Film Festivals
The Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television. The formal ceremony and dinner at which the awards are presented is a major part of the film industry’s awards season, which culminates each year with the Academy Awards.
T
he
Academy Award
(informally known as the Oscar) is an accolade by the American
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) to recognize
excellence of professionals in the film industry, including
directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the
awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in
the world and is televised live in more than 200 countries annually.
It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media; its equivalents,
the Grammy Awards (for music), Emmy Awards (for television), and Tony
Awards (for theatre) are modeled after the Academy. The Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences itself was conceived by
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio boss Louis B. Mayer.
The 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held on May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of the 1927–1928 film season. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille.
T
he
Berlin International Film Festival
(German: Internationale
Filmfestspiele Berlin),
also called the Berlinale,
is one of the world’s leading film festivals and most reputable
media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951, the
festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978. With
274,000 tickets sold and 487,000 admissions it is considered the
largest publicly-attended film festival worldwide. Up to 400 films
are shown in several sections, representing a comprehensive array of
the cinematic world. Around twenty films compete for the awards
called the Golden
and Silver Bears.
M
oscow
International Film Festival
abbreviated as MIFF,
is the film festival first held in Moscow in 1959. From its inception
to 1995 it was held every second year in July, alternating with the
Karlovy Vary festival. The festival has been held annually since
1995.
The festival’s top prize is the statue of Saint George slaying the dragon, as represented on the Coat of Arms of Moscow. Federico Fellini’s 8½ is the most famous film to premiere at the MIFF and win the top prize. Nikita Mikhalkov has been the festival’s president since 2000. The Stanislavsky Award has been introduced recently to be presented to outstanding actors visiting the festival, such as Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep.
T
he
Cannes Film Festival
(French: le
Festival de Cannes),
founded in 1946, is one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious
film festivals. The private festival is held annually (usually in
May) at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès, in the resort town
of Cannes, in the south of France. The most prestigious award given
out at Cannes is the Palme
d’Or
(“Golden Palm”) for the best film.
T
he
Venice Film Festival
(Italian: Mostra
Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica)
is one of the oldest film festivals in the world. Founded by Count
Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the “Esposizione Internazionale d’Arte
Cinematografica”, the festival has since taken place every year in
late August or early September on the island of the Lido, Venice,
Italy. Screenings take place in the historic Palazzo del Cinema on
the Lungomare Marconi. It is one of the world’s most prestigious
film festivals and is part of the Venice Biennale, a major biennial
exhibition and festival for contemporary art.
The festival’s principal awards are the Leone d’Oro (Golden Lion), which is awarded to the best film screened at the festival, and the Coppa Volpi (Volpi Cup), which is awarded to the best actor and actress. In 2002, the San Marco Award was introduced for the best film of the Controcorrente (“Against the stream”) section.
T
he
Golden Raspberry Awards,
called the Razzies
for short, is an annual award ceremony held in Los Angeles to
recognize the worst in film (the worst acting, screenwriting,
songwriting, directing, etc.). The term raspberry is used in its
irreverent sense, as in “blowing a raspberry”.
Current awards are voted upon by the membership of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation (GRAF). Traditionally, nominations are announced one day before the Motion Picture Academy announces its Oscar nominations, and the awards are presented one day before the Oscar ceremony.
HOME TASK
Project work: prepare a 3-5 minutes’ talk on the world’s most famous and prestigious film festivals or the award ceremonies that have been held in the world this year. Speak about the history of the festival, its top prizes, contests, nominations and laureates, opening and closing ceremonies, celebrities who have visited it, etc.
S e c t i o n 2. Movie Genres