Latest news with #TheAcademyofMotionPictureArtsandSciences
News18
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News18
Oscars Academy Celebrates Legacy Of Aamir Khan And Gracy Singh's Lagaan
Last Updated: The Academy honoured Aamir Khan's film by sharing a clip of the iconic song Radha Kaise Na Jale. More than 24 years since its release, Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh's Lagaan continues to garner international acclaim. In a remarkable tribute, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured the film by sharing a clip of the iconic song Radha Kaise Na Jale on its official Instagram page on Friday, accompanied by a note celebrating Lagaan's enduring legacy. The caption read, 'Love, longing and a little bit of fire in her eyes. Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh performing Radha Kaise Na Jale (vocals by Asha Bhosale and Udit Narayan) from Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan. The film was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film (India) at the 74th Oscars." View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Academy (@theacademy) The post instantly sparked a wave of nostalgia among fans, who flooded the comments with praise for the film. One admirer called it 'Iconic," writing, 'Lagaan is simply ICONIC: the story, the dialogues, the cinematography, the background score, the music, and of course, the performances from the entire cast. A true classic of Hindi cinema." Another fan added, 'Legendary movie and musical score." An Instagram user expressed surprise, saying, 'Can't believe it's been 25 years. Such an iconic movie. Feeling nostalgic." Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India was released in 2001. The epic period sports drama, directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, featured a powerful ensemble cast including Suhasini Mulay, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Rajendra Gupta, Raghubir Yadav, Rajesh Vivek, Raj Zutshi, Akhilendra Mishra, Daya Shankar Pandey and Yashpal Sharma, of course, apart from Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh. British actors Rachel Shelley and Paul Blackthorne also joined the star-studded cast to play pivotal roles. Upon its release, the film received widespread love and acclaim from audiences across India. Garnering numerous accolades, Lagaan achieved a rare milestone by earning a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Set in the late 1800s during British rule in India, Lagaan revolves around the story of a man from a rural area who inspires others to challenge British officers to a cricket match to avoid paying high taxes. Aamir Khan, who plays the protagonist, also produced the film. First Published:
Metro
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Oscars fixes major voting loophole after nearly 100 years
The Academy is tightening up rules for the Oscars from next year, requiring members to watch every film in a category before voting. In an announcement which is likely to shock many casual film fans given the prestige of the award ceremony in the industry – and how long it has been going – this has not technically been a hard rule until now. Yes, that's right – you could previously vote without seeing every film in a category, leading to some infamous admissions from anonymous members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences about their choices for Oscars. There had, however, previously been some specific regulations around voting applied to categories such as Documentary and Short before. As per a statement about its pre-voting procedures shared with press including Metro on Monday night, the Academy revealed that 'members must now watch all nominated films in each category to be eligible to vote in the final round for the Oscars'. This blanket rule will go into place for next year's Oscars, set to take place on Sunday March 15, 2026, which will be the 98th edition of the Academy Awards. The first ever Academy Awards took place on May 16, 1929, at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, with the 15-minute event hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and accompanied simply a private dinner for 270 attendees. In terms of actually proving that voters have watched the films required to vote in a certain category, an Academy spokesperson clarified that proof of views is currently something that can be tracked via the Academy Screening Room, an internal service where voting members can view eligible films. If they've seen them elsewhere, such as in a theatre, they will also need to provide documentation of that. The Academy rep continued to Entertainment Weekly: 'There is also a 'seen elsewhere' form that members will need to submit before finals voting. If you haven't viewed a title, it will still appear on your ballot, but it will be greyed out.' More Trending 'For the speciality categories, we will still require viewing in prelims and noms as usual. For this year, we will now require viewing in finals voting for all categories and all voting members,' the comment added. An anonymous voter complained to Variety ahead of this year's Oscars: 'I watch everything! I hate it when people don't take this job seriously. 'It's our responsibility to watch all of it… When you don't, you miss masterpieces like The Substance and 'Emilia Pérez.' And now their fellow voters will be required to join them in that endeavour. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'The Godfather of comedies' now streaming for free will cure your Bank Holiday blues MORE: Blood-thirsty vampire movies to stream this weekend if you loved Sinners MORE: Clueless is coming back – and it's doomed to fail
Al Arabiya
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Academy apologizes after stars say it ‘failed to defend' Palestinian filmmaker
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences apologized Friday for failing to defend an Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker who said he was attacked by Israeli settlers. The group, which hosts and awards the Oscars each year, wrote to members after movie stars including Joaquin Phoenix, Penélope Cruz, and Richard Gere had slammed its initially muted response to the incident. The Academy 'condemns violence of this kind anywhere in the world,' and its leaders 'abhor the suppression of free speech under any circumstances,' said the letter, seen by AFP. Hamdan Ballal co-directed No Other Land, which won best documentary at this year's Academy Awards. This week, he said he had been assaulted by settlers and detained at gunpoint by soldiers in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Unlike multiple other prominent filmmaker groups, the US-based Academy initially did not issue a statement. On Wednesday, it sent a letter to members that condemned 'harming or suppressing artists for their work or their viewpoints,' without naming Ballal. By Friday morning, more than 600 Academy members had signed their own statement in response. 'It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later,' the members said. 'We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank,' they wrote. The Academy leadership's response 'fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for,' said the members. The Los Angeles-based group's board convened an extraordinary meeting Friday to confront the deepening crisis, according to trade outlet Deadline. Later Friday, it issued an apology to Ballal 'and all artists who felt unsupported by our previous statement.' 'We regret that we failed to directly acknowledge Mr. Ballal and the film by name,' it wrote. No Other Land chronicles the forced displacement of Palestinians by Israeli troops and settlers in Masafer Yatta—an area Israel declared a restricted military zone in the 1980s. Despite winning the coveted Oscar, the film has struggled to find a major US distributor. Following Monday's incident, Ballal told AFP the 'brutality' of the attack 'made me feel it was because I won the Oscar.' During his detention at an Israeli military center, Ballal said he noticed soldiers mentioning his name alongside the word 'Oscar' during shift changes. He was released Tuesday, after being detained the previous day for allegedly 'hurling rocks.' Yuval Abraham, who also co-directed and appears in the documentary, has spoken out against the Academy's response. 'After our criticism, the Academy's leaders sent out this email to members explaining their silence on Hamdan's assault: they need to respect 'unique viewpoints,'' he wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of the Academy's letter.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
600 Oscar voters criticize lack of Academy support for Palestinian filmmaker detained by Israel
Over 600 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have signed an open letter criticizing the Academy for their lack of public support for Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary. 'No Other Land,' following his recent detainment by Israeli authorities. Yuval Abraham, Ballal's co-director, announced on X on Monday that Ballal was beaten by West Bank settlers and then arrested by Israeli forces. He sustained injuries to his head and stomach in the Palestinian village of Susiya, Masafer Yatta. Ballal was released by Israeli forces on Tuesday. According to Academy members, the organization sent a statement to on Wednesday with the subject line 'Our Global Film Community.' 'Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events,' the Academy said. 'In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.' 'We are, however, united in a shared belief in the importance of storytelling, in the value of empathy, and in the role of film as a catalyst,' the organization added. But many members believe the statement from leadership 'failed to mention either Ballal or the film by name, nor did it describe the events it was responding to." "The statement by Bill Kramer and Janet Yang fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for," the statement read. "Therefore we are issuing our own statement, which speaks for the undersigned members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." As of Friday, the open letter has reached 633 signatures. Some members who have signed the letter as of Friday include Mark Ruffalo, Sandra Oh, Ava DuVernay, Penélope Cruz, Alfonso Cuaron, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix. Members shared an additional statement condemning the assault and detention of Ballal, as well as the Academy's lack of action. "We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank," the letter read. "It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later," the letter added. Members praised the film, which won 'Best Documentary' feature at this year's awards, for its impact and achievement despite not having the same resources as films with a wider distribution. "For 'No Other Land' to win an Oscar without these advantages speaks to how important the film is to the voting membership," members said. "The targeting of Ballal is not just an attack on one filmmaker—it is an attack on all those who dare to bear witness and tell inconvenient truths." The Academy did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment. This article was originally published on
NBC News
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Sandra Oh, Mark Ruffalo, Ava DuVernay among 600 Oscar voters criticizing lack of Academy support for Hamdan Ballal
Over 600 members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have signed an open letter criticizing the Academy for their lack of public support for Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal, co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary. 'No Other Land,' following his recent detainment by Israeli authorities. Yuval Abraham, Ballal's co-director, announced on X on Monday that Ballal was beaten by West Bank settlers and then arrested by Israeli forces. He sustained injuries to his head and stomach in the Palestinian village of Susiya, Masafer Yatta. Ballal was released by Israeli forces on Tuesday. According to Academy members, the organization sent a statement to on Wednesday with the subject line 'Our Global Film Community.' 'Understandably, we are often asked to speak on behalf of the Academy in response to social, political, and economic events,' the Academy said. 'In these instances, it is important to note that the Academy represents close to 11,000 global members with many unique viewpoints.' 'We are, however, united in a shared belief in the importance of storytelling, in the value of empathy, and in the role of film as a catalyst,' the organization added. But many members believe the statement from leadership 'failed to mention either Ballal or the film by name, nor did it describe the events it was responding to." "The statement by Bill Kramer and Janet Yang fell far short of the sentiments this moment calls for," the statement read. "Therefore we are issuing our own statement, which speaks for the undersigned members of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences." As of Friday, the open letter has reached 633 signatures. Some members who have signed the letter as of Friday include Mark Ruffalo, Sandra Oh, Ava DuVernay, Penélope Cruz, Alfonso Cuaron, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Joaquin Phoenix. Members shared an additional statement condemning the assault and detention of Ballal, as well as the Academy's lack of action. "We stand in condemnation of the brutal assault and unlawful detention of Oscar-winning Palestinian filmmaker Hamdan Ballal by settlers and Israeli forces in the West Bank," the letter read. "It is indefensible for an organization to recognize a film with an award in the first week of March, and then fail to defend its filmmakers just a few weeks later," the letter added. Members praised the film, which won 'Best Documentary' feature at this year's awards, for its impact and achievement despite not having the same resources as films with a wider distribution. "For 'No Other Land' to win an Oscar without these advantages speaks to how important the film is to the voting membership," members said. "The targeting of Ballal is not just an attack on one filmmaker—it is an attack on all those who dare to bear witness and tell inconvenient truths."
