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This wonderfully entertaining animated short film is called Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty. It centers on a grandmother who reads the classic fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, to her granddaughter as a bedtime story. The awesome twist is, the little girl is absolutely terrified of her granny! I think I'd be terrified too if my grandma used to read me bedtime stories like this. I love how the little girl is just freaked out from the very beginning, and you see why as granny really gets into the meat of the story.

This short film was written and performed by Kathleen O’Rourke and directed by Nicky Phelan for Brown Bag Films in 2008. It was on the short list of films nominated for an Oscar in 2010. Enjoy the show!

This was a piece of last week's news that we're getting to late - but is worth highlighting. It’s been reprinted 163 times, sold over 100 million copies and translated into over 40 different languages, so it comes as no surprise that, in an era of Hollywood producers scraping the bottom of the barrel for new ideas, a hugely popular book like Khalil Gibran’s masterpiece The Prophet will be adapted for the big screen. Deadline is reporting that Salma Hayek, operating under her Ventanarosa Productions banner, has partnered with Clark Peterson and Ron Senkowski to produce an animated feature based on the book of 26 poetic essays. Hayek’s producing partner, Jose Tamez, will executive produce along with William Nix and co-financing from Steve Hanson. As each essay deals with such differing topics as joy to death and religion to beauty, The Prophet will get produced along the same lines as Fantasia and Paris,...

16 years ago Cathal Gaffney and Darragh O'Connell founded Brown Bag Films the Irish company behind animations such as 'Olivia', 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty', 'Wobblyland' and 'Doc McStuffins'. In a pre-digital era the pair set up the studios as a means of making their own films. The group was founded at a time when Ireland has the biggest animation industry in Europe with the ironic fact that none of the studios here were Irish-owned. The company has since moved from its hand-drawn and painted beginnings to boast a staff of 57 in its Dublin studios which are equipped with a state of the art High Definition picture and Audio post production facilities. Furthermore the group has, as of July this year, a new Hollywood-based office. Iftn caught up with co-founder and managing director Cathal Gaffney to talk about the future of the company and Irish animation as a whole.

135 filmmakers and executives have been invited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to join its ranks. Recent Oscar nominees and winners such as Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Mo'Nique, Carey Mulligan, Jeremy Renner, Gabourey Sidibe and Christoph Waltz have been invited to join; but even "Saw's" Tobin Bell and "Avatar's" Zoe Saldana received invites.

New members will be "baptized" in an invitation-only reception in September at the Academy's Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study in Beverly Hills.

Here's a complete list of the 2010 invitees:

Actors

Tobin Bell -- "Saw," "The Firm"

Vera Farmiga -- "Up in the Air," "The Departed"

Miguel Ferrer -- "Traffic," "RoboCop"

James Gandolfini -- "In the Loop," "Get Shorty"

Anna Kendrick -- "Up in the Air," "Twilight"

Mo'Nique -- "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire," "Phat Girlz"

Carey Mulligan -- "An Education," "Public Enemies"

Jeremy Renner -- "The Hurt Locker,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 135 filmmakers and executives -- including such recent Oscar nominees and winners as Vera Farmiga, Anna Kendrick, Mo'Nique, Carey Mulligan, Jeremy Renner, Gabourey Sidibe and Christoph Waltz -- to join its ranks.

The Academy issued its annual invitation list Thursday.

The actor's portion of the list ranged from genre favorites like "Saw's" Tobin Bell to "Avatar's" Zoe Saldana, from "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini, whose film credits include "In the Loop" and "Get Shorty" to rising leading man Ryan Reynolds, who's appeared in "The Proposal" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine."

An international sampling of directors made the cut: Among them France's Jacques Audiard, Argentina's Juan Jose Campanella, Denmark's Lone Scherfig and, from the U.S., Lee Daniels and Adam Shankman, the latter of whom co-produced the last Oscar show.

Oscar nominee "District 9" was well represented: Matt Aitken and Dan Kaufman...

Paramount Pictures Ireland have announced that Brown Bag's Oscar animated short film 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty' will be able to be seen on the big screen this week, as it is to be shown before Neil Jordan's Ondine and Christian Alvart's Case 39 at over 50 cinemas across the country from Friday 5th March.

The short film tells the story of a seemingly sweet old lady who terrifies her little granddaughter at bedtime with her dark version of the Sleeping Beauty fairytale. Granny O’Grimm is directed by Nicky Phelan and written by Kathleen O’Rourke, and has already won 11 national and international awards. The film is one of five Oscar nominees in the category Best Short Film (Animated) with the winner to be announced, Sunday March 7th in La.

Niamh McCaul, General Manager of Paramount Pictures Ireland commented “We’re delighted have the opportunity to provide...

Ballyfermot College of Further Education will be represented by four of its graduates at the 82nd Academy Awards, held in Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on Sunday, March 7th. The annual awards ceremony sees nominations for the animation skills of former Ballyfermot College graduates Tomm Moore for 'The Secret of Kells'; Darragh O'Connell and Nicky Phelan for their short 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty' and Richard Baneham for 'Avatar'. Tomm Moore's feature length animation 'The Secret of Kells' is nominated for an Oscar in the category of Animated Feature Film. The film, which recently walked away with two IFTAs, sees a 12-year-old Brendan fighting Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal and complete the legendary Book of Kells. The film was directed by Tomm (The Three Wise Men) and produced by Paul Young (Skunk Fu!) for Cartoon Saloon, the company Tomm co-founded. 'The Secret of Kells...

The winners of the Satellite Broadband Ireland Digital Media Awards were announced recently at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Dublin. The winners on the night included Brown Bag Films' 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty' and Kavaleer Productions' 'Hasan Everywhere' who walked away with the Special Merit Award and the Grand Prix Award respectively. Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan, attended the gathering which sought to recognise the most stylish, creative, and innovative work within the digital media industry in Ireland. A panel of 22 influential figures in the digital sphere judged the awards, including Mulley.net entrepreneur Damian Mulley, Google's Ronan Harris and DJ and MD of Digital Audio Productions, Dusty Rhodes.

Nicky Phelan, Director of the 2010 Oscar-nominated animated short 'Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty', and Ken Wardrop, Director of the Ifta award-winning feature documentary 'His and Hers', will be in attendance at the 2nd annual Noise Flicks Youth Film Festival (20 March). Sheila DeCourcy, Commissioning Editor of Young People's Programming at Rte, will also join the filmmaking pair at Rua Red, South Dublin Arts Centre. Noise Flicks is a youth film festival initiative of South Dublin County Council's Arts Office that aims to showcase and celebrate the creative talent of young people in South Dublin County whose ages range from 14 to 25.

The Lady and the Reaper, Logorama, A Matter of Loaf and Death, French Roast and Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty Short Films International and Magnolia Pictures are currently screening this year's Oscar nominated live-action and animated shorts in theaters prior to the March 7, 2010 Oscar presentation. For theater listings and times check out Shorts HD.com. Below are the reviews for the five Oscar-nominated animated short films along with production videos and full versions of all five short films.

You can get my reviews of the five nominated live-action shorts right here.

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty Ireland / 6:06 minutes

Nicky Phelan's Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty serves as its own piece of revisionist story-telling as Granny O'Grimm sets down to tell her granddaughter the age old tale of "Sleeping Beauty" only to lose herself along the way in fits of rage and jealousy as the plot twists and turns. The animation is pretty good,...

Haven't watched all the 2010 Oscar-nominated shorts yet? Here's your chance, thanks to Shorts International, Magnolia Pictures, and theaters in 100 different cities in the UK and North America. See both animated and live-action shorts on the big screen starting Feburary 19 in NYC at the IFC Center; check the official website for details on when they're coming to your town. Meanwhile, here's a quick rundown on what will be playing. Animated Films French Roast France / 8 Mins Director/Writer: Fabrice O. Joubert Producers: Louis Viau, Bibo Bergeron, Pascal Cheve A businessman realizes he forgot his wallet when it's time to pay the bill at a cafe, so he drinks more and more coffee until an unlikely good Samaritan comes to his aid. Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty Ireland / 6 Mins Director: Nicky Phelan Writer: Kathleen O'Rourke Producer: Darragh O'Connell Cast: Kathleen O'Rourke Granny's grim version of Sleeping Beauty is not exactly the bedtime story her granddaughter wants to hear.

Fans of Ewan McGregor, Kristen Stewart and James Van Der Beek (!) will be seeing double this spring, as arthouses and multiplexes host an array of indie films ranging from the travails of septuagenarian New Yorkers looking for love ("The Last New Yorker") to 13-year-old assassins on the hunt for their first kill ("Kick-Ass"). If real life is more your speed, there are new documentaries about reviving animation strips (the Disney doc "Waking Sleeping Beauty") and stripping down (the burlesque history "Behind the Burly Q"), while foreign wonders like the French crime epics "A Prophet" and "Mesrine" mix with Korean treasures "Mother" and "The Good, The Bad and The Weird."

But of course, why limit yourself to just what's playing in the first-run theater near you? We've also included a look at the films that will be playing Anywhere But a Movie Theater (online, on demand, and on DVD) in the next few months,...

If you haven't seen any of the nominated films for the Academy Award's Best Animated Short Film yet, here's your chance. All five shorts are now available online and ready for viewing right here. It might help with your office Oscar pool, if they even have this category included. Otherwise, just enjoy five neat little animated shorts, arranged from best to... less.

Wallace & Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death

Directed by Nick Park

Written by Nick Park & Bob Barker

I actually posted this short over a year ago when it had its UK debut, but since then it has come to American shores and roped itself an Oscar nomination. The popular Wallace & Gromit are now bakers and in danger of being targeted by a local serial killer who's been murdering bakers. Incredibly witty in words and visuals, it's been over a decade since A Close Shave and this doesn't disappoint.

Set aside the showdown between "Avatar" and "The Hurt Locker" for a moment. Stop obsessing over whether Sandra or Meryl will take home the best actress trophy.Further down the list of nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards, there are several other races brewing that could result in genuine Oscar Night surprises -- even if those surprises will be fully appreciated only by those aficionados who track the three short-film categories. To its credit, the Academy has resisted pressures to eliminate the low-profile categories from the broadcast. At the same time, it has enhanced efforts to make the short films -- which this year range from the latest bit of Wallace & Gromit whimsy to a wrenching look at the parents who lost their school-age children in the earthquake that devastated China's Sichuan province in 2008 -- more widely available to the general public.On Feb. 19, as part of what is now a 5-year-old tradition,...

The movie's star Jeremy Renner is up for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Oscar, competing against George Clooney ("Up in the Air"), Morgan Freeman ("Invictus"), Jeff Bridges ("Crazy Heart") and Colin Firth ("A Single Man").

In the Best Director category, Bigelow will fight it out with her ex-husband James Cameron, who is praised for his sci-fi epic "Avatar", along with Quentin Tarantino ("Inglourious Basterds"), Lee Daniels ("Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire") and Jason Reitman ("Up in the Air").

"The Hurt Locker" is also in the running for Best Picture - the film is among 10 nominees for the prestigious accolade, including "Avatar", "Up in the Air", "The Blind Side" and "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire".

Meanwhile, Sandra Bullock has landed her first Oscar nomination for her role in "The Blind Side" - the star will go up against Meryl Streep ("Julie & Julia"), Helen Mirren...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has on Tuesday morning, February 2 announced the nominees of the 82nd Annual Academy Awards. The unraveling of the nominees affirmed that there will indeed be a head-to-head battle between Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep as the two are vying for Best Actress.

45-year-old Bullock was listed for the title for her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in "The Blind Side". It is the first Academy Award gong the star of "The Proposal" collected. Meanwhile, 60-year-old Streep was nominated for her Julia Child portrayal in "Julie & Julia". With this nom, the "Doubt" leading lady has extended her reign as the most nominated performer in Academy history by collecting her 16th.

Also collecting her first Oscar nomination was "Up in the Air" young star, Anna Kendrick. The 24-year-old who is also known for her Jessica Stanley role in the "Twilight Saga" series earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

<b>Best Motion Picture of the Year</b>•

Total Videos: (86)

Total Images: (52)');">Avatar: James Cameron, Jon Landau•

Total Videos: (31)

Total Images: (4)');">The Blind Side: Nominees to be determined•

Total Videos: (57)

Total Images: (20)');">District 9: Peter Jackson, Carolynne Cunningham•

Total Videos: (12)

Total Images: (27)');">An Education: Finola Dwyer, Amanda Posey•

Total Videos: (20)

Total Images: (13)');">The Hurt Locker: Nominees to be determined•

Total Videos: (71)

Total Images: (28)');">Inglourious Basterds: Lawrence Bender•

Total Videos: (13)

Total Images: (4)');">Precious: Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness, Gary Magness•

Total Videos: (26)

Total Images: (2)');">A Serious Man: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen•

Total Videos: (49)

Total Images: (9)');">Up: Jonas Rivera•

Total Videos: (22)

Total Images: (18)');">Up in the Air: Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman, Jason Reitman<b>Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role</b>• Jeff Bridges for

Total Videos: (18)

Total Images: (1)');">Crazy Heart• George Clooney for...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences unveiled its list of the 10 animated short films. And they are:

."The Cat Piano," Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People's Republic of Animation)

."French Roast," Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films)

."Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty," Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O'Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films)

."The Kinematograph," Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image)

."The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)," Javier Recio Gracia, director (Kandor Graphics and Green Moon)

."Logorama," Nicolas Schmerkin, producer (Autour de Minuit)

."A Matter of Loaf and Death," Nick Park, director (Aardman Animations Ltd.)

."Partly Cloudy," Peter Sohn, director (Pixar Animation Studios)

."Runaway," Cordell Barker, director (National Film Board of Canada)

."Variete," Roelof van den Bergh, director (il Luster Productions)

The branch members will select five nominees among this list for the 82nd Academy Awards. Final nominations will be announced Tuesday, February 2nd.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has narrowed down the list of films it will consider for an Animated Short Oscar to ten. Here is the official press release:

AMPAS announced Friday afternoon that 10 animated short films will move on to the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. There were thirty-seven pictures that had originally qualified in the category.

The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company:

The Cat Piano: Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People's Republic of Animation)

French Roast: Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films)

Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty: Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O'Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films)

The Kinematograph: Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image)

The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte): Javier Recio Gracia, director (Kandor Graphics and Green Moon)

Logorama: Nicolas Schmerkin, producer (Autour de Minuit...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced the animated short films short list, a list of 10 shorts, narrowed down from 37 films, that will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards. The Academy branch members will select five nominees from the ten titles. I have included the list of 10 short films after the jump, along with trailers/previews, or video embeds of the full short films, when available. "The Cat Piano," Eddie White and Ari Gibson The Cat Piano from Pra on Vimeo. "French Roast," Fabrice O. Joubert "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty," Nicky Phelan "The Kinematograph," Tomek Baginski "The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)," Javier Recio Gracia "Logorama," Nicolas Schmerkin [new video] "A Matter of Loaf and Death," Nick Park "Partly Cloudy," Peter Sohn "Runaway," Cordell Barker "Variete," Roelof van den Bergh The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced Tuesday, February 2nd,...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 10 animated short films will advance in the voting process for the 82nd Academy Awards®. Thirty-seven pictures had originally qualified in the category. The 10 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production company: “The Cat Piano,” Eddie White and Ari Gibson, directors (The People’s Republic of Animation) “French Roast,” Fabrice O. Joubert, director (Pumpkin Factory/Bibo Films) “Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty,” Nicky Phelan, director, and Darragh O’Connell, producer (Brown Bag Films) “The Kinematograph,” Tomek Baginski, director-producer (Platige Image) “The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la [...]...