JOKER DOMINATES THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS 2020

José Alberto Hermosillo

"Little Women" will face-off the Big Men at the 92nd Academy Awards on Sunday, January 9th, 2020.

Oscar Nominations 2020

This year, the stories reflected in the Best Picture category are mostly male-driven works directed by men. Those titles include, "Joker," "1917," "Ford v Ferrari," "Jojo Rabbit," "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," "The Irishman," but "Marriage Story" and "Parasite" are more gender-balanced projects. "Little Women" looks up for more gender equality in every sense.

Most of the films qualifying in the main categories were screened in theaters in Los Angeles and New York in 2019. Looking back, the year 2019 will be remembered as one of the most uneven years in recent history. Optimistically thinking, with more productions directed by women and other communities, we will start seeing the #OscarsSoWhite like something from the past.

Many new Hollywood productions are oriented to close "the gender gap." The producers are also looking up for more "diversity and inclusion."

In the mid-time, we can relax, sit back and enjoy the admirable works that so many talented people in the industry brought us and who deserve recognition by the members of the Academy.

The big favorite is "Joker" with more nominations, 11; "1917" and "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" have 10, and "Little Women" has 8.

"Parasite" with six nods is the 11th non-English Best Picture nominee. Therefore, it did not break the record of more nominations for a foreign film like "Roma" had last year with 10 or "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" also with 10 nominations for a non-English film in the year 2000.

"Pain and Glory" has two, Antonio Banderas for the best actor and Spain for the best international feature.

"Honeyland" from North Macedonia opened in theaters mid-July, and it has two nominations, for best international feature film and for best documentary feature.

Once again, no women were nominated for the best director, but more women were nominated in other essential categories as best picture producers, writers, and music composers.

Parasite cast and crew on Oscar Night. Photo by José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019

Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards

Performance by an actor in a leading role

• Antonio Banderas in “Pain and Glory”
• Leonardo DiCaprio in “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood”
• Adam Driver in “Marriage Story”
• Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker” (WINNER)
  
• Jonathan Pryce in “The Two Popes” 

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

• Tom Hanks in “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
• Anthony Hopkins in “The Two Popes”
• Al Pacino in “The Irishman”
• Joe Pesci in “The Irishman”
• Brad Pitt in “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” (WINNER)
  

Performance by an actress in a leading role

• Cynthia Erivo in “Harriet”
• Scarlett Johansson in “Marriage Story”
• Saoirse Ronan in “Little Women”
• Charlize Theron in “Bombshell”
• Renée Zellweger in “Judy” (WINNER)
  

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

• Kathy Bates in “Richard Jewell”
• Laura Dern in “Marriage Story”(WINNER)
• Scarlett Johansson in “Jojo Rabbit”
• Florence Pugh in “Little Women”
• Margot Robbie in “Bombshell”

Best animated feature film of the year

• “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Dean DeBlois, Bradford Lewis and Bonnie Arnold
• “I Lost My Body” Jérémy Clapin and Marc du Pontavice
• “Klaus” Sergio Pablos, Jinko Gotoh and Marisa Román
• “Missing Link” Chris Butler, Arianne Sutner and Travis Knight
• “Toy Story 4” Josh Cooley, Mark Nielsen and Jonas Rivera, (WINNERS)
  

Achievement in cinematography

• “The Irishman” Rodrigo Prieto
• “Joker” Lawrence Sher
• “The Lighthouse” Jarin Blaschke
• “1917” Roger Deakins (WINNER)
  
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Robert Richardson

Achievement in costume design

• “The Irishman” Sandy Powell and Christopher Peterson
• “Jojo Rabbit” Mayes C. Rubeo
• “Joker” Mark Bridges
• “Little Women” Jacqueline Durran (WINNER)
  
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Arianne Phillips

Achievement in directing

• “The Irishman” Martin Scorsese
• “Joker” Todd Phillips
• “1917” Sam Mendes
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Quentin Tarantino
• “Parasite” Bong Joon Ho (WINNER)
  

Best documentary feature

• “American Factory” Steven Bognar, Julia Reichert, and Jeff Reichert (WINNER)
  
• “The Cave” Feras Fayyad, Kirstine Barfod, and Sigrid Dyekjær
• “The Edge of Democracy” Petra Costa, Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan
• “For Sama” Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts
• “Honeyland” Ljubo Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska and Atanas Georgiev

Best documentary short subject

• “In the Absence” Yi Seung-Jun and Gary Byung-Seok Kam
• “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl)” Carol Dysinger and Elena Andreicheva (WINNER)
  
• “Life Overtakes Me” John Haptas and Kristine Samuelson
• “St. Louis Superman” Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan
• “Walk Run Cha-Cha” Laura Nix and Colette Sandstedt

Achievement in film editing

• “Ford v Ferrari” Michael McCusker and Andrew Buckland (WINNER)
  
• “The Irishman” Thelma Schoonmaker
• “Jojo Rabbit” Tom Eagles
• “Joker” Jeff Groth
• “Parasite” Yang Jinmo

Best international feature film of the year

• “Corpus Christi” Poland
• “Honeyland” North Macedonia
• “Les Misérables” France
• “Pain and Glory” Spain
• “Parasite” South Korea (WINNER)

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling

• “Bombshell” Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker (WINNER)
  
• “Joker” Nicki Ledermann and Kay Georgiou
• “Judy” Jeremy Woodhead
• “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” Paul Gooch, Arjen Tuiten and David White
• “1917” Naomi Donne, Tristan Versluis, and Rebecca Cole

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

• “Joker” Hildur Guðnadóttir (WINNER)
  
• “Little Women” Alexandre Desplat
• “Marriage Story” Randy Newman
• “1917” Thomas Newman
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” John Williams

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

• “I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away” from “Toy Story 4.”
  Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
• “(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”
  Music by Elton John; Lyric by Bernie Taupin (WINNER)
  
• “I'm Standing With You” from “Breakthrough”
  Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
• “Into The Unknown” from “Frozen II”
  Music and Lyric by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
• “Stand Up” from “Harriet”
  Music and Lyric by Joshuah Brian Campbell and Cynthia Erivo 

Best motion picture of the year

• “Ford v Ferrari” Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and James Mangold, Producers
• “The Irishman” Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers
• “Jojo Rabbit” Carthew Neal, and Taika Waititi, Producers
• “Joker” Todd Phillips, Bradley Cooper and Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Producers
• “Little Women” Amy Pascal, Producer
• “Marriage Story” Noah Baumbach and David Heyman, Producers
• “1917” Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris, Jayne-Ann Tenggren and Callum McDougall, Producers
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, and Quentin Tarantino, Producers
• “Parasite” Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho, Producers (WINNER)
  

Achievement in production design

• “The Irishman” Production Design: Bob Shaw; Set Decoration: Regina Graves
• “Jojo Rabbit” Production Design: Ra Vincent; Set Decoration: Nora Sopková
• “1917” Production Design: Dennis Gassner; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Production Design: Barbara Ling; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh (WINNER)
  
• “Parasite” Production Design: Lee Ha Jun; Set Decoration: Cho Won Woo 

Best animated short film

• “Dcera (Daughter)” Daria Kashcheeva
• “Hair Love” Matthew A. Cherry and Karen Rupert Toliver (WINNER)
  
• “Kitbull” Rosana Sullivan and Kathryn Hendrickson
• “Memorable” Bruno Collet and Jean-François Le Corre
• “Sister” Siqi Song 

Best live-action short film

• “Brotherhood” Meryam Joobeur and Maria Gracia Turgeon
• “Nefta Football Club” Yves Piat and Damien Megherbi
• “The Neighbors' Window” Marshall Curry (WINNER)
  
• “Saria” Bryan Buckley and Matt Lefebvre
• “A Sister” Delphine Girard

Achievement in sound editing

• “Ford v Ferrari” Donald Sylvester
• “Joker” Alan Robert Murray
• “1917” Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate (WINNER)
  
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Wylie Stateman
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Matthew Wood and David Acord

Achievement in sound mixing

• “Ad Astra” Gary Rydstrom, Tom Johnson and Mark Ulano
• “Ford v Ferrari” Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Steven A. Morrow (WINNER)
  
• “Joker” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic and Tod Maitland
• “1917” Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Michael Minkler, Christian P. Minkler, and Mark Ulano 

Achievement in visual effects

• “Avengers: Endgame” Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken, and Dan Sudick
• “The Irishman” Pablo Helman, Leandro Estebecorena, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, and Stephane Grabli
• “The Lion King” Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew R. Jones, and Elliot Newman
• “1917” Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, and Dominic Tuohy
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” Roger Guyett, Neal Scanlan, Patrick Tubach and Dominic Tuohy

Adapted screenplay

• “The Irishman” Screenplay by Steven Zaillian
• “Jojo Rabbit” Screenplay by Taika Waititi (WINNER)
  
• “Joker” Written by Todd Phillips & Scott Silver
• “Little Women” Written for the screen by Greta Gerwig
• “The Two Popes” Written by Anthony McCarten 

Original screenplay

• “Knives Out” Written by Rian Johnson
• “Marriage Story” Written by Noah Baumbach
• “1917” Written by Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns
• “Once upon a Time...in Hollywood” Written by Quentin Tarantino
• “Parasite” Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won; Story by Bong Joon Ho (WINNER).

José Alberto Hermosillo, film critic, Festival in LA ©2019

 

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José Alberto Hermosillo, film critic, Festival in LA ©2019

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NINETEEN BEST FILMS OF 2019 - FESTIVAL IN LA

By José Alberto Hermosillo

Nineteen Best Films of 2019

Nineteen Best Films of 2019:

1. Transit
2. Joker
3. 1917
4. Little Women
5. Invisible Life
6. The Irishman
7. Parasite

8. The Painted Bird

9. Synonyms

10. Dolemite is My Name
11. Pain and Glory
12. And Then We Danced
13  Portrait of a Lady on Fire
14. Les Misérables
15. The Two Popes
16. I Lost My Body

17. Honeyland

18. Honey Boy

19. The Biggest Little Farm

SPECIAL MENTION: Corpus Christy, Our Time, Deerskin, Nobadi, Us, The Cave, The Farewell, Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, The Mustang, Giant Little Ones, Marriage Story, American Factory, The Report, Maiden, The Aeronauts, The Great Hack, The Art of Self Defense, Apollo 11, Knock Down the House, High Life.

🎥  🎞  📽  🎬

Parasite cast at the Oscars 2020. Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo. Copyright FestivalinLA 2020.

The year 2019 brought us some fascinating films - many of those you probably never heard of, or have no time to watch them. Many movies have no possibilities for an award or won't get an Oscar buzz - many critics may agree that the best film of the year will not necessarily be the most highly praised or rewarded movie of the year.

"Transit" is the most sublime, obsessively beautiful story of 2019. This modern and existentialist masterwork is comparable with classics such as "Casa Blanca" or "Touch of Evil."  

Films like "Joker" deserve to win Best Picture, "1917" is a masterpiece as well. "Little Women," a movie narrated from the writer's point-of-view and directed by a woman, is the best adaptation of the classic American novel so far. 

Some productions from other countries enrich the list of best films of the year, such as the Brazilian masterwork "Invisible Life." The French productions "Portrait of a Woman on Fire" and "Les Misérables" are also great movies worth your time. 

In the foreign section, we have the Swedish production, "And Then We Danced" about Georgian dancers in love.

Finally, the most controversial film of the year, and difficult to swallow, the black and white WWII drama "The Painted Bird."

The year 2019, also brought us a few big disappointments. I was not referring to Cats, Richard Jewell, The Fanatic, Rambo: Last Blood, Terminator: Dark Fate, or Ugly Dolls. But that is another story. 

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José Alberto Hermosillo www.festivalinLA.com 

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Festival in LA ©2020

Ten Shortlisted Films for Best International Feature Oscars 2020

By José Alberto Hermosillo

Ten Shortlisted Films for Best International Feature Film for the Oscars 2020. Festival in LA

TEN SHORTLISTED INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILMS PRE-SELECTED IN THE CATEGORY OF BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM:

The Czech Republic, “The Painted Bird”
Estonia, “Truth and Justice”
France, “Les Misérables”
Hungary, “Those Who Remained”
North Macedonia, “Honeyland”
Poland, “Corpus Christi”
Russia, “Beanpole”
Senegal, “Atlantics”
South Korea, “Parasite”
Spain, “Pain and Glory”

A record number of 94 countries submitted their films to the 92^nd Academy Awards for the Best International Feature Film, previously known as the Best Foreign Language category. 

Out of those 94 submissions, the one from Afghanistan was ineligible. Austria and Nigeria were disqualified because more than fifty percent of the dialog is in English. 

From that long list, ten films are shortlisted now, before the nominations announcement mid-January.  

Not many surprises as the frontrunner and top foreign box-office, Cannes winner “Parasite,” seem to be ahead of the other preselected films.

Not that fast, the favorite film not always wins the Oscar. It happened in 2009 with Michael Haneke's Palme d'Or winner “The White Ribbon” loosing against the undiscovered Argentinian political-thriller “The Secret in their Eyes,” both films are equally meaningful with extraordinary beauty.

Last year, the Venice Film Festival winner “Roma” from Mexico won the Oscar over Cannes winner Japanse social drama “Shoplifters.” And a year before the transgender Chilean love story “A Fantastic Woman” beat Cannes winner “The Square” from Sweden.

In history, very few films won the Palme d’Or and the Oscar as well. The last movie to do so was “Amour” in 2012. “Pele the Conqueror” won both in 1987, “The Thin Drum” in 1979. “A Man and a Woman” in 1966, “La Dolce Vita” from Italy won in 1960, and “Black Orpheus” made in Brazil, represented France in 1959, won Cannes and the Oscar.

Measuring art is subjective, but not for the Academy members who prefer a wide variety of topics than the ones that have won in the influential European Film Festivals.

The films from Latin America are out of the competition after winning the Oscar for two consecutive years, "A Fantastic Woman" from Chile, and "Roma" from Mexico. "Invisible Life," the masterwork from Brazil and "Retablo" from Peru, both films were nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, but after the shortlist announcement have no chance for an Oscar nomination.

This award season, anything can happen because the most controversial film of the year, "The Painted Bird" from the Czech Republic, made the cut. The eco-friendly documentary from North Macedonia's "Honeyland," or even "Beanpole" from Russia, can win over the three favorites, "Parasite" from South Korea, "Pain and Glory" from Spain, and "Les Misérables" from France. 

The Painted Bird, Czech Republic

Directed by Václav Marhoul.

Language: Interslavic. 

Truth and Justice, Estonia

Directed by Tanel Toon

Language: Estonia

Les Misérables, France

Directed by Ladj Ly

Language: French.

Those Who Remained, Hungary

Directed by Barnabás Tóth

Language: Hungarian.

Honeyland, North Macedonia

Directed by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotovska

Language: Turkish, Macedonian, Bosnian.

Corpus Christi, Poland

Directed by Jean Komasa 
Language: Polish

Beanpole, Russia
Directed by Kantermir Balagov

Language: Russian

Atlantics, Senegal

Directed by Mati Diop

Language: Wolof, French, English.

Parasite, South Korea

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Language: Korean.

Pain and Glory, Spain

Directed by Pedro Almodovar

Language: Spanish.

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Honeyland: The Last Beekeeper of North Macedonia

By José Alberto Hermosillo

“Honeyland” is one of the year's most outstanding achievements in filmmaking. This realistic and dramatic documentary portrays the living conditions of a beekeeper in a rural area of North Macedonia, conditions that no one can ignore. Remarkable, environmentally opportune, and unmissable.

“Honeyland” chronicles the life of a determined provincial woman who stoically defies both other humans and nature to save the world.

In the mountains of North Macedonia, we follow Hatidze’s journey, a forgotten native and bearer of an ancient secret about bees - where they are located and how to take care of them. 

As she collects half of the honey, she shares the other half with the bees. She knows the ancestral s: that the bees also need nectar to survive through the seasons.

Honeyland photo courtesy of Neon

Hatidze also takes care of her 85-year-old mother. Their connection is symbiotic, and their codependency is profound. They are emotionally supportive of each other.

In their humble hut, the mother hopes for her middle-aged daughter to marry a suitable prospect. Something more than impossible for being the only two living souls up in the mountains of the Balkans peninsula.  

We see her happily walking miles to the city market, where she interacts with other vendors, mostly Albanians and Bosnians, who tell her how much she can sell her honey for. In exchange, she can buy goods such as bananas for her beloved mother.

Honeyland photo courtesy of Neon

When she returned, new neighbors arrived. A family of Turkish nomads in their mobile home, with cattle and eight children. All survivors are hungry and ready to take over. That also includes the bee business and merchandising the honey for a higher price.

Honeyland photo courtesy of Neon

“Honeyland” is enthralling and exciting. The humor centers on the free-spirited children pushing their luck as they interact with the animals.

A few weeks pass before greed alters the natural balance. Without any environmental action, biblical repercussions unfold in this tiny part of the wealthiest continent, Europe. 

Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, filmmakers of Honeyland.
Photo José A. Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019

The talented filmmakers Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska worked for three years, shooting this endearing documentary in a rural location where filming conditions were challenging.

 

Their small crew had no shelter or showers; they camped in tents. For that reason, they shot only four to five consecutive days a week, then returned to civilization to recharge batteries. 

 

They took one full year to edit more than 400 hours of footage and to follow three storylines harmoniously: the beekeeper, the restless family, and the land. 

Honeyland photo courtesy of Neon

The editing runs flawlessly and is entertaining. The linear structure is so good that it is hard to tell whether we are watching a documentary or a narrative. 

In making this film, the children helped convince the adults to participate in the documentary. Initially, it was difficult for the filmmakers to approach the family, who were a fundamental part of the story.

Their eco-friendly documentary delivers a compelling message – if we use all the natural resources at once, we will have nothing left to continue living. We must conserve some supplies for the future, and users and providers must keep a balance on Earth, or everything will be lost.

Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, filmmakers of HoneyLand.
Photo José A. Hermosillo Festival in LA ©2019

The American environmentalist documentary “The Biggest Little Farm” has a much more sophisticated approach to how climate change affects how we produce and consume natural products.

Also, the Swedish documentary “More than Honey” states: “If the bees disappear, humans will follow within three years.” The epic European production takes a global approach and an ambitious solution. At the same time, the North Macedonian work focuses on a microcosm, their land, and how the last remaining beekeeper fights for the bees’ preservation.

Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, filmmakers of Honeyland.
Photo José Alberto Hermosillo Festival in LA ©2019

Coincidentally, the documentary juxtaposes parallel universes: Hatidze and her mother in their hut mirror the bees in their hive. The mother is the queen who never leaves the house, and the bees are organized hierarchically.

 

For Hatidze, dyeing her hair symbolizes beauty, an aspiration to be beautiful even in the hills, without realizing that the bloom lies within her noble heart. 

 

According to the filmmakers, “This story has no villains, only victims of consumerism. The inhabitants must be more persistent and immune to the capitalist system that devours everything.”

 

For many, including me, “Honeyland” is a masterpiece; it has won more than 11 awards at festivals worldwide, including this year’s Grand Jury Prize and Best Cinematography at the World Cinema Docs in Sundance. The film also won the Special Jury Prize for Impact & Change at Sundance. It won Best Documentary at the Montclair Film Festival and Best at Docs Barcelona, Spain. 

 

I hope to have the filmmakers back in Los Angeles for the Award Season because “Honeyland” is a documentary worthy of Oscar and Spirit Award nominations.

Hatidze in Honeyland photo courtesy of Neon

Hatidze, the beekeeper, realized her dream when she could tell her unbelievable story so generously in the film, creating an environmental conscience and vividly conveying her love for the bees, making the audience part of her fascinating universe named “Honeyland.”

Honeyland [Official Trailer].  

Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, filmmakers of Honeyland. 
Film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. Photo: Gabriel Romero, Festival in LA ©2019

Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, filmmakers of Honeyland. 
Film critic José Alberto Hermosillo, at the Academy Awards Festival in LA, ©2020

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