A Host of Pre-Oscar Award Winners

Wednesday, February 21----In the run-up to the Independent Spirit Awards (Saturday) and the Academy Awards (Sunday), the industry's big weekend, a number of crafts and guilds announced their award winners. The 57th Annual ACE Eddie Awards, presented by the American Cinema Editors, held last  Sunday evening at the Beverly Hills Hotel, honored a number of films, most of which are also in the running for Oscars.

In an unusual occurence, there was a tie for Best Edited Feature Film between BABEL (editors: Stephen Mirrione and Douglas Crise) and THE DEPARTED (editor: Thelma Schoonmaker). This is only the second tie in the history of these awards, the first having occured in 1989, when RAIN MAN tied with MISSISSIPPI BURNING. The Best Edited Feature Film/Comedy or Musical winner  was Virginia Katz for DREAMGIRLS. The editing team of Jay Cassidy and Dan Sweitlik took top honors for Best Edited Documentary for the film AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.

In other awards given out this past weekend, the Cinema Audio Society gave its sound award to the musical hit DREAMGIRLS.

The Costume  Design Guild gave out the following awards: Period Film: Chung Man Yee, CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER;  Contemporary Film: Consolata Boyle, THE QUEEN and Fantasy Film: Lala Huete, PAN'S LABYRINTH. The Arts Directors Guild awarded the following winners: Contemporary Film: Peter Lamont, CASINO ROYALE;  Period Film: Huo Tingxiao, CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER and Fantasy Film: Eugenio Caballero, PAN'S LABYRINTH.