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The Oscars dont have a Best Poster category. (Or even a Best Title Sequence category, which they did sort of have for the very first Academy Awards in 1929 beforefor shamedropping it in 1930.) So this year, as in the past, we asked some of our favorite poster designers which Best Picture nominee should win Best Poster. Like book cover designers, key art creators are tasked with the unwieldy ask of distilling an entire universe of story into a single visual. Its another standard of excellence in cinemaand wed argue that theres indeed correlation between great posters and great films. Consider: In our (admittedly wildly unscientific!) 2023 best poster poll, all participants nearly unanimously selected the off-the-wall treatments for the off-the-wall Everything Everywhere All At Oncewhich took home Best Picture. Last year, Vasilis Marmatakiss unsurprisingly inventive posters for the unsurprisingly inventive Poor Things dominatedand the film subsequently nabbed Best Actress, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Costume Design. Beneath our water-cooler correlation lies another truth: When a designer utterly nails the brief and creates a poster that rises to a films artistic heights, its transcendentand it often yields the singular image were left with in our minds long after leaving the theater. Below, a panel of prosJay Bennett, who has worked with Netflix and others; Marie Bergeron, who has worked with Sony, Marvel, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros.; Tori Huynh, who has worked with the Criterion Collection, A24, HBO and more; and Eric Garza and Mitch Putnam, creative directors of pop culture and poster powerhouse Mutantsound off on their picks for this years best Best Picture poster. [Photo: A24] The most effective movie posters make you want to see the movie. A24s one-sheet for The Brutalist delivers fully in this regard. Director Brady Corbets film epic is a bold and uncompromising work that celebrates minimalism and maximalism in equal measure. The poster supports that minimalist/maximalist approach with a design-forward layout that follows principles of Bauhaus and Brutalist design. The art challenges our expectations of traditional movie posters with its bold typography and asymmetrical layout, and is punctuated by an equally impactful visual of Lady Liberty turned on her headsignaling some of the films main themes. Its not just an advert for the film, it feels like an extension of its worldview. Eric Garza [Photo: MUBI] This one got my attention because of its simplicity, boldness, and because it says what it needs to say with very few elements. It’s [difficult to encapsulate a] story with only one image, and I always think that the best posters nail this part. Also, I’ve seen the film and it’s one of my favorites this year, so maybe [thats why I chose it, too]. Marie Bergeron [Photo: MUBI] One of my favorite films of 2024 was The Substance. I love when horror films center the unimaginable dread of being a woman. Strange, sterile, and a pastel gore nightmare, I feel like the posters capture the bizarre icons within the film really well. What came first, the chicken or the egg? Or was the chicken modified, processed and fried beyond our comprehension [so] it is no longer recognizable from its original form? Summarizing all of these elements, and without showing Demi Moore’s face, no less, is such a bold choice. I also love the condensed typeface they used for the title and kept within the entirety of the film. From the look of the key art into the picture, I appreciate the commitment to consistency within the branding. Tori Huynh [Photo: Focus Features] I have landed on the U.K. one-sheet for Conclave. I think it’s a bold approach for what is essentially a reliious drama to lead with such a vibrant, thriller-esque palette, with the character arrangement creating a hint towards the split of the vote. The highlighted eye as Cardinal Lawrence’s main weapon in this conflict is a nice touch. Jay Bennett [Photo: NEON] Many times, independent studios will try to push posters that feature big, loud graphic design or illustrative work to help their films stand out. That can be effective, but sometimes a simple piece of set photography is so perfect, it has to be used. Anora had my favorite poster of the year for exactly this reason. The photo screams youth, energy, love and euphoria, which is a hell of a lot to convey in one shot. The type perfectly complements the image and communicates everything necessary while also stepping back just enough so as to not compete for focal dominance. Uncomplicated in its design, this is one of those I couldve done that posters. But you probably couldnt have. Mitch Putnam
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Forget SpongeBob SquarePants, Sesame Street, and the sourdough starter craze: a depressed German loaf of bread named Bernd das Brot is celebrating his 25th anniversary as the reluctant star of a children’s television program that accidentally became equally popular with adults. A cult classic in Germany, Bernd das Brot (Bernd the Bread) is a puppet renowned for his deep, gloomy voice, his perpetual pessimism and his signature expression, “Mist!” (Think crap! in English.) Played and voiced by puppeteer Jörg Teichgraeber, Bernd is a television presenter who wants nothing to do with TV and cant wait to go home to stare at the wallpaper. This year, his friendsa sheep and a flower bushare urging him to become a bread influencer. Bernd’s beginnings Born as a sketch on the back of a napkin in a pizzeria, Bernds infamous grimace was drawn by Tommy Krappweis who modeled it after co-creator Norman Cösters face. The duo had been asked to come up with mascots for KiKA, a German childrens public television channel. Comic artist Georg Graf von Westphalen designed Bernd as a pullman loafwhite bread typically sliced for sandwicheswith short arms and a permanent scowl. Bernd channels German stereotypes with his grumpy disposition, penchant for complaining and dry sense of humor and irony. Bernd’s first episode aired on KiKA in 2000 alongside his more-optimistic pals, Chili the Sheep and Briegel the Bush. A reluctant popularity Because KiKA is a children’s channel, there was typically dead air from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. On January 1, 2003, the network put Bernd’s short episodes into the night loop for the first time. The move brought an adult audience into Bernd’s world, often those sitting at home and smoking pot, or returning after a long night of partying. The night loop cemented his popularity as a German cult classic. In 2004, Bernd won the Adolf Grimme Prize, the German television equivalent of an Emmy. The jury said he represents the right to be in a bad mood. Bernd shows you that you are less vulnerable with humor and self-irony. And perhaps the most important point is: Its totally okay if you dont feel well sometimes. Thats completely fine, Krappweis, Bernd’s creator, said in a KiKA Q&A about Bernd’s anniversary. Bernd’s broken heart Bernd is depressed for a multitude of reasons, including his failed attempt to be the mascot for a bakery’s advertising campaign (that’s how he ended up as a TV presenter, as a last resort). But it’s in Episode 85 that we finally learn about Bernd’s broken heart. A long, long time ago I fell in love with a beautiful, slim baguette. She was so incredibly charming and funny, Bernd tells Chili and Briegel. But unfortunately it was in vain. She only had eyes for this run-of-the-mill multigrain bread with its 10 types of grain. It was so depressing. The kidnapping Despite Bernds best effortsone of his catchphrases is I would like to leave this showthe episodes have never become stale. He sings, he dances, hes been to space. He’s the star of merchandise, a video game, and headlines like Give Us Our Daily Bernd. He was even kidnapped! In 2009, his 2-meter-tall (6.56 feet) statue was stolen from his traditional place outside the town hall in Erfurt, where KiKA is based. A claim of responsibility surfaced on YouTube, by sympathizers of a group of demonstrators who were protesting a company that had produced cremation ovens for the Nazi extermination camp Auschwitz. The demonstrators, however, denied involvement in Bernds kidnapping and the video was removed from the internet. Bernd was held hostage for nearly two weeks before being discovered unharmed in an abandoned barracks. The anniversary year KiKA is honoring Bernd’s 25th anniversary, despite his complaints. New episodes, an update to his hit song, and online activities for kids and adults alike will be featured. The celebrations begin now, as Bernds birthday is February 29. The latest series will premiere in September as Bernd, Chili, and Briegel launch the social media channel Better With Bernd in their efforts to make him into a bread influencer. The trio will present inventions to make school, and life, easier for viewers, but naturally their concoctions backfire. Bernd instead becomes a defluencerand an involuntary trendsetter. By Stefanie Dazio, Associated Press AP journalist Kirsten Grieshaber contributed to this report.
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The tops of dried, bent cornstalks crunch underfoot. Jill Holtzs gaze is fixed on the ground ahead. She wanders into the nearby woods and weaves between twisted branches. Then, Holtz spots something and starts to riffle through the withered twigs. To the untrained eye, it’s easy to overlook. But for Holtz, it’s instantaneous recognition. Scraggly, white lines give the appearance of shattered glass, but a name can still be made out at the top. It is a sonogram stripcrinkled, abused by the elements, but intact. In early February, Holtz combed through parts of a flattened cornfield in Swannanoa, North Carolinaa rural area razed by fierce floodwaters from Hurricane Helene a few months earlier. The deluge swept away entire homes, and with it, people’s beloved photos, keepsakes and family heirlooms. Many have accepted that they are gone forever. But lost items remain scattered across the regiontangled in gnarled trees, washed up in deep ravines and buried under mud. That’s why Holtz is on a mission: find and reunite those cherished possessions with storm victims who don’t have the time or energy to look themselves. Its not just trash, and its not just trees and pieces of metal, Holtz says. Its their lives. This is their hearts, their homes, the generations of history. Searching the cornfield Over the past few months, Holtz has spent much of her free time making the nearly four-hour drive from Raleigh to Swannanoa to search for lost items. She balances her job as a North Carolina National Guard captain and being a mom to two sonsa 10-year-old and a 24-year-old. It’s difficult being away, Holtz says, but her kids support her efforts. Holtz first visited western North Carolina after the storm on duty delivering aid. Then, while helping retrieve lost objects in Swannanoa for Violet Vardimana woman Holtz fondly calls Miss Violet”Holtz realized how many other missing belongings were out there. So she kept coming back. Holtz posts her finds to Facebook in hopes of finding their owners. At first, searching for lost belongings was overwhelming because of the sheer volume of objects strewn about, Holtz says. Now, she looks a few feet ahead of her at a time to stay focused. She’s learned other tips and tricks too. Use larger pieces of debris to store missing keepsakes while walking. Put on a hat or your hair will get caught in tree branches. Wear gloves and sturdy boots. And if you see a Dallas Cowboys mat, stomp on it first before picking it upHoltz, after all, is a Buffalo Bills fan. After exploring the cornfield and adjacent woods for about 20 minutes, Holtz already has a handful to bring backan 8-track tape, a teddy bear with golden wings and plenty of photos. Despite some scratches and their sun-bleached tone, the photos are in decent shape for what they’ve been through. As Holtz walks back to her truck, she squints and scours the cornstalks for anything she missed. Holtz views each valuable she finds as an opportunity for joy, and if its left behind, theres no guarantee it will be there next time. Holding onto belongings until the time is right What Holtz found in the cornfield will join the collection of other lost possessions in her trailer as she tries to find their owners. The spread inside resembles a garage sale. Photos make up a large chunk of Holtzs collection. Pictures captured from weddings, school and simple slices of life. Just from collecting photos, Holtz says she feels like she knows some peoples entire life story without ever meeting them. To restore photos, shes developed her own cleaning routine: Use cool water and rubbing alcohol, then carefully scrub with a soft toothbrush. Its time-consuming, yet therapeutic. Holtz sets down a large mud-spattered canvasa piece that will require the toothbrush treatmentand slowly pours water over it. The gentle stream crackles against the crisp canvas. Faces emerge from the splotchy, brown haze. Its a family portrait, Holtz says. I hope I find the owner of that, she says softly. Since Holtz started posting pictures of the lost possessions on Facebook, shes consistently in contact with about 15 families. She has returned belongings to some and is waiting to connect in-person with others. Some of the families have evacuated the state and havent returnedbut Holtz doesnt mind holding onto their things. Im in no hurry, and I dont expect them to be in a hurry, she says. Theyre still getting their lives back together. Getting back history The next day, Holtz sets up her trailer by the cornfield. She had posted her location to social media and patiently waits to see if anyone comes. About a half hour later, a silver SUV pulls over. A woman from Swannanoa, Angie McGee, steps out. McGee is looking for lost photos. The 42-year-old searched for her familys belongings after Helene washed away her home, but she wasnt successful. Wearing black latex gloves, she rubs caked dirt from the photos and notices familiar faces: her brother, her father, and her son. She even spots her ultrasound photosthe same scroll that Jill had picked up the day before. She is stunned. McGee cant believe the photos traveled nearly 2 miles downriver from her homemuch less that Holtz had somehow found them. After months of anguish over what she had lost, McGee says she is finally getting history back. “She done brought back a smile to me, she done brought back life to me. Not just me, my family, McGee says. Because, you know, there were things we lost that we thought maybe we never get back. At one point, McGees gaze settles on football shoulder pads with silver marker writing. The sight brings her to tears. They belong to her 12-year-old son, Link. Holtz tries to not to cry. Later, the two women embrace before McGee leaves with her things. Giving people back their lost hope is why Holtz says she continues this work. But in these reunifying moments, it gives Holtz a little of her own hope, too. By Makiya Seminera, Associated Press AP National Writer Allen G. Breed contributed to this report
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