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ROMA wins Best Foreign Language Film, but misses the chance for winning both Foreign Language and Best Picture awards

 

On the heels of this year's Academy Awards show and in anticipation of WWMPC’s release of The Road to Mother this Spring, we look back and think the potential history that would have been. Never has a film won both Best Foreign Language Film and Best Picture at the same time. We witnessed Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma taking home the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and being nominated for Best Picture. In a lineup which had no clear front-runner, the surprise winner, Peter Farrelly’s Green Book, took home the gold, in what could have been a monumental moment in Academy Award history. We would have to go back six years at the 85th Academy Awards when Michael Haneke’s Amour, from Austria, was nominated for both categories, winning Best Foreign Language Film, and twelve years before that with Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon receiving the same accolades. In the history of the Academy Awards, only eleven films have accomplished the feat of being nominated for both categories. Roma came very close in what many thought would be the first film to do so. Will we see history made soon? With the success of Roma, American audiences, who have not given foreign language films a chance, may finally give in to reading subtitles. The quality of this past year’s foreign films like Roma and Cold War have hopefully opened the eyes of American audiences on true art and cinematic wonders. We could only hope because film is still an art form, and many of these foreign films are masterpieces. Be sure to check out other Award-Winning Foreign Language Films like The Nightingale and Applause at indiemoviestore.com.

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71st DGA Awards Recap and Winners

 

The World Wide team was pleased to be in attendance at the 71st DGA awards held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood this past Sunday (Feb 3rd). Despite the rainy weather which soaked the red carpet, the stars were in attendance to show their support for the nominated directors. There was another win for Alfonso Cuaron, director of ROMA which is a good thing for Foreign Language Films like the upcoming release of WWMPC’s THE ROAD TO MOTHER!

As the ceremony commenced, it was clear that this year’s DGA Awards were especially friendly to independent-leaning films like Alfonso Cuaron's ROMA, Peter Farrelly’s GREEN BOOK, and Bo Burnham’s EIGHTH GRADE. With recognition going to veterans like Spike Lee for BLACKKKLANSMAN and new directors like Bradley Cooper for A STAR IS BORN, the nominations for a wide variety of feature film and television projects appear to be becoming more diverse in both genre and story.

Diversity was a major theme of this year’s awards for both in front of and behind the camera, and was well-served with the wide variety of artists and filmmakers both new and old in attendance.

A few of the evenings highlights were:

Further recognition was afforded the UPM department (Unit Production Manager) for Kathleen McGill as well as the Directing teams including 1st and 2nd AD’s (Assistant Director) like Michael “Shelley” Ziegler (A STAR IS BORN) and Matt Rebenkoff (VICE).

All of the feature film directors were recognized, most being introduced by the stars of their films like John David Washington, Laura Harrier and Topher Grace for BLACKKKLANSMAN, Yalitza Aparicio and Marina de Tavira for ROMA, Christian Bale for VICE, as well as a touching introduction from Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali and Linda Cardellini for GREEN BOOK director Peter Farrelly.

Jordan Peele humorously delighted the crowd as he presented the award for First-Time Feature Film Director which went to 24-year-old Bo Burnham for the film EIGHTH GRADE. In his speech Burnham claimed that he didn’t see this as “a room of his peers, but rather a room full of people he admired”

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Also spotlighted at this year’s awards were documentaries like THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS, directed by Tim Wardle.

We hope the momentum for recognizing foreign language films continues into the 91st Academy Awards later this month and beyond.

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Celebrating International Day of Older Persons & Chinese National Day with a Film

 

Hold the phone - it’s the first day of October. Halloween is thirty days away and it is officially National Pizza Month (you’re welcome). As I was perusing the web with a venti PSL in hand, I started to think to myself, “What else should I be thrilled about on this first day of the tenth month of the year?” My first choice would be to check my calendar on Facebook to see whose birthday I forgot again. So I did, and it looks like a trip to Target will be happening in the near future. The next move was to ask our dear friend Google about the random holidays and facts about the first day of October, and I was surprised.

It’s as if we didn’t have enough awesome holidays to celebrate. October 1st marks a day that happens to celebrate two at the same time: one being an international and the other a Chinese holiday. Both of these holidays celebrate very important aspects of our daily lives. Without the main focus of these holidays, you wouldn’t even be able to read these very words!

I’m talking about the International Day of Older Persons and Chinese National Day. We wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for those who are older than us, and many of the goods that we enjoy today are made or manufactured in China! But these holidays go far beyond just appreciating material goods and obligations.

Let's start with breaking down the International Day of Older Persons. They say that by 2050, over 20 percent of the world’s population will be 60 or older (source: www.un.org). This means that we are living longer lives, with the average lifespan in the US is 84 years. Back in the 1900s, we were expected to only live up to an average age of 60. In 2005, that age jumped up to 74, according to the US Social Security Administration. The nations that lead the world in estimated median age are Japan, South Korea, Germany, and China.

The International Day of Older Persons is a featured day designated in December 1990 and launched 1998; it was created as a response to the opportunities and challenges that people over the age of 60 may face in the 21st century. The day brings to light that the under-appreciated contributions of older people are to be recognized and promoted. According to the United Nations website, the goal of the 2017 International Older Person day is to strengthen the participation of older persons in a wide-ranging array of life experiences. The official theme is “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions, and Participation of Older Persons in Society.” Any good reason to hug your older family members.

Next, let’s hop over to the country of China. The Chinese National Day is celebrated every year starting from the first to the third of October to commemorate the founding of the People’s Republic of China. And while September 21st is the actual Chinese Independence Day, October 1st is the day that the grand ceremony took place back in 1949. It’s a legal holiday that’s part of a celebratory week called Golden Week.

October 1st is a pretty important day, and I am reaching the end of my Starbucks drink. Now that I’m pretty caffeinated and inspired, I’d say that now would be a great time to stay at home and watch a movie or something about China or the older generation. Maybe it should be about both? Maybe it should be one that was nominated for and won a couple of awards while giving its viewers a fantastic view of China’s beautiful landscape and culture.

The movie I’m talking about is called The Nightingale; it’s a cheery little gem of a film that I recommend everyone to watch. Rather than dealing with the hectic madness of Golden Week in China, The Nightingale explores the gorgeous countryside of China while giving us a whimsical slice-of-life experience between a grandfather and his granddaughter.

You can find it here at our movie store web page.

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Happy Birthday Paul Campbell, You Do You!

 

While some of us may mark June 22 as National Chocolate Eclair Day, it just so happens to also be the birthday our beloved Canadian actor Paul Campbell! Campbell’s earliest screen appearance was for a TV show called The Dead Zone back in 2002, but he has since started or been a part of many other TV shows and films.

Paul’s rise to fame came when he was cast to be Billy Keikeya in the revamped 2004 version of the 1970’s show, Battlestar Galactica, where he was the beloved personal assistant to the President of the Twelve Colonies Laura Roslin. Some of this other works involve Preggoland, Almost Heroes, and Rusty Steel. In 2005, he won himself a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in the comedy-drama film Ill Fated (2004). The film also received other awards as well such as Best Direction for a Feature Length Drama. You can currently find Paul Campbell starring in the hilarious CTV sitcom Spun Out, which was nominated numerous times for the 2014 and 2015 Canadian Screen Awards.

Paul Campbell

Paul Campbell (now 38) was born in Vancouver, Canada on June 22, 1979. He is currently married to Lorie Campbell and has a son named Kingston. Some of Paul’s interests include putting peanut butter on everything, complaining about free samples at grocery stores, and eating chili with his shirt off. You can check out more of his Twitter shenanigans here. Best wishes to you Mr. Paul Campbell, and may you continue to provide us with more quality entertainment for many years to come.

Paul Campbell tweet

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Time for a Champion – an Anti-Bullying Student Film

 

World Wide Motion Pictures is excited to distribute the stirring new indie film Time for a Champion. Time for a Champion, written by Barry Glasser, a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, was produced in Pharr, Texas by college preparatory students and faculty from the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Independent School District.

Elena, the main character, is a homeless Latina girl who is adopted by a journalist and, although now in a loving home, overcomes difficult circumstances by pouring herself into her high school track team. The track team provides solace for Elena, who is bullied by her peers, since her classmates find her quiet and standoffish attitude off-putting. As Elena learns in the film: words hurt, running heals.

World Wide Motion Pictures is distributing this unique and independent film with a distinct purpose: to help decrease bullying. In an effort to help spearhead this ever-evolving and important topic, World Wide has partnered with several anti-bullying organizations to raise awareness of the negative effects bullying can have in schools.

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Several international organizations like Stop the Bully, founded in Ireland  by spokesman Pat Forde, or proponents from the Anti-Bullying Movement in Louisiana. These supporters of the film are helping cast a wide net on the issue of bullying and draw this behavior into the limelight. Will Elena overcome bullying in her school?

Stay tuned for an expected release date of February 24th, 2017 in Pharr, Texas:  make sure to check out all our social media, where we will keep you posted on dates, behind the scenes content, and a few contests too! - coinciding with Anti- bullying Day on February 28th & 29th.

More Info: Press Release

 

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7 Movies With Iconic Grandparents

 

Grandparents Day is filled with love and joy. In celebration of National Grandparents Day 2016, we have created a list of well-known movies with awesome grandmas and grandpas.

The Godfather

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Vito Corleone is one of the most ruthless, violent bosses of New York’s biggest crime syndicate. He is wise and intelligent, an excellent reader of others’ intentions, and a smooth, subtle talker, able to convince with words, not only bullets.Though a cold-hearted criminal, Vito is also a warm, loving grandfather; he’s a family man who loves playing hide-and-seek with his grandson, Anthony. Although the movie is three hours long, it absorbs us so effectively, it never has to hurry, and is worth watching.

The Proposal

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Betty White nails it again, playing yet another awesome Nana in The Proposal. Playing Grandma Annie in the film, White’s acting alone is worth watching this romantic comedy. Gammy definitely takes the spotlight during her 90th birthday party weekend, innocently budding the romance of Andrew and his boss, Margaret.

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory

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Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a well-loved movie based on the book, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Parents love it, children love it, everyone loves it. In both versions of the tale, it’s pretty clear who is number one in Grandpa Joe’s mind. He decides he must accompany Charlie to the chocolate factory and nonetheless they were tempted by the Bubble Room. But really, wouldn’t anyone be?

The Nightingale

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This movie is the epitome of a “family movie,” and would be great to watch on National Grandparents day. No other movie portrays such a light-hearted relationship between grandfather and granddaughter. Watch as Zhu Zhi Gen takes his granddaughter, Ren, on an adventure to discover her roots in the country.

Parenthood

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Frank Buckman experiences quite the transformation throughout the movie, Parenthood. Back in the day, he had always been seen as quite the neglectful father, being unable to emotionally relate to his four children. Amid all conflict that went down in the family, Frank had to step up and dramatically change into the most wonderful grandparent. A combination of drama and comedy, this cutting-edge classic would be a delightful way to celebrate family life in all its imperfection.

The Princess Diaries

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Who wouldn’t want the fabulous Queen Clarisse Renaldi as their grandmother? When her son dies, her majesty grooms her daughter, Mia, into the princess of the fictional country of Genovia that she is today. This movie depicts the realm of many girls’ fantasy - from having a royal makeover, to becoming a princess, to living happily ever after. It is an entertaining, warm-hearted story that every grandmother/granddaughter duo would enjoy.

Ways to Live Forever

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Sometimes, being a grandparent can be hard. Phyllida Law played Sam’s grandmother, who has to endure the hardships of having her grandson diagnosed with leukemia. This touching film addresses the extremely difficult topic of incurable, terminal diseases. It asks many of the big questions about life and death and reasons through them in a simplistic, childlike sort of way that is thoroughly logical from the perspective of a 12-year-old. This is a simply-made drama, but everything about it is absolutely solid.