The Circuit

Marc Abraham's "Flash of Genius" wins the Sloan Award from the Hamptons fest.  James Franco, Sally Hawkins, "Wall-E" and "Ironman" win at the Hollywood Film Festival.  The Gothams will honor Penelope Cruz.  "Slumdog Millionaire" wins Toronto's audience award.  Outfest will laud "Milk" producer Bruce Cohen.

We woke up this morning to find that awards season has begun.  The race to be one of the first to announce moves it up every year.  In the next few months, journos will be inudated with pressers, bloggers will keep score, camera crews from E! will bathe in overtime, celebs will shower in gifting suites.  It is a dark and strange time of year, when the only persons notable among the avalanche of statues are the ones who didn't get one.

Fests lucky enough to unspool in the fall and winter take every advantage of the season, throwing awards, honors, and tributes like Mardi Gras beads.  Just wait for the Santa Barbara vs. Palm Springs bout.  Always a bruiser.

But Outfest's honor, to benefit the LGBT film preservation, shows that even if your fest dates are in the summer, you can still get some of the action.  Look for that trend to continue.