FILMandMOVIEmaking.com

Direct from the desk of www.FILMandMOVIEmaking.com, The FAMM Awards (more important than the Golden Globes, The BAFTAs and the Academy Awards) The FAMM winners for 2009 are:

Best screenplay:

• Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci & Tony Roche – In the Loop

The Best Screenplay is always the most important award as the movies wouldn’t get made without the writer’s contributions. This year’s winner shows us how skillfully dialogue should be written. This screenplay is an excellent example for any newbie writer to see how the experts carry out their work. Comedy is always difficult to write, especially to maintain the laughs all the way through. This screenplay has you rocking in your seat from start to finish.

Best film/movie:

• Invictus

Almost acting like a documentary, this movie takes us through the highs and lows of such an important subject; mixing the end of apartheid with sport. This movie charts the change of a country. It hits all the high notes of acting, directing, story, crew, camerawork, lighting and most of all, audience appreciation. Take note how well South Africa has come on, in world terms, since Nelson Madela took over and spread the word.

Best actor:

• Sharlto Copley – District 9

This actor portrays the change between human and alien, moving from the power of authority to the chase for his own death. That takes a specialist professional and Sharlto Copley masters it completely. His skills in portraying how he thought he was doing the right thing certainly changed beyond recognition finding himself on the other side. South Africa found itself with three great movies last year, including Skin with Sophie Okonedo. Footbal World Cup follows in June.

Best actress:

• Isabelle Fuhrman – Orphan

This actress has to show us both her good side and her bad side and all the extremes in being a child’s friend, to a murderer. A wonder class in acting skills, so believable we don’t doubt her for one moment. She’s a name we should all look out for in the future if this performance is anything to go by. The way she’s able to convince the audience that she’s both a little girl and a grown woman within the same movie is wonderful.

Best musical:

• This Is It – Michael Jackson

This was never going to be a difficult choice. The director made the movie feel like a concert which was an extraordinary achievement. He did, however, have great songs to work with. Michael Jackson music will live on for decades and this movie gives a fine example of his last work and a guide to what his concerts would have been like. The director should be proud of his work here.

Best score/music:

Hans Zimmer – Sherlock Holmes

The music keeps this movie rolling at the fast pace the director requires, mixing both Irish piano bar melody with vast orchestral power. Hans Zimmer makes a perfect match for the mood of the movie and obviously spends quality time organising the score with the director’s thoughts and plans in mind. The role of music in a movie is just as important as all the other aspects. You soon notice when they get it wrong.

Best director:

• Clint Eastwood – Invictus

Yet another great directed movie from this legend. He brings a connection between audience and those on the screen that makes contact in both the heart and the soul. The audience gets to really ‘feel’ the movie. Perhaps Clint Eastwood brings such talent to this side of the camera because he was such an expert on the other side or maybe he just has the eye for knowing what works and what doesn’t.

Best animation:

• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

My seven year old daughter was in charge of this section. This movie made her laugh more than any animation this past year, she enjoyed the story and didn’t get bored. She was more delighted after seeing this motion picture than any other in the year and she sees a lot of movies.Personally I thought that Ice Age 3 edged it, but she has the last word and it’s final.

Special FAMM mention 2008:

• Hush 2 – The Movie

The special mention award goes to a movie that should be seen by all teenagers and their parents/guardians. It brings home the many problems that exist for today’s teenagers (drink, drugs, rape, abuse) and can give parents/guardians a motive to make sure they know their children/ward better. Made on a small budget with the cast and crew working for free to bring home this very special message, the producers and directors should take note that their actions have already brought many extra calls from children to the family abuse telephone lines. It was a great initiative to give out contact information to worried teenagers and to show the film specifically to teenage school children.

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