be worked for some awards, they wanted Robin to give up his back end to give them the money to campaign. And Robin said, “Why?” and he didn’t. So they refused to let me have Robin.I wanted Samantha Morton for the part that Lena Headey played. Samantha was perfect for the part, but Harvey would not do it. He said, “She’s brilliant, she’s going to win the Academy Award one day, but she’s not going to be in your film.” I talked to her and said, “What was your crime that they are behaving like this?” And the only thing she could think of was that when they were in Cannes promoting something, there was a lunch, and Harvey said, “Come to lunch. important people. I want you to wear a very short skirt.” And she came down in slacks. That was her crime. I think that was the only thing she could think of. He wanted her to look sexy and she said no.And eventually his karma caught up with him, and he’s in a real karma crash.Well, I think I’ve got plenty to work with… Enough to destroy my career? (Laughs) Thank you.Actually, you asked why I was here. I’m actually here to say things that get me into trouble when you print them.Read original story Terry Gilliam Lets Loose on ‘Don Quixote,’ Trump, Harvey Weinstein, Marvel and More At TheWrap

  • ‘Parasite’ Wins Best Picture From Los Angeles Film Critics
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    ‘Parasite’ Wins Best Picture From Los Angeles Film Critics

    “Parasite” has been named the best film of 2019 by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, which announced its annual awards on Sunday. “The Irishman” was runner-up.The twisted Korean black comedy also won awards for director Bong Joon Ho and supporting actor Song Kang Ho, and it was runner-up in the screenplay and production design categories. “The Irishman” did not win any awards but finished second to “Parasite” for picture, director and supporting actor (Joe Pesci).This marked the second year in a row that the L.A. critics have named a film not in English the year’s best, and the fifth time in their 45-year history. All of those wins have taken place in the last 20 years: “Roma” last year, “Amour” in 2012, “Letters From Iwo Jima” in 2006 and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000.Also Read: How 'Parasite' Director Bong Joon Ho Created the Year's Most Dangerously Charming FilmAntonio Banderas won the best-actor award for “Pain and Glory,” the same prize he claimed from the New York Film Critics Circle. Adam Driver was named runner-up for “Marriage Story.” Mary Kay Place won the best-actress prize for the small indie “Diane,” with Lupita Nyong’o taking runner-up for “Us.”Jennifer Lopez’s performance as a stripper looking to turn the tables on her colleagues got perhaps unexpected critical support from LAFCA voters, who gave her the supporting-actor award over runner-up Zhao Shuzhen for “The Farewell.”“I Lost My Body” was named the best animated film over runner-up “Toy Story 4,” while “American Factory” beat “Apollo 11” for best nonfiction film. “Pain and Glory” was named best foreign-language film over “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” in a vote that took place after “Parasite” had won the best-picture award.In the craft categories, Claire Mathon was voted the prize for cinematography for her work on both “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Atlantics,” Barbara Ling won for her production design of “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” Dan Levy was honored for his music to the animated film “I Lost My Body” and Todd Douglas Miller took the editing award for “Apollo 11,” the second year in a row the critics have given this prize to a nonfiction film. (“Minding the Gap” won last year.)Last year, five of the LAFCA winners went on to win the Oscar: actresses Olivia Colman and Regina King, animated film “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Roma” cinematographer Alfonso Cuaron and “Black Panther” production designer Hannah Beachler.Also Read: New York Film Critics Circle Awards: 'The Irishman' Named Best Picture of 2019The LAFCA best-film winner has won the Oscar for Best Picture 10 times in the 45 years the organization has been giving out awards, including three times in the last decade: “The Hurt Locker” in 2009, “Spotlight” in 2015 and “Moonlight” in 2016.The group consists of 62 Los Angeles-based film critics working in print and electronic media. (TheWrap’s Alonso Duralde is a member.)The awards will be given out at an awards dinner on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, at the InterContinental Hotel in Century City. Also at that ceremony, director-writer-actress Elaine May will be honored with this year’s Career Achievement Award.Also Read: AFI Top 10 List Includes 'The Irishman,' 'Joker,' 'The Farewell'The 2019 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:Best Film: “Parasite” Runner-up: “The Irishman” Best Director: Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite” Runner-up: Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” Best Actor: Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory” Runner-up: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” Best Actress: Mary Kay Place, “Diane” Runner-up: Lupita Nyong’o, “Us” Best Supporting Actor: Song Kang Ho, “Parasite” Runner-up: Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” Best Supporting Actress: Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers” Runner-up: Zhao Shuzhen, “The Farewell” Best Foreign-Language Film: “Pain and Glory” Runner-up: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” Best Documentary/Nonfiction Film: “American Factory” Runner-up: “Apollo 11” Best Animated Film: “I Lost My Body” Runner-up: “Toy Story 4” Best Screenplay: Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story” Runner-up: Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won, “Parasite” Best Cinematography: Claire Mathon, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and “Atlantics” Runner-up: Roger Deakins, “1917” Best Editing: Todd Douglas Miller, “Apollo 11” Runner-up: Ronald Bronstein & Benny Safdie, “Uncut Gems” Best Music/Score: Dan Levy, “I Lost My Body” Runner-up: Thomas Newman, “1917” Best Production Design: Barbara Ling, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” Runner-up: Ha Jun Lee, “Parasite” New Generation Award: Joe Talbot, Jimmie Fails and Jonathan Majors, “The Last Black Man in San Francisco” Douglas E. Edwards Independent/Experimental Film/Video: “The Giverny Document,” Ja’Tovia GaryRead original story ‘Parasite’ Wins Best Picture From Los Angeles Film Critics At TheWrap