The 8th Annual Hollywood Film Festival's "Hollywood Awards" ceremony, honoring independent filmmakers and established Hollywood professionals, was held October 18 before a standing-room-only audience of over 1,200 Hollywood Film Festival attendees at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. Special honors went to Newmarket Films' President Bob Berney, film preservation leader Robert Rosen, actor John Travolta, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, actress Annette Bening, director Michael Mann, producer Mel Gibson, screenwriter John Logan, actress Keira Knightley, actor Jamie Foxx, director Zach Braff, cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, editor Sally Menke, composer Thomas Newman, visual effects artist John Dykstra, costume designer Albert Wolsky, production designer Stuart Craig, make-up artist Ve Neill, casting director Debra Zane, and for animation "SHREK 2" directed by Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon.
The Hollywood Film Festival presented the "Hollywood European Award" to "THE SEA INSIDE" by Alejandro Amenabar. Filmfestivals is the presenting sponsor of the HEA.

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THE HOLLYWOOD EUROPEAN AWARDS?
A PRIVATE INITIATIVE

Carlos de Abreu, Paula Wagner and myself (Bruno Chatelin Filmfestivals COO) decided that we wanted to let Europeans put a foot in the door here in Hollywood and make more of an impact this year.
Carlos De Abreu has a recognised sense for marketing ideas that are needed in the Los Angeles film community in which he has been working for the past 17 years.
He felt Europe needed a prize describing the diversity of the talent that can be found there and asked me and Filmfestivals.com to contribute in adding more impact to his initiatives towards European film.

Our purpose is to bring the best of Europe into Hollywood for a working tour within an industry that drives half of the film industry worldwide.
It benefits from the strong positive environment that the Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards Gala are creating year after year.
Our aim at the Hollywood European Awards is to showcase the diversity of talent that the theatre screens rarely show in this city, to rise above biased point of views. It is intended to bring the best of Europe into Hollywood for a working tour within an industry that drives half of the film industry worldwide.

I am also bringing specific European experience into this venture:
A background with 2 majors, operating the French distribution arm for Columbia TriStar and Fox, I merged Fox with UGC French major to build an industry leader. These companies have offered me the possibility to share with colleagues from other territories the culture of what is best suited for a country when imported from abroad, what plays well where and why? What is hot and what is not, here and there…
We at Filmfestivals (a company I co-founded) are adding the unique company’s experience gathered with and from our international audience (50% of our audience stems from the states, the rest breaks down in line with the film industry shares)We follow the trends through th e festivals angles, have over 2,000 affiliated festivals in our database and cover most of them.
Filmfestivals.com has become in the last 9 years the industry leader specialised in festival news, news on films from festivals, festival players, markets. I am also associated with a unique film school in France called EICAR It has film schools in Paris and one in Normandy located on vast campus (former hospital) associated with production facilities, professionnals in residence. A unique view point to witness the students and audiences references and influences.

THE SELECTION COMMITTEE
We have carefully selected individuals in Europe with a panoramic view on their European cinema, associated with media or organisations and European institutions…
Cochairs of the nomination committee:
PAULA WAGNER - U.S. Producer, CARLOS DE ABREU - U.S. Hollywood Film Festival Founder and BRUNO CHATELIN – France COO of Filmfestivals.com
SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
ELISABETTA BRUNELLA Mediasalles, General Secretary
MICHEL CIMENT PRESIDENT OF FIPRESCI - Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique : (International Federation of Film Critics)
GIORGIO GOSETTI Giornate degli Autori - Venice Days, Director
SERGE SIRITZKY "Ecran Total" CEO/Director
Duncan Clark Producer, former EVP Columbia TriStar Film International Distributors
CEO/Director

ABOUT THE FILMS IN THE FINAL SELECTION
The 10 nominees were all were produced or distributed in Europe in the last 12 months.
They form a true dream team from the festivals European circuit.
All them played in the most prestigious festivals or won awards at Cannes, Venice, San Sebastian, Edinburgh and more.
The ten nominees chosen by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee are
"5x2" (France) directed by Francois Ozon,
"Bad Education" (Spain) directed by Pedro Almodovar,
"The Consequences of Love" (Italy) directed by Paolo Sorrentino,
"Head-On" (Germany/Turkey) directed by Faith Akin,
"A Hole in My Heart" (Sweden) directed by Lukas Moodysson,
"Look at Me" (France) directed by Agnes Jaoui,
"My Summer of Love" (UK) directed by Pawel Pawlikowski,
"The Return" (Russia) directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev,
"The Sea Inside" (Spain) directed by Alejandro Amenabar and
"Vera Drake" (UK) directed by Mike Leigh.

And the winner is?
MAR ADENTRO (OUT TO SEA), A film by Alejandro Amenábar receives The Hollywood European Award.
Ramon has been laid up in bed for thirty years, being taken care of by his family. His bedroom window is his only window to the world, overlooking the sea he so often sailed; that sea where he suffered the accident that curtailed his youth. Since then, his only wish has been to bring his life to a dignified end.
His world is turned upside down by the arrival of two women: Julia, the lawyer who supports him in his struggle to end his life as he sees fit, and Rosa, a woman from the village, who tries to convince him that it is worth carrying on living after all. Both women are overwhelmed by Ramon's captivating personality, and are forced to question all the principles which have governed their lives thus far.
Ramon knows that only someone who really loves him will help him undertake his ultimate journey.
See you tomorrow online with more detailed experts contributions on these questions:
WHAT HAS HOLLYWOOD TO GAIN FROM EUROPE
HOW MUCH CAN YOU MAKE WHILE UNDERSTANDING THIS
(my own personal answer was an extra 20M$ quoted from Columbia Studio Chief recognising the work done in Cannes for Boy’z in the Hood domestic performane ie 54 instead of 30 thanks to Eurpean hard work)
We are all very happy and proud with this edition and will count on your help to improve it for 2005.

Bruno Chatelin