Rome mart verifies expansion

ROME -- The Rome Film Festival Business Street mart wrapped Sunday, trumpeting its future expansion in to the Eternal City's Maxxi art museum and announcing those who win of their New Cinema Network co-production component, as some deals appeared. Its now official that beginning in 2012 Rome's informal mart uses the city's new contempo art center, created by star architect Zaha Hadid, for tests, conferences and confabs, alongside its current Via Veneto locations. The Rome mart's dazzling new digs are 500 yards in the fest's primary hub, the Renzo Piano-designed Auditorium, in Rome's Flaminio hood. Riccardo Tozzi, prexy of Italy's film association, ANICA, praised the move as "very good news that can make both festival and also the market change gears," throughout a presser within the museum with Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno attending. 5-day largely Euro-centric mart this season was attended by 280 purchasers and 93 sales companies with 116 game titles unspooling, 32 which were market premieres. First deals to trickle through are buzzed black comedy "Hotel Lux," by Leander Haussmann, offered by Bavaria Film to Italy's Archibald, and "Noordzee Texas," by Belgium's Bavo Duferne, acquired by Italo niche label Atlantide from Wavelength Pictures. Meanwhile, NCN introduced its winning co-production projects with "Off Frame," a docu by Mohanad Yaqubi concerning the Palestinian Film Unit, which created photos championing the Palestinian cause within the seventies, using the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, worth Pounds 30,000 ($41,000). The NCN Focus Europe Award visited "Human Song" by Belgian helmers Benedicte Lienard and Mary Jimenez. Lienard's well-received first work, "A bit of Sky," unspooled in Not Certain Regard at Cannes. Contact Nick Vivarelli at nvivarelli@gmail.com

Game 7 around the globe Series Bumps Fringe, Disturbs NBC Premieres

David Giuntoli, Josh Jackson Peter Bishop's go back to Fringe will need to wait another week. Take a look at what's on television within our entries guide Game 6 around the globe Series was pressed back each day due to rain on Wednesday. On Thursday, the St. Louis Cardinals beat the Texas Rangers to pressure a tie-breaking game to become performed Friday evening. Consequently, Fox will push new instances of Fringe and Kitchen Bad dreams to November. 4.Fall TV: Obtain the lowdown on all of the new shows Game 7 will even disruptthe final season premiere of NBC's Chuck (8/7c) along with the series premiere from the network's new story book cop drama Grimm (9/8c). Over on CBS, A Gifted Guy, CSI: NY and Blue Bloods happen to be changed by repeats. Are you going to watch baseball or take a look at regularly scheduled television?

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi to Open Vegan Restaurant (Exclusive)

Now that Bill Clinton and Alec Baldwin have jumped on the celebrity vegan bandwagon, Hollywood needs more vegan restaurants to add to Real Food Daily and Hollywood hangout Cafe Gratitude.our editor recommendsEllen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossis House Well, vegans Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are investing with singer Chrissie Hynde and producer Steve Bing in a new vegan restaurant that will open on Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley. PHOTOS: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's House In August, DeGeneres launched a new websiteGoing Vegan with Ellenthat includes recipes, frequently asked questions, resources and info on celebrities who have gone vegan (Mike Tyson, Lea Michele). Pre-eminent vegan chef Tal Ronnen will do the menu. Ronnen catered the couple's vegan wedding and also is known for preparing meals for a 21-day vegan cleanse undertaken by Oprah Winfrey in 2008. He's the author of the cookbook The Conscious Cook. VIDEO: Portia de Rossi Recalls Meeting Ellen DeGeneres on CBS Sunday Morning Designer Waldo Fernandez, who designed everything from interiors for Brad PItt and Anjelina Jolie and L.A.'s Soho House, will be creating the space, a rep for DeGeneres says. Related Topics Alec Baldwin Ellen DeGeneres Portia de Rossi Bill Clinton Chrissie Hynde Dining

Furious 'Sons of Anarchy' Creator Informs DirecTV Audiences 'You're Getting F---erectile dysfunction Over' Discloses Banned Script

Sons of Anarchy creator Kurt Sutter isn't someone to stay quiet for very lengthy and this time around, he's making his opinions heard around the carriage fight between satellite cable provider DirecTV and also the Fox Systems.our editor recommendsDirecTV Intends to drag Fox Systems Among Carriage DisputeFX Renews 'Sons of Anarchy' for Fifth Season'Sons of Anarchy' Record Rankings Prompt Kurt Sutters Go back to TwitterKurt Sutter Quits Twitter Days After Questionable Frank Darabont, 'Mad Men' Rant'The Walking Dead:' 'Sons of Anarchy's' Kurt Sutter Chimes on Frank Darabont's Firing'Sons of Anarchy' Kurt Sutter Talks Emmy Snubs and Season 4 Late a week ago, DirecTV told Fox Systems that it'll drop the channels Tuesday, November. 1 when the companies aren't able arrive at a contract within the ongoing carriage dispute. Later on that day, Fox stated it had offered extra time but that DirecTV "informed us as well as their clients that unless of course we accept their remainds, they 'will suspend our systems on November. 1.' " Based on DirecTV, Fox Systems is seeking a 40 % rise in its carriage costs. PHOTOS: Fall TV Dying Pool: Which New Shows Is Going To Be Axed? Sutter, whose Sons of Anarchy airs on Forex and it is in risk to be drawn in a few days should a contract 't be made, revealed on Monday he shot a promo he states "will air before Tuesday evening's episode" of his show. The purpose, he states, "would be to mobilize fans against DirecTV." But Sutter stated he "needed to follow an Forex legal script that felt like complete bullshit. I'm sure it'll serve it's purpose, however i feel compelled to allow SOA fans understand what I Needed to express.Inch VIDEOS: 'Sons of Anarchy' Red-colored Carpet Premiere Area of the script that Sutter claims he wasn't permitted to make use of, states, "Beginning November. 1, DirecTV is tugging Forex out of your box. Which means you'll miss the final five instances of Sons this year. Possibly five of the very critical instances of the series. I understand Fox includes a equine within this race, however they're attempting to negotiate in good belief. DirecTV is shutting lower all conversation and taking advantage of their clients as leverage. Along the way, you're getting f---erectile dysfunction over. They're running advertisements using their corporate shill suggesting just how much 'they worry about your company' that dude's got one sincere hands on his heart as the other greases your naive backside. Simply because they're going to switch you over and f--- you in the ass until you bleed. ... Let 'em know they are able to't f--- together with your Sons of Anarchy." VIDEOS: Emmy Roundtable: Drama Showrunners Sutter accepted that he's a cog inside a much bigger machine. "I'm knowledgeable that i'm working for the best-handed smoking guy," he authored. "The fact is, every large entertainment clients are extra time of some corporate behemoth. Forex isn't any exception. The one thing that keeps me there's they care just as much about creative process because they do their main point here. That's not just rare, it's virtually nonexistent otherwise in Hollywood. That bubble is sailed by [Forex chief] John Landgraf. Whether it weren't for your guy, I'd be selling star maps and handjobs while watching Motherlode." Fox's carriage agreement with DirecTV expired Sept. 30. Fox Systems includes Forex, National Geographic Funnel, 19 regional sport shows, Fox Movie Funnel, Speed, Fuel TV, Fox Soccer and Fox Deportes. Fox broadcast stations and Fox News Funnel aren't active in the discussions. Fox and it is parent company, News Corp., were involved with a dispute with Cablevision this past year and Fox channels were blacked on Dish Network in October 2010 among a dispute, throughout which Sutter known as Dish "whores" on Twitter. Related Subjects Sons of Anarchy Kurt Sutter

Netflix shares sink in early trading

Netflix shares plunged as the market opened Tuesday after being battered in pre-market trade following disappointing financial earnings and outlook on Monday afternoon.Shares of the once high-flying stock and Wall Street darling were down 35% at $76 as a handful of analysts cut their recommendations on the company. Janney Capital slapped a ''sell'' on the stock and slashed its price target to $51 from $102 saying Netflix' business model isn't sustainable given higher costs and a weakening subscriber base.In a QandA Monday, CEO Reed Hastings announced a halt to international expansion since it was eating into profits. He focused on content as the company's future but noted a competitive, shifting and fragmented landscape. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Moammar Gadhafi's 1989 Interview With Barbara Walters Released by ABC News (Video)

ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images Thinking about Moammar Gadhafi's March. 20 dying, ABC News has dipped into its vault to write one of the network's more unique interviews while using Libyan dictator. Within the height of his energy, within the month of the month of january 1989, Barbara Walters traveled to Tripoli for 25Or20 sit-lower interview Gadhafi. They met in the gaily-colored tent where the then 59-year-old broadcaster referred to as Gadhafi "crazy." STORY: Moammar Gadhafi's Dying: What Hollywood States "He was crazy as being a fox," Walters mentioned from the meeting, in the Thursday interview with George Stephanopoulos. "He thought he was the king in the whole Arab world." Inside the original clip, which ABC News has promoted heavily in the last 24 several hours, Walters known to her first impressions of Gadhafi. "The interview was carried out a tent he uses becoming an office," she mentioned. "He'd an interpreter, though he talks some British and made an appearance to understand my questions -- though he rarely looked me inside the eye." VIDEO: Gadhafi's Dying Predicted By 80s Sitcom Walters wound up getting fun from Gadhafi sooner or later, when she noted that his British was a lot better than his interpreter's. Still, the segment remains a largely uncomfortable window into Gadhafi's feelings towards America in those days, including his particular distaste for Leader Taxation. "Throughout my perspective, America includes two parts," he mentioned. "That's, the U . s . states people as well as the American administration ruling it... The U . s . states people, they are completely ignorant around the world completely plus other product comes near understanding in regards to the outdoors world. And sadly through the current years the American administration have an interest while using outdoors world in comparison towards the interior problems." STORY: CNN, MSNBC, Fox Air Nasty Cell Phone Video of Dead Gadhafi Gadhafi was adament he understood the U . s . states people "perfectly,Inch developing a special reason behind calling the media as "Zionists" set on showing an incorrect impression of him. "They'll show pictures of me alongside skulls, to dead physiques," he mentioned. "They are not reflecting the actual picture of me." video platformvideo managementvideo solutionsvideo player George Stephanopoulos ABC News Barbara Walters 20/20 Moammar Gadhafi

NBA Stars to Take Show on the Road During Lockout (Report)

Looking to make the most of a player lockout and as negotiations continue to save the NBA season, the league's top players may be taking their show on the road, with about 15 star players coming together for a four-stop world tour, ESPN reported Thursday.our editor recommends'Idol' winner to sing anthem at NBA FinalsLeBron James Defends Heat's NBA Championship Loss at Press Conference The players involved would include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amare Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, Blake Griffin, Russell Westbrook, Carlos Boozer, Paul Pierce and Kevin Love, the report said quoting sources, possibly also joined by Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett and Tyson Chandler. The four stops named would be Australia, London, Macau and Puerto Rico. Two games each would be played in Australia and London. Conducted outside of NBA auspices, the tour would be organized by Atlanta-based tycoon Calvin Darden, the report said. It would be the largest event of its kind ever put together during a lockout. Players stand to make up to $1 million each, although some plan to donate their proceeds to charity. The tour would be jeopardized by any resolution between the league and the players, with talks continuing this week. Related Topics International Asia NBA ESPN

The Caller

A Samuel Goldwyn Films (in U.S.) release of a Pimienta Film Co., the Salt Co., Alcove Entertainment in association with Head Gear Films, Metrol Technology presentation. (International sales: Bankside, London.) Produced by Amina Dasmal, Robin Fox, Piers Tempest, Luillo Ruiz. Executive producers, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Robert Bevan, Cyril Megret. Directed by Matthew Parkhill. Screenplay, Sergio Casci.With: Rachelle Lefevre, Stephen Moyer, Luis Guzman, Ed Quinn, Lorna Raver. (English, Spanish dialogue)A young woman answers a phone call from the past in "The Caller," a high-concept indie thriller that's low on budget but rich in atmosphere. Pic reps a belated follow-up to Brit helmer Matthew Parkhill's 2003 debut, "Dot the I," and feels like a calling card touting the potential of several cast and crew members, especially stars Rachelle Lefevre ("Twilight") and Stephen Moyer ("True Blood"), as well as Parkhill and d.p. Alexander Melman. Already booked at several fests, pic phoned it in theatrically with a limited Stateside release Aug. 26. Shot and set in Puerto Rico, the story opens with Mary Kee (Lefevre) moving into a shabby-chic apartment with her dog after having divorced her abusive husband, Steven (Ed Quinn), against whom she has a restraining order. Nevertheless, Steven menaces her with unexpected visits and other bits of stalkerish behavior, which Mary, annoyingly passive and wilting at first, seems powerless to stop. One night, Mary's old-fashioned rotary phone rings and she answers: The caller is Rose (Lorna Raver, "Drag Me to Hell"), a middle-aged-sounding woman looking for her cheating b.f., Bobby. Although Mary politely tells Rose he doesn't live there anymore, Rose keeps calling back, and the two develop a tentative phone friendship for a while, comparing notes on their man troubles. Only gradually does it dawn on Mary that Rose is calling from the year 1979; that she committed suicide not long after that, according to the building supervisor (the redoubtable Luis Guzman); and that the woman is a murderous nutjob. At least cute night school science teacher John (Moyer) is on hand to explain the nature of time and provide a love interest for Mary, but the poor guy is up against it with this many violent stalkers on the loose, lurking round the frequently dark corners of San Juan. Parkhill directs the scares in unexceptional textbook fashion, exploiting the use of sound with a particularly strong assist from an electro score by Unkle and Aidan Lavelle. But the helmer and lenser Melman do their best work with the swampy green visuals, which look creepily dank yet curiously pretty at the same time. Lefevre, a photogenic presence to start with, grows more compelling as her character develops some guts and goes through the wringer. Thanks largely to her perf and precise editing by Gabriel Coss, the ludicrously written finale has some emotional bite.Camera (color, HD), Alexander Melman; editor, Gabriel Coss; music, Unkle, Aidan Lavelle; production designer, Guifre Tort; art director, Wilhem Perez; sound (Dolby Digital), Diana Ortiz; re-recording mixer, Adam Severs; special effects coordinator, Charlie Bonilla; visual effects supervisor, Francisco Cueto; associate producer, Belly Torres; casting, Sharon Howard Field. Reviewed at Film4 Frightfest (Discovery), London, Aug. 27, 2011. (In Busan Film Festival -- Midnight Passion.) Running time: 88 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Pee-Wee, Potter, Vader Honored At Scream Awards

First Published: October 16, 2011 10:58 AM EDT Credit: Getty Images Caption Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman arrive at Spike TVs SCREAM 2011 awards held at Universal Studios on October 15, 2011UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. -- What do Harry Potter, Darth Vader, Pee-Wee Herman, Nicolas Cage and Robert Downey, Jr. have in common? All were honored at the Scream Awards, Spike TVs annual celebration of horror, fantasy, sci-fi and superheroes, held Saturday night on the Universal Studios backlot. The eight-part Potter film franchise was named the Ultimate Scream, which awards presenter Chloe Grace Moretz described as the most awesome, most rocking thing that the universe has ever seen. Star Wars creator George Lucas presented Vader with the Ultimate Villain award and announced that fans could see the Sith Lord on screen in 3-D in February. Herman, created by actor Paul Reubens, won the Visionary award. Cage accepted the Maverick award and Downey won the Hero award. The Scream Awards will be shown Tuesday on Spike TV. Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Oskar Eustis on Discovering a New Talent

Oskar Eustis on Discovering a New Talent October 12, 2011 Oska Eustis It must have been the fall of 1985. I was living in San Francisco, running the Eureka Theatre, and visiting NY. As always, I was trying to cram in as much theater as I could, and I was frustrated because I had arrived late at the Public Theater for some show (I don't remember which one) with an 8 o'clock curtain. There was a no-late-seating policy, and I thought I was out of luck."Actually," said my friend David Brisbin, "this is a great opportunity. Remember that kid, the NYU student I've been telling you about? He's got a show going up tonight in Chelseaand it's an 8:30 curtain."I grumbled all the way to 23rd Street, disgruntled at wasting one of my precious nights in NY on a play by a student writer-director. We arrived, sat down, and within half an hour I knew I was at a life-changing event. The play was "A Bright Room Called Day" the writer and director was Tony Kushner.Towards the end of the first act, several of the characters (including Husz, the one-eyed Hungarian cameraman) joined together in a spirited rendition of "The Internationale," the international communist anthem.Tony later told me that at intermission, the cast members were asking each other, "Who is that singing along in the audience?" It was me, of course. I had found a writer who not only was more brilliant and exciting than any I had ever encountered, but who shared my concerns, traditions, and values in a way that I had not thought possible.Many things have happened to Tony and me in the quarter-century since, but I have always been grateful for the Public's no-late-seating policy.Oskar Eustis is the artistic director of the Public Theater in NY and has worked as a director, dramaturge, and artistic director for theaters around the country. From 1981 through 1986, he was resident director and dramaturge at the Eureka Theatre Company in San Francisco, and artistic director until 1989, when he moved to L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum as associate artistic director until 1994. Eustis then served as artistic director at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, R.I., for 11 years. In 2005, he took the helm at the Public Theater. Oskar Eustis on Discovering a New Talent October 12, 2011 Oska Eustis It must have been the fall of 1985. I was living in San Francisco, running the Eureka Theatre, and visiting NY. As always, I was trying to cram in as much theater as I could, and I was frustrated because I had arrived late at the Public Theater for some show (I don't remember which one) with an 8 o'clock curtain. There was a no-late-seating policy, and I thought I was out of luck."Actually," said my friend David Brisbin, "this is a great opportunity. Remember that kid, the NYU student I've been telling you about? He's got a show going up tonight in Chelseaand it's an 8:30 curtain."I grumbled all the way to 23rd Street, disgruntled at wasting one of my precious nights in NY on a play by a student writer-director. We arrived, sat down, and within half an hour I knew I was at a life-changing event. The play was "A Bright Room Called Day" the writer and director was Tony Kushner.Towards the end of the first act, several of the characters (including Husz, the one-eyed Hungarian cameraman) joined together in a spirited rendition of "The Internationale," the international communist anthem.Tony later told me that at intermission, the cast members were asking each other, "Who is that singing along in the audience?" It was me, of course. I had found a writer who not only was more brilliant and exciting than any I had ever encountered, but who shared my concerns, traditions, and values in a way that I had not thought possible.Many things have happened to Tony and me in the quarter-century since, but I have always been grateful for the Public's no-late-seating policy.Oskar Eustis is the artistic director of the Public Theater in NY and has worked as a director, dramaturge, and artistic director for theaters around the country. From 1981 through 1986, he was resident director and dramaturge at the Eureka Theatre Company in San Francisco, and artistic director until 1989, when he moved to L.A.'s Mark Taper Forum as associate artistic director until 1994. Eustis then served as artistic director at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, R.I., for 11 years. In 2005, he took the helm at the Public Theater.

It's Like 'Sherlock Holmes' Meets 'Se7en': Watch the Trailer for 'The Raven'

You might not have thought a movie about a serial killer mimicking the works of Edgar Allen Poe would make for great cinema, but the trailer for 'The Raven' is here to prove otherwise. What initially seemed like a joke-y conceit -- John Cusack is Edgar Allen Poe -- looks kinda great. Or at least better than 'From Hell' and 'Sleepy Hollow.' Watch ahead. That's Luke Evans playing the Baltimore detective (you'll see him in 'Immortals' later this year) and Alice Eve as Poe's onscreen lady love. She's a long way from being Vince's arm-candy on 'Entourage.' 'The Raven' flies (ding!) into theaters on March 9, 2012. Watch the trailer in HD over at Apple. Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook RELATED

UPDATE: Apple Introduces apple iphone 4S, Souped-Up Features Concentrate On Simplicity Of Use

UPDATE: Apple just ended its press conference announcing the upgraded apple iphone. Better hardware, new operating-system, and on Sprint in addition to AT&T and Verizon — although not the newest apple iphone 5that some predicted. Available March. 14, wireless customers will have the ability to score a 64 gig version from the apple iphone 4Sfor $399,a 32 GB model for$299, and 16 GB for$199. Butthe cost for that 8 GB iPhone4has been cut to $99 as the 3GS is free of charge. The 4S will appear nearly the same as previous apple iphones and often will possess a dual core processor that handles graphics about seven occasions faster — great news for players. It will likely be a global phone, able to handle wireless calls sent via GSM or CDMA technologies. Your camera continues to be upgraded: 8 mega pixels with increased sensitive light processing andface recognition. The organization also spoken in the speed only a half second lag between shots. It'll handle 1080p hd video with image stabilization. Apple’s also looking forward to a brand new feature known as Siri: It'll answer verbal queries about, say, the elements, stock values, and restaurant reviews — and handle tasks for example making visits inside your calendar. Not surprisingly, the organization stated that it'll launch its iCloud service on March. 12. No discuss Facebook integration. Traders apparently expected more: The need for Apple shares rejected throughout the presentation and therefore are lower about 4.7% around an hour prior to the finish from the buying and selling day. PREVIOUS 2:10 AM: Super-secretive Applee-mailed “Let’s Talk apple iphone” invites to some 10 AM PT media event at its headquarters in Cupertino today. However it’s the very first major product unveiling that won’t be created by Jobs. Rather,his successor Tim Prepare is anticipated to provide what might be the apple iphone 5 and/or even the apple iphone 4S and/orApple’s latest iOS mobile software –iOS 5.Based on the AP,the most recent iPhonewill includewireless device setup and content syncing, a much better 8-megapixel camera, in addition to email and Web-browsing applications. Butthe new smartphone isn’t likely to lookmuch not the same as the apple iphone 4, though it may be thinner and also have a bigger screen. Deadline’s brother or sister site BGR.com states some industry viewers had wished fora completely new teardrop-formed apple iphone 5 with bigger display, insanely thin design, and much more. Now its searching like Apple may be set introducing a better apple iphone 4 rather. Bummer, right?Not ifApples apple iphone 4S isa pretty substantial bump instead of just an incremental update, as numerous are taking a chance. Incidents where thinkAppleis set to unveil in regards to a dozen various apple iphone models now, varying from the modest update inexpensively to some teardrop-formed overhaul which will have a 4-inch display along with a unibody aluminum design. Many industry viewers are predictinga more effective nick: Apple’s dual-core A5 processor, the sameused in the current iPad for enhanced multitasking, opening applications, and gaming. A brand new service known as iMessage allows iOS 5 customers to transmit texts to one another over Wi-Fi or wireless service providers’ data systems. A folder known as Newsstand will corral newspaper and magazine application monthly subscriptions in one location to really make it simpler to locate them.The newiPhone can also be likely to include Apple’s forthcoming iCloud service, that will store content for example music, documents, applications and photos on Apple’s servers and allow you to access them easily on numerous products. AP saysanalysts believeApple couldtrot out new apple ipods and updates toiTunes music software, so it usually does within the fall anyway.Regardless, the brand new software willbe readily available for Apple’s iPad, apple iphone 4 and 3GS and two of the most recent decades from the ipod device Touch. Janney Capital Marketplaces analyst Bill Choi thinks Apples success using the apple iphone continues to sky rocket. Choi believed lately that Apple will ship 87 million apple iphone models this season and 107 million throughout 2012, a 27% increase year-over-year. Apples growing quantity of company partners would be the primary catalyst for that growth, Choi stated, observing that 228 wireless service providers offered the apple iphone inside a total of 105 nations throughout the 3rd quarter of the year. You will find still a number of major service providers worldwide that haven't yet carry the apple iphone. Potential handles Sprint (52.1M customers), T-Mobile (33.6M customers), China Mobile (628M customers) along with other large worldwide service providers pose a catalyst to fuel apple iphone sales, Choi authored inside a research note. Meanwhile,the Wall Street Journal is confirming that Sprint has anagreement with Apple to buy over $20 billion price of apple iphones within the next 4 years, oraround $ 30 million apple iphones.

Jolie Appears At UN Refugee Agency Awards

First Published: October 3, 2011 5:39 PM EDT Credit: UNHCR/Getty Images Caption United Nations Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie visits Somali refugees at Shousha Camp, near the Tunis-Libyan border in Ras Djir, Tunisia, on April 5, 2011 GENEVA, Switzerland -- Angelina Jolie was almost reduced to tears Monday as she honored a Yemeni aid group at an awards ceremony which also recognized her work over the past decade as a U.N. refugee agency goodwill ambassador. Jolie took the stage to praise the Geneva-based agency and Yemens Society for Humanitarian Solidarity, which won the agencys top annual award for helping thousands of Somali refugees and migrants who flee for Yemen in smugglers boats across the perilous Gulf of Aden. The desperation fueled by a vicious combination of drought, famine and conflict has driven tens of thousands of people from the Horn of Africa, Jolie said. And we must not forget what is happening in this part of the world, she said. We must try to imagine how desperate these people must be, when their only alternative is to risk death at sea and put their lives in the hands of ruthless smugglers. Somalia has had transitional administrations for the past seven years. But it has lacked a functioning central government since 1991, when warlords overthrew a longtime dictator and then turned on each other, plunging the impoverished country into chaos. The transitional government, backed by African Union troops, has been fighting against al-Shabab insurgents Islamic militants who abandoned Mogadishu in early August but still hold much of southern Somalia, where tens of thousands are believed to have starved to death and tens of thousands more have fled or tried to flee in the hope of finding food. Jolie said the 290 staff of the Society for Humanitarian Solidarity, as well as its founder Nasser Salim Ali Al-Hamairy, deserve much credit for risking their own lives to save thousands of others each year. She said she looked forward to representing the UNHCR and its staff for another 10 years. Most of all Im so grateful I dont want to cry to the refugee families that I have the honor and privilege to spend the last years with, she said. From them Ive learned so much. Ive learned to be a better person, a better mother. Theyve inspired me by showing me the unbreakable strength of the human spirit. (Copyright 2011 by Associated Press) Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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