Oscar Nominees By the Numbers

The recently-launched Strong Studios has acquired rights to Alec Sokolow’s script The Tank Job, setting the Oscar nominee as the film’s director.

Christopher Vourlias Oscar-nominated Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”) is developing an epic fantasy series set in ancient Mesopotamia that marks the acclaimed documentarian’s first foray into episodic content.“Shemesh Kingdom” takes place in the cradle of civilization five thousand years ago, where a prophecy foretells a great catastrophe that will wipe mankind from the face of the Earth. Only one nation will survive, led by a chosen man – the Master of the Crossing – who will usher them into the eternal Kingdom of Shemesh.Derki, who is planning four seasons of the English-language series, described “Shemesh Kingdom” as “new blood” for audiences, adding: “It’s a different point of view about this type of fantasy [series].” The series begins at a time of peace between the three kingdoms that rule over the ancient world: the kingdom of the East, Gergana; of the West, Lukiana; and of Middle Earth, Azaria.

Christopher Vourlias Oscar-nominated Syrian filmmaker Talal Derki (“Of Fathers and Sons”) is in Copenhagen this week pitching a top-secret documentary, “Hollywood Gate,” whose details are being kept under wraps during CPH:FORUM, the international financing and co-production event held during the Copenhagen Intl. Documentary Film Festival (CPH:DOX).The new feature, which the director confirmed is not being filmed in his native Syria, is currently in production, with Derki expecting to secure most of his footage by the end of the year.

Sundance in January 2021. But more than one rival insists that total is too low.

France’s president Emmanuel Macron has celebrated the win of CODA at the Oscars last night by tweeting his congratulations to the filmmakers involved.

Even as Oscar nominees arrived on the red carpet at the Dolby Theatre this afternoon, their ire did not cease over the Academy’s decision to push eight categories to a pre-taped portion of the show.

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle EditorSaint Laurent has entered the Oscar party race.The legendary French fashion house held its first pre-Oscar soiree on Friday night. Hosted by Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello, the evening began with a VIP dinner for about 50 people at the Harvey house, a John Lautner-designed architectural gem in Los Feliz owned by Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch. A late-night reception for about 150 included a performance from indie band Wet Leg and waiters who passed around steak tar tar on potato chips and tomato crostini.

Clayton Davis One of the greatest working actors of today, Jessica Chastain eyes her first possible Oscar win on Sunday for best actress for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” from Searchlight Pictures.Also serving as a producer, she would be the second woman to win an acting Oscar for a movie she also produced. The first was Frances McDormand for “Nomadland” (2020), winning best picture.Blazing onto the Hollywood scene significantly in 2011, Chastain transitioned into film after earning acclaim in the world of theater.

Shalini Dore Features News EditorAustralia, that powerhouse in entertainment, feted 15 Oscar nominees from Down Under and New Zealand at the Australian consul general’s residence Wednesday in Brentwood.While celebrating the noms — 10 for Australia and five for New Zealand — Peter Ritchie, head of Australians in Film, said, “My mission here in L.A. is to open doors for some of the excluded and undiscovered writers and directors who could be the next Oscar nominees.”With Melanie Annan, editor of the nominated doc short “Three Songs for Benazir,” Ritchie said, “Australian influence is not necessarily only on Australia, but around the world.”Consul-general Jane Duke congratulated all the nominees. “You are really extraordinary,” she said.

Preview in new tab“CODA,” the Oscar-nominated film about a singing teenage daughter in a deaf family, is being developed as a stage musical by the Los Angeles-based Deaf West Theatre.The project was announced Wednesday by the film’s producers, Vendôme Pictures and Pathé Films, ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards where “CODA” is in contention for best picture. Sian Heder’s “CODA,” which was acquired for $25 million by Apple TV+ after its Sundance Film Festival debut, was adapted from a 2014 French film.That 2014 film, “La Famille Bélier,” didn’t star deaf actors as the parents, but “CODA” has drawn widespread praise for its authenticity.

2022 Oscars are set to be an unforgettable evening celebrating the year’s most impactful work in film. On Sunday, March 27, writers, directors and actors alike will return to the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, California, for the 94th annual Academy Awards.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThe Writers Guild Awards, one of the final stops on this year’s awards cycle, were announced on Sunday.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Showtime’s Attica) is teaming up with Jacqueline Olive (Lincoln’s Dilemma) to direct the feature documentary, The Color of Cola.

Claudia Eller Co-Editor-in-ChiefThe latest prediction from our film awards maven Clayton Davis is that coming-of-age drama “CODA” will run away with the best picture Oscar at the March 27 ceremony.I have to say that would be awfully fabulous given that everyone — me included — loves a little-engine-that-could underdog story, and this feel-good, scrappy movie filmed in a short amount of time certainly fits that bill. A remake of an award-winning French film, “La Famille Bélier,” the story, written and directed by Siân Heder, centers on the only hearing member of a deaf family (played by Emilia Jones) who’s torn between pursuing her passion for music and her fear of abandoning her family’s fishing business.

Nicole Kidman was a no-show at Monday’s annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon.