Can you identify this iconic Oscar Best Picture winners? Image: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Fun with Oscar
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and Gallery1988 have teamed to create some playful new artwork to keep movie fanatics engaged as we head towards the 85th Oscar awards ceremony on February 24. In addition to illustrated posters for this year’s Best Picture nominees, English artist Olly Moss designed a striking commemorative poster featuring 85 Oscar statuettes inspired by the Best Picture winners from 1927 – 2012. Test your Oscar knowledge by guessing the films represented in a gallery over on the Academy Awards website!

Magnolia to Distribute Nymphomaniac
As we reported in our coverage of this year’s Berlinale, industry insiders at the festival were shown footage of Lars von Trier’s new film Nymphomaniac starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Uma Thurman, Christian Slater, Stellan Skarsgard, Connie Nielson, Willem Dafoe and Udo Kier. Just a few days later it was announced that Magnolia Pictures would again team with the Danish bad boy to release the film stateside. Magnolia also distributed von Trier’s Melancholia, which played the 49th New York Film Festival in 2011.

Argo Continues Its Winning Streak at the BAFTAs
The British Academy of Film and Television held their annual BAFTA Awards on Sunday night, and Ben Affleck’s Argo came up big, winning Best Film, Best Director, and Best Editing (William Goldenberg). Add this to its wins at the Golden Globes, DGA, SAG, and PGA Awards, and the film is shaping up to be a heavy favorite heading into the Oscars. Best British Film was claimed by Skyfall, the 50th entry in Britain’s crown jewel James Bond movie franchise.

Best Actor went to Daniel Day-Lewis for his performance in Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln (NYFF50), for which he also took home a Golden Globe and a SAG Award. French actress Emmanuelle Riva took home Best Actress for Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or winner Amour (NYFF50). This marked a deviation from the Golden Globes and SAG Awards, which rewarded work by Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) and Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook). Amour also won the prize for Best Foreign Language Film.

Anne Hathaway continued her winning streak for Les Miserables and Christoph Waltz added a BAFTA to his Golden Globe for his supporting role in Django Unchained, which also claimed the Best Original Screenplay prize for Quentin Tarantino. For a full list of winners, head to the British Academy of Film and Television website.

Love for Like Someone In Love
The final weekend of our 10-day celebration of the work of Abbas Kiarostami coincides with the opening of the Iranian master’s latest film, the Japan-set Like Someone In Love, this Friday at Film Society. Whet your appetite for its release with our interview with Kiarostami during the 50th New York Film Festival as well as video from the film’s press conference during the fest. If that’s not enough, dive into this New York Times profile, written by Film Comment‘s Nicolas Rapold, then head to The Playlist for another interview with the filmmaker as well as an exclusive clip from the film.

More NYFF50 Films in the News
Like Someone in Love is not the only NYFF50 favorite enjoying its share of of media attention. The Playlist also has an interview with Pablo Larrain, the director of the Gabriel Garcia Bernal-starring Argentinean political drama No, which opens Friday. Noah Baumbach and Greta Gerwig’s Frances Ha also has a pink-tastic new poster and clip over at Indiewire. And for the impatient among you, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Caesar Must Die is already playing at theaters in New York City. Head to the New York Times to learn more about the wuirky Italian filmmaking brothers.