Alpha1Media launches A1Film Awards for 2021
London, UK (5 January 2022): Global media and entertainment firm Alpha1Media on January 5 launched its A1Film Awards for 2021, highlighting the achievements of the global cinema industry over the year, as global vaccinations for the global COVID-19 pandemic increased and major blockbusters returned to the cinemas.
The A1Film Awards for 2021 highlights films, writers, producers, actors and directors, from Hollywood, Bollywood, the Middle East, Latin America, Africa and the Far East which are reflective of the best of global popular cinema in 2021,Alpha1Media said.
“2021 was the Year of the Resilience of Cinema,” said Talal Malik, Chairman and CEO of Alpha1Media. “Whilst 2020 was the year of the disruption of cinema, 2021 clearly demonstrated the resilience of cinema with blockbusters setting pre-pandemic and pandemic records as audiences choose to watch must-see films in cinema theatres.”
Global box offices revenues have risen from $12 billion in 2020 to over $21 billion in 2021, with a projection of $33 billion in 2022, as the cinema recovery continues from 2019’s revenues at $42.5 billion.
Alpha1Media on December 27, 2021, launched its A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, celebrating the Top 10 Films of 2021, and from this list, Alpha1Media awards the following colleagues in the global film industry with the A1FilmAwards 2021, recognising their achievements across the year.
“Now in its ninth year, the A1Film Awards List continues to be the only list of its kind, focusing on the achievements ofour industry colleagues in global popular cinema over 2021,” said Ms. Maria Felce, Alpha1Media’s official spokesperson.“This year returns to our pre-COVID 19 format, as we departed from an A1Film Top 10 Best Movies List to a Top 5, in 2020.”
In total, the A1Film In Memoriam Achievement Award 2021 has been awarded to stars of cinema including Michael Apted and Dilip Kumar (real name Mohammed Yusuf Khan), with Christopher Plummer, Yaphet Kotto, DMX (real name Earl Simmons), Charles Grodin, Samir Ghanem, Richard Donner, Dean Stockwell and Betty White cited at the time of their passing.
The A1Film In Memoriam Achievement Award 2021 is given to Michael Apted, the British film director who directed the James Bond film, ‘The World is Not Enough’, who died January 7, 2021, aged 79. Educated at Cambridge, with a long history in directing British television, Apted directed ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’, which garnered 7 Academy Awards and ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ with five Oscar nominations. He directed ‘The World is Not Enough’, the James Bond film for the millennium with Pierce Brosnan, which also featured the cinematic debut of Alpha1Media CEO, Talal Malik. From 2003-9, Apted served as the President of the Directors’ Guild of America. “It was a pleasure to appear in Michael Apted’s James Bond film, ‘The World is Not Enough’ and of which I have very fond and fun memories,” said Talal Malik.
The A1Film In Memoriam Achievement Award 2020 for world cinema is given to Dilip Kumar, the legendary and most acclaimed Indian Bollywood film actor, who died July 7, 2021, aged 98. Born Mohammed Yusuf Khan in Peshawar, present day Pakistan, his family moved to India, where later he changed his name. Whilst gaining recognition in the 1940s, he was the leading box office draw in India in the 1950s, and its highest paid actor, with 9 of his films in the 1950s ranked in the Top 30 highest-grossing films of the decade. In 1960, in his most iconic role, Kumar portrayed Prince Salim in the epic film, ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ (‘The Great Mughal’), the highest grossing film in Indian film history, adjusted for inflation till the 2010s. In 1962, British director David Lean offered him the role of Sherif Ali in ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, but he declined, with the role going to Omar Sharif, whom Kumar stated in his much later released autobiography, “had played the role far better than he himself could have.” In 1982, he starred in ‘Shakti’, with Indian superstar actor, Amitabh Bachchan, who described him as his idol. With his retirement in 1998, Kumar had several wins for the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, the Guinness World Record for maximum number of awards by an Indian actor and been awarded India’s Padma Vibhushan and Padma Bhushan and Pakistan’s Nishan-e-Imtiaz.
The A1Film Lifetime Achievement Award 2021 is given to Al Pacino, the iconic American, who turned 80 on April 25, 2020. With a 50-year film career, his most memorable roles have included, in the 70s, ‘The Godfather’ and its sequel; in the 80s, ‘Scarface’; in the 90s, ‘Dick Tracy’, ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’, ‘Carlito’s Way’, ‘Heat’, ‘The Devil’s Advocate’ and ‘The Insider’; in the 2000s, ‘Insomnia’ and ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’; and in the 2010s, ‘The Irishman’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’; and in 2021, ‘The House of Gucci’, recognised at No. 8 in the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021. On January 30, 1997, Talal Malik, Alpha1Media CEO, attended the Royal Film Premiere of ‘Looking for Richard’, Al Pacino’s directorial debut as a VIP guest with HRH Prince Charles of Wales and Al Pacino in attendance. “I became a fan of Al Pacino’s in earnest in 1995 with ‘Heat’, and consider his famous smirk half of the best acting in-joke in cinematic history’, said Talal Malik, about the film’s legendary coffee shop scene with the iconic Robert De Niro. “His signed photo, personally addressed to me, was on my wall when I was a student at Oxford, and it was a great talking point with guests.”
The A1Film Best Original Screenplay Award 2021 is given to Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, the American screen-writing duo, who together solely wrote ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, and co-wrote the other two film in the ‘Spider-Man: Home’ trilogy, ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ was recognised as No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, but was not mentioned in the A1Film Preview List for 2021, as the film did not have an official title or even teaser poster, let alone release date at the start of the 2021. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ was No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 List 2017 and ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ was No. 6 on the A1Film Top 10 List 2019. McKenna and Sommers are the second Marvel Studios duo to win the A1Film Screenwriting Award following Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who won the A1Film Award in 2018 co-writing, ‘Avengers: Endgame’.
The A1Film Best Producer Award 2021 is given to Kevin Feige, the producer with former Sony Pictures Chairperson Amy Pascal of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, the No. 1 film on No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021. Kevin Feige became was appointed an associate producer on Marvel Comics film, ‘X-Men’ in 2000 by Lauren Shuler Donner, the producer and wife of Richard Donner, the director of the first Superman film in 1978, the first superhero movie, who died in 2021. That same year, he became second-in-command to Avi Arad, upon his founding Marvel Studios. In October 2019, Feige, in addition to being President of Marvel Studios, became Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Comics, Marvel Television and Marvel Animation.
Kevin Feige was responsible for the No. 1 film on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2019, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, winning the A1Film Best Picture; the No. 1 and No. 4 films on the A1Film Top 10 Film Best Movies 2018, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, also winning the A1Film Best Picture, and ‘Black Panther’; No. 1 and No. 9 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2017, ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, also winning the A1Film Best Picture, and ‘Thor: Ragnarok’; No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2016, ‘Captain America: Civil War’, winning the A1Film Best Picture and Best Producer; No. 9 and No. 10 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2014, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’; and No. 3 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2012, ‘The Avengers’.
The A1Film Best Actor Award 2021 is given to American actor Will Smith for ‘King Richard’, No. 3 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, based on the true story of U.S. Tennis sensations Venus and Serena Williams as mentored by their father, Richard Williams. Two-time Oscar nominee, Smith began as a Grammy-winning rapper with songs such as ‘Summertime’ and then embarked into TV as ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’. His breakout blockbuster was ‘Independence Day’, after which he subsequently set records for consecutive box office performance milestones in the US box office and global box office. Alpha1Media CEO Talal Malik was a VIP guest at the European Film Premiere of ‘Independence Day’ on August 6, 1996. Smith, who released his autobiography, ‘Will’, in 2021, portrayed the GOAT boxer, Muhammad Ali, in the film, ‘Ali’, with Ali himself recognised with the A1Film In Memoriam Achievement Award 2016. Smith is also a producer of the Netflix mega-hit TV series, ‘Cobra Kai’, from ‘The Karate Kid’ franchise.
The A1Film Best Actress Award 2021 is given to American best-selling singer and Oscar-nominated actress Lady Gaga(real name Stefani Germanotta), for ‘House of Gucci’, No. 9 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, based on the true story of the Italian fashion house, Gucci, with Lady Gaga portraying Patrizia Reggiani, who married a Gucci heir and ordered his assassination after their divorce. Lady Gaga starred in ‘A Star is Born’ with Bradley Cooper, for which she was Oscar-nominated, but as a singer for the film did win an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Grammy.
The A1Film Best Foreign Picture Award 2021 is given to ‘Chehre’ from India, as represented by iconic actor Amitabh Bachchan as lead actor for an ensemble with fellow Emraan Hashimi, directed by Rumy Jafery and produced by Anand Pandit, and recognised as No. 8 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021. Amitabh Bachchan celebrated the A1Film Top 10 List himself on Twitter as his famous T 4144 Tweet to 46.8 million followers. With over 40 years as a leading actor, and veritable one-man industry, Amitabh Bachchan was recognised as the greatest star of stage or screen of the millennium on the BBC on July 1, 1999. “Mr. Amitabh Bachchan is, without a doubt, an icon of global popular cinema and appreciate his recognition of Alpha1Media’s A1Film Top 10 List, with congratulations to him and the team behind ‘Chehre’ (Hindi/ Urdu for ‘Visages’)”, said Talal Malik, Alpha1Media CEO. Talal Malik has met Amitabh Bachchan in March 1989 in Montreux, Switzerland, and in November 2006 at the House of Lords, British Parliament, London, UK. Alpha1Media recognised Amitabh Bachchan with the A1Film Lifetime Achievement Award 2013, with his film, ‘Wazir’ (Hindi/ Urdu for ‘Minister’) at No. 8 in the A1Film Top 10 2016, winning the A1Film Award for Best Foreign Picture 2016, and his film, ‘Badla’ (Hindi/ Urdu for ‘Vengeance’) at No. 9 in the A1Film Top 10 2019.
The A1Film Best Director Award 2021 is given to Jon Watts, the American director of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, and who has directed the the other two film in the ‘Spider-Man: Home’ trilogy, ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ and ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’. ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ was No. 1 on the A1Film Top 10 List 2017 and ‘Spider-Man: Far from Home’ was No. 6 on the A1Film Top 10 List 2019. Prior to directing the ‘Spider-Man: Home’ trilogy, with the first installment budgeted at $175 million, Watts directed ‘Clown’ budgeted at $1.5 million and ‘Cop Car’ at $5 million.
The A1Film Best Picture Award 2021 is given to Kevin Feige, the producer and President of Marvel Studios for ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, which won four awards at the A1Film Awards, including Best Screenwriting, Best Producer and Best Director. Kevin Feige has won the A1Film Best Picture Award ever year from 2016 to 2019, making him a five-Best Picture Award winner. The film’s main Spider-Man was portrayed by British actor, Tom Holland, recognised as the A1Film Best Newcomer Actor Award 2016. In relation to the content of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, Alpha1Media CEO Talal Malik met with Stan Lee, the co-creator of Spider-Man, in London on July 11-13, and he was recognised with the A1Film Lifetime Achievement Award 2014 and with the A1Film In Memoriam Achievement Award 2018. Talal Malik was also a VIP guest at the World Premiere of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, at No 5 on the A1 Film Top Ten List 2014, at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, UK on April 10, having been a VIP guest at the Gala European and UK Premiere of ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’, in London on 18 June 2012 (the 50th anniversary of the creation of Spider-man in 1962). ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ was No. 6 on the A1Film Top 10 2018, the only animated film so far ever to be on the A1Film Top 10 List.
“The key word to describe both the critical acclaim, box office performance and cultural milestone of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is ‘phenomenal’; and the success of that goes to Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and the team he has built and assembled to deliver on the film, which represented nearly 20 years of ‘Spider-Man’ franchises – it was the one cinema audiences were waiting not only two years but two decades, and didn’t even realise is it,” said Talal Malik, CEO of Alpha1Media.
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ topped the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021, with Maria Felce, the leading spokespersonfor Alpha1Media, explaining the reasons why.
“‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ is the A1Film Best Picture for 2021 for a plethora of reasons,” said Maria Felce about the top movie in the A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021.
“The first of these is, as defined by Alpha1Media CEO, Talal Malik, as being a ‘Global Cinema Serotonin Surge’, as worldwide audiences flocked to cinemas upon its release to watch it, rather than watch it on-streaming, smashing pandemic and pre-pandemic box office records, and interacting with the film and with other audience members with clapping and cheers on an unprecedented scale in recent memory, a pop-cultural phenomenon even provoking the ire of a few; it was listed in the top 10 best films ever on IMDB within two weeks of its release, by members of the global film audience; it is already in the top 10 highest-grossing films ever within a month of its release; it was not even promoted in the A1Film Preview of 2021 at the start of the year, as it did not have a title or poster let alone release date; it defines the resilience of cinema, when compared to 2019 being the ‘Year of Defining Cinema’ and 2020 as the ‘Year of the Disruption of Cinema’, as worldwide audiences preferred to watch it in cinemas than wait for streaming; that it is the first Hollywood blockbuster to cross $1 billion at the global box office since 2019, and did so being not being allowed for cinema release in China, the world’s biggest box office market; that it is the main global cinema blockbuster of the year, enjoyed by audiences worldwide, whilst Chinese mega-hit blockbusters are overwhelmingly-focused on local distribution to domestic Chinese audiences; that, is as the A1Film Analysis states, a culmination of nearly two decades of Spider-Man films, and therefore successfully cross-generational, a feat many other franchises have struggled to accomplish; it is the first genuinely meta-blockbuster, as in being self-referential not only about the other Spider-Man films but their reception and even actors’ attitudes about their respective films; and it has helped boost the global film production industry and the film cinema theatre industry for a brighter 2022.”
The A1Film Top 10 Best Movies 2021 launched on 27 December, 2021, are 1) ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’; 2) ‘Dune’; 3?) ‘Rocky IV: The Ultimate Director’s Cut’ / ‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’; 4) ‘King Richard’; 5) ‘The Mauritanian’ / ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’; 6) ‘Reminiscence’; 7) ‘No Time to Die’ 8) ‘Chehre’; 9) ‘House of Gucci’ and 10) ‘Don’t Look Up’.
There have been many films in 2021 which could not be included in the A1Film Top 10 List, either due to limited theatrical releases globally and or being primarily released on streaming platforms, such as ‘Belfast’, ‘Nightmare Alley’, ‘CODA’, ‘The Power of the Dog’, ‘Licorice Pizza’, ‘Being the Ricardos’, ‘The Tender Bar’, ‘The Battle at Lake Chanjin’and ‘Hi, Mom’.
Alpha1Media will release the A1Film Preview for 2022, highlighting the forthcoming movies that global cinema audiences can enjoy.
Alpha1Media is a global media and entertainment firm. Alpha1Media produces and advises on media creation using 10×10 types of media including phone, print, TV, radio, billboard, computer, cinema and futuristic media based on scale, motion and holograms.
In the film sector, Alpha1Media focuses on film development, production, financing and cultural advisory services. It currently has six film projects in development with production value estimated at over USD $500 million from 2022-2030.