The Hobbit gets a ton of character posters

From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” the first of a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The three films tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before “The Lord of the Rings,” which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever…Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of ingenuity and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be released on December 13, 2012

Lincon, the trailer

Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in “Lincoln,” a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.

In UK cinemas from January 25, 2013.

NOMINATIONS, HOST AND JURY REVEALED FOR THE 15th ANNUAL MOËT BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS

London, Monday 5 November The nominations for the 15th annual Moët British Independent Film Awards were announced today, at St Martins Lane, London by actor and BIFA Patron, Adrian Lester.

Joint Directors, The Moët British Independent Film Awards’ Johanna von Fischer & Tessa Collinson said: “In this our 15th year, we are delighted to welcome back six-time former host James Nesbitt. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our dedicated Pre-Selection Committee who watched over 200 films in order to produce the 2012 Nominations, which once again reflect the diverse range of British film talent, and also welcome this year’s appointed independent Jury who will now spend the next month considering the nominated films.”

The highest number of nominations this year goes to Broken with 9 nominations including Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut Director for Rufus Norris, Best Actor for Tim Roth and two Best Supporting Actor nominations for Cillian Murphy and Rory Kinnear. Sightseers and Berberian Sound Studio both picked up 7 nominations each.

Nominations for Best Actress go to Alice Lowe for Sightseers, Andrea Riseborough for Shadow Dancer, Elle Fanning for Ginger & Rosa, Judi Dench for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Meryl Streep for The Iron Lady. Along with Tim Roth for Broken, leading men hoping to take home the Best Actor award include Riz Ahmed for Ill Manors, Steve Oram for Sightseers, Terence Stamp for Song for Marion and Toby Jones for Berberian Sound Studio.

Directors who have delivered dynamic debuts this year and are fighting for the Douglas Hickox Award are Bart Layton for The Imposter, Ben Drew for Ill Manors, Rowan Athale for Wasteland, Sally El Hosaini for My Brother the Devil and as mentioned previously Rufus Norris for Broken.

Best supporting Actor nominations go to Billy Connolly for Quartet, Domhnall Gleeson for Shadow Dancer, Tom Wilkinson for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and the two Broken actors Cillian Murphy & Rory Kinnear.

Alice Englert for Ginger & Rosa, Eileen Davies for Sightseers, Maggie Smith for The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Olivia Colman for Hyde Park on Hudson and Vanessa Redgrave for Song for Marion are all nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award.

Emelie De Vitis, Marketing Director for Moët & Chandon commented: “Moët & Chandon is delighted to support BIFA for the third year running. The nominations again reveal the amazing depth of film talent in Britain and we look forward to toasting the winners' success along with BIFA’s 15th birthday on December 9th’.

Amanda Nevill, Chief Executive of the BFI, comments:
“At 15 years old, the BIFAs are now firmly established as a key date in the UK film industry calendar and we’re delighted to be supporting this year’s awards. The BIFAs are the UK’s only awards focusing entirely on independent British films, as such they really help to shine a spotlight on the vast range and breadth of excellence in independent UK filmmaking - helping to promote independent British films to new audiences, and setting a focus on the Best of British just as the international awards season begins.”

The Raindance Award nominees for 2012 include: Frank, Strings, Love Tomorrow City Slacker and Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet. This award honours exceptional achievement for filmmakers working against the odds, often with little or no industry support. Elliot Grove, Founder Raindance Film Festival and Moët British Independent Film Awards added: "The Raindance Award has become the beacon for new talent. These five films show what Raindance is all about: great acting, storytelling and production values, each made with limited resources against impossible odds."

The Pre-Selection Committee of 70 members viewed nearly 200 films, out of which they selected the nominations, which were decided by ballot.

The winners of The Moët British Independent Film Awards are decided by an independent jury comprised of leading professionals and talent from the British film industry.

The Jury for 2012 includes: Chair - Alison Owen (Producer), Adrian Hodges (Writer), Christine Bottomley (Actress), Danny Leigh (Film Critic), Iain Canning (Producer), Jamie Thraves (Director/Writer), Jina Jay (Casting Director), John Boyega (Actor), John Fletcher (Marketing Director, Paramount), Lesley Sharp (Actress), Maria Djurkovic (Production Designer), Michelle Eastwood (Producer), Nick Angel (Music Supervisor), Paul Franklin (SFX Supervisor), Tom Hiddleston (Actor), Tristan Goligher (Producer).

The winners will be announced at the much anticipated 15th awards ceremony which will be hosted by actor and BIFA Patron, James Nesbitt, who returns for his seventh year on Sunday 9 December at the impressive Old Billingsgate in London.

Cloud atlas gets 3 new featurettes

Connected

An Actor's Dream

Bringing Cloud Atlas to Life

“Cloud Atlas” explores how the actions and consequences of individual lives impact one another throughout the past, the present and the future. Action, mystery and romance weave dramatically through the story as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero and a single act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution in the distant future.

Cloud Atlas will be released in cinemas on February 22, 2013.

(c) 2012 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved

Playing for Keeps

Gerard Butler stars as George in “Playing for Keeps”, the heartfelt new romantic comedy from the director of “The Pursuit of Happyness”. George is trying to put his life back together again after numerous set-backs, as well as falling far from grace with his ex-wife, Stacie (Jessica Biel), and young son Lewis (Noah Lomax). In order to rebuild his relationship with Lewis, George agrees to coach his son’s football team when the previous coach proves hopeless. George, however, doesn’t anticipate the hilarious bevy of attractive single moms (with a cast including Catherine Zeta-Jones and Uma Thurman) who aggressively compete for his affections. How does George win back the affections of his son and ex-wife with these romantic and business entanglements complicating matters further?

Find out when “Playing for Keeps” is released Nationwide in Cinemas on January 1, 2013.

Ang Lee Pedigree

Twentieth Century Fox are pleased to make available the new 'Ang Lee Pedigree' featurette for this December's hotly anticipated LIFE OF PI. Directed by Academy Award© winner, Ang Lee and starring Rafe Spall (Prometheus), Irrfan Khan (Slumdog Millionaire), Gérard Depardieu (Last Holiday) and newcomer Suraj Sharma, LIFE OF PI is based on the best-selling novel by Yann Martel and is released in cinemas on 20th December.

Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”) directs LIFE OF PI, based upon Yann Martel’s beloved book, which went on to become one of the biggest publishing events of the past decade. An epic adventure of magical realism, LIFE OF PI follows the story of a young man’s incredible survival at sea against almost impossible odds. A remarkable breakthrough in the use of 3D technology, PI will take audiences on an emotionally captivating journey that will inspire, touch and transport them to a place of discovery they will be unable to forget.

LIFE OF PI releases on 20th December 2012 from Twentieth Century Fox

LEATHERFACE IS ALIVE…AND REVVING TO GO IN TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

With a wonderful trailer to tempt you into waiting until January to see the latest part in the Texas Chainsaw series. This time it's the standard group in a bus lead up and then, probably, you end up playing the "Who will die next" game!

Lionsgate’s TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D continues the legendary story of the homicidal Sawyer family, picking up where Tobe Hooper’s 1974 horror classic left off in Newt, Texas, where for decades people went missing without a trace. The townspeople long suspected the Sawyer family, owners of a local barbeque pit, were somehow responsible. Their suspicions were finally confirmed one hot summer day when a young woman escaped the Sawyer house following the brutal murders of her four friends. Word around the small town quickly spread, and a vigilante mob of enraged locals surrounded the Sawyer stronghold, burning it to the ground and killing every last member of the family – or so they thought.

Decades later and hundreds of miles away from the original massacre, a young woman named Heather learns that she has inherited a Texas estate from a grandmother she never knew she had. After embarking on a road trip with friends to uncover her roots, she finds she is the sole owner of a lavish, isolated Victorian mansion. But her newfound wealth comes at a price as she stumbles upon a horror that awaits her in the mansion’s dank cellars…

With gruesome surprises in store for a whole new generation, TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D stars Alexandra Daddario, Dan Yeager, Tremaine ‘Trey Songz’ Neverson, Scott Eastwood, Tania Raymonde, Shaun Sipos, Keram Malicki-Sanchez, James MacDonald, Thom Barry, Paul Rae and Richard Riehle, along with special appearances from four beloved cast members from previous installments of the franchise: Gunnar Hansen (the original Leatherface), Marilyn Burns, John Dugan and Bill Moseley. The film is directed by John Luessenhop (TAKERS), from a screenplay by Adam Marcus & Debra Sullivan and Kirsten Elms, based on a story by Stephen Susco and Adam Marcus & Debra Sullivan and based on characters created by Kim Henkel and Tobe Hooper, and produced by Carl Mazzocone. Lionsgate presents a Millennium Films production and Main Line Pictures production.

Unleashed In Cinemas Jan 9 with advance previews Jan 4 and 5