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Oscar Awards
Frederick Wiseman, the celebrated director of "Titicut Follies" and dozens of other documentaries whose in-depth, unadorned movies comprised a unique and revelatory history of American institutions, died at 96. The death was announced in a joint statement from his family and from his production company, Zipporah Films. Additional details were not immediately available. He died on Monday. "He will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues, and the countless filmmakers and audiences around the world whose lives and perspectives were shaped by his unique vision," the statement said. Among the world's most admired and influential filmmakers, Wiseman won an honourary Academy Award in 2016 and completed more than 35 documentaries, some several hours long. Wiseman was in his mid-30s before he made his first full-length movie, but was soon ranked with - and sometimes above - such notable peers as D A Pennebaker and Robert Drew for helping to establish the modern documentary as a
Robert Duvall, the Oscar-winning actor of matchless versatility and dedication whose classic roles included the intrepid consigliere of the first two "Godfather" movies and the over-the-hill country music singer in "Tender Mercies," has died at age 95. Duvall died "peacefully" at his home Sunday in Middleburg, Virginia, according to an announcement from his publicist and from a statement posted on his Facebook page by his wife, Luciana Duvall. "To the world, he was an Academy Award-winning actor, a director, a storyteller. To me, he was simply everything," Luciana Duvall wrote. "His passion for his craft was matched only by his deep love for characters, a great meal, and holding court. For each of his many roles, Bob gave everything to his characters and to the truth of the human spirit they represented." The bald, wiry Duvall didn't have leading man looks, but few "character actors" enjoyed such a long, rewarding and unpredictable career, in leading and supporting roles, from an ..
Indian-American filmmaker Geeta Gandbhir on Thursday earned two Oscar nominations -- for her short "The Devil Is Busy" in the best documentary short category and "The Perfect Neighbor" in the best documentary feature segment. The nominations for the 98th Academy Awards were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles. Gandbhir and Christalyn Hampton have co-directed "The Devil Is Busy", which will compete against "All the Empty Rooms", "Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud", "Children No More: Were and Are Gone" and "Perfectly a Strangeness" in the best documentary short segment. The 31-minute film follows Tracii, the head of security at a women's healthcare clinic in Atlanta, Georgia, over the course of a day as she works to ensure the safety of patients and staff amid tighter abortion restrictions and persistent protests. In the documentary feature film category, Gandbhir's "The Perfect Neighbor" is among the nominees, ...
Diane Keaton, the Oscar-winning star of Annie Hall, The Godfather films and Father of the Bride, whose quirky, vibrant manner and depth made her one of the most singular actors of a generation, has died. She was 79. People Magazine reported Saturday that she died in California with loved ones, citing a family spokesperson. No other details were immediately available, and representatives for Keaton did not immediately respond to inquiries from The Associated Press. The unexpected news was met with shock around the world. She was hilarious, a complete original, and completely without guile, or any of the competitiveness one would have expected from such a star. What you saw was who she wasoh, la, lala!, Bette Midler said in a post on Instagram. She and Keaton co-starred in The First Wives Club. Keaton was the kind of actor who helped make films iconic and timeless, from her La-dee-da, la-dee-da phrasing as Annie Hall, bedecked in that necktie, bowler hat, vest and khakis, to her ...
Hindi film 'Homebound' has been chosen as India's official entry for the 2026 Academy Awards in the Best International Feature category, chairperson of the selection committee N Chandra said on Friday. Addressing a press conference in Kolkata, Chandra said a total of 24 films in different languages were in contention for representing the country at the Oscars. "It was a very difficult choice. These were films that touched the lives of people," he said. "We were not judges but coaches. We were searching for players who have made their mark," he added. The 12-member selection committee comprised producers, directors, writers, editors and journalists. 'Homebound', directed by Neeraj Ghaywan and produced by Karan Johar and Adar Poonawalla, stars Ishaan Khatter, Vishal Jethwa and Janhvi Kapoor in lead roles. It portrays the story of two childhood friends from a small north Indian village who chase a police job that promises them the dignity they have long been denied.
Israeli authorities released an Oscar-winning Palestinian director who was detained by the army after being attacked by Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, who his wife said beat him in front of his home while filming the assault. Hamdan Ballal and the other directors of No Other Land, which looks at the struggles of living under Israeli occupation, had mounted the stage at the 97th Academy Awards in Los Angeles earlier this month when it won the award for best documentary film. Ballal and two other Palestinians detained with him were released Tuesday afternoon from a police station in the West Bank settlement of Kiryat Arba. Ballal had bruises on his face and blood on his clothes, and the three were driven to a hospital in the neighboring Palestinian city of Hebron, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene. Their attorney, Lea Tsemel, said they spent the night on the floor of a military base while receiving only minimal care for their injuries from the ...