Based on true events, Rock, Paper, Scissors follows Ivan, a 17-year-old Ukrainian boy, and his father as they run a makeshift hospital from inside a bunker while fighting rages above them. When an approaching platoon threatens their fragile sanctuary, the pair are forced into a decision that no one — let alone a child — should ever have to make.

The film recently won Best British Short Film at the 2025 BAFTA Awards and has since been shortlisted for the Academy Awards® Live Action Short Film, marking it as one of the most significant short films of the year. We spoke with writer-director Franz Böhm about the origins of the story, his approach to scale and restraint, and what these milestones mean to him.

Presh Williams: Rock, Paper, Scissors is based on actual events. How did you come across the story?

Franz Bohm: I’ve met Ivan, who became the main source of inspiration for this project, in England when he was a teenager. As we spent more time together, Ivan began to share what he had experienced back home. It was raw, personal, and deeply human. What started as a friendship soon became a creative collaboration. Together, we wrote the screenplay for what would become Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Working with Ivan remains one of the most meaningful experiences of my life. His clarity, courage, and sense of purpose shaped every part of this project. Even after he returned to Ukraine, his spirit stayed with us. It guided the team, the performances, and the tone. He gave the story its soul.

PW: RPS could be equally as powerful as a 10-minute film or as a 30-minute film. How did you decide on what aspects of Ivan’s story you would include in the short film?

FB: It’s something we discussed a lot during the writing and editing process. From the very beginning, we knew that Rock, Paper, Scissors had to feel like a complete experience, not just a snapshot. The film had to carry the emotional weight of Ivan’s story. The claustrophobia of the bunker, the fragility of youth in wartime, and the impossible choices he faces. All within a limited timeframe.

We experimented with longer and shorter versions, but ultimately landed on 20 minutes because it allowed us to stay close to Ivan’s emotional arc without diluting the intensity. Too short, and we risked losing the buildup of dread and responsibility that weighs on him. Too long, and we might have drifted away from the urgency and focus that the story demands.

At its core, this film is about a boy who has to grow up in a single day. Every scene we kept had to serve that arc, not just narratively, but emotionally. It wasn’t about showing everything that happened, but showing enough for the audience to feel what it meant.

PW: Have people who knew Ivan seen the film? How has support been from the Ukrainian community?

FB: Ivan himself saw multiple versions of our cut, and it was wonderful to collaborate with him. It became a shared creative journey, and I learned so much from his honesty and clarity.

Since his passing, I’ve been incredibly moved by the response from the Ukrainian community. People who knew him, or who recognise their own experiences in the film, have reached out. I’m grateful for the many messages of support. What’s meant a great deal to me are the community-led screenings that have taken place in Ukraine. People have organised gatherings in basements, schools, and cultural centres, often in difficult conditions, to share the film with others. That kind of grassroots response is incredibly powerful.

Their support has been so generous, and I carry that with me every time we show the film.

PW: From your work in Dear Future Children (to now), a key aspect of your work seems to be profiling how people in extreme adversity overcome their circumstances. Would you say that is a fair characterisation of your work?

FB: Yes, I think that’s a fair characterisation but I’d maybe frame it slightly differently.

What drives me as a filmmaker is a deep fascination with the human capacity for dignity and resilience, especially when people are pushed to the edge. From Dear Future Children to Rock, Paper, Scissors, I’ve been drawn to stories where individuals are forced to make impossible choices under extreme pressure.

I don’t approach these stories as case studies of suffering. I approach them as portraits of courage, resistance, and moral complexity. What interests me is not just the hardship itself, but how people retain their sense of self, how they connect to others, and how they keep going even when the world seems to fall apart around them.

PW: You won the Best Short Film at the 2025 BAFTAs and are now shortlisted for the Oscars. What do these incredible milestones mean for you?

FB: It’s been incredibly humbling. Winning the BAFTA was a moment I’ll never forget — not just because of the recognition itself, but because of what it represents: that this story, born from a very real and painful place, resonated with people on a wider scale. Being shortlisted for the Oscars now is another overwhelming moment. It means that the hard work, the risks we took, and the trust of our Ukrainian cast and collaborators have led to something that really travels beyond borders.

But more than personal pride, these milestones are a reminder that stories like Ivan’s matter. That cinema still has the power to give voice to people in impossible situations. It encourages me, and hopefully others, to keep pushing for stories that are urgent, impactful, and grounded in human experience.

Rock, Paper, Scissors is currently shortlisted for the Academy Award® for Live Action Short Film, with the 98th Academy Awards taking place on 15 March 2026 — a moment that could see this urgent, human story recognised on cinema’s biggest stage.

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IP Law

Briefly, IP laws give people and businesses control over creations of the mind used in commerce. Through copyright, trademarks and patents, among other things, they enable creators and rights holders to be compensated for their work if stolen or licensed out. 

Of course, IP law is not perfect. Often, big companies wield IP law like a sledgehammer to extract as much money as possible. Think of Disney using all its resources to guard its IP despite working from many public domain sources. The contributions of many workers to an IP can often be overlooked and attributed to the business they work for. To say nothing of how the horrendous enforcement of IP law can sometimes serve as a tool to enforce hegemony. See the guarding of medical IP during the pandemic. Additionally, considering most ideas are built on the ideas of others, sometimes IP law can feel restrictive to creators. You could understand someone agreeing with this in a vacuum and all things being equal. 

But that is not the situation we are in. Plus, while these laws may be abused and reform is certainly needed, they are useful to ensure smaller creators’ work is protected and that they are compensated for it.

Money vs Art

So why did Dorsey tweet this? In a later tweet, responding to the dangers of AI, he clarified, “Creativity is what currently separates us, and the current system is limiting that, and putting the payments disbursement into the hands of gatekeepers who aren’t paying out fairly.” This indicates that his main goal for deleting the current system relating to IP laws would be to remove data gathering barriers to allow for more possibilities with AI projects and monetisation. Charitably, you could say he hopes for an equal playing field between people creating IP. However, as someone worth over $3 billion with his own AI venture, it reads like he is saying AI companies shouldn’t be limited by IP restrictions. Including paying to use IP that AI tools use to make their owners’ profits. But how does this relate to art?

Recently, we have seen many stories about AI concerns in the art world. One key concern of the SAG-AFTRA/WGA 2023 strikes was the encroachment of AI on industry jobs. Debates have raged around AI being used in Oscar-nominated films, and everyone saw the AI images imitating Studio Ghibli’s aesthetic. Undoubtedly, to Hayao Miyazaki’s annoyance. But while you can argue about how AI can benefit smaller budget productions, enhance already existing production elements and produce shitposts online these tools will largely be used by big companies to streamline the making of art over anything artisticly valuable. As Jack Dorsey proves, it will be done to maximise profits for those with resources at the expense of creatives. 

Art-ificial 

In the era of Elon Musk, we shouldn’t be surprised when billionaires use social media to try and advance a selfish and harmful agenda. Though their proximity to power is cause for concern. Ultimately, this is just the latest example of how businesses continue to try to devalue art. Seeing it as a money-making venture and little more.

With AI tools becoming more widespread, artists will have to continue to fight for their work to be respected. Some small-scale recommendations include manually removing your work from AI data scraping and being more cautious about posting work online. Larger-scale actions such as workplace and industry union organising to influence company procedures, cultural attitudes and regulations around AI will also be needed moving forward. The future for AI in the arts is uncertain, but art and artists deserve to be seen as more than data to generate material for the profits of billionaires.

The post Twitter Co-Founder Wants to “Delete All IP Law” – How Will Filmmakers and Writers Be Protected in the Age of AI? appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Expanding on Szumowska and Englert’s reputation for empathetic storytelling, Woman of… spotlights an underrepresented community. Aniela’s journey mirrors Poland’s own transition from Soviet influence to a modern Europe—an evolution that has brought new freedoms but still leaves many individuals on the margins. By framing the story of a trans woman in a society often slow to embrace LGBTQ+ rights, the film poses timely questions about identity, acceptance, and the cost of living authentically.

Notably, Woman of… features numerous trans and non-binary cast members in both trans and cis roles. This inclusive approach lends a tangible authenticity to Aniela’s emotional struggle. In a nod to iconic Polish director Andrzej Wajda, the title references his seminal works Man of Marble and Man of Iron, aligning this contemporary narrative with a tradition of Polish cinema that challenges societal norms.

While the film’s universal themes resonate anywhere, the UK release particularly appeals to British audiences with Polish heritage and those invested in queer cinema. By focusing on the hardships, resilience, and ultimately the dignity of its protagonist, Woman of… stands as a powerful human drama that crosses cultural barriers. It promises to spark conversation, provoke empathy, and underscore the urgent need for legal and social reforms—both in Poland and beyond.

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Amy Adams

It’s hard to imagine what more Amy Adams needs to do to get an Oscar, what more can she give, and what role can she take on? She has been a better Disney princess than most Disney princesses, she has acted alongside Kermit the Frog, and starred in one of the greatest sci-fi films of all time which is also one of the most heart-breaking and beautiful films of all time – Arrival. So despite six nominations, Amy Adams has never won an Oscar since DiCaprio won an Oscar and is probably the most obvious actor working without one.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Any of the scenes in Arrival where Amy Adams or the audience realises what is going on.

Ralph Fiennes

Fiennes has been making great films for decades now (not The English Patient though) and could have won for any number of films. He is best known for his dramatic roles in films like Schindler’s List or Quiz Show, but in more recent years has took on a number of comedic roles and excelled; Fiennes almost steals the show in In Bruges where arrives halfway through the film managing to escalate the swearing and violence against telephones. He is a stereotypical Oscar-winning actor who has not won an Oscar.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – The Grand Budapest Hotel, despite being a delicate middle-aged concierge launching himself fiercely at fascists to defend his friend.

Toni Colette

Toni Colette has been amazing on screen at least as early as Muriel’s Wedding in 1994. A wonderful actor who can mix comedy and sadness perfectly. Only nominated once for Sixth Sense her performance in Hereditary was thought to be a contender only to fail to be even nominated – which many including me put down to the Academy’s disdain for horror.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Perhaps the “I Am Your Mother” scene from Hereditary but its hard not to pick the ABBA performance in Muriel’s Wedding.

Mads Mikkelsen

Surely one of the best actors working today Mads Mikkelsen has a string of roles worthy of an Oscar win; recent candidate was Another Round but only one amongst many. The Hunt, A Royal Affair are two more brilliant dramatic performances, while his portrayal as Le Chiffre in Casino Royale was surely one of the biggest reasons that film was so successful.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – the final dance scene in Another Round.

Stanley Tucci

An actor who simply being mentioned is in a film will pique the interest of a fan of the art form. Tucci is a charming actor and in roles like The Lovely Bones, Julie and Julia and Margin Call he has given great performances. The fizzing charm Tucci brings to roles like Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games trilogy is revitalising (ps see The Hunger Games trilogy for great actors not to have won Oscars – Donald Sutherland, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Jeffrey Wright, Toby Jones…)

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Margin Call – Tucci gives a beautiful monologue concerned with the reduction of commuting times for workers.

Sally Hawkins

Sally Hawkins is an absolute delight. A wonderful actor and capable of amazing performances. Whilst there is certainly much more to Hawkins’ career than The Shape Of Water it is a phenomenal performance. It is beautiful and to those who have not seen the film…her character Liza cannot talk, she uses sign language which usually has no subtitling for the audience and relies on the other characters to translate but still able to convey huge emotions deftly. Hawkins’ breakout role was in Happy-Go-Lucky a film which allowed Hawkins to be tremendously funny, sweet, vulnerable and more, showing for all her silly antics she has such strength. And it is hard to not instantly fall in love with her portrayal of Mrs Brown in Paddington as a bastion of human kindness.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – The Shape of Water – arguing with her friend about rescuing the “monster” as she grows increasingly angry.

Ethan Hawke

Hawke is a great actor who has four nominations: two for acting and two for best adapted screenplay but is yet to win. Hawke has been a fantastic actor for decades, first gaining acclaim in Reality Bites and then Before Sunrise (and the other two films in the truly spectacular Before trilogy). He starred in the underrated sci-fi gem Gattaca championing human spirit over a dystopian genetic supremacy, as well as co-starring in Training Day alongside Denzel Washington. He had a go at the actor dream role of Hamlet and has shown himself capable of playing troubled artistic souls and everyman characters you can identify with.

Most Oscar Worthy Scene – Before Sunset – the final scene in which he sits listening to Julie Delpy talk, being utterly charmed by her and knowing he will miss the plane that would have taken him away from her.

Also Read: For Your Consideration: Sci-Fi, Comedy & Oscar Snubs

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The Statistics

In 1998 almost sixty million Americans watched the Oscars, the highest ever ratings for the awards show, but in 2022 it was down to sixteen million, and the trend is heading downwards. The Emmys, America’s biggest television awards ceremony, had a viewership of around six million in 2022, almost half the 2016 viewership. The BAFTAs actually seem to be bucking this trend with a recent increase in viewers (around 3 million for the latest ceremony). The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were this year broadcast on Netflix’s YouTube channel, after years of declining viewing figures, with less than a million watching in 2021.

Why?

There are many potential reasons for these declining ratings, relating both to changes in the film industry and television viewing habits. First of all, the Oscars were once event television – like the FA Cup (or Superbowl), something that people enjoyed watching en masse at the same time and event television is seemingly a thing of the past. People have too many ways to watch television, no longer restricted to a small number of channels. I do what I think many people do – the next day look up the winners and watch clips online, which does nothing for ratings.

Award shows were once a great opportunity to see actors being – more or less – themselves, not playing characters, but that is hardly the case now. Most actors have a strong social media presence, and an actor who doesn’t is flagged as somewhat unusual. In a similar way some people argue there are no movie stars anymore, not like there used to be, where the involvement of an actor would almost guarantee success, nearly universally liked and admired. Tom Cruise may be an actor who somewhat fits the bill but is hardly universally admired.

Perhaps increasingly there is also a feeling that making such a fuss about these awards shows is a little silly. By all means have awards for those in filmmaking but is the world really supposed to stop to watch them get their awards? Then there are questions about how “valid” these award ceremonies are – the Oscars are seen as the biggest film awards in the world, and it is in way assumed that the Best Picture Oscar winner is the best film of that year…but is it? The Academy has its own biases and many films are called Oscar-Bait, films that are seemingly made to tick boxes for what the Academy likes and this before dealing with issues like the OscarsSoWhite hashtag from 2015. Is the Oscars a genuine reflection of achievement in filmmaking or a select group within an industry patting themselves on the back?

What is perhaps the single biggest issue is that cinema – like most forms of art and culture – is very splintered. There are very few films that catch the attention of the majority of people; for example Best Picture Nominee Avatar: The Way Of Water was the biggest-grossing film of 2022, but the film that seemed to have the most cultural impact was Glass Onion, now even if this merely reflects different social media bubbles it still demonstrates that there isn’t a single cultural landscape for the Oscars to comment on. Also, Oscars, don’t nominate Avatar: The Way of Water for Best Picture, especially when Nope didn’t get a Best Picture nomination, or in fact, ANY Oscar nominations.

A few years ago the number of Best Picture nominations was increased to potentially ten, which was good, and it seemed in response to great films that didn’t fit the Oscar stereotype of a great film being nominated. The Shape Of Water – a film about a love story between a human woman and a fish “monster” won Best Picture, Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture which shows an acceptance of a greater variety of movies but shows that it is becoming increasingly difficult to determine what is the “Best Picture” of the year. Of course, this was probably always impossible but it’s increasingly being shown up as a farce.

Ultimately the decline in audience for these events is likely to do with factors completely outside the control of the organisations behind them with the changing nature of media consumption and appreciation being the real cause.

Also Read: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As “Very Local” Does He Have A Point?

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About Ray

Ray is the story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s. As well as Jamie Foxx in the lead role, with C.J Sanders as his younger counterpart, The film features a star-studded cast that includes Kerry Washington, Regina King, Wendell Pierce, Larenz Tate, Terrence Howard & More.

The screening will also include an exclusive recorded Q&A with C.J Sanders, who plays the young Ray Charles alongside Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of the older Ray Charles. The film won Jamie Foxx his first Oscar for Best Actor, for his portrayal of the musician.

Also Read: The Tarantino Crossover That Never Happened – Django & Zorro

Your contribution to Big Picture Film Club will allow us to continue to produce content. No matter the amount your contributions are greatly appreciated.

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It occurred to me later that I’d absorbed a lot of Oscars information as a teenager when I spent my time watching acceptance speeches on YouTube and scrolling through the Trivia section on IMDb whenever I watched a movie. I also knew that the wealth of my knowledge-focused heavily on women because, as in most art forms, their work interested me more. The Oscars led me to some of that work, to the kinds of films I wasn’t aware of as a child, the type of films that played against the big blockbuster movies of my youth and instead featured women who did more than scream and ask the male lead what to do. This meant I’d go and see movies like Rachel Getting Married, An Education, or Blue Valentine with the money I got from my first job; films that introduced me to a different kind of filmmaking. I also used the Oscars as a basecamp for movie history by scrolling back through the lists of previous Oscar winners and becoming obsessed with Kathrine Hepburn, Judy Garland, Deborah Kerr, Barbra Streisand and many others, all of whom were women who had their own history of being overlooked or celebrated by the Academy. 

It seemed, however, that any Oscar titbits I might learn mainly were seen as useless information or, at best, a party trick doled out to impress people for a few minutes before they became bored when I tried to discuss the subject further. I knew an older gay man who could list every Best Picture winner in order after a few drinks at the pub and thought, maybe one day, I’d do the same with the actresses who had won but, beyond that, it wouldn’t be very useful. Occasionally, when I watched a film with my housemates, one would point and ask if an actor in the movie we were watching had ever won an Oscar. I could say yes or no and, in the cases of actresses, had a good idea about what they’d won for. Or, like had happened with Kidman that Saturday morning, a few small opportunities would appear from nowhere, and I’d be in my element before the conversation inevitably moved on. 

Some years after I summoned Kidman’s filmography as if through divine intervention, I was scrolling through YouTube, likely watching my favourite Best Actress speeches, when I came across a video dedicated to the tie between Barbra Streisand and Katherine Hepburn in 1969. This was one of the first Oscar stories I got wrapped up in after I began looking at its history. It featured two actresses I loved, unpacked the myths that had sprung up around that year, and, beyond all that, I was obsessed with the sheer black outfit Streisand wore to the ceremony. I clicked the video immediately, and at over fifteen minutes, the video deepened my understanding of that moment and my knowledge of two actresses I loved.

The video was uploaded by Be Kind Rewind, a channel dedicated to essayistic deep-dives into actresses who have won Oscars. As a standard format, each video focused on a particular Best Actress winner in a specific year by considering the narrative created around the winner, the other nominees, the cultural context that led to each woman accepting the golden statuette, and the socio-political implications behind Hollywood’s biggest night. After I finished the first video, I burned through all the analytical, insightful and well-researched video essays they’d uploaded so far and eagerly awaited new ones. 

As the channel grew, it expanded into videos that moved away from the Oscars, but its focus remained on women. In 2018, the channel released a video examining the differences between the many versions of A Star is Born, looking specifically at the role of ‘The Star’ and how it differed from Janet Gaynor to Judy Garland, to Streisand, and then Lady Gaga. They released “hot takes” on the recent award wins, particularly the 2019 race when Olivia Coleman won over Glenn Close, and an excellent essay on Madonna’s filmic references within her many music videos. There were lengthy and nuanced discussions of the Academy’s controversies, too. There was a set of two excellent semi-linked videos on #OscarsSoWhite. The first focused on Halle Berry’s historic win in 2001, and the second on the poor representation of Asian and Asian American women at the Oscars throughout history. In other videos, such as those dedicated to Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow, they considered the Harvey Weinstein of it all, a figure that looms large in any discussion of movies from the nineties and early noughties. In essence, the videos not only gave reverence to the women and the performances at their centre but connected them to a broader context in a way that fought back against the frivolity and in-built misogyny that coloured discussions about them in the past. So often, the performances nominated for Best Actress do not come from films nominated for Best Picture, which leads to Be Kind Rewind’s central message: that art made by, for, or featuring women should not be devalued or considered less than on this basis alone.  

For over a decade now, the Academy has expanded the Best Picture category from five to a possible ten, with the actual number varying each year depending on the number of votes it receives. In a 2017 article for Vanity Fair, Daniel Joyaux looked at the correlation between Best Picture and the Leading acting categories. Between 2011 and 2017, 30 actors and 30 actresses were nominated for leading roles, but as Joyaux notes, “while 21 of those best-actor performances came in films that were also nominated for best picture, only 12 best-actress performances came from best-picture nominees.” In focusing on Best Actress wins, Be Kind Rewind gives time and space to often-ignored or undervalued films. This, more often than not, is because the Academy, and the film industry at large, have shaped perceptions around what “prestige” means, about what “good” means, and it almost exclusively applies to male-led films. 

 “What is considered good or important cinema?” the narrator asks in their video on the 2020 Oscars race. “Thankfully, the Academy isn’t the only body attempting to answer that question, and their decisions are rarely considered sacrosanct.” So why are we drawn to them? The Oscars’ longevity and their centrality within the industry imply a sense of status, but that centrality also makes them a prime place to start for the cultural evaluation found in Be Kind Rewind’s videos. Part of loving the Oscars or being interested in their past is to acknowledge the Academy’s flaws. Increasingly, year by year, those who grew to love the Oscars when we were younger find ourselves increasingly annoyed that performances or movies that make waves or are considered significant are ignored. This, for me, was best encapsulated in this year’s ceremony, when not a single person I wanted to win took home an award (and other actors who I think deserved the top prize, like Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World, weren’t even nominated). 

In a recent interview with W, Izzy, the creator of Be Kind Rewind – who told the magazine she would like to remain “semi-incognito” – described the channel as a place for people who love classic cinema, and particularly the women who populate it, to come together. “There aren’t too many places to congregate and meet people who are interested in those same things, so the internet opened up the floodgates”, she said. “When I declared loudly online that this was what I loved talking about, it allowed others to find me.” This echoes the general notion of the good that the internet can do; it connects people. It is perhaps helpful to remind ourselves of this as being online is becoming increasingly hellish. There are corners of the web that offer people the chance to be passionate about things and for others to engage with that passion, to meet that enthusiasm head-on. For me, Be Kind Rewind’s YouTube channel is one of them.

Also Read: How Film Changed Me: On Nicole Kidman

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So rather than looking at the potential winners or nominees, which this year includes everything from The Green Knight to Spider-Man, instead we’re looking at previous winners and seeing where the Best Picture winners of the last 10 years rank against each other based on their IMDb and Metacritic ratings

10. The Shape of Water (2017)

Guillermo Del Toro’s homage to Creature From The Black Lagoon is a love story between the creature (Doug Jones) and Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning lady. One of the stranger films to have won, critics seemed to love it more than audiences, as it sits at a 7.3 on IMDb, but has 87 on Metacritic. The film was also nominated in several other categories for a total of thirteen nominations, winning four, including Best Picture, Best Director for Del Toro, Best Production Design and Best Orginal Score.

9. Moonlight (2016)

Widely considered one of the more progressive choices to win Best Picture. Based on an unpublished semi-autobiographical play, it shows the life of Chiron, at three separate stages of his life. Beginning as a child, through into adolescence and ending in early adulthood. While it may not have made a huge impression on audiences, judging by its 7.4 on IMDb, critics loved it, as it sits at a 99 on Metacritic. It was the first LGBTQ film to win Best Picture, as well as first to win featuring an all-black cast.

8. Nomadland (2020)

Another historic win at the Oscars. Based on a non-fiction book about the rise of older people living nomadic lifestyles in the US. The film follows Fern (Frances McDormand) as she loses both her job and her house after the death of her husband, and her life on the road living in a van and travelling the country. Most of the cast is made up of real-life nomads, who play themselves. While it only has a 7.4 from audiences on IMDb, it was the third highest-rated film of 2020 on Metacritic. Director Chloe Zhao became the second woman and first woman of colour to win Best Director.

07. Argo (2012)

Based on true events, although sometimes criticised for its historical accuracy. This dramatisation of the “Canadian Caper” was written by Chris Terrio, who also wrote the screenplays for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker. Terrio won the Best Adapted Screenplay, while Ben Affleck won Best Director, as well as starring. Critics loved Argo more than audiences, with a 7.7 on IMDb compared to a 86 on Metacritic.

06. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance) (2014)

The Oscars love a film with a huge technical challenge and a film about the arts. Birdman has both. Micheal Keaton lampshades his own career as an actor famous for playing a superhero tries to be taken seriously. Set in and around a theatre, the film is shot so that (with one exception) it appears to be done in one take. Interestingly this fared about as well as Argo with audiences and critics, also having a 7.7 rating and 87 respectively. As well as Oscars for Directing, Orginal Screenplay and Cinematography, director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s next film The Revenant finally won Leonardo DiCaprio his Oscar.

05. The Artist (2011)

Despite being released in 2011, The Artist invokes the silent film era of the 1920s. Shot in 4:3, black and white, as well as being mainly silent, it was certainly the most unique amongst the nominees of its year. Nominated for 10 Academy Awards it won five, including Best Director and Best Actor. It was the first mostly silent winner since the first-ever Academy Awards, back in 1929. Loved by both audiences and critics, with a 7.9 on IMDb and 89 on Metacritic.

04. Spotlight (2015)

Another film based on true events, this time focused on the power and importance of journalism. The script was based on various accounts and articles from the Spotlight team. The Boston Globe published several news pieces that revealed the widespread child sex abuse in the Catholic church in the Boston area in 2003. Praised for its screenplay and performances as well as its historical accuracy, it has an impressive 93 on Metacritic, as well as an 8.1 from audiences.

03. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

Based on the memoir of Solomon Northup, a free black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery. The book details his experiences at market, cotton and sugar farming, as well as the life and experiences of being a slave. He was eventually freed, after getting information from friends and family. Widely praised by critics and audiences, it also won for its screenplay and a supporting actress win for Lupita Nyong’o. It also sits at 8.1 on IMDb, while it has a 96 on Metacritic.

02. Green Book (2018)

Another film about race relations in the US, and also based on a true story. The eponymous “Green Book” was a guide written for African-Americans and other non-whites, to help aid safe travel. Focusing on the friendship between pianist Don Shirley and his chauffuer/bodyguard Frank Vallelonga. Although there was some controversy, it was very positively received with an 8.2 from audiences. Interestingly most critics were not as impressed, with it only scoring a 69 on Metacritic.

01. Parasite (2019)

Sitting at number 31 on IMDb’s top 250 Movies of all time, Korean director Bong Joon-ho made history by directing the first non-English language film to win Best Picture. Telling the story of a poor family who slowly infiltrate a wealthy one, the film was universally acclaimed. Focusing on class relations and the wealth gap in Korea, it struck a chord with audiences and critics around the world, with a 8.6 and 96 respectively.

Also Read: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As “Very Local” Does He Have A Point?

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5. The King’s Speech (8.0)

The winner of the 2011 Best Picture award concerns Britain’s King George VI (Colin Firth) working with speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush) to overcome his stammer and allow him to deliver his messages to the people of the UK and those in high positions with his own voice.

Despite some critics calling it Oscar bait, The King’s Speech charmed audiences. Not only scoring an 8 on IMDb but also becoming the highest-grossing British independent film of 2011. Initially, it was also involved in controversy because the BBFC gave the film a 15 certificate due to strong language. Despite the swearing serving the point of helping King George through his stammer. Ultimately thanks to the distributor’s appeal, the BBFC re-rated the film as a 12a. It also won Best Director for Tom Hooper, Best Actor for Colin Firth, and Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler.

4. Spotlight (8.1)

2016’s best picture recipient deals with another story based on true events. This time looking at several reporters working for the Boston Globe. Who uncover a series of child abuse crimes within the catholic church.

Spotlight was the first Best Picture winner since The Greatest Show on Earth to only win one other award at the ceremony. The other being Best Original Screenplay for Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy. It also was viewed as a surprise win, with many believing The Revenant would take the award home. Spotlight may have been a surprise winner but its high audience rating and great reviews from many critics show that it’s still something special.

3. 12 Years a Slave (8.1)

Steve McQueen’s dark drama is about the horrors experienced and witnessed by Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free man of colour living in New York who is captured, sold into slavery and must spend 12 years trying to survive.

12 Years a Slave was not only well-received by critics and general audiences but it also marked the first time that a film made by a black director won Best Picture. And it also earned statues for John Ridley’s screenplay and Lupita Nyong’o’s supporting performance. Showing that while 12 Years a Slave was a hard watch, it was also impactful and important.

2. Green Book (8.2)

Undoubtedly the most controversial Best Picture winner of the past decade. The story follows Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen) who makes friends with Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) as he ferries him around the southern United States in the 1960s, ensuring he is safely able to play music at venues.

Green Book received several negative responses upon its release for its dated use of the white saviour narrative to tell the story of African American persecution. But it became even more controversial when it won the Best Picture Oscar, even though films from prominent black filmmakers like Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman) and Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) were also nominated. Although Green Book clearly won over many, as evidenced by its award wins (also winning Best Original Screenplay for Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, and Peter Farrelly and Best Supporting Performance for Mahershala Ali), and IMDb rating, its win remains an embarrassing moment for the modern film industry.

1. Parasite (8.6)

This South Korean masterpiece focuses on the relationship between two families, the rich Parks, and the poor Kims. Asking many pointed questions about class and inequality in an odd, funny, dark, and enthralling way.

Parasite, the highest-rated Best Picture winner of the decade is also one of the highest-rated Best Picture Winners of all time on IMDb and was a trailblazer in so many ways. It was the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture, on top of winning Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay for Bong Joon-ho and co-writer Han Jin-won and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho. Along with this, it became the highest-grossing foreign-language film of all time in the UK. And despite the many controversies with the Academy Awards these past 10 years, seemingly all agree that Parasite deserved to win.

This ends our brief look back at the highest-rated Best Picture winners of the past 10 years. What is your favourite Best Picture winner from the past decade? Let’s hope that the next 10 years bring more Best Picture winners that audiences will love.

Also Read: Parasite Director Bong Joon-Ho Once Described The Oscars As Very Local

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Paramount’s Origins

The story begins in 1912 when Adolph Zukor established the Famous Players Film Company. Then in 1914, along with Jesse L. Lasky’s Feature Play Company, Famous Players began distributing films through W. W. Hodkinson’s Paramount Pictures Corporation. During this time the classic Paramount logo, 24 stars, representing the film stars it had contracted, above a mountain was unveiled. Come 1916 the three companies merged into Famous Players-Lasky. Later, the company changed its name to Paramount Pictures, Inc. as part of a reorganisation in the mid-1930s. Its origins make Paramount one of America’s longest surviving film studios.

A Long History

The company’s first few decades were very successful. It was recognised for producing high-quality films (Famous Players-Lasky’s Wings won the first Oscar for best picture) and contracted bankable movie stars and talented directors like Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Ernst Lubitsch and Josef Von Sternberg. But another key to their success was their ownership of a large number of cinemas and a process called block booking. Which allowed Paramount to pack cinemas exclusively with their films.

But several hardships set Paramount back. They filed for bankruptcy in 1933. A number of factors may have contributed to this. Including the great depression, the difficulty in adapting cinemas for talking pictures and more. After recovering, in 1948 the supreme court ruled that film studios could not control cinema chains in the case United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. This loss and competition from television hit Paramount hard. Leading them to release many of their stars and reduce their personal productions to a few more, expensive pictures.

Gulf + Western bought Paramount in 1966 and restored the studio’s success with acclaimed star-driven hits and high concept pictures. It also bought Desilu Productions. With this acquisition, Paramount gained the rights to produce TV hits like Star Trek and Mission: Impossible.

This era continued until 1994 when Viacom (now ViacomCBS) gained a controlling share in Paramount. After this, they created the UPN TV network (later it became the CW after striking a deal with Warner Bros). And with 20^th Century Fox it co-produced and distributed the highest-grossing film ever made at the time, Titanic. During the 21st-century things have remained relatively steady. With Paramount briefly acquiring DreamWorks and gaining the distribution rights to Miramax’s back catalogue. Recently the studio also leapt to streaming with Paramount+.

Notable Movies Made and Released by Paramount

Beginning by distributing the film Queen Elizabeth through the Famous Players Film Company, Paramount and its earlier iterations would create and showcase many highly regarded projects. The studio has been responsible for making and distributing many best picture winners across the world. Including Wings, Going My Way, The Lost Weekend, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Godfather Parts 1 and 2, Ordinary People, Terms of Endearment, Forrest Gump, Braveheart (in North America), Titanic, No Country for Old Men (in the UK) and The Kings Speech (in Australia).

And it is also responsible for creating and distributing many successful and acclaimed film series such as The Godfather, Star Trek, Friday the 13th Parts 1 – 8, Indiana Jones, Mission: Impossible, Transformers and the Paranormal Activity series. But these selections only scratch the surface of the many great, successful and important films the studio has been involved with.

Conclusion

Paramount has come a long way from it’s beginnings. It is one of the oldest surviving film studios, having formed over a hundred years ago. It quickly became a huge movie production, distribution and exhibition company which owned its own chain of theatres.

And over its life it has fought receivership, was at the centre of a landmark legal case and changed owners several times.

But despite this turbulent history Paramount has helped deliver many important films and franchises to audiences. And has had an immeasurable effect in shaping the modern movie landscape.

Also Read: The Unlikely Success of A24

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Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

McDormand’s second Oscar came for playing bereaved mother Mildred in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. Mildred’s daughter was raped and murdered and no arrests have yet been made – in an effort to keep the crime in the spotlight Mildred pays for three billboards with a message to the police chief. Mildred already seems to have been a formidable and perhaps unpopular figure before this tragedy but her abrasive plan seems to alienate most of the town. As well as the police her wrath falls on the local priest, a dentist, high school students and more. Mildred is consumed with guilt about what happened to her daughter and when not focusing the resulting anger on herself it is cast outward.

Burn After Reading

This is a more traditional comedic outing for McDormand than some of her roles. Burn After Reading is an odd but enjoyable film and like many Coen Brothers films it revolves around simple mistakes that lead to bigger consequences. McDormand plays Linda Litzke a woman working at a gym and is obsessed with getting cosmetic surgery so she can look younger. When what seems to be classified CIA material comes into her possession Linda and the absolutely hapless Chad try their hands at blackmail. Linda is also in a new romantic relationship with George Clooney’s serial cheater Harry Pfaffer and these two elements of her life intertwine nicely. Her best moments come from acting opposite Richard Jenkins, her boss at the gym who is clearly besotted with her but she is not interested – her declaration that Jenkins’ character’s former job as an Orthodox priest “well, jeez that’s a good job!” always amuses me.

Good Omens

For this TV show, McDormand was cast as God – who is the narrator of the show, which is quite a role.

Almost Famous

Despite not being the central character by any means McDormand’s performance as Elaine Miller is perhaps the most memorable in Almost Famous, in which her high school-age son goes off with a rock band as a music journalist and she has trouble dealing with this. What is really interesting is that Elaine’s objections to this are not what you expect – she is a very unusual woman, especially by the standards of 1969. Her objections to rock n roll seem to stem from a questioning of the artistic and intellectual value of this music, when Russell the charismatic frontman of the band tries to charm Elaine he is undone within seconds by her forceful and articulate attitude urging him to be better and do better.

Raising Arizona

A small role but McDormand is brilliant. After H.I. and Ed kidnap a baby when they learn they can’t have children they are paid a visit by H.I.’s boss Glen and his wife Dot – played by McDormand. Dot is an over-the-top incredibly excitable parent who jackknifes from proclamations of the baby’s angelic qualities to dire warnings of future problems, with every sentence interrupted by her shouting at her children to behave.

Fargo

Quite probably this is the role McDormand will be most remembered for and rightly so. She won an Oscar for playing Marge Gunderson, the heavily pregnant police chief who exudes competence, decency and kindness. Gunderson is not portrayed as “kick-ass” and is actually very gentle throughout but you never doubt she is more than capable at her job. You do worry about the inevitable confrontation between Gunderson and the kidnappers but when that happens she easily apprehends the remaining kidnapper. Two scenes stand out in particular, first the absolutely bizarre scene where Gunderson meets up with an old school friend for dinner who breaks down talking about his dead wife (who we later learn isn’t dead). The second at the end of the film when she finds one kidnapper feeding another into a wood chipper and the ride back to the station with a short monologue about what he did for “a little bit of money”. The last thing to mention is the asbolutely adorable relationship between Marge and her husband Norm, they are a lovely, supportive couple, seemingly always in each other’s thoughts by the small acts of kindness they do for one another. Whilst Marge is dealing with kidnapping and murder Norm is working on his duck painting for a postage stamp competition and because it’s important to Norm it’s important to Marge (incidentally, the postage stamp duck painting competition is real and a Big Deal to some people).

What Next?

So McDormand just won her third Oscar and if we were to examine the trajectory of her career it would seem she still has many great performances to give. Currently in postproduction is Macbeth, in which she plays Lady Macbeth and is another Coen Brothers film which has Oscar contender written all over it.

Also Read: Making A Coen Brothers Film

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Al Pacino

What He Won For: One of the all-time greats of acting Al Pacino has any number of roles where he deserved an Oscar, but amazingly the role that got him that award was for Scent of a Woman playing Frank Slade. Pacino is an actor who will take things to 11 and this perhaps gets the better of him in this film.

What He Should Have Won For – Without a doubt Al Pacino deserved an Oscar for The Godfather even if it meant depriving Marlon Brando of it. Michael Corleone not only looks like a different person at the end of The Godfather to the beginning, he is a different person. The audience sees the change he goes through from noble war hero who wants no part of the Mafia to the blood soaked crime-boss who shuts out the woman he loves from his life.

Leonardo DiCaprio

What He Won For – It certainly felt like Leonardo DiCaprio was owed an Oscar and eventually he got it for The Revenant. He plays Hugh Glass a fur trapper who suffers and it seemed like it was suffering that won the award. The Academy can be very impressed by the ordeal an actor goes through for their art and this was certainly the case.

What He Should Have Won For – A very different role to nineteenth century man mauled by bear DiCaprio was brilliant as depraved stock broker Jordan Belfort in The Wolf of Wall Street. To me Belfort is one of the most appalling characters seen in cinema who doesn’t actually murder anyone but the performance is stunning and it is very hard to play so unlikeable a character.

Anne Hathaway

What She Won For – Watching Les Miserables was one of the hardest cinema-going experiences I’ve ever had. Admittedly I’m no fan of musicals but Les Miserables managed to tick all the boxes of why that is. Hathaway was on screen for a total of fifteen minutes and perhaps other performances of hers may be more deserving.

What She Should Have Won For – This is very much a personal choice but Hathaway has never been better than Gloria in Colossal. This film deserves to be seen as one of the best of the 2010s but seems to have passed most people by. Hathaway is a sort-of writer with a drinking problem who finds her way back to her old home-town whilst on the other side of the world a giant monster is rampaging through South Korea. These events are not unconnected.

Reese Witherspoon

What She Won For – Witherspoon was very good as June Carter in a Johnny Cash biopic that has not really stood the test of time. Of course in this film it is Cash who is the central character and Witherspoon never gets the opportunity to really shine

What She Should Have Won For – Comedy is harder than drama and these and Witherspoon is a great comic actor and her role as Tracey Flick is in Election is unforgettable. Some aspects of the film have not aged well but it is undeniable that Witherspoon is great, giving a performance of someone who is sometimes on the verge of snapping.

Gary Oldman

What He Won For – Playing Winston Churchill is a classic Oscar role and something that will appeal to the Academy voters. Oldman’s performance in Darkest Hour was by no means bad but also nothing spectacular

What He Should Have Won For – A role without the fanfare of Winston Churchill but nonetheless a much better performance – George Smiley in Tinker Tailor Solider Spy. Smiley is emotionally restrained to the point of being stationary and I only remember one outburst from him in the film – but that just makes it more effective. Smiley is the sort of character rarely seen in film these days and Oldman plays it perfectly.

Benicio Del Toro

What He Won For – Del Toro won Best Supporting Actor for playing Mexican police officer Javier Rodriguez in 2000’s Traffic – a solid film but unmemorable.

What He Should Have Won For – Del Toro has a number of roles that would be contenders but his role as Alejandro in Sicario may be my favourite. Alejandro works alongside the Americans battling the drug cartels, his exact position is unclear but it is soon demonstrated that he has no restraint – showing no problems with torture or murder. The subdued anger of Del Toro is something to behold and he is genuinely terrifying.

Also Read: Oscar Worthy Characters : Vito Corleone

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MASSIVE SPOILER WARNING FOR THE DARK KNIGHT & JOKER

Why So Serious?

For me, The Dark Knight trilogy is the high-watermark for superhero films, with The Dark Knight being the best. Superhero films are made great not by the hero but by the villain and Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker is the prime example of this. It was a stunning and memorable performance. Every scene with the Joker is fantastic and adds depth and understanding to the character. Whether it’s the Joker’s ever-changing scar-origin story, to his attack on his police convoy in which for most of it he has no lines but still conveys what is going on with the character, to the perhaps ad-libbed confused look when the hospital fails to explode, Ledger is amazing. Moving the character away from a criminal who just wants money to the agent of chaos was genius and it allowed the character to work against both Batman and the mobs he originally worked for. Ledger’s Joker became a cultural icon with some much of the design of that character becoming part of fashion and wider culture.

Can You Introduce Me As Joker?

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker is a very different character. There is much debate about this character and whether it is even meant to be the Joker, but coming from the world of comic books having radically different origin stories is perfectly normal. Joker is an origins story but not just for the Joker but for many, many villains – indeed, it tries to show that this is how many real-world problems are created. South Park did an episode in which they argued Trump’s treatment of immigrants was simply creating “jokers”, people who were treated badly and would grow up angry and have a problem with America. Phoenix’s Joker is not a supervillain, he has no powers, no henchman, he’s not even very capable of committing a crime. He is simply a damaged man with nothing to lose. This Joker deals with lies, betrayal and abuse from those closest to him and complete strangers. The wildness of this character at the end of the film is hard to watch and riveting at the same time especially when compared to his passivity in other sections of the film. Some people warned of fans copying the violence in the film but most people just seemed to copy him dancing downstairs.

Phoenix’s performance is exceptional and the character does seem to go through a transformation and become a different person by the end of the film. I would argue Phoenix is the only actor who is genuinely the lead, in the Godfather films the focus is always on Michael and in The Dark Knight obviously it’s on Batman. Whilst there are a number of great actors in Joker it is Phoenix’s film and its success or failure is on him.

Two Characters Four Oscars

So why did these characters get more than one Oscar – what do they have in common? The first thing is that they are all great performances, truly Oscar-worthy acting. Brando was already an acting legend when he played Vito and De Niro is one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. Ledger was a great talent whose life was cut tragically short and Phoenix still seems to be very much at his peak. De Niro and Brando both won Oscars for other performances and both Ledger and Phoenix have given other Oscar-worthy performances.

De Niro and Phoenix both won for origins stories. How did Vito Corleone become such a powerful figure and where did his complicated moral system come from? Things are more complicated with Joker as I don’t think Phoenix’s character is meant to be seen as the same person as any of the Jokers we’ve seen on screen, more just the origins of how you would get to be someone like the Joker.

Both characters are criminals, albeit very different types, Vito has become the archetype old fashioned Mafia boss, whereas the Joker in these two films is more like an agent of chaos, not interested in financial gain or power.

Ultimately though the reason these characters resulted in Oscar wins is a collection of a number of great artists coming together – actors, writers, directors, cinematographers and more, that is what makes these characters great. And with the Oscars, there is a great deal of luck and many of the best performances ever were not rewarded with Oscars. For prime evidence of this Al Pacino did not an Oscar for his role as Michael Corleone, who I think gives the best performance of anyone in those films.

Also Read: Oscar Worthy Characters : Vito Corleone

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The Undisputed Champion of Film Awards

I think most people in America and the UK see the Oscars as the film awards. Winning Best Picture at the Oscars is probably the closest we have to declaring what was the best film of that year. After all, there are many film awards that are specific to the host country; indeed, in South Korea, they have the Blue Dragon and Grand Bell awards, both specifically for South Korean films. But I don’t think that’s how the Oscars present themselves. For a start, films from all over the world can, and do, win awards; they are not limited to American or English-language films. There is an unspoken rule that every film – or at least every film that had a release in LA – is in contention. Last year’s Best Picture winner, Green Book, not only beat every American film but every Dutch, South Korean, Mexican and every other country’s film as well.

Awards Around The World

It does seem that a lot of countries have film awards that are specific to their country, and the Oscars (and the BAFTAs in the UK) are somewhat an exception in ostensibly being worldwide. But I’d argue that for many countries, it’s not their national awards but their film festival that is the big deal. France’s, and perhaps the world’s, most famous film festival is the Cannes Film Festival, with its biggest award being the Palme d’Or. Just glancing over the winners of this award since 2000, nine of the winners had some French involvement; if we eliminate co-productions, that goes down to two French films. Using the same criteria, The Golden Bear from the Berlin International Film Festival only has two films where Germany was involved in co-production. Without prior knowledge of the geography of Italy, I don’t think someone could work out any bias in the Venice Film Festival to its host country, since 2000 Iranian, South Korean and Venezuelan films have won the Golden Lion, with only one Italian film winning that award in that time.

10 Billion Reasons Why

So why do films from outside America fare so poorly at the Oscars? Well, most Oscar voters are US-based, so perhaps there is a bias there. But also, the American film industry is huge, making over $10 billion in 2017, and it would make sense that the biggest and most successful country would dominate awards. Again, like no other country, American films are watched around the world. In Britain and America, to even consider watching a film, not in English, is considered a signifier of high-brow intellectual tastes, whereas to like American films in other countries is the norm. However, it can’t simply be that America makes more films; if nothing else, India actually produces more. Parasite is only the twelfth film that isn’t in English to be nominated for Best Picture – and the first to actually win – and I think it is impossible to argue that such a list represents the best films ever made.

Another very interesting point in all of this is that for all of Parasite’s success at the Oscars, it received no acting nominations. The same was true of Roma last year, a film not in English that did well at the Oscars, and Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight, including Best Picture, but featured a cast of non-white actors who, when compared to typical Oscar nominees, weren’t at all famous. To me, it seems bizarre that a film that was considered the best of the year would not contain a single-acting performance worthy of an Oscar nomination. Is this bias towards American actors (and admittedly British actors who seem to be at no disadvantage), or is it simply that Kang-ho Song and Sun-kyun Lee do not have the name recognition as Brad Pitt and Renee Zellweger? As a case in point, I could rattle off the stars of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood or The Irishman, but had to look on IMDb to find the names of Parasite’s stars.

I think it’s clear that the Oscars are not really a competition without bias, but despite this, a foreign film can still win big. And, of course, even being nominated for an Oscar will raise the profile of a film that lacks the marketing power of something like Joker. If pushed, I feel that most people would admit the bias towards America and would see that as perfectly natural.

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In 2015, Maureen Dowd’s piece for The New York Times called ‘The Women of Hollywood Speak Out’ hit the newsstands. The article was built on interviews with around 100 women who worked in the film industry from directors, to actors, to writers, and producers. It’s spark? The routine elevation of male filmmakers to the big leagues while female filmmakers are left clambering for recognition from the industry at large. Specifically, the news that Colin Trevorrow’s admirable, but average, debut indie comedy Safety Not Guaranteed had yielded a coveted gig: to direct Jurassic World with a $150 million budget. It was then followed by news that he would helm the ninth Star Wars movie (something that would not actually materialise). As Dowd wrote, ‘That kind of leap — from indie to blockbuster — is almost exclusively reserved for young guys in baseball caps who remind older guys in baseball caps of themselves.’

Wedged in amongst the other quotes was writer and director Marielle Heller. ‘In some ways, I think women are perfectly primed to be directors,’ she told Dowd, about the nurturing required by actors on sets. Her debut, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, had premiered at Sundance that past January to strong reviews, earning it a ‘fresh’ 95% on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes. The film followed Minnie (a jubilant and doe-eyed Bel Powley) as she begins a journey of sexual discovery in San Francisco during the seventies. It took what could have been a tricky and challenging story, that saw Minnie, a 15-year-old, enter her first sexual relationship with Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård), a significantly older man. It allowed Minnie agency and feminist authorship of her own story that lent the film a mature and fascinating vantage point. 

Now, five years after that debut, and the article, Heller has released two films within a year of each other. Can You Ever Forgive Me?, her sophomore feature starred Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel and premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in 2018. A story of loneliness filled with wit and darkness dealt with an acidic queer writer in self-orchestrated isolation who begins forging notes by famous writers. It deftly honed in on the fragments of Israel’s isolation that resonated deeply with audiences and critics. Richard Brody called it a ‘movie of endings, a mournful film, suffused with an air of doom’ in The New Yorker. While Emily Yoshida wrote, for Vulture, it was ‘one of the most visceral depictions of loneliness seen in a while.’ 

Her third feature, A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood, has its roots in that 2015 article. Heller, at a children’s birthday party, found herself in conversation with Tom Hanks (Heller was close with Hank’s son, Colin). It had not been long since the publication of Dowd’s piece, and Hank’s had been moved by it. So began a series of events that led to kismet: Hanks, a powerfully empathetic actor, working with Heller, a powerfully empathetic director. 

A Beautiful Day the Neighbourhood is a quintessential Heller film. It’s an exploration of people and the complex nature of good and bad. It’s about forgiveness, nihilism, daddy issues, family, kindness, cynicism, and rage. It’s driven by a stormy performance from Matthew Rhys as a journalist assigned to interview Mister Rogers (Hanks) and is visually compelling, quirky, and vibrant. At its core though is Heller’s profound empathy, something that reigns in all her films. An anthropologist of the human condition, finding every shade and facet of her characters, Heller creates a greying portrait of manhood, of forgiveness, of the aggressions we hold inside us. 

In 2020, Heller is one of many female filmmakers that have been overlooked and ignored by The Academy, but there is something about her omission that feels so glaring. Not only did she direct Hanks to his first Oscar nomination in twenty years but there is something in her style of filmmaking that stands face-to-face with ‘the old guard’. Her brand of filmmaking is emotional without melodrama, wit without cruelty, nuance without broad strokes. It’s what allows a saintly American icon of children’s television, a sour queer woman, and a euphoric teen on the precipice of sexuality equal space and importance. 

Smaller films, bathed in compassion and understanding, are ignored when they’re showcased next to the machismo and violence displayed by this year’s directing nominees. It’s what denied Gerwig a nomination for her masterful helming of Little Women, it’s what kept Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers off the board entirely, and it’s what keeps Heller from taking her rightful place as one of the most talented and consistent directors working today. Against the barrage of war films, violence porn, and movies about fucking cars we need to refocus our attention. We should turn our eyes away from the deeply repetitive boredom of awards season sexism and put in the legwork, start conversations about the merit and style these filmmakers demonstrate, and people will have to listen. So folks, with that in mind, it’s time to talk about Marielle Heller.  

Also Read: The Biggest Financial Film Flops

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Bombshell is, politically, a mess. That is to say, its politics are hard to gauge and at times difficult to decipher. The rise of Donald Trump, from an outlier, that no one is taking seriously to the Republican Presidential nominee, plays out in the background, as the severity of Ailes comprehensive harassment becomes clear. Yet, at no point does the film choose to explicitly link the two. It decides to forego the ‘grab them by the pussy’ audiotape or the accusations from at least 23 women, from the 1980s to today, detailing harassment and abuse from Trump himself. It also neglects to mention that after Ailes resigned from Fox News, and took a sizeable pay-out to the tune of $40 million, he walked straight into a job as an advisor for Trump’s presidential campaign. 

You might well wonder if considering the film’s politics necessary. Is this not a bipartisan tale of overcoming sexual harassment? The answer depends on how you view the ‘Fox News’ of it all. Bombshell isn’t any sort of ‘leftist propaganda’ trying to tear down the Fox News monolith. Nor is it really a heroic story of three conservative women, that praises their efforts to cleanse this media giant of bad behaviour. Instead, it sits somewhere weakly in the middle, too scared to really wrestle with the complexity of the situation. One that follows women who worked at the network that helped get Trump elected that has been accused multiple times of doctoring video footage, as well as having severe issues with race and islamophobia. As Alison Willmore wrote for Vulture, the film never significantly engages with the ‘the ideological Jenga of trying to push back at a particular form of oppression while trying to leave all the structures that support it undisturbed.’

Outside of the murky omissions and the ignored parallels, the movie faces another hurdle. First and foremost, it is essential to note that sexual harassment, no matter who it happens to, is bad. But when it comes to cinema an audience needs someone to root for, someone you care about and, on some level, like. Thus, the other obstacle facing Bombshell simply: how do you make Megyn Kelly a hero? 

The first step? You get Charlize Theron to play her and have her give an immersive, gripping, and enthralling performance. As an actress, she is relatively unmatched in her commitment to transformation, both here and in her Oscar-winning turn as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in Monster. But Theron isn’t just about make-up and prosthetics, her range is wide-reaching as evidenced by her comedic performances in last year’s Long Shot or 2011’s Young Adult. Theron uses those comedy chops to great effect for some of the films lighter or more self-referential moments – including a fourth-wall-breaking introduction to the Fox News machine. 

The second step? You avoid the stories that made Megyn Kelly the conservative controversy magnet she is. You choose instead to focus on her more palatable actions; namely her challenging of Donald Trump’s misogyny during the 2016 presidential primaries and less on her various shall we say… contrary opinions (though the film does, briefly, address her ‘Santa is White’ comments). 

It’s also useful to surround Theron with a cast of likeable and renowned actors including Kate McKinnon’s secretly suffering liberal staffer, Rob Delaney’s sympathetic producer, and Alison Janney’s gruff-voiced attorney. Elsewhere Nicole Kidman is strong as Gretchen Carlson, the original whistleblower, but is in third place, narratively behind Kelly and Margot Robbie’s fictional Kayla Pospisil; a young conservative woman with a dream to be on Fox. Pospisil, our gateway into the newsroom, is a composite character cleverly utilised to show the extent of horrific Ailes abuse without having to expose or monetise any specific woman’s interactions with him. 

Behind the camera, the mixed-messages continue with Jay Roach, the director of grounded political TV-Movies like 2012’s Game Change (that saw Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin), teaming up with Charles Randolph, the writer of the flashy and trick-filled The Big Short. As a result, stylistically, Bombshell falls somewhere in between. The handheld camera and intrusive close-ups give the film a sense of realism. That the action is captured almost like a documentary with multiple cameras on the go at once gives a claustrophobic and newslike feel. Then, occasionally, the film widens out and has actors talk directly to the camera or blends it’s ‘fictional’ narrative with actual documentary as the audio of real testimonies made by six women who accused Ailes of assault are heard with accompanying photos. Yet, the grounded nature of Roach and the showy antics of Randolph never quite gel, leaving it to feel like you’re flicking between two different movies – both of which could be quite interesting.

Bombshell may be a mess politically, disjointed stylistically, and have plenty of other significant issues but, somehow… it’s still entertaining. Maybe it’s a testament to the casting, with Theron especially doing the heavy lifting to pull it all together in spite of everything stacked against her. Perhaps the film is messy, but not quite messy enough. Bombshell might be like the pile of clothes you stuff under your bed or into the bottom of your wardrobe. The room looks clean enough, but the mess is still there, lurking, and you’re going to have to deal with it someday. 

Rating: (3 / 5)

Bombshell is in U.K cinemas from 17th January 2020

Also Read: JoJo Rabbit (Review)

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Academy Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor

That the film industry is packed with established male talent is undeniably true. Previous Academy Award winners are Gary Oldman (Leading Role in 2018), Rami Malek (Leading Role in 2019), Sam Rockwell (Supporting Role in 2018) and Mahershala Ali (Supporting Role in 2019). They already had a long list of credentials behind their names, and so sadly, the category doesn’t really allow upcoming talent to be nominated.

Therefore, we would love to integrate a category that only focuses on actors who make their full-length film debut. It’s hard for upcoming talent to break through in the film world. An Oscar nomination or win in the “Academy Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor” wouldn’t only give them the chance to stand in the spotlight, but it would probably also be the start of a prosperous career. Actors for this category would be Zack Gottsagen, who puts on an incredible performance in The Peanut Butter Falcon and Kris Hitchen for his stunning acting in Sorry We Missed You

Academy Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor or Actress

Actors and actresses like DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey, Julia Roberts, and Judi Dench have been gracing our screens for many years now. Being on-screen was probably a desire they had from a very young age. Just like them, many young people have the dream to pursue a job in the film industry, but these days it can be very difficult to shine as a young actor or actress.

To ensure that there will always be upcoming talent, we would like to announce the “Academy Award for Best Performance by a Young Actor or Actress”. It would have given actors and actresses such as Jacob Tremblay (for Room) or Brooklynn Prince (for The Florida Project) more chances of being nominated for an Oscar. If it were integrated now, actors such as Roman Griffin Davis and Archie Yates (both for JoJo Rabbit) and actresses like Shahadi Wright Joseph (for US) would be potential nominees in this category.

Academy Award for Best Directional Debut

Whether it’s esteemed actors who take place behind the camera for the first time or unknown directors who made a spectacular film debut, they all deserve attention for their directional debut. Pretty sure that releasing a debut can be immensely nerve-racking and crucial for a career as a director. Therefore, it would be great if the “Academy Award for Best Directional Debut” became part of the ceremony. If the Academy introduces this category next year, the names of Mati Diop (Atlantics), Ladj Ly (Les Misérables), Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) and Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz (both for The Peanut Butter Falcon) could be on the shortlist.

Academy Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress

If there’s an “Academy Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actor” category then we also should have the “Academy Award for Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress” one. By integrating this category, upcoming and extremely skilful female talent actresses would be able to keep their acting dream alive and bring more diversity to the screen. Names like Awkwafina (The Farewell), Debbie Honeywood (Sorry We Missed You), and Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose) would be the nominees.

Academy Award for Best Stunt

It was during the MTV Movie & TV Awards this year that Brie Larson brought her Captain Marvel stunt doubles, Renae Moneymaker and Joanna Bennett, on-stage when she received that award for Best Stunt. Stunt doubles have an immensely important role in films but they’re often forgotten when it comes to award nominations. As the fifth new category, we would like to introduce the “Academy Award for Best Stunt”. With that, we hope that stunt doubles get the attention and awards they deserve for their (dangerous) hard, physically demanding and passionate work. Moneymaker and Bennett would be nominated for this alongside every stunt double that makes the action look amazing on screen. It might be the biggest category, but at the same time, it’s also a very important one.

Do you agree with these five potential new Academy Awards categories? Let us know in the comments.

Also Read: For Your Consideration: Sci-Fi, Comedy & Oscar Snubs

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The Oscars

The Oscars have been going on for decades, the first being held in 1929, and have been held every year since, not letting war, industry strikes and indifference get in the way. Importantly, the Academy, the people who vote for the Oscars, are all in the filmmaking industry. This is in contrast to, say, the Golden Globes, which is voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Membership in the Academy is by being nominated or winning an Oscar, or being nominated by two existing members.

Campaigning

Being nominated or winning an Oscar is not simply about being the best. Studios, and sometimes individuals, campaign for an Oscar. There is a small industry in Hollywood around this, with millions of dollars being spent on advertising and promotional events. There’s not only campaigning for your own, but if you want to do a little damage to another film’s campaign, so be it. When Good Will Hunting was looking like a strong Oscar contender, a rumour started that the film wasn’t written by the stars, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, but by their friend and filmmaker, Kevin Smith. The Oscar business can be pretty cut-throat.

The Right Sort Of Film

I do have a couple of axes to grind with the Academy in terms of who wins Oscars. And while I am still angry, The King’s Speech beat The Social Network for Best Picture, that’s not what I’m going to talk about. There are certain types of films that win Oscars. They tend to be dramatic. They tend to be on weighty topics. They have tragedy in them. Films are often described as Oscar contenders before anyone has seen them, simply by knowing what the film is about. And in my opinion, there are two genres that do not get the level of respect from the Academy that they deserve: science fiction and comedy.

To deal with the latter first, as I said, the Academy loves tragedy. Give them a sad story full of death, illness and struggle, and you’re halfway to your Oscar. But if you make them laugh, they might enjoy it, but you’ll probably not win any awards. Judging by my own criteria, the last comedy to win Best Picture was Woody Allen’s Annie Hall in 1977 (films like The Artist or Argo may have comedic moments, but are not comedies). So no nominations for The Man With Two Brains, This Is Spinal Tap or Shaun of the Dead, films far superior to some Oscar winners. I think comedy is far harder to do than drama, to paraphrase a famous quote that has been attributed to many people – Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.

Next up is science fiction. I went back to 1950 and couldn’t find a Best Picture Oscar-winning film that was science fiction. In Best Director, only Gravity comes close to that category. 2001: A Space Odyssey, one of the most iconic and influential movies ever made, wasn’t even nominated for Best Picture and while I’m sure actual nominees Rachel, Rachel and The Lion In Winter are great films, I feel the Academy made a mistake there. The categories that sci-fi films traditionally get nominated in are technical awards. Only recently have superhero films managed to crack into Oscar awards territory; Logan was nominated for Best Screenplay, and Black Panther for Best Picture. Many people think that The Dark Knight’s omission from the Best Picture nominee was what prompted the Academy to increase the number of nominees.

One of the most egregious Oscar snubs of recent years was the film The AV Club recently put at the top of their list of films of the decade – Mad Max: Fury Road. The film did win some Oscars, e.g. Costume Design, Sound Mixing and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, but I was stunned that there was no nomination for Charlize Theron. Not only was Theron brilliant (and already an Oscar winner), but the film ticked a lot of boxes for Oscar films – there was tragedy, there was suffering, and there was drama. Theron’s character, Furiosa, even managed to upstage Max, whose name is in the title of the film.

The comedy equivalent is a bit further back, but the truly brilliant Groundhog Day, which got a grand total of zero Oscar nominations. What more do the Academy want? Groundhog Day is a hilarious comedy, with a unique premise, an amazing central performance from Murray, and is a film that somehow manages to tread a careful line of being funny while musing on the meaning of life. And has numerous suicides.

As I said, Oscar season is soon upon us, and we shall see if this year bucks the trend.

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Best Motion Picture of the year:

Black Panther
BlacKkKlansman
Bohemian Rhapsody
The Favourite

Green Book
ROMA
A Star Is Born
Vice

Best Director:

Spike Lee, BlacKkKlansman
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
Yorgos Lanthimos, The Favourite
Alfonso Cuarón, ROMA
Adam McKay, Vice

Performance by an actress in a leading role:

Yalitza Aparicio, ROMA
Glenn Close, The Wife
Olivia Colman, The Favourite
Lady Gaga, A Star Is Born
Melissa McCarthy, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Performance by an actor in a leading role:

Christian Bale, Vice
Bradley Cooper, A Star Is Born
Willem Dafoe, At Eternity’s Gate
Rami Malek, Bohemian Rhapsody
Viggo Mortensen, Green Book

Performance by an actor in a supporting role:

Mahershala Ali, Green Book
Adam Driver, BlacKkKlansman
Sam Elliott, A Star Is Born
Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me
Sam Rockwell, Vice

Performance by an actress in a supporting role:

Amy Adams, Vice
Marina de Tavira, ROMA
Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
Emma Stone, The Favourite
Rachel Weisz, The Favourite

Best foreign language film of the year:

Capernaum
Cold War
Never Look Away
ROMA
Shoplifters

Best original screenplay:

Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, The Favourite
Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, Green Book
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Adam McKay, Vice

Best adapted screenplay:

Bradley Cooper, Will Fetters and Eric Roth, A Star Is Born
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs
Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel and Kevin Willmott, BlacKkKlansman
Barry Jenkins, If Beale Street Could Talk
Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Best animated feature film of the year:

Incredibles 2
Isle Of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks The Internet
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse

Best documentary feature:

Free Solo
Pale County This morning, This Evening
Minding The Gap
Of Fathers And Sons
RBG

Achievement in film editing:

Barry Alexander Brown, BlacKkKlansman
John Ottman, Bohemian Rhapsody
Yorgos Mavropsaridis, The Favourite
Patrick J. Don Vito, Green Book
Hank Corwin, Vice

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song):

‘All The Stars’, Black Panther
‘I’ll Fight’, RBG
‘The Place Where Lost Things Go’, Mary Poppins Returns
‘Shallow’, A Star Is Born
‘When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings’, The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs

Achievement in cinematography:

Robbie Ryan, The Favourite
Caleb Deschanel, Never Look Away
Alfonso Cuaron, Roma
Matty Libatique, A Star Is Born
Lukasz Zal, Cold War

Achievement in production design:

Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart, Black Panther
Fiona Crombie and Alice Felton, The Favourite
Nathan Crowley and Kathy Lucas, First Man
John Myhre and Gordon Sim, Mary Poppins Returns
Eugenio Caballero and Barbara Enriquez, ROMA

Achievement in visual effects:

Avengers: Infinity War
Christopher Robin
First Man
Ready Player One
Solo: A Star Wars Story

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score):

Ludwig Goransson, Black Panther
Terence Blanchard, BlacKkKlansman
Nicholas Britell, If Beale Street Could Talk
Alexandre Desplat, Isle of Dogs
Marc Shaiman, Mary Poppins Returns

Achievement in sound editing:

Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
First Man
A Quiet Place
ROMA

Achievement in sound mixing:

Black Panther
Bohemian Rhapsody
ROMA
A Star Is Born
First Man

Achievement in costume design:

Mary Zophres, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Ruth E. Carter, Black Panther
Sandy Powell, The Favourite
Sandy Powell, Mary Poppins Returns
Alexandra Byrne, Mary Queen of Scots

Best live action short film:

Detainment
Fauve
Marguerite
Mother
Skin

Best animated short film:

Animal Behavior
Bao
Late Afternoon
One Small Step
Weekends

Best documentary short subject:

Black Sheep
End Game
Lifeboat
A Night at the Garden
Period. End of Sentence.

Achievement in makeup and hairstyling:

Border
Mary Queen of Scots
Vice

The Oscars take place Sunday 24th February

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Earlier this year Sci-Fi horror Annihilation suffered a similar fate, going directly to Netflix for its international release. And with 11 million viewers in its opening 3 days, the Netflix original Bright, starring Will Smith, was a glimpse into what a big-budget feature film can do while still being premiered on a streaming service. So, how does the rise in straight-to-Video-On-Demand platforms change how we should view the film charts? When can a VOD movie be considered a commercial success? And what does this mean for the film industry?

Where do they stand?

The basic cinema experience hasn’t changed in the last 100 years. Major film companies like Warner Bros & Paramount Pictures have primarily worked based on a theatrical release of a film. This has meant we’ve had a fairly consistent measure of what the current popular films are as a measure of revenue generated at a cinema’s Box Office on any given week. For the UK cinema Box Office, this information has been collated by analytics company ComScore since 1991. Cinema admissions in the UK have remained fairly stagnant over the last 10 years, with most annual admissions in this timeframe being between 165 million – 170 million. Therefore, the growth in domestic ticket revenue has been driven by higher ticket prices and premium cinematic formats such as IMAX & 3D cinema.

On the other hand, by the start of 2018, over 11 million households in the UK held a subscription to Netflix, Amazon or NOW TV, up 25% from the same period the year before. This represents just over 40% of UK households signing up for a Subscription Video-on-Demand service. More notably, streaming revenue is expected to overtake traditional Box Office revenue in the UK by 2020.

Although both industries have their differences, comparisons can be drawn from the music industry. A key watershed moment in the U.K music industry landscape was in 2004 when digital downloads were included in the charts, which saw Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” land the number 1 spot from digital downloads alone in 2006. 10 years after the introduction of digital downloads, the UK’s Official Charts Company incorporated streaming data into the charts for the first time in 2014. While the music industry has arguably had a tougher time monetising its music and avoiding piracy, it has in recent years been more receptive to changing its measures of success to better reflect how people are consuming music. Although the Box Office remains the gold standard for measuring the commercial success of a film, the growth of Netflix, Amazon Prime and others will surely begin to question how we measure success within the film industry.

A measure of success

As part of the eligibility criteria for feature-length films, both BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Awards) & Oscars require films to have a commercial theatrical release, with films that have had their first exhibition on streaming platforms ineligible for consideration. Smaller, more niche film awards like the Streamys & The Webbys have emerged in an attempt to fill this void. This resistance of the ‘old guard’ to acknowledge new media is nothing new in arts and entertainment. The recent banning of Netflix at the Cannes Film Festival is further proof of this. Despite opposition, the Venice Film Festival is bucking the trend and will screen 6 Netflix films this year. Whilst it’s a risky move for the festival, ultimately it is one that would see it on the right side of history in years to come.

In a world shifting towards Netflix & Amazon, great talents within the filmmaking industry are still not properly being acknowledged for their work on those platforms. A large part of this issue is what our measure of a successful film is in this day and age, an intermediate solution might a secondary industry-recognised film chart based on streaming. Or maybe we should look into adopting a version of the music industry model?

In the immediate future, expect the Box Office chart based on cinematic ticket sales to remain. However, in an industry where money talks this discussion will continue, particularly as the revenue and influence of subscription streaming platforms continue to grow. If the music industry has successfully amalgamated digital, streaming and physical retail sales into a chart to accurately reflect the most commercially successful films of the moment, surely the movie industry can too?

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1. “The Sisters Brothers”

Directed by Jacques Audiard; starring Jake Gyllenhaal & Joaquin Phoenix

Brady: Upon first reading the novel of the same name I instantly fell in love with the writer Patrick De Witt and immediately bought all of his novels (as well as enquired about the rights!). Add this delightfully wicked and charming story to a director who I consider one of the greatest around and surely we’re on to a winner!! But most appealing is to observe what Audiard will do with the comedic tone of this story when all his other films have very little to laugh about. A very appealing prospect to behold and what I hope will be a fantastic move for two very talented storytellers.

2. “Ready Player One”

Directed by Stephen Spielberg; starring Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke

Nick: I guess the only film I’m really looking forward to is Spielberg’s Ready Player One as I’m a big fan of the book and all round eighties nostalgia geek. From the trailer it looks like they’ve nailed the look of the ‘stacks’ and the virtual Oasis environment – can’t wait!

3. “A Wrinkle in Time”

Directed by Ava DuVernay; starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine & Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Molly: I am eagerly awaiting the release of this film as I am a huge fan of Ava DuVernay, a brilliant director who leads the film with a strong female cast, writers and her as a director.

4.“Breakthrough”

Directed by Harry Hitchens

Molly: Breakthrough is an independent documentary funded through Kickstarter by the production company Studio Everyday. It is a wonderful documentary by Harry Hitchens following other artistic people and why people make art.

5. “The New Mutants”

Directed by Josh Boone; starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Maisie Williams

Dan: I’m really looking forward to New Mutants and it’s array of characters. That alongside a rumoured horror vibe sends the anticipation levels through the roof. This will be awesome.

Big Picture Film Club would like to thank Brady Hood, Nick J Barrett, Molly Boughen & Dan Horrigan for their contributions.

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