'The Queen' Is Crowned With 6 Nominations; "Venus" Also Honored As 79th Annual Academy Award Nominations Are Announced

'The Queen' Is Crowned With 6 Nominations; "Venus" Also Honored As 79th Annual Academy Award Nominations Are Announced

'The Queen' Receives 6 Nominations, including: Best Picture Helen Mirren for Best Actress Stephen Frears for Best Director Peter Morgan for Best Original Screenplay Alexandre Desplat for Best Achievement in Music (Original Score) Consolata Boyle for Best Achievement in Costume Design

Peter O'Toole Receives His 8th Best Actor Nomination For 'Venus'

NEW YORK, Jan. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- When the nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Award nominations were announced today in Los Angeles, Miramax Films as a company received an amazing seven overall nominations, including six for "The Queen," and one for "Venus."

"We are incredibly proud of 'The Queen' and 'Venus' and delighted that they have both been recognized by the Academy. I am thrilled to continue the Miramax tradition of releasing award-worthy films," said Miramax president Daniel Battsek.

"The Queen," an intimate, revealing and often humorous portrait of the British royal family in crisis immediately following the death of Princess Diana, received a nomination for Best Picture. The film is produced by Andy Harries, Christine Langan and Tracey Seaward, and executive produced by Francois Ivernel, Cameron McCracken and Scott Rudin.

"I am thrilled that the Academy has recognized the film with six major nominations. It's a huge achievement for our team. The starting point of the film was Helen Mirren and it's a tribute to her for finding such humanity and realism in the role. The film has found an international audience because its themes of tradition vs. change are universal and have resonated around the world," said producer Andy Harries.

Previous Academy Award-nominee Helen Mirren received a nomination for Best Actress for her role as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen." She was previously nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for "Gosford Park" (2002) and "The Madness of King George" (1995). Mirren is also nominated for a BAFTA award for her performance in "The Queen" and recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Drama).

"I would like to thank the Academy, it is a great honor to be nominated. When the idea of making 'The Queen' was first mooted we had no idea that the result would have quite the impact it has had," said Helen Mirren. "It is astounding the way that audiences have responded by taking the film to their hearts. It is one of the hardest roles to play not just a living person but one who is part of our everyday lives in Britain. Whilst her presence is with us from her image on the letters that come through our door and on the money we spend, we know so little of the woman behind the image. I hope that my performance has conveyed a sense of Elizabeth the woman as well as the Queen. I am indebted to Peter Morgan for his tremendous screenplay and to director Stephen Frears who was a joy to work with and was sensitive to the nuance of the role. I am so proud to be a part of this incredible filmmaking team and the recipient of this nomination."

Stephen Frears, nominated for Best Director for "The Queen" previously received an Academy Award nomination for his film "The Grifters" in 1991. Frears received a Golden Globe nomination and a BAFTA nomination for the David Lean Award for Achievement in Directing for "The Queen."

"How fantastic!" said Stephen Frears. "What an incredible honor for our film. Thank you so much to the Academy members."

The screenplay for "The Queen" garnered recent Golden Globe Award-winner Peter Morgan a Best Original Screenplay nomination. He is also nominated for BAFTA Award in this category.

"This is, of course, the highest compliment our industry bestows and the greatest honor. I am proud and thrilled 'The Queen' has been embraced internationally like this. The whole journey has been mind-boggling and exciting. I sincerely hope friends at home will still talk to me," said Peter Morgan.

Composer Alexandre Desplat received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score for "The Queen." He recently won a Golden Globe Award for the film "The Painted Veil."

Consolata Boyle received her first Academy Award nomination for Achievement in Costume Design for her work on "The Queen." She is also nominated for a BAFTA Award in this category. Boyle previously won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Costumes for the miniseries "The Lion in Winter" (2003).

The Oscar(R) nominations for "The Queen," are the latest in a series of honors the film has already received, including an astounding 28 Best Actress awards for Helen Mirren from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globe Award), Venice International Film Festival, the National Board of Review, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Film Critics Society, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Central Ohio Film Critics Association, the Dallas/Ft. Worth Film Critics, the Florida Film Critics Circle, the Kansas City Film Critics Circle, the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, the New York Film Critics Online, the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle, the Online Film Critics Society, the Phoenix Film Critics Society, the San Diego Film Critics, the San Francisco Critics Film Circle, the St. Louis Film Critics, the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the Toronto Film Critics, the Utah Film Critics Association, the Vancouver Film Critics, the Washington, DC Film Critics Association, and the International Press Academy (Satellite Award); Best Screenplay awards for Peter Morgan from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globe Award), Venice International Film Festival, the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the National Film Critics Society, the Toronto Film Critics, the International Press Academy (Satellite Award), the New York Film Critics Online, the Chicago Film Critics Association and the St. Louis Film Critics; and Best Supporting Actor awards for Michael Sheen from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Online, the Toronto Film Critics, the Utah Film Critics and the Kansas City Film Critics. "The Queen" has also won Best Picture awards from the Toronto Film Critics and the New York Film Critics Online.

"Venus," the story of two veteran actors whose routine is disrupted by the arrival of a young woman into their lives, received a nomination for Best Actor Peter O'Toole.

With this nomination for his portrayal of Maurice in "Venus," Peter O'Toole has received a total of eight Academy Award nominations, all in the Leading Actor category. He received an Honorary Academy Award in 2003. He was nominated this year for a Golden Globe award for "Venus" and has received a total ten Golden Globe nominations overall. He has won that award three times ("Becket," 1964, "The Lion in Winter," 1969 and "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," 1970).

Said Peter O'Toole upon learning of his nomination, "If you fail the first time, try, try try, try, try, try, try again. Yoicks!"

For more information, please visit: www.miramaxhighlights.com

Source: Miramax Films

CONTACT: Emily Bear of Miramax Films, +1-917-606-5500

Web site: http://www.miramax.com/
http://www.miramaxhighlights.com/

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