The BFI’s Biggest Distribution Awards Of 2022: ‘The Worst Person In The World’, ‘Corsage’ & ‘Aftersun’ Among Recipients

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EXCLUSIVE: Kristen Stewart here conducts an in-depth interview with Vicky Krieps, who shines as Empress Elisabeth in Corsage, the IFC film which has put the actress and director Marie Kreutzer in Oscar contention for a film shortlisted as Austria’s pic for Best International film. Stewart is a big fan of the film, and draws out how Krieps hatched the idea and wore down the director to take the film. They also discuss the importance of telling stories from a woman’s perspective. They also touch briefly touch on the shock of discovering that Florian Teichtmeister, who plays Krieps’ husband Emperor Franz Joseph in a supporting role, was charged with possessing child pornography. The actor, who reportedly has admitted his guilt, will go on trial February 8 after being apprehended with 58,000 files of pornographic depictions of minors as young as 14.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced its second string of presenters for tomorrow night’s 80th Golden Globe Awards including Claire Danes, Cole Hauser, Jennifer Hudson, Harvey Guillén, Henry Golding, Hilary Swank, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Jenna Ortega, Jennifer Coolidge, Letitia Wright, Mo Brings Plenty, Regina Hall and Salma Hayek Pinault.

The 60+ members of the National Society of Film Critics (mostly NYFCC and LAFCA members) too some time out on the first Saturday of 2023 to select their honorees for 2022. The top prize went to Todd Field’s “TAR” for Best Film which also won the equivalent prize from the aforementioned Los Angeles and New York critic organizations.

Yes, we’re not quite over with last year. But we’re getting there today, don’t worry.

For decades now, one of the buzziest things you’ll hear at a film festival is, “The best movies here are the documentaries.” It’s often a true statement, but maybe it’s not really about film festivals. For some of us, few things in the movie world can beat the vibrance of nonfiction — the excitement of filmmaking that’s suffused with realty, with life itself.

It was another $20M day for James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water, so big that it was the biggest regular box office Thursday of the year after the sequel’s Dec. 22 take of $14.6M and Top Gun: Maverick‘s June 2 gross. The movie’s running total is $358M stateside with a 3-day expected to be around $50M and will cross the $400M threshold on New Year’s Day per box office sources. New Year’s Eve Saturday isn’t expected to be as depressed as Christmas Eve was a week ago.

A year to remember. As 2022 comes to a close, Us Weekly is reflecting on the biggest events of the last 365 days — and these scandals will stay with Us long after the ball drops.

We’re fast approaching the end of the third year of Covid and it’s clear by now, if it wasn’t before, that filmgoing will never be the same. The habit is gone, everyone has become accustomed to checking out films at home rather than in theaters, it’s unclear what films people are actually seeing and what they think of them, and it’s evident that most people have, with certain exceptions, simply lost the incentive to mobilize, to actually get off their butts and plunk them down in a theater to see a movie. For a life-long film fanatic as well as a critic for more than a few decades, I’m dismayed that it’s all come to this, but I can’t pretend otherwise, that I don’t see the writing — and the images — on the wall.

After earning the highest grossing Tuesday of 2022 with $24.1M, 20th Century Studios/Disney/Lightstorm’s Avatar: The Way of Water also notched the best Wednesday of the year yesterday with $20.4M beating Top Gun: Maverick‘s June 1 take of $14.8M, and Avatar 2‘s first Wednesday of $14.4M. At a running total of $337.9M through 13 days, the James Cameron directed, Jon Landau produced sequel is pacing 1% ahead of Top Gun: Maverick at the same point in time.

It seems this time of year every critic is going to weigh in with their 10 Best List for something or other. It is what we do at the end of the year, and 2022 is no different. And as I always do , I cheat. So, sue me. In what has turned out to be a very good year I think for movies, considering the sad state of box office success for the more ambitious and adult-aimed films out there, it has actually been heartening in this still pandemic-affected era to see the Hollywood studios so heavily in the game of producing quality crowd pleasers that also are good enough and deserving enough to make any of these lists, unless that is you are one of those grumpy critic-types who only go for the most obscure anti-entertainments out there. That ain’t me. I like to cheer on what I call movie movies, and I don’t penalize any of them for making some money along the way and bringing back audiences. If they are good, big or small , they are worth championing and so this annual ritual is just another cog-in-the-wheel of doing just that. Now for the “cheating” part.

As New York City emerged from Covid facing challenges from economic flight to rising crime, Mayor Eric Adams put filmed entertainment at the center of a comeback. His Blueprint for Recovery released in August (read it here) created a film council with a seat at the table for studios, producers, unions and trade groups and mandated film industry liaisons at every city agency — in tandem with a major hire, Chicago’s well-regarded film chief, Kwame Amoaku. The new Deputy Film Commissioner reports to Anne del Castillo, head of the Mayor’s Office of Media & Entertainment (MOME), whose sprawling portfolio also encompasses theater, music, publishing, digital media, workforce development in the creative industries, press credentials, and the Office of Nightlife.

There’s a lot of talk about how 2022 was a ‘flop’ year for film. The quality of the movies was constantly called into question without considering that many of these films were shot during the height of the pandemic where money, space, and resources were limited. Regardless of what anyone thinks, this year produced some phenomenal cinema, with even better performances. My best of 2022 list is meant to highlight some of the titles that left an impression on me. The choices range across genres from action, drama, documentary, and animation. 

Here’s our annual rundown of the 10 largest production awards given out by the British Film Institute’s Film Fund in 2022. Backed by National Lottery money, the grants are a key supporter of indie cinema in the UK.

New Yorkers braved the cold this weekend for Corsage at two theaters ( IFC Center, Film at Lincoln Center) as Marie Kreutzer’s biopic of Empress Elisabeth of Austria starring Vicky Krieps grossed an estimated $32,000 over the three-day weekend for a robust $16k per screen average.