In announcement today, Vanity Fair announced the cancelation of their annual post-Oscars party. In a brief statement, they said, "After much consideration, and in support of the writers and everyone else affected by this strike, we have decided that this is not the appropriate year to hold our annual Oscar party. We want to congratulate all of this year’s nominees and we look forward to hosting our 15th Oscar party next year."

The nominations for the 80th annual Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles early Tuesday morning, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president Sid Ganis and Kathy Bates announced the nominees, including for best picture of the year: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country For Old Men" and "There Will Be Blood." The complete list of nominees is available at indieWIRE.com.

The nominations the inaugural Cinema Eye Honors For NonFiction Filmmaking after the jump.

The Golden Globes are not the Oscars. Reporting on the event in the New York Times, David Carr talks with "No Country For Old Men" producer Scott Rudin. “I really care about the fact that the strike is still ongoing,” [Rudin] said. “That is much more important than the Globes or any parties. There’s a real battle with real stakes that simply has to outweigh the temporal pleasures of both a party and an awards show.”

The Golden Globe award winners were announced tonight during a press conference in Los Angeles. "Atonement" won the prize for Best Picture - Drama and "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" winning Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

The list of winners is available now at indieWIRE.com.

Three organizations, SAG, WGA and HFPA, each issued statements tonight regarding the upcoming Golden Globe Awards, set for Sunday, January 13th:

SAG President Alan Rosenberg: After considerable outreach to Golden Globe actor nominees and their representatives over the past several weeks, there appears to be unanimous agreement that these actors will not cross WGA picket lines to appear on the Golden Globe Awards as acceptors or presenters. We applaud our members for this remarkable show of solidarity for striking Writers Guild of America writers. As I have said since this strike began on November 5th, we must stand united with our brothers and sisters at the WGA.

WGAW President Patric M. Verrone: We are grateful to our brothers and sisters in SAG for their continued solidarity and support. The entire awards show season is being put in jeopardy by the intransigence of a few big media corporations. We urge the conglomerates to return to the bargaining table they abandoned and negotiate a fair and reasonable deal with writers to put this town back to work.

HFPA President Jorge Camara: The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has been placed in an extremely difficult position with the ongoing Writers Guild strike. We are making every effort to work out a solution that will permit the Golden Globes to take place with the creative community present to participate. We hope to announce a resolution to this unfortunate predicament on Monday.

Joel and Ethan Coen's "No Country For Old Men was awarded top honors on Monday by the New York Film Critics' Circle, taking four awards including best picture. The Coens themselves won awards for their directing and writing, while Javier Bardem was honored for supporting actor. Yesterday's big winner in Los Angeles, Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood," was awarded best actor for Daniel Day-Lewis's performance, while Robert Elswit won for his cinematography. [Peter Knegt]

The complete list of winners is available at indieWIRE.com.

Monday, October 1, is the deadline to submit entries in the Live Action Short Film, Animated Short Film and Foreign Language Film categories to be considered for the 80th Academy Awards. Complete entries must arrive at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by 5 p.m. PT that day.

[The rest of the AMPAS press release is available below.]

Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution" won the Golden Lion as the 64th Venice Film Festival came to a close tonight in Italy, the second time the director has won the prize in the last three years. The festival's Silver Lion for Best Director went to Brian De Palma for "Redacted," while a special jury prize went to Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There" and Abdellatif Kechiche's "La Graine et le mulet." Acting prizes were presented to Cate Blanchett for her role in Haynes' "I'm Not There," while Brad Pitt was honored as best actor in Andrew Dominik's "The Assassination of Jesse James." [Eugene Hernandez]

Get the complete story now at indieWIRE.com.

hile they rush to catch up with the onslaught of year-end film releases with Oscar aspirations, Academy voters will have one more week to mark their nomination ballots in 2006 than they did this year. The 78th Annual Academy Awards are set to take place Sunday, March 5 -- one week later than they were held this year because the Academy didn't want to go head-to-head with the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics. Gregg Kilday reports in the Hollywood Reporter.

The Sundance Institute has announced the list of six musicians participating in the 8th Annual Sundance Institute Composers Lab from July 26 - August 11. This year�s Composers Lab Fellows include: Don Byron, Barbara Cohen, Marco d�Ambrosio, Andrea Kapsalis, Ljova (Lev Zhurbin), Gyan Riley.

The two-week program will include workshops and creative exercises led by leading industry composers and film music professionals. According to the Institute, "Composers Lab participants also collaborate with filmmakers from the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program as well as the Sundance Documentary Program to explore the process of writing music for film and to create accompanying scores for scenes shot by the Filmmaker Fellows during the Institute�s Filmmakers Lab."

Biography information for the Fellows follows:

Ninety-one countries have been invited to submit movies for consideration for next year's foreign film Oscar. The countries range from developing nations to industrialised powers, with the Republic of Kazakhstan receiving its first invitation this year. BBC reports.

Bob Yates' screenplay "Back by Popular Demand," and Patrick Coyle's screenplay "Broken Bow" have won the 2005 IFP McKnight Screenwriting Fellowship prizes, while David Eberhardt and Scott Coleman Miller won the awrds in the filmmaking category. Each of the two winning Fellows will receive a $25,000 cash award for excellence in the art of screenwriting. Their winning screenplays receive a public reading at the Jungle Theatre in Minneapolis in 2006. Additionally, the two Fellows are automatically admitted to the 2005 IFP Market in New York City. For more information, visit the IFP website.

Director Pedro Almodovar received the Bunel Razor Award for best Spanish movie of 2004 Tuesday for �Bad Education.� The film, which stars Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal, about a man seeking revenge on an abusive priest, was a film Almodovar �wanted to make for a long time.� His new film �Volver� starring Penelope Cruz will begin shooting in July.

Oscar won't honor stunt work. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday that its Board of Governors voted to deny a request from a group of stunt performer's organizations to create a new Academy Award for "best stunt coordinator." The Associated Press reports.

CineVegas announced its awards over the weekend. This year, the jury was presided by film writer/director Allison Anders, stage and screen star Anthony Mackie, and film critic Ella Taylor. The festival's grand jury award went to the film �In Memory of My Father,� written and directed by Christopher Jaymes, while the special jury prize for ensemble acting went to �Red Doors," directed and written by Georgia Lee. "Buy It Now," by Antonio Campos, meanwhile, took the audience award. (indieWIRE will have an expanded festival wrap running later this week.

"The Motorcycle Diaries," the tale of revolutionary Che Guevara's life-changing 1950s journey across Latin America, swept top honors at the Imagen Awards, including best picture, director and supporting actor. The Imagen Awards 20 years ago because at the time there was no other formal awards show to recognize top Latino entertainment talent. A.P. reports.

Veer-Zaara, a movie about an Indian and a Pakistani who fall in love, took the top prizes at the International Indian Film Academy Awards in Amsterdam on Saturday. The Guardian reports.

Napoleon Dynamite, the low-budget film about a geeky Idaho teenager who yearns to be cool, was crowned best film at the MTV movie awards, the show that spoofs conventional awards with gongs for best fight and best frightened performance. The Guardian reports.

Young Hollywood turned back the clock at the MTV Movie Awards on Saturday night when the cast of the 1985 hit film "The Breakfast Club" was reunited. The cable network also gave its first lifetime achievement award to Tom Cruise, who accepted it from girlfriend Katie Holmes. Associated Press reports.

If MTV is the kingdom of cool, then, a frizzy-haired, awkward misfit, with killer pelvic thrusts, reigns supreme. Picking up the best film, best male breakthrough performance and best musical performance awards, Napoleon Dynamite, MTV Films� low budget release that became one of last year�s sleeper hits, swept Saturday night�s MTV Movie Awards in Los Angeles. Jon Heder, whose performance as the quixotic Napoleon has re-infused teenage vernacular with a frustrated, �Gooosh!� said, �I want to thank Michael Jackson, John Travolta and Justin Timberlake.�

What can writing about a murdered Teen�Queen, a voyage to the South Pole, or the abduction of a baby girl get you? Potentially, $25,000, automatic entrance into the IFP Market in New York and a stage reading with professional actors. The finalists for the 2005 IFP McKnight Artist Screenwriting Fellowship have been announced, moving all eight contestants a step closer to the final prizes. Two winners will eventually be selected by a second panel of three judges and are expected to be announced by late-June.

Canadian film maker David Cronenberg will receive the lifetime achievement award at this year's Stockholm International Film Festival, organizers said Monday. A.P. reports.

Director George A. Romero�s latest motion picture, George A Romero�s "Land of the Dead," a Universal Pictures and Atmosphere Entertainment MM presentation, has been selected as the CineVegas Film Festival�s closing night film. The world premiere event will take place at the Brenden Theatres at the Palms on the evening of June 18th and will be attended by the film�s stars and filmmakers.

Written and directed by Romero, "Land of the Dead" stars Simon Baker, Dennis Hopper, Asia Argento, Robert Joy and John Leguizamo. The film is produced by Mark Canton, Peter Grunwald and Bernie Goldmann, and will be released by Universal Pictures on June 24th. Romero will also receive the Festival�s 2005 Vanguard Director Award as part of the evening�s activities. Mark Canton, Chairman and CEO of Atmosphere Entertainment MM and a producer of "Land of the Dead," will present the award to Romero. For more information, visit the CineVegas website.

A pioneering comedy poking fun at Jewish life in Germany won 10 nominations on Monday for the country's annual film awards in July, outshining "Downfall" the celebrated film about Hitler's final days. "Alles auf Zucker" (Go for Zucker: An Unorthodox Comedy), the first German-Jewish comedy since World War II, picked up nominations for best film, best director, best actor, best actress and six others in 16 categories for the "Lola" awards. Erik Kirschbaum reports in Reuters.

The Motorcycle Diaries and Spanglish are among the films shortlisted for the Imagen Awards - honouring depictions of Latinos in entertainment. Also nominated for best film are Nicotina and Maria Full of Grace. Maria Full of Grace star Catalina Sandino Moreno is in line for best actress, building on her recent Academy Award nomination. BBC reports.

Fox Searchlight's "Kinsey" and HBO's "Six Feet Under" nabbed top honors Saturday at the 16th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which honor depictions of the lesbian, gay and transgender community. "Kinsey," which starred Liam Neeson as the ground-breaking sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, was GLAAD's pick for best wide-release feature during the Dec. 1, 2003-Dec. 31, 2004, eligibility period. The film's director, Bill Condon, received an honorary award for achievement, according to The Hollywood Reporter and Reuters.

India's movie industry handed out its version of the Oscars on Saturday at the Bollywood Movie Awards, which saw a veteran director take top honors and a U.S. actor best known for "Baywatch" named international star of the year. Claudia Parsons reports in Reuters.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has sued ticket brokers it claims sold passes to last month's Oscar ceremonies without permission, perhaps for tens of thousands of dollars. The suit, filed March 25 in Superior Court, alleges unfair competition, unjust enrichment and inducement to breach of contract and trespass. It claims three agencies sold or offered passes to the 77th Annual Academy Awards. A.P. reports.

The action comedy Kung Fu Hustle and Wong Kar-Wai's drama 2046 were the big winners at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards, which took place on Sunday.
Both films won six awards each, with Kung Fu Hustle, which had a record 16 nominations, being named best film. BBC reports.

Quebec films and their makers overpowered last night's 25th annual Genie Awards, handily grabbing almost every major prize, including best picture for the quirky 2003 animated feature, "Les Triplettes de Belville." Gayle MacDonald reports in the Globe and Mail.

German actress Franka Potente, Chinese actress Bai Ling and French fashion designer Nino Cerruti will be among those choosing the winner of the Golden Bear top prize at the Berlin International Film Festival next month. A.P. reports.

A series of gritty war movies out of the Middle East, including the first feature films from Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein, will be screened at a major film festival that opened Wednesday in the Netherlands. The 34th International Rotterdam Film Festival, one of the largest in the world for documentaries and independent film, runs through Feb. 5 with 800 movies in 17 categories, A.P. reports A.P.

Only an hour after Oscar nominations were handed out Tuesday, the frenzied three-week campaign to capture Academy Award votes was well under way, with movie publicists scrambling to book prime slots to screen their films. Beth Harris reports for A.P.

The fur is still flying over Halle Berry's action flop "Catwoman." The Razzies, which mock the worst in film, gave "Catwoman" a leading seven nominations Monday, among them worst picture, worst actress for Berry and worst supporting players for Sharon Stone and Lambert Wilson. David Germain reports in the Associated Press.

"With no J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy to lord over Hollywood's prom night, an eccentric mix of real-life characters may step in to fill the void at the Academy Awards," CNN reports.

Hundreds of Indian devotees have been donating money to a temple charity over the past three weeks to raise funds for a low-budget movie's Oscar publicity campaign in the United States, one of the producers said. It is part of a nationwide drive to collect about 15 million rupees ($334,000) -- more than twice what it cost to make the film ("Shwaas") -- which the producers say they need to promote India's entry for an Oscar nomination before the shortlist is announced in January, Reuters reports.

Mike Leigh's moving portrayal of a back-street abortionist in 1950s London swept the British Independent Film Awards late Tuesday, taking six awards, including Best Film and Best Director. "Vera Drake" also snared the Best Actress award for Imelda Staunton and Best Actor for Phil Davis, Reuters reports.

Distributors and doc directors have been buzzing this week in anticipation of the Academy's announcement of the doc short list, naming the dozen films that will now vie for one of 5 nominations in the best doc Oscar category.

On the list are: Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman's "Born Into Brothels," Paola di Florio's "Home of the Brave," Deb Ellis and Denis Mueller's "Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train," Jessica Yu's "In the Realms of the Unreal," Stacy Peralta's "Riding Giants," Christian Bauer's "The Ritchie Boys," Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni's "The Story of the Weeping Camel," Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me," Mark Wexler's "Tell Them Who You Are," Kevin MacDonald's "Touching the Void," Lauren Lazin's "Tupac: Resurrection," Kirby Dick's "Twist of Faith."

The films were chosen by a documentary branch screening committee.

"The 1993 Oscar ceremony celebrated women in the movies. If the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has yet to officially recognize men in the movies, it's because in such a male-dominated industry, every year is men's year. But 2004 is even more so. The number of potential best actor nominees keeps rising like registered Republicans. There are so many knockout performances that 'An Unfinished Life, ' in which Robert Redford is said to deliver another, has been postponed until 2005 to give the Sundance Kid a fighting chance at his first acting Oscar," Ruth Stein reports in the San Francisco Chronicle.

"You know it's going to be a strange year for the Oscars when November is just around the corner and the talk in Hollywood is about 'The Phantom of the Opera.' But the need for buzz, any kind of buzz, is very real, and a sure sign of Oscar desperation," Sharon Waxman offers her take in the New York Times.

"Mike Leigh's award-winning abortion drama 'Vera Drake' has scooped seven nominations at this year's British Independent Film Awards. But the Venice winner faces stiff competition from Shane Meadows' critically acclaimed 'Dead Man's Shoes,' which received eight nominations. Also in the running for a clutch of awards are 'My Summer of Love' and the stalker drama 'Enduring Love.' The winners will be announced at a ceremony in London on 30 November," BBC reports.

"The Oscars have a piece of the Rock. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Thursday announced Chris Rock will host the next Academy Awards telecast," Anthony Breznican reports for A.P.

"Gil Cates has signed on to produce next year's Academy Awards broadcast, his 12th time overseeing Hollywood's biggest bash," A.P. reports.

"As the awards season approaches, Hollywood rushes to release movies it hopes could be Oscar contenders. BBC News Online tips the runners and riders," Neil Smith reports.

"The movie 'Olga,' the true tale of a Jew who was expelled from Brazil only to die in Nazi Germany, was chosen on Tuesday by Brazil's culture ministry to compete for a foreign film Oscar in 2005," reports Reuters.

"The European Film Academy has announced a list of 42 films to contend for the 17th European Film Awards on Dec. 11 in Barcelona. The selection includes Ken Loach's 'Ae Fond Kiss'; Cannes opener Pedro Almodovar's 'Bad Education'; Toronto opener Istvan Szabo's 'Being Julia'; Berlin Golden Bear winner 'Head On'; 'The Sea Inside,' which won Javier Bardem actor honors at Venice; and Christophe Barratier's French B.O. hit 'Le Choristes,' John Hopewell reports for Variety.