Not just Oscars: a guide to major film awards and festivals

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Who gets the main prize from BAFTA, what films go to Sundance and where are they awarded for the best fiction.

Everyone knows that an Oscar or Golden Globe is prestigious. But how important is the "Golden Bear" of the Berlin Film Festival and how do the various awards in the field of cinema differ from each other? We tell you about 10 important awards and understand their features.

Major film awards

1. Oscar

The most prestigious and popular film awards in the world. Awarded by vote of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Today there are more than 7,000 members of the academy, and the voting is organized in a very complex way.

Without going into lengthy calculations and details, we can say that the greatest chance to get an Oscar have the pictures that annoy all academics the least. And really interesting films of the year can be left out.

In addition, with rare exceptions, only English-language paintings, and most often produced in the USA, fall into the main nominations. All other films are nominated for Best Foreign Language Film. Although in 2019 Alfonso Cuarona's Roma was nominated in both categories at once.

Winning an Oscar does not mean that the film was the most popular in the year of the award. So, in 2009, when Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight came out, Slumdog Millionaire took the main award. A year later, the whole world was discussing James Cameron's Avatar, but the best film was called The Hurt Locker about American sappers in Iraq.

In the Best Picture category at the Oscars, dramas with social connotations are most often won.

Blockbusters, on the other hand, usually appear exclusively in technical categories. Strictly speaking, almost all major film awards ignore comic books and other similar films.

2. Golden Globes

The second most popular award, largely copying the Oscar. The difference is, first of all, that it is not filmmakers who vote in it, but journalists. Therefore, in some cases, a film that is simpler and more understandable to the viewer may be awarded.

Still, most of the major awards coincide to such an extent that the Golden Globes have begun to be called the "Oscar rehearsal." However, there are also several important differences.

The awards for Best Picture and Best Leading Actor are divided into the categories "Drama" and "Comedy or Musical".

This sometimes leads to strange situations: fearing serious competition, authors put their work in a lighter category. So, the best comedy was "The Martian" and "Lady Bird".

In addition, awards are given for television work. Awards go to the best TV series, miniseries and TV films. Therefore, the Golden Globe presents a greater variety of forms and genres. But the basis is the same: American films on social themes are awarded for "drama".

3. BAFTA

In Europe, the most prestigious English-language film award is considered to be the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award. Of course, American cinema also dominates here, and more often than not, BAFTA winners will then take Oscars.

But the award is intended to support British cinema as well. Initially, in addition to the Best Film category, there was also an award for Best British Film.

Later it was abandoned, but since 1993 there was a nomination for the Alexander Corda Award for Outstanding British Film of the Year. Also in the acting categories, artists from the United Kingdom appear more often.

BAFTA is a must-see for fans of British cinema.

Only occasionally do films in other languages fall into the category of "Best Film" - for example, French "Jean de Florette" or Chinese "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". More often than not, they all appear only as "Best Non-English Language Film". In addition, there is also a separate BAFTA TV Award, which awards exclusively British TV series.

4. Cesar

Films in French have the highest chances of getting a Cesar. This award is distinguished primarily by the fact that it practically does not represent American cinema.

Works from Hollywood appear here only in the Best Foreign Film category - along with Japanese or Italian works. And in 2018, Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk lost in this category to Andrey Zvyagintsev's Dislike.

Cesar primarily supports French directors and actors.

Although in 2003 the leaders of the award tried to introduce another category for films from the European Union, it lasted only a couple of years. At the same time, in addition to traditional awards, there are also the "Promising Actor / Actress" nominations, designed to introduce the not yet very famous, but talented artists.

5. Saturn

The most famous of the American "genre" awards. It is dedicated to science fiction, fantasy and horror. Moreover, everyone can participate in the voting: you just need to register on the site and pay a fee of $ 25.

The main nominations of "Saturn" often include those same fantastic blockbusters and comic book films that bypass other, more serious awards.

At various times, the main awards were received by The Matrix, three parts of The Lord of the Rings, X-Men, From Dusk Till Dawn, and many other films loved by the audience. Moreover, it is important that "Saturn" does not have a general nomination for "Best Film" - the films are divided by genre.

Since the mid-nineties, TV series awards have also been added to feature films. And since the beginning of the 2000s, a separate award has appeared for films that were released immediately on media - most often this is a low-budget genre cinema.

6. Golden raspberry

This award is often called the anti-award, as it is presented for the most unsuccessful films and roles. Moreover, the nominees are announced the day before the Oscar.

In fact, "Golden Raspberry" is in many ways a humorous and satirical event, and quite good films are often nominated for it. Thus, Armageddon and Star Wars claimed the main prize. Episode I: The Phantom Menace ".

Just because a film is nominated or even received one Golden Raspberry doesn't mean it's that bad.

Sometimes in this way they note an excessive desire to make money on topical topics or a too strange approach to work. But if the film collects several awards at once, then it is better not to watch it.

So, the record holder for the number of Golden Raspberries in 2012 was the picture “Such Different Twins” with Adam Sandler, collecting absolutely all awards in all categories. And in 2018, the very unfortunate comedy "Holmes & Watson" turned out to be "triumphant".

Film festivals awards

Unlike film awards, which are awarded to films that have already been released, new films are often premiered at festivals. Thereafter, an international jury will present them with prizes. In addition, the largest film festivals are just very bright events where actors, directors and other stars come.

7. Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival

The most popular festival now takes place in France. It features films from all over the world, but more often from Europe. The special commission itself selects the paintings that will be presented in the program. Moreover, only those who do not participate in other festivals can get into the competition.

The main prize is the Palme d'Or, but there are also several important awards for the best film.

Conventionally, the second and third most important are the "Grand Prix" and "Jury Prize". But in essence, they are equally important. Many popular European directors present their works in Cannes: Emir Kusturica, Lars von Trier, Roman Polanski and others.

In addition, in addition to the main program, there is a “Special Look”, where more non-standard films on controversial topics and with a complex structure are awarded, as well as out-of-competition film screenings.

8. "Golden Lion" of the Venice Film Festival

The oldest European film festival taking place in Venice is a direct competitor to Cannes. The same rule applies here: participating films must not be presented at any of the other festivals. Therefore, directors have to choose where they are more likely to receive a prize or at least public approval.

The Venice Festival is primarily focused on auteur cinematography.

In terms of genres, there are no restrictions. So, in 1992 in Venice the main prize was taken by the comedy "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead", and in 2008 - "The Wrestler" by Darren Aronofsky. First of all, they value the ability to talk about complex topics in simple language.

Therefore, even little-known independent films can become the owners of the Golden Lion. Moreover, in addition to the main award, there is also the Grand Jury Prize.

Also at the Venice Film Festival, films representing new trends in cinematography are separately awarded. This prize is called Horizons.

9. "Golden Bear" Berlinale

The organizers of the Berlin Film Festival are trying to maximize the scope that even international Cannes and Venice have. The Berlinale was initially positioned as an event focused on progressive geopolitical cinematography.

The Berlin Festival presents paintings from all over the world, including those from Eastern countries.

Also within the framework of the festival, so-called intellectual films are often shown - long and difficult films for perception. The winners are usually not well known to the mainstream audience. But among them you can find films from Peru, Iran or South Africa, which is very useful for broadening one's horizons.

10. Sundance Festival Prize

The world's largest independent film festival is important not primarily for awards, but for giving aspiring authors the opportunity to present their work to the general public.

At Sundance, Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith, Darren Aronofsky and many other well-known directors showed their first films.

For several days of the festival, more than a hundred films are presented to viewers, producers and artists, after which studios and distributors have the opportunity to buy films for rent.

The awards here depend not only on a special jury: there is a separate "People's Choice Award". In general, the films presented at Sundance are inexpensive works by budding filmmakers from all over the world.