The first annual Baja International Film Festival, held November 14 – 17, 2012, in Los Cabos, Mexico should now be considered a Cannes-petitor to other film festivals throughout the world. Major stars the likes of Edward Norton, Melissa Leo, Diego Luna, Virginia Madsen, Matt Dillon, Octavia Spencer, and many, many more attended what could be a standard-bearer for the official start of awards season! Check out all the winners of the inaugural event!

The festival showcased 80 films from 18 countries, including 5 international feature films, 5 Mexican feature films, 5 international documentaries, 5 Mexican documentaries, 30 international shorts, 13 Mexican shorts, 4 environmental films, as well as special presentation screenings of 7 international feature films and 6 Mexican feature films.

Check Out The Baja Film Festival Winners Below!

Best International Feature – No, directed by Pablo Larrain. Revolving around Chile’s 1988 referendum on the Pinochet regime, this brilliant behind-the-scenes drama tracks with engaging detail the unfolding of a political marketing campaign that succeeded against all odds.

Best Mexican Feature – Los Mejores Temas, directed by Nicolás Pereda. Drifting from fiction to documentary, Los Mejores Temas tells the story of Emilio, a man in his fifties, who shows up at his family home after fifteen years of absence.

Best International Documentary – First Position, directed by Bess Kargman. Six young dancers from Italy, Africa, Israel, Colombia, and other countries battle intense pressure as they prepare for the most prestigious ballet competition in the world.

Best Mexican Documentary – Tie between two films. El Alcalde, directed by Carlos Rossini, tells the story of Mauricio Fernandez, mayor of the wealthiest municipality in Latin America, located in the North of Mexico. La Revoluciòn de Los Alcatraces, directed by Luciana Kaplan, is a documentary about Eufrosina Cruz Mendoza, a native of Santa Maria Quiegolani, an indigenous community located in the Sierra Sur of Oaxaca.

Best International Short Film – Luminaris, directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella. In a world where light reigns and sets the pace of life, an average man has a plan that can change the natural order of things.

Best Mexican Short Film – Yuban Yasib, directed by Vázquez Colmenares. This documentary is about the transformation of a Zapotecan community as it portrays the longing for a set of principles that are about to die and the effort the people make to keep their culture alive.

The Festival also bestowed Tribute Awards to the following recipients who were in attendance to accept their honors.

Two-time Academy Award-nominee Edward Norton for Outstanding Achievement in Acting.

Academy Award-winner Melissa Leo for Excellence in Acting.

Celebrated actor Diego Luna for Excellence in Acting.

Academy Award-nominee Virginia Madsen for Excellence in Acting.

Academy Award-nominee Matt Dillon for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema.

Acclaimed director Nicolas Echevarria, for Excellence in Directing.

Iconic filmmaker and Secretary-Treasurer of the Directors Guild of America Michael Apted for Outstanding Achievement in Directing.

The Awards were presented during the Baja International Film Festival’s Closing Night Gala presented by the Mexico Tourism Board on Saturday, November 17th at the state-of-the-art Cabo Convention Center. The Festival’s Closing Night film was “No,” directed Pablo Larrain and starring Gael Garcia Bernal, Alejandro Goic, Alfredo Castro, Antonio Zegers, Luis Gnecco and Nestor Cantillana.

The star-studded Opening Night Ceremony and Gala, featuring a special presentation of Ariel Vroman’s “The Iceman,” starring Winona Ryder, Chris Evans, James Franco, David Schwimmer, Ray Liotta and Stephen Dorff, kicked off the festival on Wednesday.

On Thursday night guests were invited to the Puerto Los Cabos Wirikuta Cactus Garden, a botanical desert garden home to over 1500 varieties of desert plants from around the world, for an outdoor screening of Lynn Hershmann’s “Hecho in Mexico,” followed by dinner featuring food from many of the most popular restaurants in Cabo.

Friday evening featured an art walk showcasing pieces by celebrated Mexican artist Leonora Carrington as well a special outdoor concert by Los Angeles’ Hotel Café Performers Sara Bareilles, Cary Brothers, Harper Blynn, Holly Conlan, and Madi Diaz at the Puerto Los Cabos Marina.

Special guests of the festival included Patrick J. Adams, Danny Arroyo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Branch, AJ Buckley, Kat Coiro, Rachael Leigh Cook, Giancarlo Esposito, Barry Gifford, Daniel Gillies, Dolores Heredia, Cody Horn, Allison Janney, Mike Judge, Josh Lucas, Diego Luna, William Mapother, Esai Morales, Natalie Morales, Barbara Mori, Mark Polish, Gabriela Roel, Octavia Spencer, Martin Starr, Tate Taylor, Blayne Weaver and more, who participated in the week’s festivities.

Winners of the inaugural Virgin Produced Screenplay Competition, launched in partnership with Virgin Produced and the Baja International Film Festival include:

1st Place – MATERMINATED by Carey Dunn
2nd Place – Last Waltz of Vienna by Brian Weakland
3rd Place – Painkillers by Giles Daoust

The Festival competition accepted feature-length screenplays in all genres, and the winning screenplay is now eligible for option consideration by Virgin Produced, the film and television arm of Sir Richard Branson‘s Virgin Group.

For more information on the Baja International Film Festival, please visit www.bajainternationalfilmfestival.com.

So HollywoodLifers, Make sure you check out all the amazing films from the Baja International Film Festival – they were incredible!

– Russ Weakland

Follow @mrsandwich96

Edward Norton -- from Fight Club to The Hulk, you’ve certainly showcased your diversity as an actor over the last few years!  We can’t wait to see what you come up with next!

Happy birthday, Edward Norton! With dreamy Neptune matched with feisty Mars on your ascendant, we don’t know whether to pet you or run for cover. Your intriguing cosmic signature makes you mesmerizing to watch on the big screen, and your Leo Sun assures that you thrive in the spotlight. During the coming year, you’ll continue to perform with a measured depth … but you may be unsure of your next move in real life.

Click here for more details at Astrology.com.

Edward Norton is an Academy Award-nominated actor who has appeared in such critically acclaimed films as Fight Club, American History X, and The Illusionist.  He is also credited for directing and starring in Keeping The Faith, as well as producing Pride and Glory and Leaves of Grass.  Get all the details at Astrology.com! 

Happy birthday, Edward Norton! With dreamy Neptune matched with feisty Mars on your ascendant, we don’t know whether to pet you or run for cover. Your intriguing cosmic signature makes you mesmerizing to watch on the big screen, and your Leo Sun assures that you thrive in the spotlight. During the coming year, you’ll continue to perform with a measured depth … but you may be unsure of your next move in real life.

Mom and daughter have fun on the set of Milla’s new movie, shooting in Germany.

Run, Ever, Run! Your mommy, Milla Jovovich, is an action star, so you know she’s gonna catch up with you! The star of the popular Resident Evil franchise made sure to spend some quality time with 2-year-old daughter Ever Anderson on the set of her new movie, The Three Musketeers (Ever’s dad, and Milla’s husband, is the movie’s director, Paul W.S. Anderson).

How adorable are the Rossdale brothers?

The hard-charging Milla, 34, who is constantly working (her next movie, Stone, co-starring Robert De Niro and Edward Norton, hits theaters next month, and she has at least three more films coming out next year), talked last year about how much motherhood changed her life, saying, “Everything is about [Ever] and how she feels. If she’s sleeping well and she’s not crying and she’s eating — well, I can totally relax, which is totally crazy because I never used to be able to relax before.”

–Roger Singer

This year is going to bring you lots of exciting new adventures!

Edward Norton, you are going to have one fabulous year! You will have a lot of fun but that doesn’t mean you won’t have tons of hard work ahead of you as well. Astrology.com has all the details!

Happy birthday, Edward Norton! With dreamy Neptune matched with feisty Mars on your ascendant, we don’t know whether to pet you or run for cover. Your intriguing cosmic signature makes you mesmerizing to watch on the big screen, and your Leo Sun assures that you thrive in the spotlight. Unpredictable Uranus in your homey fourth house may make you feel like you’re on shaky ground, however. While you continue to perform with a measured depth, you may be unsure of your next move in real life.

Powered by Astrology.com

For your daily love, career, beauty, food, & dogscopes click on your sign!

Aquarius January 20 - February 18	Pisces February 19 - March 20	Aries March 21 - April 19	Taurus April 20 - May 20
Gemini May 21 - June 20	Cancer June 21- July 23	Leo July 24 - August 22	Virgo August 23 - September 22
Libra September 23 - October 22	Scorpio October 23 - November 21	Sagittarius November 22 - December 21	Capricorn December 22 - January 19

INFphoto.com

You all know how much Kellan wants to be an action star, and now we know his dream role!

Hey BFFs do you want to see Kellan Lutz’s chiseled six-pack up close and personal on the big screen? You might just get your wish if he gets his: Kellan wants to play the scantily-clad cartoon character He-Man, otherwise known as the Master of the Universe!

When HollywoodLife.com asked the Twilight Saga hunk which action hero he’d most like to play at Matt Leinart’s “Bowling With the Stars” event in LA July 15, he told us, “He-Man is good. I like He-Man!” The 25-year-old added, “I love the X-Men [too].”

But what bout the Hulk? The role is up for grabs now that Edward Norton has been ousted from the part against his will! Unfortunately, Kellan dismissed even the notion of auditioning for the role, saying emphatically, “Oh, I wouldn’t make a good Hulk.”

We disagree, Kellan! We think anything that shows off your manly muscles is a good thing!

Russ Weakland

1. EXCLUSIVE VIDEO! You Could Have Bought Kellan Lutz For $3,700!
2. WATCH THIS! Ashley Greene Reveals R-Patz Is The Biggest Flirt Of All The Twilight Boys And Dishes Other On-Set Dirt!

Getty Images (2)

The place to be last night was The Boom Boom Room in NYC for the MET Gala after after party! TONS of celebs showed up!

Everyone who’s anyone was at the MET Gala last night … and  everyone who could stay up late made their way to New York City’s Boom Boom Room in the Standard Hotel afterwards!

Chris Pine, Leighton Meester, Sebastian Stan, Jude Law and Sienna Miller were there, along with other celebrity revelers like Paul Rudd, Edward Norton, Emma Roberts, Chloe Sevigny, Elizabeth Banks, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Zoe Saldana, Katy Perry, Rachel Zoe, and Marc Jacobs were there! Um …. can you say PARTY?

Sounds like a blast! We wonder went on inside that room last night!

Sorry, Edward — you can’t be good at everything!

Edward Norton, star of the upcoming movie Leaves of Grass, always finishes in second place — when it comes to kayaking that is. Though he loves the sport itself, he just can’t seem to beat his co-star, Josh Pais! We caught up with Josh on March 25 at the premiere of their upcoming movie in New York, and he admitted to HollywoodLife.com exclusively that Edward is a “very poor kayaker!”

When it comes to the battle for the finish line, Josh told us he always takes the lead. “I am by far” the better kayaker, he told us.

Though it seems there was a bit of competition between the two cast members, Josh said it “was really fun just hanging out,” and that he and Edward actually got very close!

During downtime, the cast (which also includes actresses Keri Russell and Lucy DeVito) spent many hours together getting to know each other: “We’ve gotten together for dinners and parties,” Josh told us. “Everyone really bonded.”

Sounds like one big happy family!

— Lindsey DiMattina

Oh no! Is Reggie Bush a Cheater too?…

Would You Rock Shades Designed by Gaga?…

Taylor Swift’s Love Triangle!…

HollywoodLife Gets Its ‘Jerseylicious’ On!…

Poor Sandra! Mistress Number 4 Revealed!…

Follow HollywoodLife.com on | Become a fan