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An Oscar by Any Other Name...
In Canada it's the Genie, in France the Cesar, in Spain the Goya, and in Europe the Felix. Whatever it's called, film industry folks the world over honor their very best...


British Academy of Film and Television  NEW!
The British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) Award nominations were announced on February 26, 1997. The awards will be presented on April 29, 1997. The major film category nominations are:
  • Best Film
    - The English Patient
    - Fargo
    - Secrets & Lies
    - Shine
  • Best Director
    - Anthony Minghella (The English Patient)
    - Joel Coen (Fargo)
    - Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies)
    - Scott Hicks (Shine)
  • Best Actor
    - Ralph Fiennes (The English Patient)
    - Ian McKellen (Richard III)
    - Geoffrey Rush (Shine)
    - Timothy Spall (Secrets & Lies)
  • Best Actress
    - Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies)
    - Frances McDormand (Fargo)
    - Kristin Scott-Thomas (The English Patient)
    - Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves)
  • Best Supporting Actor
    - Sir John Gielgud (Shine)
    - Edward Norton (Primal Fear)
    - Alan Rickman (Michael Collins)
    - Paul Scofield (The Crucible)
  • Best Supporting Actress
    - Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces)
    - Juliette Binoche (The English Patient)
    - Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Secrets & Lies)
    - Lynn Redgrave (Shine)
  • Best Original Screenplay
    - Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo)
    - Mark Herman (Brassed Off)
    - Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies)
    - Jan Sardi (Shine)
    - John Sayles (Lone Star)
  • Best Adapted Screenplay
    - Arthur Miller (The Crucible)
    - Anthony Minghella (The English Patient)
    - Alan Parker and Oliver Stone (Evita)
    - Sir Ian McKellen and Richard Loncraine (Richard III)
  • Best Non-English Film
    - Antonia's Line
    - Kolya
    - Nelly et Monsieur Arnaud




La Ceremonie des Cesars (February 8, 1997)
The 1997 edition of the French equivalent of the Oscars occured on February 8, 1997. The French Film Academy presented their awards at the Theater des Champs-Elysees in Paris:
  • Film Francais (Best French Film) - Ridicule
  • Realisateur (Best Director) - (tie) Patrice Leconte (Ridicule)/Bertrand Tavernier (Capitaine Conan)
  • Film Etranger (Best Foreign Film) - Breaking the Waves (Lars von Trier)
  • Acteur (Best Actor) - Phillipe Torreton (Capitaine Conan)
  • Actrice (Best Actress) - Fanny Ardant (Pedale Douce)
  • Second Role Masculin (Best Supporting Actor) - Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Un Air de Famille)
  • Second Role Feminin (Best Supporting Actress) - Catherine Frot (Un Air de Famille)
  • Espoir Masculin (Best Young Actor) - Matthieu Amalric (Comme Je me suis Dispute...)
  • Espoir Feminin (Best Young Actress) - Laurence Cote (Les Voleurs)




Spanish Goya Awards (January 25, 1997)
Spain's 11th Goya Awards, held in Madrid on January 25, 1997 honored the best in Spanish filmmaking.
  • Best Film - Tesis (Thesis)
  • Best Director - Pilar Miro (El Perro del Hortelano "The Dog in the Manger")
  • Best Actor - Santiago Ramos (Como un Relampago)
  • Best Actress - Emma Suarez (El Perro del Hortelano)
  • Best Supporting Actor - Luis Cuence (La Buena Vida "The Good Life")
  • Best Original Screenplay - Alejandro Amenabar (Tesis)
  • Best New Director - Alejandro Amenabar (Tesis)
  • Most Promising Actor - Fele Martinez (Tesis)
  • Most Promising Actress - Ingrid Rubio (Taxi)
  • Best Executive Director - ??? (Tesis)
  • Best Sound - ??? (Tesis)



European Film Academy Felix Awards (December 8, 1996)
The European Film Academy presented their annual awards on December 8, 1996 in Berlin, Germany. For a full list of awards, see their web site (in German).
  • European Film of the Year (Best Film) - Breaking the Waves
  • Young European Film of the Year - Some Mother's Son (Director - Terry George)
  • Felix der Kritik (International Film Journalists Award) - Breaking the Waves
  • European Actress of the Year (Best Actress) - Emily Watson (Breaking the Waves)
  • European Actor of the Year (Best Actor) - Iam McKellen (Richard III)
  • Best European Screenwriter - Arif Aliev, Sergei Bodrov, and Boris Giller (The Prisoner of the Mountains)
  • European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award - Sir Alec Guiness
  • European Documentary Film Award - Stanislaw Krzeminski (Sweden) and Jerzy Sladkowski (Poland)
  • Screen International Five Continents Award (for the best non-European film) - Dead Man



The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television Genie Awards (November 27, 1996)
The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television's 17th Annual Genie Awards were presented on November 27, 1996 in Toronto, Canada. There were 44 eligible films in the various film categoris. For a full list of winners, see the Academy's web site.
  • Best Motion Picture - Lilies
  • Achievement in Direction (Best Director) - David Cronenberg (Crash)
  • Golden Reel Award (Top Canadian box office gross) - Crash
  • Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Best Actor) - William Hutt (Long Day's Journey into Night)
  • Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Best Actress) - Martha Henry (Long Day's Journey into Night)
  • Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Best Supporting Actor) - Peter Donaldson (Long Day's Journey into Night)
  • Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Best Supporting Actress) - Martha Burns (Long Day's Journey into Night)
  • Original Screenplay - Pierre Gang (Sous-Sol)
  • Adapted Screenplay - David Cronenberg (Crash)
  • Achievement in Cinematography - Peter Suschitzky (Crash)
  • Achievement in Editing - Ronald Sanders (Crash)
  • Achievement in Art Direction-Production Design - Sandra Kybartas (Lilies)
  • Achievement in Costume Design - Linda Muir (Lilies)



Australian Film Institute Awards (November 15, 1996)
The Australian Film Institute considers films which "must have been produced, but not necessarily filmed in Australia, using significant levels of Australian participation in cast and key creative production roles, and/or Australian facilities. In addition, all official co-productions made under the Australian Film Commission's guidelines are regarded as Australian films." Their awards for 1996 films:
  • Fox Studios Australia Award (Best Film) - Shine
  • Newvision Award (Best Director) - Scott Hicks (Shine)
  • Hoyts Group Award (Best Actor) - Geoffrey Rush (Shine)
  • Beyond Films Award (Best Actress) - Judy David (Children of the Revolution)
  • Blockbuster Video Award for Best Supporting Actor - Armin Mueller-Stahl (Shine)
  • Blockbuster Video Award for Best Supporting Actress - Toni Collette (Lillian's Story)
  • Cinesure Award for Best Original Screenplay - Jan Sardi (Shine)
  • Orlando Trilogy Award (Best Adapted Screenplay) - Louis Nowra (Cosi)
  • Best Foreign Film - Fargo
  • Samuelson Award (Best Cinematography) - Geoffrey Simpson (Shine)
  • Best Achievement in Production Design - Roger Ford (Children of the Revolution)
  • ATLAB Australia Award (Best Editing) - Pip Karmel (Shine)



London Film Critics' Circle (March 2, 1997)
Association of London-based film critics. They presented their awards on March 2, 1997, in London. The listing below is incomplete...
  • Best Film - Secrets & Lies
  • Director of the Year - Joel Coen (Director)
  • Best British Actress - Brenda Blethyn (Secrets & Lies)
  • Actress of the Year - Frances McDormand (Fargo)
  • Best Original Screenplay - Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo)



Film Critics Circle of Australia (February 10, 1997)
Okay...so maybe this list should go on the critics' page. However, it does have relevance on the best films of 1996 and to us Americans, Aussie film critics are foreign so I'll list 'em here for the time being.
  • Best Film - Shine
  • Best Director - Chris Noonan (Babe)
  • Best Actor - Geoffrey Rush
  • Best Actress - Judy Davis (Children of the Revolution)
  • Best Supporting Actor - Noah Taylor
  • Best Cinematography - Dion Beeb (What I Have Written)
  • Best Original Screenplay - Peter Duncan (Children of the Revolution)
  • Best Adapted Screenplay - Nick Parsons (Dead Heat)
  • Best Foreign Film (English Language) - Fargo
  • Best Foreign Film (non-English Language) - La Haine
  • Best Documentary - Robin Anderson and Bob Connoly (Rats in the Ranks)
  • Best Short Film - Two Bob Mermaid



La Ceremonie des Cesars (March 2, 1996)
The French Film Academy presented their 1995/6 awards to France's finest on March 2, 1996. Some of these films are still in 1997 Oscar contention so I've re-printed the '96 results too.
  • Film Francais (Best French Film) - La Haine
  • Realisateur (Best Director) - Claude Sautet (Nelly et M. Arnaud)
  • Film Etranger (Best Foreign Film) - Land and Freedom (Ken Loach)
  • Acteur (Best Actor) - Michel Serrault (Nelly et M. Arnaud)
  • Actrice (Best Actress) - Isabelle Huppert (La Ceremonie)
  • Second role masculin (Best Supporting Actor) - Eddy Mitchell (Le bonheur est dans le pre)
  • Second role feminin (Best Supporting Actress) - Aniie Girardot (Les miserables)





Comments to: Sugi Sorensen
Last Revised: March 16, 1997