With the Oscars just three weeks away, the nominees have been honoured at the annual luncheon at the prestigious Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills. Most of the nominees, from the leading categories attended – including Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler) and Sean Penn (Milk), the frontrunners for Best Actor in [...]

Big stars on the red carpet may be few, but Jason Korsner finds cinematic gems at the 52nd London Film Festival (picture gallery) 1 November 2008 The 52nd London Film Festival has come to an end with a rather less glamorous premiere than in previous years. That’s not to say [...]

Husam Asi finds the Irish holding their own in LA 6 October 2008 Hundreds flocked to watch Irish movies in the first Irish Film Festival of Los Angeles last weekend. Festival Director Lisa McLaughlin-Strassman was pleased by the high turnout. “We started small but our dreams are big,” she announced. The non-competitive [...]

John Hiscock reports from Toronto 26 September 2008 British films and filmmakers dominated this year’s Toronto film festival, with Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire captivating the critics and winning the highly-prized People’s Choice award. Written by The Full Monty writer Simon Beaufoy about an orphan from the slums of Mumbai [...]

Jason Korsner reports from this year’s Cannes Film Festival 27 May 2008 For the first time in twenty one years, a French film has picked up the top honour at the Cannes Film Festival. Under the presidency of Sean Penn, the jury unanimously awarded the prestigious Palme d’Or to Laurent Cantet’s [...]

Husam Asi indulges in a film-lover’s feast at the New York Film Festival 23 February 2008 New York has a lot to offer its residents and visitors, but for film fans, the New York film festival is the city’s best treat. This year, the festival offers 28 film premieres, inclding award-winning films, [...]

this year’s Oscar-nominated shorts 18 April 2008 Oscar-winner, Academy Governor and event chairman Curtis Hanson “They’re not just seeing the present. They’re seeing the future,” announced [...]

Film fans struggle to get close to Hollywood’s great and good, reports Jason Korsner 12 February 2008 “It’s the most fun of any of it,” said actor and Academy stalwart Ed Begley Junior as he emerged from the annual Oscar Nominees’ luncheon in Beverly Hills. Try telling this to film fans [...]

Jason Korsner reports on the highlights of this year’s London Film Festival 4 November 2007 The Times BFI 51st London Film Festival has drawn to a close in Leicester Square with a gala screening of the new Wes Anderson film, The Darjeeling Limted — a road-trip, featuring three estranged brothers, crossing India, [...]