Last year, in a nearly empty screening room, I saw what became an Academy Award finalist in the documentary category, “5 Broken Cameras.” I then interviewed filmmaker Guy Davidi about his background and his work on the film for The Arty Semite. Recently I had another email conversation with Davidi, discussing how he’s faring with…
Barbra Streisand will take the stage at this year’s Academy Awards on February 24, for the first time in 36 years. Streisand, 70, last performed in 1977 to sing the theme song for “A Star Is Born.” She also appeared at the 75th Academy Awards, in 2003, to present Eminem with the Best Original Song…
American filmmaker Steven Spielberg is clear favorite among the public to win the best director award for his film about President Abraham Lincoln at the Academy Awards this year, a Reuters poll showed on Wednesday. While the race to win best film at the Feb. 24 ceremony was shaken up by “Argo” stealing the thunder…
This is a big year for Israel at the Oscars. After a half-century of snubs and near-misses, Israel’s film industry stands its best chance ever of taking home the statuette. Of the five best documentary nominees, two are Israeli. Unfortunately, many Israelis aren’t celebrating. Both nominees are about Israeli-Palestinian relations, and both make Israel look…
We all know that the Oscars race has been going on for some time now, but with today’s announcement of the 2013 Academy Awards nominees, we can consider the contest official. Two Israeli films are among the final five nominees for Best Documentary. The first, “5 Broken Cameras,” by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi, documents…
Two Israeli films are on the Academy Awards’ short list for the best documentary category, along with one created by a 2012 Forward 50 selection. “5 Broken Cameras,” directed by Emad Burnat and Guy Davidi; and “The Gatekeepers,” directed by Dror Moreh, were among the 15 finalists culled from 126 films in the best documentary…
Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg received an honorary Oscar for his charitable work on Saturday at a star-studded gala that kicked off the movie awards season and bestowed film industry gold on three other industry veterans. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annually hands out its Governors Awards to people who have made an…
Whoops! You know those Kim Jong-il “ashes” that Sacha Baron Cohen — in character as the Supreme Leader of Wadiya — spilled all over Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet at the Oscars? Well, it turns out that they were originally meant for George Clooney…and that the provocateur is contrite over the incident. Last weekend,…
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