The Winners!
Posted on Friday January 2, 2009, 16:28 by Damon Wise

Yes, it's time to announce the winners of the awards that nobody has ever heard of on the blog that hardly anybody reads! But I don't care!!! So without any further ado, let's start with...

FAVOURITE FILM... WITHOUT UK DISTRIBUTION*!
This is the category that caused me the most pain. Three of the films shortlisted have actually screened to public audiences in the UK, which narrows it down to two. And of the two remaining, I'd rather one came out sooner rather that later, as it shows a side of war that it's all too easy to forget about: the dedication and sense of duty in the face of omnipresent danger. So the first award goes to...

HURT LOCKER, by Kathryn Bigelow

*So far. And to the best of my knowledge...

FAVOURITE INTERVIEW
Another tough one. All five nominees were terrific, notably Tarsem and Quentin Tarantino, but I have a special affection for the winner. Going head to head with this man is not for everyone. He has a reputation for being difficult, but that's simply because he prefers clarity to waffle, and an interview with him is more democratic than you might expect. Which means the winner is...

MIKE LEIGH

FAVOURITE FILM FESTIVAL MOMENT
This was a tricky one. All film festivals are fabulous in my book, even the ones that aren't very good can bring a bit of magic into your life. And what could be better than seeing a real Hollywood legend accepting a lifetime achievement award? She only spoke for eight minutes or so but this particular person was frank, funny and very touching, eclipsing even the super-smart Susan Sarandon, a special guest that night who seemed like a warm-up act by comparison. So the award goes to...

JANE FONDA at the Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF).

UNIT PUBLICIST OF THE YEAR
All unit publicists deserve a medal, so it was especially tough to single one out. They all gave me everything I wanted, and didn't shove me in the wardrobe van to talk to the assistant costume designers for three hours or bundle me into the opposite direction whenever famous people strayed across our path. However, after taking into consideration such factors as recent birthdays, whether they gave me a lift to the train station afterwards or not, or had some good gossip, I decided on a whim that the winner would be the legendary...

WILL CASEY, unit PR on Drag Me To Hell and Inglourious Basterds.

COOLEST NEW PERSON I MET ON A FILM SET THIS YEAR
There are all sorts of great people you meet on film sets. In all the time I've been doing this, I can't remember ever meeting anyone who actively annoyed me. Bored me, maybe, but never annoyed! So this was a tough field to whittle down. And after giving an honourable mention to Lawrence Bender, who made me feel overwhelmingly welcome on Inglourious Basterds, I'd like to say that the award goes to someone whose energy and drive was especially impressive...

PIKKY FEARON, producer, Dead Man Running.

MOST PROMISING FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR
I decided this was a really unfair category because I hadn't seen everybody's films. So in the end, they all came joint second. Instead, the winner is someone I'd forgotten about....

OLLY BLACKBURN, director of Donkey Punch.

Thank you, and goodnight!