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Chalamet Boosts Oscar Bid with Critics Choice Awards Win

Timothee Chalamet, with the spotlight actor of the year award for "Marty Supreme," poses in the press room during the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Timothee Chalamet, with the spotlight actor of the year award for "Marty Supreme," poses in the press room during the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Chalamet Boosts Oscar Bid with Critics Choice Awards Win

Timothee Chalamet, with the spotlight actor of the year award for "Marty Supreme," poses in the press room during the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Timothee Chalamet, with the spotlight actor of the year award for "Marty Supreme," poses in the press room during the 37th Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 at Palm Springs Convention Center in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Timothee Chalamet's Oscars campaign earned a major boost Sunday as he scooped the best actor prize for "Marty Supreme" at the Critics Choice Awards, the first major gala of this year's Hollywood awards season.

He defeated rival Leonardo DiCaprio, whose raucous political thriller "One Battle After Another" took the night's top prize for best picture, as well as best director and best adapted screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson.

In "Marty Supreme," Chalamet plays a 1950s table tennis champion consumed by grand ambitions.

Loosely based on a true story, and benefiting from the Franco-American actor's unique viral campaign, the film directed by Josh Safdie ("Uncut Gems") has become an unlikely global hit.

"Josh, you made a story about a flawed man with a relatable dream," said Chalamet. "And you didn't preach to the audience about what's right and wrong, and I think we should all be telling stories like that, so thank you for this dream."

The movie is loosely based on the life of table tennis star Marty Reisman, a man driven by the belief that he can achieve fame and fortune through a sport little known in the United States.

Chalamet -- the "Dune" superstar and two-time Oscar nominee who recently portrayed Bob Dylan in "A Complete Unknown" -- rigorously trained in table tennis for the role.

The 30-year-old has in the past made no secret of his ambitions to win multiple Academy Awards, and will now be the frontrunner for the ceremony on March 15.

- Oscars momentum -

The awards bestowed by North America's largest critics' group could give movie campaigns much-needed extra momentum as Oscars voting nears.

This year, it took the coveted first weekend of awards season usually occupied by the Golden Globes, which will take place in Beverly Hills next weekend.

Jessie Buckley won best actress for her tragic role as the wife of William Shakespeare in period drama "Hamnet."

Jacob Elordi won best supporting actor for his portrayal of the Monster in "Frankenstein," which also won three technical awards, while Amy Madigan won supporting actress for a villainous turn in horror flick "Weapons."

Netflix's global mega-hit musical "KPop Demon Hunters" won best animated feature and best song.

"Sinners," a period horror film also seen as a major contender for many of this season's top prizes, had to settle for best original screenplay, young actor, score, and casting and ensemble.

Among the television prizes, hospital saga "The Pitt" won best drama, Hollywood satire "The Studio" won best comedy, and teen murder drama "Adolescence" won best limited series.

Best talk show winner Jimmy Kimmel joked about his spat with US President Donald Trump last year, which saw the late-night host briefly taken off the air.

In the show's opening monologue, host Chelsea Handler paid tribute to the late Rob Reiner, "the nicest guy in Hollywood."

The beloved "When Harry Met Sally" director and his wife Michele were found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home last month.

"Anyone who ever spent time with Rob Reiner knows that the minute that you met him, he felt like an old friend," she said, to emotional applause from the gathered A-listers and critics.

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Entertainment

Hiam Abbass Says ‘Cinema Is a Political Act’ After Berlin Row

13 February 2026, Berlin: Palestinian actress and film director actress Hiam Abbass attends the photocall for the film “In a Whisper” at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 12 to 22, 2026. (dpa)
13 February 2026, Berlin: Palestinian actress and film director actress Hiam Abbass attends the photocall for the film “In a Whisper” at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 12 to 22, 2026. (dpa)
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Hiam Abbass Says ‘Cinema Is a Political Act’ After Berlin Row

13 February 2026, Berlin: Palestinian actress and film director actress Hiam Abbass attends the photocall for the film “In a Whisper” at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 12 to 22, 2026. (dpa)
13 February 2026, Berlin: Palestinian actress and film director actress Hiam Abbass attends the photocall for the film “In a Whisper” at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, taking place from February 12 to 22, 2026. (dpa)

The start of this year's Berlin Film Festival was marked by a row over how far film should venture into politics but for prominent French-Palestinian actor Hiam Abbass, "everything we do is a political act".

Abbass is starring in two films being presented at this year's Berlinale festival and in an AFP interview she emphasized the importance of a politically engaged approach to cinema.

At Thursday's opening press conference jury president Wim Wenders sparked controversy by saying "we cannot really enter the field of politics", in response to a question about Germany's support for Gaza.

"I don't agree," Abbass told AFP.

"There's a lack of courage among people in the film world -- among some, not all," said Abbass, who gained global attention for her role as Marcia Roy in the hit HBO series Succession.

She recognized that Wenders's remarks were "taken out of context", as he did talk about cinema's capacity to "change the world", albeit in a different way from party politics.

Nevertheless, Abbass said she was glad to see filmmakers at this year's festival "commit to amplifying stories and voices of minorities, oppressed people, people experiencing bombardment, genocides".

"Today more than ever, if we don't tackle these subjects, we're making art for art's sake, and that's something that doesn't interest me."

- 'Act of resistance' -

Abbass, who was born in Nazareth in northern Israel but has been living in France for 37 years, stars in two films at the festival with striking political messages.

In "Only Rebels Win" by Lebanese filmmaker Danielle Arbid, Abbass plays a Christian Palestinian living in Beirut who faces a backlash from those around her because of her relationship with a South Sudanese Muslim migrant 40 years her junior.

Israeli bombardments between September and November 2024 forced the production to relocate from Beirut to a studio near Paris, where the team deployed creative solutions to recreate the Lebanese capital.

Abbass said the circumstances turned the film into "an act of resistance".

When the bombardment of Beirut began, "I told Danielle: 'Whatever you do, wherever you go, I'll follow you, because this film has to get made'."

- Academy's 'open-mindedness' -

Before starting on "Only Rebels Win", Abbass had just finished working on "Palestine 36" by Annemarie Jacir, a depiction of the Palestinian uprising against the British Mandate in 1936.

That film almost did not happen because of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,221 people, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.

Israel's retaliation has left at least 71,000 people dead in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, whose figures the United Nations considers reliable.

Abbass said that the "the film waited eight months so that it could be shot," with production forced to move to Jordan instead of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Abbass said that the team decided that "at a certain point, we couldn't keep being subject to" the decisions of the Israeli government.

She also welcomed the Academy's decision to include three films highlighting the Palestinian experience in its shortlist for best international feature film: "Palestine 36", Kaouther Ben Hania's "The Voice of Hind Rajab" and Cherien Dabis's "All That's Left of You".

Only Kaouther Ben Hania's film ultimately made the final list of five nominees.

But Abbass praised the "open-mindedness" of the Academy to bring these films "almost to the final stages of the Oscars" after what she termed Israel's "genocide" in Gaza.

Entertainment

Independent Spirit Awards Celebrate Indie Movies and TV in Los Angeles

Rose Byrne, Hasty Pudding 2026 Woman of the Year, takes questions from reporters during a news conference at Farkas Hall theater, on the campus of Harvard University, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)
Rose Byrne, Hasty Pudding 2026 Woman of the Year, takes questions from reporters during a news conference at Farkas Hall theater, on the campus of Harvard University, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)
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Independent Spirit Awards Celebrate Indie Movies and TV in Los Angeles

Rose Byrne, Hasty Pudding 2026 Woman of the Year, takes questions from reporters during a news conference at Farkas Hall theater, on the campus of Harvard University, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)
Rose Byrne, Hasty Pudding 2026 Woman of the Year, takes questions from reporters during a news conference at Farkas Hall theater, on the campus of Harvard University, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP)

Ethan Hawke, Rose Byrne and Keke Palmer are just a few of the actors up for prizes at the Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday in Los Angeles. Comedian and “Saturday Night Live” veteran Ego Nwodim is hosting the celebration of independent film and television, which will be livestreamed on YouTube starting at 5 p.m. ET.

Top nominees going into the 41st edition of the show include Ira Sachs’ “Peter Hujar’s Day,” which recreates an interview with the 1970s photographer, played by Ben Whishaw; Clint Bentley’s lyrical Denis Johnson adaptation “Train Dreams,” with Joel Edgerton; and Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” about life after an assault.

The show, which serves as a fundraiser for Film Independent’s year-round programs, is being held at the Hollywood Palladium for the first time, as its longtime beachside perch in Santa Monica undergoes renovations.

The awards sometimes overlap significantly with major Oscar contenders and winners, as it did with “Anora,” and “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and sometimes not. Organizers limit eligibility to productions with budgets less than $30 million, meaning more expensive films like “One Battle After Another” are not in the running.

Byrne is one of the few actors nominated for both a Spirit Award and an Oscar, for her performance as a mother on the edge in Mary Bronstein’s “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You.” In the lead performance category, she’s up against the likes of Edgerton (“Train Dreams”), Dylan O’Brien (“Twinless”), Palmer (“One of Them Days”), Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”) and Whishaw.

Supporting performance nominees include Naomi Ackie (“Sorry, Baby”), Zoey Deutch (“Nouvelle Vague”), Kirsten Dunst (“Roofman”), Nina Hoss (“Hedda”) and Archie Madekwe (“Lurker”).

Films nominated in the international category include “Sirāt,” “The Secret Agent” and “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.” “Come See Me in the Good Light,” “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow” and “The Perfect Neighbor” are also up for the documentary prize.

Hawke, who is nominated for an Oscar for “Blue Moon,” is up for a Spirit Award for his leading performance in the television series “The Lowdown,” where other nominees include Seth Rogen for “The Studio,” Stephen Graham for “Adolescence” and Noah Wyle for “The Pitt.”

Entertainment

Ahead of Oscars, Juliette Binoche Hails Strength of Cannes Winners

French actress Juliette Binoche attends the opening night of Filming Italy Los Angeles 2026 Festival at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood, California on February 12, 2026. (AFP)
French actress Juliette Binoche attends the opening night of Filming Italy Los Angeles 2026 Festival at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood, California on February 12, 2026. (AFP)
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Ahead of Oscars, Juliette Binoche Hails Strength of Cannes Winners

French actress Juliette Binoche attends the opening night of Filming Italy Los Angeles 2026 Festival at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood, California on February 12, 2026. (AFP)
French actress Juliette Binoche attends the opening night of Filming Italy Los Angeles 2026 Festival at the Directors Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood, California on February 12, 2026. (AFP)

For Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, the head of last year's jury at the Cannes film festival, it's not hard to understand why the movies that succeeded on the Croisette go on to win accolades in Hollywood.

And it isn't because of reforms made to make the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences more diverse.

"The strength of these films leads to their success," Binoche told AFP in an interview in Los Angeles.

It certainly seems like the Cannes jury made some prophetic choices: the crop of films that premiered at the festival earned a total of 19 Oscar nominations.

Norwegian family drama "Sentimental Value" -- which won the second prize, Grand Prix -- and Brazilian thriller "The Secret Agent" are both in the running for best picture.

Cannes' top Palme d'Or winner "It Was Just An Accident" and rave-themed road trip movie "Sirat," which took a special jury prize, will compete with those two titles for best international film honors.

"It's because these films are so beautiful, so unique and so strong that they sometimes go against the grain," said Binoche.

"It's not hard to recognize films with their own strength," said the 61-year-old actress who, besides her Academy Award for "The English Patient," has won prizes at the Venice, Berlin and Cannes festivals.

- 'Reconciliation' -

The Academy Awards and the Cannes film festival have not always honored the same films, with the prestigious event in France often leaning towards works by auteur directors, some of them extremely political.

But about a decade ago, when more international voters were invited to join the Academy in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite scandal, the prizewinners from the two galas have often converged, and Cannes has embraced its role as an Oscars bellwether.

Over the last five years, two films have won both the Palme d'Or and the best picture Oscar: South Korean class satire "Parasite" and last year's "Anora" from Sean Baker, a darling of US indie cinema.

That has only happened four times in 80 years, and cannot happen this year, with Jafar Panahi's "It Was Just An Accident" not in best picture contention.

So was Panahi's work -- which spotlights the dilemmas of a group of ordinary Iranians as they confront a man they believe to have tortured them in jail -- not given its due?

For Binoche, "there is no such thing as fair value, because a film just belongs to itself."

"One could criticize the film by saying that it's not totally well acted, but it's just not actors we are used to seeing on screen because he used non-professionals," she explained.

But she added that Panahi, "who wrote this script in prison in Iran, who went on hunger strike," has highlighted "space... for reconciliation with his executioner."

- 'Changes lives' -

The French film legend says that the most important thing for her about a film "is that it changes lives, changes people's consciences."

Binoche is currently promoting her first directorial effort, which tells the story of an experience that profoundly affected her.

"In-I in Motion" offers a candid look at her preparations for the dance performance she created with British choreographer Akram Khan, which premiered in London in 2008.

The actress says those 120 shows taught her to face her fears.

"Each time, I thought I was going to die," she recalled.

The film features footage of rehearsals, which she edited, and invites the viewer to get a bird's eye view of the unusual creative collaboration between the actress and the dancer.

Binoche says making the documentary has taught her that directing is not so different from acting.

In both cases, "you have to be in sync with your own intuition... you have to believe in what you feel," she said.

After performing in dozens of films, Binoche is eager to get behind the camera again.

But when asked what her next subject might be, she said with a smile, "I can't say any more about it."