Author: CWB News Department

In theaters this week, “Act of Valor,” the first feature film from the media company Bandito Brothers, harnesses the power of HP Workstations and HP DreamColor displays to develop an extraordinary composite of real-life heroism and innovative filmmaking.The film stars a group of active-duty U.S. Navy SEALs in a fictionalized account of Navy SEAL operations. It takes audiences on a mission to recover a kidnapped CIA operative that unexpectedly results in the discovery of an imminent, terrifying global threat. The filming of “Act of Valor” took place on 48 days over 12.5 months and was shot in 12 states and…

One of Romania’s leading veteran filmmakers, Radu Gabrea’s four-decade career spans more than 20 features and documentaries. Many of them have examined Romania’s Communist history and the political and social challenges facing Jewish culture in central Europe. In the fall of 2011, he successfully inaugurated the Medias Central European Film Festival (MECEFF) in the Transylvanian town of Medias, and was prominently featured in a retrospective of contemporary Romanian cinema at New York’s Lincoln Center. This spring, he plans to organize several international events to promote the second edition of MECEFF (held September 2-8). Key among them a 2-day series of…

The black-and-white silent film homage won five Oscars altogether, including best direction for writer-director Michel Hazanavicius and best actor for its star, Jean Dujardin. “I am the happiest director in the world right now. Thank you for that,” Hazanavicius said as he accepted his directing trophy. “Ever since this movie has been made, life has been full of grace and joy and happiness.”When accepting the Best Picture Award Hazanavicius said he wanted to thank three people: “Billy Wilder, Billy Wilder and Billy Wilder.”The Artist also won awards for best original score and costume design. The Artist: Hollywood 1927. George Valentin…

LOS ANGELES – ShortsHD, the world’s leading network devoted exclusively to short movies, hosts its second annual Shorts Awards at Soho House in West Hollywood, California for a night of Short Film Oscar nominees and star power. The invitation-only event recognized the Oscar Nominated Short Filmmakers for Live Action, Animation and Documentary, Industry Visionaries and Leaders and a Lifetime Achievement Award presented to Nick Park. Last year, in addition to honoring each of the 15 nominees, ShortsHD bestowed the first “Lifetime Achievement Award in Short Film” on John Lasseter and three “Visionary Awards” to established filmmakers who have embraced short…

The 37th César Awards announced the 2012 winners in Paris. Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation won the Best Foreign Film Award and The Artist was recognized by the Best Picture Award. Here is the list of award winners:Best PictureThe Artist, producer: Thomas LangmannDirectorMichel Hazanavicius – The ArtistActressBérénice Bejo, The ArtistActorOmar Sy, UntouchableSupporting ActressCarmen Maura, Les Femmes Du 6e EtageSupporting ActorMichel Blanc, L’Exercice De L’EtatOriginal ScreenplayPierre Schoeller – L’Exercice De L’EtatAdapted ScreenplayYasmina Reza, Roman Polanski – Carnage Newcomer (Female) – TIENaidra Ayadi, PolisseClotilde Hesme, Angèle Et TonyNewcomer (Male)Grégory Gadebois, Angèle Et TonyOriginal ScoreLudovic Bource – The ArtistSoundOlivier Hespel, Julie Brenta, Jean-Pierre Laforce…

2012 Cesar Awards, the French film industry awards, also known as French Oscars, will hold its award ceremony on February 24th. Serious film fans can find most of the good movies of the current French cinema at Cesar awards list. (Source of the news uniFrance films) Most Promising Actress: Clotilde Hesmefor Angèle et Tony Céline Sallettefor House of Tolerance Adèle Haenelfor House of Tolerance Christa Theretfor Twiggy Naidra Ayadifor Poliss Most Promising Actor: Grégory Gadeboisfor Angèle et Tony Pierre Nineyfor J’aime regarder les filles Guillaume Gouixfor Jimmy Rivière Dimitri Storogefor A Gang Story Nicolas Bridetfor Tu seras mon fils Best…

Screenings of the 2012 Oscar Nominated Documentary Short Films open Friday, February 17th, giving folks the opportunity to see them before the 84th Academy Awards ceremony on February 26th. Three of the nominated films, “The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom,” “Incident in New Baghdad,” and “The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement” take historical events and show them through the eyes of the individuals involved, without extraneous narration or talking head commentary. While the films differ greatly from each other in tone and content, together they embody the power of personal experience. “The Tsunami and…

62nd Berlinale Film Festival has announced the festival award winners and Caesar Must Die by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani wins the Golden Bear for the Best Film. Christian Petzold wins Silver Bear for the Best Director for directing Barbara. PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY: GOLDEN BEAR FOR THE BEST FILM: Cesare deve morire, Caesar Must Die by Paolo & Vittorio TavianiJURY GRAND PRIX-SILVER BEAR: Csak a szél, Just The Wind by Bence FliegaufSILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR: Christian Petzold for BarbaraSILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS: Rachel Mwanza in Rebelle (War Witch) by Kim NguyenSILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR: Mikkel Boe…

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 14, 2012 – HP today unveiled the world’s first all-in-one workstation with a 27-inch diagonal display. Designed like no other, the display of the new HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools required. The HP Z1 combines a sleek industrial design with accelerated performance featuring Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA Quadro graphics, support for more than 1 billion colors and HP’s world-class reliability.Built for computer-aided design, digital media and entertainment professionals, the HP Z1 provides blazingly fast rendering and performance. It offers a full range of workstation-class…

Cinema without Borders is proud to announce the ZMR (Zone Music Reporter) nomination of Sound Review Editor Gary Miraz for his beautiful cover artwork for the Album”3rd Eye Rising” by Paradiso and Rasamayi on the 5th Element Music label. The list of nominees are as follows:Best Cover Art3rd Eye Rising – Paradiso & Rasamayi (5th Element Music)A Delicate Joy – David Nevue (Midnight Rain Productions)Damayanti – 2002 (Galactic Playground Music)Journey Around The Sun: A Mayan Odyssey – Bill Wren & Frank Ralls (Ponder Dust)Red Leaf, Grey Sky: Piano Improvisations – Catherine Marie Charlton (River DawnIn addition to his film and…