Awards

The Hollywood Foreign Press has come under fire again for the rule that disallows “Minari,” the story of a Korean immigrant family struggling to build a better life in Arkansas, from competing in the Golden Globes race for best drama or musical/comedy. As the entertainment industry faces pressure to become more diverse and inclusive, both

While the Academy has not yet released the full official list, these are the films Variety has learned have been submitted by various countries in the international film race. The shortlist will be announced Feb. 9 and the nominations on March 15. The Academy Awards ceremony takes place on April 25. Albania Open Door Director:

The Chicago Film Critics Association has named Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” as this year’s big winner, netting five prizes, including best picture, director, actress (Frances McDormand), adapted screenplay and cinematography. Leading the CFCA nominations with seven, the Searchlight Pictures drama has performed astoundingly with the half dozen critics awards that have been announced thus far. Zhao

The line between film and television have been blurred for years. Some of us thought it would be one film that would force the call, but coincidentally, it seems to be five films that encapsulate Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe” (or one really long movie, depending on where you stand) that forces the question of what

A24’s “First Cow” was the big winner at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, taking home best film. In predicting the Academy Awards, the top prize from NYFCC has an astounding correlation to the Oscars. Since 1935, the NYFCC winner for best film has never failed to receive any Oscar nominations in its respective

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for “The Auschwitz Report,” Slovakia’s entry for international film to the Academy Awards. The movie, directed by Peter Bebjak and based on Alfréd Wetzler’s novel “What Dante Did Not See,” tells the true story of two imprisoned Slovak Jewish men, Rudolf Vrba and Wetzler, who escape

Will Ferrell first became obsessed with the Eurovision Song Contest, the infamous international competition, about 20 years ago when he and his wife went to Sweden to visit her family. “It just happened to be the night of the finale and they all wanted to watch and as soon as I saw it I was

The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), one of the key precursors to the awards season, is announcing their best-of-the-year winners after this very strange 2020. Comprised of nearly 50 critics and journalists from outlets such as Variety, Time Magazine and Vanity Fair, the East Coast group began voting at 9 a.m. and will announce

With Oscars season underway, Academy voters commonly ask for movie recommendations, whether to discover a great film or to see a “contender.” Too often, the small, quiet releases have a passionate base but are drowned out by louder, shinier competition. In a year when theaters are closed and streamers are “dominating” the conversation, the closest

When Emerald Fennell and Carey Mulligan set out to make “Promising Young Woman,” they knew it would spark conversation. But they didn’t think it would lead to an actual fight in the audience during a screening. “It was just a really completely mixed audience, all sorts of ages and genders,” Fennell says of the early

Before they were Academy Award winners, Mahershala Ali, Viola Davis and Brie Larson shared something in common; they were all named to Variety’s list of 10 Actors to Watch. We have been compiling the list since 1998, and honorees now include more than 35 Oscar winners and nominees. This year’s honorees include actors making their

The already dramatic life of abolitionist John Brown is further dramatized in “The Good Lord Bird,” a Showtime miniseries based on the book by James McBride. In the show, the story of Brown — a white abolitionist who led the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia — is modified to include a fictional character as his

The Boston Society of Film Critics awards is the precursor season “kickoff” for critics awards this year. The New England based group showed tremendous love for Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” which took home three awards for best picture, director and cinematography (Joshua James Richards). Comprised of 26 film critics and journalists from the Boston city area,

When newcomer Caoilinn Springall showed up to shoot “The Midnight Sky” on a remote glacier in Iceland, she had only seen one film featuring star George Clooney: “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.” But Clooney’s not offended. Instead, he agrees that’s it’s one of his few films age-appropriate for an 8-year-old. “You can watch ‘Batman and Robin’

The San Francisco International Film Festival held its annual awards night on Wednesday evening before an audience of Academy and guild members. In a Q&A that was moderated by Rachel Rosen, voting members of various branches were able to ask the honorees questions. Academy branches that were represented were animation, documentary, executive and visual effects.

Tahar Rahim turned the heads of cinephiles more than a decade ago in Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet,” which was Oscar-nominated for best foreign language film in 2010. Since then, he’s made his way through the independent and international audiences with performances in films such as Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past.” Now, Rahim is taking on his

Space and silence are the structural bones of Netflix’s “The Midnight Sky.” Still, the spirit and heart are fixed within its visual decorations and taut narrative that allows director, producer and star George Clooney to examine uncharted and personal territories. Based on the book “Good Morning, Midnight” by Lily Brooks-Dalton, there’s a compelling case to

The Academy Awards have announced producers for the upcoming 93rd ceremony. Emmy nominee Jesse Collins (“Zoboomafoo”), Oscar nominee Stacey Sher (“Django Unchained” and “Erin Brockovich”) and Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh (best director for 2000’s “Traffic”) will produce the upcoming show, which is scheduled to air on Sunday, April 25. This is the trio’s first time

The CDC told Alex Gibney they would speak to him for his film “Totally Under Control” but gave him a list of conditions, one of which was to give the CDC “final cut.” Gibney chuckles and says, “that wasn’t going to happen.” Gibney is no stranger to pushing the envelope and getting to the bottom

Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet is rarely able to sit down and read a script in one sitting because of work or family commitments. But when Francis Lee’s screenplay for “Ammonite” came her way, Winslet’s agent implored her to read it, and she did — in one sitting. “It was just spectacular,” she says. Winslet recently

The Television Academy revealed several rules changes late Friday for next year’s 73rd Emmy Awards, including the surprising decision to merge variety talk and variety sketch back into one category. The org has also clarified that anthology series eligibility will now be firmly in the limited series field, and the category has been renamed outstanding

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are joining the original song Oscar race with a stealth entry. David Fincher’s “Mank” hits Netflix on Friday, featuring “(If Only You Could) Save Me,” a song written by the film’s composers and performed by Adryon de León that will be submitted for the upcoming Academy Awards, and other guild

Star-in-the-making Ariana DeBose is ready to redefine what it means to be Latino, or how she identifies as Afro-Latina. “You cannot just boil down what it is to be Latino in one thing,” she says. “Observing the industry…Rita Moreno, my Queen, she’s been the standard and it’s a very specific look, which hasn’t necessarily allowed

One Oscar nomination isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Multiple Oscar nominations. A few filmmakers, performers and artists may hear their names called several times when the Academy announces its nominations March 15. These contenders hail from all categories, including acting, writing and technical pursuits. For context, no one is in a position to break

Critically-acclaimed director Chloe Zhao’s latest film, “Nomadland,” became an early Oscar favorite after bowing at the Venice Film Festival earlier this year, and could see her make history as the first Asian American female to win the best director prize. The film stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a widow who has been left houseless after

Sony Pictures Classics has delayed the release of “Nine Days,” the Sundance hit from first-time director Edson Oda starring Winston Duke. It will no longer release on Jan. 22 and is now slated to open in theaters worldwide next summer. However, the film will still qualify for the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards, set for

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences plans to keep with an all-virtual roster of awards — including the Daytime Emmys — in 2021. The New York-based org made the announcement on Tuesday morning, which impacts the Sports Emmy Awards, the News & Documentary Emmys and the Technology & Engineering Emmys in addition to

There’s no better time than the first time, at least when it comes to actors debuting in their inaugural feature films. In the history of the Oscars, more than 25 actors have been nominated for their feature debuts across all four acting categories. Among them are winners like Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and

Since “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” landed on Amazon Prime on Oct. 23, it’s been the talk of the town. Also the subject of much discussion: Maria Bakalova, the Bulgarian actor who plays Tutar, the daughter of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Borat. The 24-year-old Bakalova proves to be as hilarious and adept at improvising as the seasoned Cohen,

Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars from Film Awards Editor Clayton Davis. Following Academy Awards history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar predictions are updated regularly with the current year's contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: