“Heath Ledger is my big favorite for the Oscar for best actor. He’s a friend and worked with on The Brothers Grimm, but I think that Brokeback Mountain is a film that has strong emotions. Of course that is only my opinion. But nothing is certain, so why not? I have never understood the logic of Oscar.” Director Terry Gilliam, a host of the Capri Hollywood - Kimbo International Festival Film, spoke freely, making forecasts and giving his impressions of Oscar night, coming March 5 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Asked about other leading actors, Gilliam added, “I very much appreciated Tommy Lee Jones’ extraordinary work in The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada. He could also be a possibility in the director role for that film. And I would not forget Joaquin Phoenix and David Strathairn, and Russell Crowe, for Cinderella Man, that has a lot of support in America.”

Among films in Oscar competition, Gillian sees good chances for Brokeback Mountain, and also for its director, Ang Lee, in the best director category; The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada; Crash, directed by Paul Haggis; and Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney. Among directors, Gilliam concluded, “I also would keep in mind Woody Allen for Match Point. And above all, with regard to the Oscar for best special effects, there is no doubt that it is the last half-hour of King Kong.”

photo: Pascal Vicedomini, founder and producer of Capri, Hollywood - Kimbo International Film Festival, together with actor Max Von Sydow and directors Terry Gilliam and Michael Radford, present the 2005 Capri Kimbo Award to producer Riccardo Tozzi ('Don't Tell' by Cristina Comencini, the Italian movie officially selected to run for Best Foreign Language Film - 2006 Academy Awards