tagged w/ 2009 Oscar Nominees
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"The Stoning of Soraya M." tells the timely and true story of a young mother stoned to death in Iran. Director Cyrus Nowrasteh and actresses Mozhan Marno and Oscar-nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo host a special Current Takeover focused on the human rights violations that continue under a Islamic fundamentalist regime.
If you're inspired to learn more about the issues at hand or want to get involved you can visit "The Stoning of Soraya M." website: thestoning.com
Human Rights Watch: hrw.org
Amnesty International: amnesty.org or
Vital Voices: vitalvoices.org"The Stoning of Soraya M." tells the timely and true story of a young mother... more
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“Oktapodi” is a 2009 Academy Award Nominee for the Best Animated Short Film. The widely acclaimed animated short was produced and created by students at the Paris-based visual communication school Gobelins, L’Ecole de L’Image. The brilliantly colorful “Oktapodi” follows the adventures of two romantically smitten octopi through the harrowing dangers of their madcap escape from the determined grasp of a restaurant cook in a Greek village. In this comical and charming tale of true love, the tentacled couple face seemingly insurmountable odds in their attempt to reunite and stay together.
This piece includes a number of colorful photographs from the film, as well as the delightfully humorous Academy Award nominated film, “Oktapodi.”“Oktapodi” is a 2009 Academy Award Nominee for the Best Animated Short... more
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“Presto” is a 2009 Academy Awards Nominee for the Best Animated Short Film. The film’s story line is a salute to the classic screen comedies of the silent era, where a forgetful magician named Presto is undone by the forces of nature, in this case by his toothy white rabbit collaborator. When the rabbit angrily takes charge of the magic act, delirious chaos is unleashed on stage. "Presto" is the one nominee that most incorporates the charm of old-fashioned cartoons, both cinematically and because of its childlike sensibilities.
In “Presto,” a late 1900s illusionist named Presto DiGiotagione is renowned for his special hat trick, in which he pulls his rabbit Alec out of his magic formal top hat. The short film begins with a view of Alec who has been left to languish in a locked cage looking hungry and unhappy, yet unable to eat a nearby carrot that is just out of his reach.
Alec finally decides that he can’t take Presto’s abuse any longer and rebels by giving the magician a big dose of his own mean-spirited medicine. He cleverly turns the hat’s magic against his master-magician in a number of painful and humiliating ways, including: having Presto get attacked by a ladder, get electrocuted, be thrown up to the rafters and having his clothes torn off (among other comic tortures).
The audience that had come to see a magic show finds all of these antics uproariously funny, responding with wild applause for both Alec and Presto. All is seemingly forgiven by the end of the film, when Presto gives Alec the carrot (and many more), as well as second billing on the poster advertisements for the show.
This piece includes a number of colorful photographs, as well as the Academy Award Nominated Animated Short, “Presto.”“Presto” is a 2009 Academy Awards Nominee for the Best Animated Short... more
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Melissa Silverstein breaks down the Oscar noms. I was surprised by some of the stats, especially that none of the Best Films feature a woman as the lead, or that a woman has never been nominated for Best Cinematography, even though Maryse Alberti and Mandy Walker received great critical acclaim for "The Wrestler" and "Australia," respectively. But big kudos to the diverse ladies of the Best Supporting Actress Category.
BTW I know the picture's from last year.Melissa Silverstein breaks down the Oscar noms. I was surprised by some of the stats,... more
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