TV Academy Reverses Documentary Emmy Rule, Once Again Allowing Non-Oscar Nominees to Double Dip

Jamie Lee Curtis is not afraid of speaking her truth – especially when it comes to her bedtime.

The 95th Academy Awards are less than two weeks away. The Oscars ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place Sunday, March 12. Ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night, you have ample time to catch up on the films you may have missed or need to re-watch at home.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Of the 10 films up for best picture, no fewer than six run 199 minutes or more. On one extreme, James Cameron’s punishing “Avatar” sequel is long enough to require bathroom breaks. At the other, Daniels’ ADHD-styled “Everything Everywhere All at Once” proves equally exhausting, dedicating every hyperkinetic second to stimulating easily distracted audiences. It’s enough to make folks grateful for the lower-profile but still engaging live-action shorts category, where nominees are bound by a strict 40-minute time limit. This year’s crop — the so-so “2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Live Action” program — clocks in at under two hours. Available in theaters and on myriad streaming platforms, the international assembly may be a hit-and-miss affair, but never outstays its welcome.

Oscar voters scanning their final ballot may do a double-take when they get to Best Documentary Feature: the name Shane Boris really does appear twice in the same category. 

95th Academy Awards are less than two weeks away. The Oscars ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will take place Sunday, March 12.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Brendan Fraser’s massive popularity has revitalized the 54-year-old actor’s career. It has brought him to his first-ever Oscar nomination for best actor for his towering performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.” For this week’s video episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, we sat down with Brendan Fraser to discuss the “The Brenaissance” and what the past year has meant to him. We also played a game called “Who’s Babe Is It Anyway?” — where Fraser guesses which of his former co-stars said a particular line. How well do you think he did? Watch the full video above. The podcast, with added guest Cate Blanchett, the Oscar-nominated actress of “Tár,” will be released on Friday.

Sundance prize winner Sofia Alaoui, Yemeni-Scottish Oscar-nominee Sara Ishaq and Emmy-feted Egyptian cinematographer Muhammad Hamdy will be among filmmakers presenting projects at the Doha Film Institute’s Qumra event, unfolding in Qatar March 10-15.

Gregg Goldstein From the most commercial movies to the artiest of arthouse fare, all of the year’s best picture Oscar nominees have one thing in common: themes of power struggles and an anti-authoritarian streak. This reporter spoke with the filmmakers behind “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Elvis,” “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tár,” “Triangle of Sadness” and “Women Talking” about how they explored these topics and why they’re so relevant today. “Our world is at an inflection point where we’re questioning hierarchical power,” says “Tár” writer-director Todd Field. “There’s a reason we’re seeing movements against authority and people that have held power: for a long time, no one questioned it.”

Whitney Friedlander The term “passion project” is thrown around a lot in Hollywood; usually as a reference to a personal story that means a ton to its writer, director or star.  But what kind of pressure does that put on the rest of the cast and crew? This Oscar season, there are a lot of so-called passion projects that have received accolades. Among them: “The Fabelmans,” a family story that was inspired by director and co-writer Steven Spielberg’s own parents; “The Banshees of Inisherin,” a script that writer-director Martin McDonagh spent years perfecting set in an era in Irish history that few outsiders might know about; and the Marvel movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” for which director and co-writer Ryan Coogler had to follow the success of the film’s predecessor, 2018’s “Black Panther” while doing justice to its late star, Chadwick Boseman. 

The Weeknd and Ariana Grande have shared a new collaboration, the latest in a long line of songs to feature both artists. The new track is a remix of "Die For You," taken from The Weeknd's 2016 album Starboy.

NAACP Image Awards on Saturday evening. “The Woman King” director penned an essay in The Hollywood Reporter after her historical drama found itself completely shut out of the Academy Awards, despite landing several precursor noms across other awards bodies and craft institutions. Prince-Bythewood called the season “an eye-opener” and that “the Academy made a very loud statement, and for me to stay quiet is to accept that statement.” “We know the issues exist, but they felt amplified this year,” Prince-Bythewood told Variety senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson on the red carpet, discussing her essay. “The responses have been really amazing. The number of people that have reached out and sharing it — whole companies are sharing it — and then going to the BAFTAs and having people reference it as well, there’s no denying some of the things I put in and people were able to see firsthand what happened.”

Even combat veterans can cry.

In an interview with the New York Times last September, actor-filmmaker Elizabeth Banks shared a piece of career advice from Lorne Michaels that’s been of enduring value to her.

Colin Farrell to “Triangle of Sadness” making Brian Tyree Henry laugh so hard he cried, this year’s Oscar hopefuls spoke with Variety‘s senior culture and events editor Marc Malkin at the annual nominee luncheon about which film most recently brought them to tears. For Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), he said that he was “destroyed” by “All Quiet On the Western Front.” “It’s a beautiful and powerful and important film,” he said. “It’s painfully relevant today, shockingly and shamefully relevant.” “I teared up watching Adam Sandler in ‘Hustle,’ trying to convince this guy that he needs to play better basketball or get out and how passionate he was,” said Brandan Fraser (“The Whale”). “I’m a softie, I tear up during ‘Ratatouille.'”

EO, the Sideshow/Janus films release told from the point of view of a donkey, is set to pass the $1 million mark in week 14. The Cannes-premiering film by Jerzy Skolimowski, Academy Award nominated for Best International Feature, will gross an estimated $27.6k for the four-day President’s weekend on 37 screens for a cume of just over $1M.

The room reached critical mass quickly on Monday, with the crush of people moving depending on what luminary was where. Jamie Lee Curtis talked to Cruise, and photographers surrounded them immediately.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Within a week of its publication on Jan.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor New Europe Film Sales has closed several further distribution deals for animated feature “The Peasants,” the followup to Oscar nominee “Loving Vincent,” which grossed more than $50 million at the global box office. New sales include Benelux (Paradiso), the former Yugoslavia (MCF Megacom), Hungary (Vertigo), Portugal (Outsider Films), Turkey (Birfilm) and Scandinavia (Another World Entertainment). The company is in negotiations with buyers in Spain and the Baltics. U.K. and North America rights remain open. Key European sales previously closed include to Plaion in Germany and Jokers in France. “The Peasants,” which is directed by “Loving Vincent” filmmakers D.K. Welchman (formerly known as Dorota Kobiela) and Hugh Welchman, is being produced with the same painting technique as used in “Vincent.” The directors were inspired by a wide repertoire of realist and pre-impressionist paintings to depict the Nobel prize-winning novel of Wladyslaw Reymont on film. Set at the end of the 19th century, it tells a story of love and life in a small community, where rules and traditions dictate everyone’s role.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-nominated director Whit Stillman (Metropolitan) is turning his hand to big budget rom-com adventure TV with The Splendid Affinities, a series set across Paris, Madrid and London.

The TV Academy today announced a new Emmy category and a jury prize for Emerging Media Programming. It has also revised the rules surrounding the submission of documentary programming.