The American Civil War saga Lincoln leads the Academy Awards with 12 nominations, including best picture, director for Steven Spielberg and acting honours for Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, and Tommy Lee Jones.

Daniel Day-Lewis has been nominated for Best Actor for his title role in US historical drama 'Lincoln' as the nominations for the Oscars were announced today.

Historical biopic Lincoln leads the race for the British Academy Film Awards, with 10 nominations including best picture and best actor — but nothing for director Steven Spielberg.

The Master ★★★★

Juliette Binoche’s attendance at the French Film Festival in Dublin is a major coup for the IFI, writes Padraic Killeen

MUSIC NEWS: While no Irish dates have been announced yet, the Stone Roses have confirmed they’ll be gigging into next year, and have lined up shows for London’s Finsbury Park on Jun 7-8, and Glasgow Green on Jun 15.

British film-maker Ken Loach has won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with his whisky-tasting comedy, The Angels’ Share.

British film-maker Ken Loach has won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival with his whisky-tasting comedy, The Angels’ Share.

Don O’Mahony looks at the main contenders for the big prizes at this year’s Cannes Film Festival

Arthouse directors and Hollywood royalty will converge on the French Riviera for two weeks from tomorrow as the Cannes Film Festival rolls out the red carpet for the giants and mavericks of the movie galaxy.

SATURDAY

GLANCING at Naomi Watts’ curriculum vitae, one could be forgiven for presuming that the 43-year-old actress has a penchant for American political intrigue.

THE perpetually hungry panda Po (voiced by Jack Black) returns in Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG), now a martial arts master and celebrated defender of the downtrodden and oppressed, along with the other members of the Furious Five, which includes Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan) and Mantis (Seth Rogen).

Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has walked away with the top honor at this year's Cannes Film Festival for his drama 'The White Ribbon'.

Be careful who you let into your home, they might not be as pleasant as they first seem.

New mum Naomi Watts really did struggle while making violent new movie 'Funny Games' - because she was actually bound for torture scenes.

Naomi Watts struggled to work under "difficult" director Michael Haneke - because he forced her to go against her acting instincts.

When successful chat show host Georges Laurent (Daniel Auteuil) starts receiving videos in the post showing his family’s home is being watched he is, unsurprisingly, disturbed.

AS the credits roll on another Cannes Film Festival, it may go down as a year in which the on-screen line-up outshone that on the famed red carpet.

The Cannes Film Festival is back in the hands of comfy old friends with a line-up that includes such familiar filmmakers as Woody Allen, David Cronenberg, Gus Van Sant, Wim Wenders, Lars von Trier and Atom Egoyan.

A total of 20 movies from China to Iraq and Canada are to compete for top honour at the Cannes Film Festival in May, organisers announced today.

The Son’s Room, Italian director Nanni Moretti’s stirring account of a family whose happy life is shattered by the death of a teenage son, won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival tonight.