The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television, which previously honored Aussie productions, has launched five new award categories that will recognize international product in Best Film, Best Direction, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. In other words, the Aussies are going Hollywood. The nominees were…

UPDATED: Lars von Trier’s Melancholia is the big winner as the National Society of Film Critics unveiled its awards today. The film took best picture honors, and star Kirsten Dunst was selected best actress as she was at the Cannes Film Festival. The drama beat out Terrence Malick’s The Tree Of Life for the top honor…

Specialty Box Office: Shame (Fox Searchlight) NEW [10 Theaters] Friday $110K, Saturday $139K, Weekend $361K, Per Screen $36,118 The Dirty Picture (FLM) NEW [48 Theaters] Friday $76K, Saturday $120K, Weekend $268K, Per Screen $5,583, Cume $268K Pastorela (Lionsgate) NEW [55 Theaters] Friday $23K, Saturday $24K, Weekend…

Specialty Box Office: December 2-4 SATURDAY PM/SUNDAY AM : No major studio movies opened. Interesting that 6 of the Top 10 highest-grossing films are PG. But this weekend is looking like $82M, which is neck-and-neck for the  lowest weekend of 2011 (September 9th’s $81M). Deadline begins its closer look at the…

The European Film Awards just wrapped in Berlin where Lars von Trier's Melancholia was honored with the top prize. However, it was Susanne Bier who took the best director honors for her Oscar-winning In A Better World. Cannes-watchers may recall that during von Trier's press conference at the festival last May, the…

The European Film Academy unveiled its nominations this morning for the European Film Awards. Winners will be announced during a December 3 ceremony in Berlin. Here are the noms: EUROPEAN FILM 2011 THE ARTIST, France WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Michel Hazanavicius PRODUCED BY: Thomas Langmann & Emmanuel Montamat LE GAMIN AU…

Danish film director Lars von Trier is always self-promoting — but he’s in big trouble now. He was visited by police today at his Denmark home and quizzed about possibly breaking French law which forbids justifying war crimes. It’s because Von Trier caused a storm of controversy during this year's Cannes Film Festival…

Rom-Com Zombies Lurching Into Bollywood Films Indian filmmakers are dipping their creative toes into the zombie water, but with a light-hearted touch. Shaadi of the Dead (Wedding of the Dead) is about a zombie invasion at a Punjabi marriage ceremony. It’s set for release next year. Also in the works is Go Goa Gone…

The late Elizabeth Taylor was fondly remembered during a tribute Thursday night at the ultra-glamorous  annual amFAR Cinema Against AIDS event (now in its 18th year) at Hotel Du Cap. The event co-chaired by Kenneth Cole and Harvey Weinstein broke all records, bringing in a haul of more than $10 million after an…

Here’s a video look at Melancholia director Lars von Trier trying to be humorous during the press conference with some of the comments that got him banned from the Cannes Film Festival this morning. Poor Kirsten Dunst looks like she wants to melt through the floorboards as von Trier just can’t bring himself to stop…

BREAKING: The Cannes Film Festival organizers are taking very seriously the comments made yesterday by director Lars von Trier during the press conference to introduce his film Melancholia. While Deadline termed him Biggest Douchebag after he made a tepid apology and a party for the film was canceled, the festival has…

I flew home today from Cannes and am playing catch-up to Lars Von Trier’s Nazi and pro-Hitler outburst at a press conference for his film Melancholia, which was capably chronicled by my colleague Pete Hammond. I’m told that a post-premiere party for Melancholia was canceled, which is probably appropriate because the…