It’s that time of year when the best of the film and television industry cross their fingers in hope of winning a prestigious award
Camera flashes are illuminating the red carpets as global film and television stars gather to celebrate a year of spectacular entertainment.
Actors and directors are still smiling from the Golden Globe Awards, which were held on 11th January. Eddie Redmayne picked up best actor in a motion picture for his performance in the drama The Theory of Everything, a film that covers the incredible life of scientist Stephen Hawking and his battle with motor neurone disease. Fellow Brit Joanne Froggatt took home best supporting actress in a series, mini-series or motion picture for TV for her work in Downton Abbey, a depiction of aristocratic life in Britain in the early 20th century. No doubt the British Academy of Film and Television Arts – better known as the BAFTAs – on 8th February will honour the pair, too.
Picking up the majority of awards at the Golden Globes were: Boyhood directed by Richard Linklater, Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu), Selma (Ava DuVernay) and The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson). They’re also tipped to do well at the Academy Awards on 22nd February.
These movies are artistic to say the least. The music score from The Theory of Everything is nothing short of brilliant. Boyhood, a film shot over the space of 12 years, shows the adolescent years of a boy with divorced parents. The cinematography of Birdman and the political drama Selma – a film that follows Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s fight for equal voting rights in Alabama in 1965 – will have you transfixed from the start.
We think television series are becoming just as popular as films. Shows such as Downton Abbey, crime drama Breaking Bad, and fantasy drama Game of Thrones – which is almost cinematic in style – have viewers glued to their screens on a weekly basis, while some plot twists such as killing of major characters caused social media meltdown and made national news.
So it’s no wonder actors from the silver screen have dipped their toes in the waters of the TV pond. At the Golden Globes, Billy Bob Thornton won best actor in a mini-series or a motion picture made for television for his performance in crime thriller Fargo, with Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in the same category for their absorbing performances in drama True Detective, a series following two homicide detectives over the course of 17 years. Kevin Spacey once again had us seething at his malevolence in political drama House of Cards while Maggie Gyllenhaal makes you empathise with her struggle for peace in war-torn Gaza in The Honourable Woman. Keep an eye out for an upcoming issue where we look at the top TV series for 2015.
Sunday 22nd February brings the 87th Academy Awards, otherwise known as the Oscars. This is the big one, the real test of talent. Winning a little golden man atop a black plinth – a covetable Oscar – is arguably one of the greatest tip-of-a-hat by an awards association an actor can win.
Over the last several years, Golden Globes’ winners have indicated who will win an Academy Award. So who might win an Oscar this year? Emirati director Majid Al Ansari gave us his opinion on who he thinks should take home the top awards:
Best Actor – I’d love for Steve Carell to win for Foxcatcher; it’s an unusual role for the comedian to play but he is fantastic in it.
Best Movie – Boyhood is so innovative; I love that it was filmed in real time.
Best Actress – Julianne Moore picked up the Golden Globe but I think Marion Cotillard could beat her to the punch on Oscar night.
Best Director – Richard Linklater for Boyhood
Do you think there will be any shock winners?
If the Golden Globes are anything to go by, I think it will all be pretty safe. I do however think a number of films have been snubbed this year – including Selma and of course, The Lego Movie!
What films did you love from 2014?
There were a number of films on the festival circuit that were fantastic last year, including my fellow Emirati director Ali Mostafa’s From A to B.
Will there be an Emirati one day winning an Oscar or Golden Globe?
Of course – if the past few years are anything to go by, I think it will be in the not too distance future. More Emirati films are coming out and with companies like Image Nation and twofour54 providing expert tools for budding filmmakers in the UAE, there’s no excuse for an Emirati filmmaker not to grab a coveted award.
Jack Dignum
