Page 353 - Entertainment Culture

Rami Malek wins Best Actor Oscar for his performance in 'Bohemian Rhapsody'

Rami Malek rocked his way to Best Actor Oscar glory for his exuberant portrayal of Queen's frontman Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody" at the 91st Academy Awards. In a tightly fought race, the actor was pitted against industry veterans -- Christian Bale for "Vice", Bradley Cooper for "A Star is Born", Viggo Mortensen for "Green Book" and Willem Dafoe "At Eternity's Gate". But he had already cemented his position as the front-runner by scooping up the precursor awards -- Golden Globe, BAFTA and the Screen Actors Guild. Academy members love physical transformation and Malek was at his peak when he brought to life one of the greatest musicians ever, eclipsing the metamorphosis by Bale, who gained considerable amount of weight to play former US vice president Dick Cheney. Malek brought a heartbreaking vulnerability to Mercury in the quieter moments of the biopic while keeping the audiences spellbound in the bits when he was performing. He was especially memorable in the last ...

Spike Lee makes political comment as 'BlacKkKlansman' wins Oscar

Filmmaker Spike Lee was elated when "BlacKkKlansman" was announced as the Oscar winner for Adapted Screenplay at the 91st Academy Awards. He urged people to be "on the right side of history".

'Black Panther' becomes first superhero film to win Original Score Oscar

"Black Panther" has won Best Original Score at the 91st Academy Awards becoming the first superhero film and Marvel Studios project to take home the Oscar in the category. Ludwig Goransson received the award from "Black Panther" star Michael B Jordan and actor Tessa Thompson. The Marvel project beat out "BlacKkKlansman" (Terence Blanchard), "Mary Poppins Returns" (Marc Shaiman), "Isle of Dogs" (Alexandre Desplat) and "If Beale Street Could Talk" (Nicholas Britell) to become the first superhero movie to win the award. "Black Panther" was the first movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to even get a nomination in the Best Original Score category. Groansson thanked director Ryan Coogler in his acceptance speech and said working with the filmmaker was a big honour for him. "I want to share this award with all the incredible artistes I have worked with on this film and all the classical musicians from London who recorded on the original score," he added. Groansson recently won two ...

India-set film around menstruation wins an Oscar

"Period. End of Sentence", an India-set film on the taboos around menstruation and featuring the real 'Pad Man', picked up an Oscar in Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards ceremony.

'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' wins Best Animation Oscar

"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has won the Oscar for best animated feature at the 91st Academy Awards.

Oscars 2019: Regina King wins best actress in supporting role

Regina King took home the award for best actress in a supporting role for her work in Barry Jenkins 'If Beale Street could Talk.'The 'If Beale Street Could Talk' star beat out fellow nominees Amy Adams for 'Vice,' Marina de Tavira for 'Roma,' Emma Stone for 'The Favourite' and Rachel Weisz for 'The Favourite,' revealed The Hollywood Reporter.This is the first Oscar win and nomination for King. She also won in the category at Spirit Awards.The film is also nominated for original score and best adapted screenplay.Upon accepting the award, King, who was sporting a white Oscar De La Renta gown, said: "James Baldwin birthed this baby, Barry [Jenkins] you nurtured her, you surrounded her with so much love and support."The actress also thanked her mother and added, "Thank you for teaching me that God is leaning in my direction.

Queen, Adam Lambert open Oscars with powerful performances

The popular rock band Queen with singer Adam Lambert opened the 91st Academy Awards with a powerful version of the group's 1977 double-sided single 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are the Champions'.The performance opened with drummer Roger Taylor playing the iconic drumbeat of the hit 'We Will Rock You' as Lambert roared the song's lyrics, which were originally sung by the Freddie Mercury, who died due to AIDS in 1992, reported Variety.The group then started performing 'We Are the Champions', moving quickly to the song's chorus as celebrities in the audience from Tom Cruise to Viola Davis to Jennifer Lopez could be seen singing along.Actor Rami Malek, who portrays Mercury in the Queen biopic 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was seen beaming with joy in the crowd while the group was performing. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is nominated for five Oscars this year, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Malek.Towards the end of the song, Lambert and guitarist Brian May walked towards the front of the stage as .

Oscars 2019: Mahershala Ali wins best actor in supporting role for 'Green Book'

Mahershala Ali took home the award for best actor in a supporting role for his portrayal of pianist Dr. Don Shirley in 'Green Book' at the Oscars 2019.Ali previously won in the same category two years ago for Barry Jenkins' 'Moonlight'. He followed in the footsteps of actor Denzel Washington and became the second black actor to win more than one Oscar for acting, reported The Hollywood Reporter.Washington won the best supporting actor for 'Glory' in 1989 and the best actor for 'Training Day' in 2001.Ali dedicated his win to his grandmother "who has been in my ear my entire life telling me that if at first I don't succeed try, try again. That I could do anything I put my mind to. Always, always pushing me to think positively and I know that I would not be here without her. She's gotten me over the hump every step of the way."Ali beat out fellow nominees including Adam Driver for 'BlacKkKlansman', Richard E. Grant for 'Can You Ever Forgive Me?', Sam Elliott for 'A Star Is Born', and Sam

Oscars 2019: Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' wins Mexico's first ever foreign-language honour

Alfonso Cuaron's 'Roma' won Mexico its very first foreign-language Oscar.With the win, the director tied the record for the most personal nominations for one film. In addition to being up for best director, he also got nominations for original screenplay, cinematography and best picture as a producer. He won best cinematography earlier in the night, revealed The Hollywood Reporter.In 2014, Cuaron made history when he became the first Mexico-born filmmaker to win a directing Oscar for his space thriller Gravity.Cuaron produced, wrote and directed 'Roma,' which he describes as his most personal film yet. The film draws on his memories of growing up in Mexico City's Roma neighborhood.In accepting the award, director Alfonso Cuarón said he was inspired by films like 'Jaws,' 'Citizen Kane,' 'The Godfather' and 'Breathless,' reported CNN.

Abhishek Kapoor to direct 'Sharaabi' next

Director Abhishek Kapoor's next directorial after "Kedarnath" is "Sharaabi", backed by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series and Pragya Kapoor's Guy in the Sky Pictures.

India-set short film 'Period. End of Sentence' wins Oscar

A film on menstruation, set in rural India, titled "Period. End of Sentence," has won the Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category at the 91st Academy Awards. Award-winning filmmaker Rayka Zehtabchi has directed the short film, which has been produced by Indian producer Guneet Monga's Sikhya Entertainment. The film came to into being as a part of The Pad Project, started by students at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles and their teacher, Melissa Berton. "I'm not crying because I'm on my period or anything. I can't believe a film on menstruation won an Oscar," Zehtabchi said in her acceptance speech. She also gave a nod to Monga. "Guneet Monga - know that you have been empowering women all over the world fight for menstrual equality," she added. Dedicating the award to her school, Berton said the project was born because her students in LA and people in India wanted to make a "human rights difference". "I share this award with the Feminist Majority Foundation, the entire team ...

Mahershala Ali wins Oscar for 'Green Book'

Actor Mahershala Ali picked up an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Don Shirley in "Green Book" at the 91st Academy Awards.

'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' wins Best Animated Feature Oscar

Sony's "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" emerged as the biggest superhero in the animated feature film category as it took home the Oscar trophy at the 91st Academy Award. Since opening last year in December, the feature created by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, has been widely praised both for its fresh story and visual style. "There are 800 filmmakers who push boundaries to make people feel powerful and seen. So when we hear somebody's kid watching the movie turn to them and say 'he looks like me' or 'he speaks Spanish', we feel like we have already won," producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in the acceptance speech. They were joined on the stage by co-producers Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman. The film, which secured its position at the Oscars following its Golden Globe and Annie Award wins, was nominated in the category alongside "Ralph Breaks the Internet", "Mirai", "Incredibles 2" and "Isle of Dogs". With its win, "Spider-Man..." broke ...

'Roma' wins Best Foreign Language, Cinematography

Black-and-white drama "Roma" scooped up the Best Foreign Language Film and the Cinematography honours at the Academy Awards here on Sunday, marking multiple firsts for director Alfonso Cuaron and his home country Mexico.

Mahershala Ali wins Best Supporting Actor Oscar the second time

Mahershala Ali continued his winning spree as he took home the Oscar for the Best Supporting Actor at the 91st Academy Awards for his work in Peter Farrelly's biographical comedy-drama "Green Book", his career's second in the category. In the film, which also features Viggo Mortensen, Ali plays Dr Don Shirley, an African-American jazz pianist and composer, who embarks on a cross-country tour that necessitates his hiring of a white driver (Mortensen) to assist him as a bodyguard while he travels through America's racially-divided Southern states. This is the 45-year-old actor's second Oscar trophy after receiving an award in 2016 for his role as Juan in Barry Jenkins' "Moonlight". The win made him the first actor in 24 years to receive multiple acting Oscars in two years or less in any category. Tom Hanks won back-to-back best actor trophies for "Philadelphia" (1993) and "Forrest Gump" (1994). He was presented the trophy by James Bond star Daniel Craig and Charlize Theron. Ali paid ...

Alfonso Cuaron wins Best Cinematography Oscar for 'Roma'

"Roma" helmer Alfonso Cuaron created history by becoming the first person to win a Cinematography Oscar for a film that he also directed at the 91st Academy Awards. Cinematography was one of the four technical categories in the list to be chucked out of the live telecast but the Academy had to walk back on its decision after much protest from the film community. Cuaron hinted at the drama behind the controversial and now reversed decision in his acceptance speech. "To create a single frame of film, as you well know, requires the work of a lot of people, very hard work... "If this film was created by my own memories, the film was crafted through the memories of what this great master of cinematography has given to us. It is well-known that in Billy Wilder's office there was a sign that said What would Lubitsch have done?," he had said while accepting the cinematography honour. Ernst Lubitsch was a German-American filmmaker and Wilder's guru. Actor Tyler Perry, who presented the trophy .

Ruth E Carter creates Oscar history as first woman of colour to win Best Costume Design

Ruth E Carter won the Academy Award for costume design and made Oscar history by becoming the first woman of colour in history to win the category. Carter, a previous Oscar nominee for "Amistad" and "Malcom X", dressed the entire fictional nation of Wakanda in Marvel's "Black Panther", creating everything from Chadwick Boseman's superhero suit to the Dora Milaje's colourful armour. The award was the first Oscar won by a Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the studio also received the Production Design Academy Award for Hannah Beachler shortly after its maiden win at the ceremony. "Marvel may have created the first black superhero but through costume design, we turned him into an African king. It's been my life's honour to create costumes. "Thank you to the Academy. Thank you for honouring African royalty and the empowered way women can look and lead on screen," Carter said while accepting the award. She also thanked film's director Ryan Coogler and Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige ..

'Roma' creates history as first Mexican feature to win best foreign film Oscar

It was a Viva Mexico' moment at the 91st Academy Awards as "Roma" became the first feature from the country to receive the Oscar in the best foreign language film category. The moving black-and-white masterpiece by Alfonso Cuaron was being bid as a sure-shot winner in the segment, which also saw "Cold War" (Poland), "Shoplifters" (Japan), "Never Look Away" (Germany) and "Capernaum" (Lebanon) as fitting fellow nominees. Set in 1970s Mexico's Colonia Roma, the Netflix film revolves around the life of a middle-class family's live-in maid, Cleo. Played by first-time actor and best actress nominee Yalitza Aparacio, Cleo's character was based on the Cuaron's real-life nanny and maid Liboria Libo Rodrguez, to whom he has also dedicated the film. This was the eighth time a Mexican feature was nominated in the best foreign language film category. "I grew up watching foreign language films and learning so much from them. Films like 'Citizen Kane', 'Jaws', and 'Rashomon', 'The Godfather' and ...

India, South Africa to co-produce film on Valliamma soon

A co-production film by India and South Africa on the life of teenage social activist Valliamma Munuswami Mudliar will be made soon. The announcement was made during the annual Valiamma awards ceremony, hosted by the Tamil Federation of Gauteng at the Indian township of Lenasia on Saturday. On the occasion, activists Shanthie Naidoo and the late Viramma Thandray were honoured. Valliamma is remembered for her non-violent methods to fight the apartheid regime in South Africa. She famously marched alongside Mahatma Gandhi during his Satyagraha campaigns in the country. She refused to be released early from jail after she and other women, including her mother, resisted laws which were discriminatory against Indians. She died soon after serving her sentence. Largely forgotten in the apartheid era, Valliamma's grave was rediscovered after Nelson Mandela became president. Gopal Krishna Gandhi, grandson of the Mahatma and India's first High Commissioner to South Africa after diplomatic ...

Hannah Beachler becomes first African-American to win Oscar in production design

As Hannah Beachler received the best production design Oscar for bringing the fictional nation of Wakanda to the silver screen in "Black Panther", she created a history by becoming the first African-American to win the Academy Award in the category. Beachler, the Marvel film's production designer, was honoured with set decorator Jay Hart. Hart received his first Oscar after two previous nominations, for "Pleasantville" and "LA Confidential". "When you think its impossible remember to say this... I did my best, and my best is good enough," said Beachler while accepting the honour. Other nominees in the category were "The Favourite", "First Man", "Mary Poppins Returns" and "Roma". Beachler's collaboration with "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler goes back to his first feature, "Fruitvale Station" (2013).