THE GOLDEN GLOBES NOMINATIONS AND MORE AWARD NEWS

Although they have lost some of their luster over the last few years due to several scandals, the Golden Globes are back to reclaim their status as the first major awards organization to start shaping the conversation for which films could potentially win awards. "Emilia Pérez" leads in film nominations with ten, following with "The Brutalist" at seven and "Conclave" with six. There is a new film category this year (which the Oscars had flirted with but backed away from a few years ago) with Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement, which apparently is supposed to honor movies that made a lot of money in theaters last year but wouldn't be recognized in the Best Motion Picture categories. I guess it's not much different from separating the Drama and Musical/Comedy in some of the categories but this addition still seems silly to me.

Viola Davis, the Oscar and a Golden Globe winning performer, will receive this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award. The 80th Golden Globes will be hosted by Nikki Glaser on January 5, 2025, at the Beverly Hilton and presented live on CBS.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2024 Golden Globes Awards (Film):

Best Motion Picture – Drama:

"The Brutalist"
"A Complete Unknown"
"Conclave"
"Dune: Part Two"
"Nickel Boys"
"September 5"

Best Motion Picture – Musical Or Comedy:

"Anora"
"Challengers"
"Emilia Pérez"
"A Real Pain"
"The Substance"
"Wicked"

Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement:

"Alien: Romulus"
"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
"Deadpool & Wolverine"
"Gladiator II"
"Inside Out 2"
"Twisters"
"Wicked"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Director – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Edward Berger, "Conclave"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Payal Kapadia, "All We Imagine as Light"

Best Screenplay – Motion Picture:

Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold, "The Brutalist"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Coralie Fargeat, "The Substance"
Peter Straughan, "Conclave"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Pamela Anderson, "The Last Showgirl"
Angelina Jolie, "Maria"
Nicole Kidman, "Babygirl"
Tilda Swinton, "The Room Next Door"
Fernanda Torres, "I’m Still Here"
Kate Winslet, "Lee"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Cynthia Erivo, "Wicked"
Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Zendaya, "Challengers"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama:

Adrien Brody, "The Brutalist"
Timothée Chalamet, "A Complete Unknown"
Daniel Craig, "Queer"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Ralph Fiennes, "Conclave"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy:

Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Hugh Grant, "Heretic"
Gabriel Labelle, "Saturday Night"
Jesse Plemons, "Kinds Of Kindness"
Glen Powell, "Hit Man"
Sebastian Stan, "A Different Man"

Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Selena Gomez, "Emilia Pérez"
Ariana Grande, "Wicked"
Felicity Jones, "The Brutalist"
Margaret Qualley, "The Substance"
Isabella Rossellini, "Conclave"
Zoe Saldaña, "Emilia Pérez"

Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role In Any Motion Picture:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Edward Norton, "A Complete Unknown"
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist"
Jeremy Strong, "The Apprentice"
Denzel Washington, "Gladiator II"

Best Motion Picture – Animated:

"Flow"
"Inside Out 2"
"Memoir of a Snail" "Moana 2"
"Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl"
"The Wild Robot"

Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language:

"All We Imagine as Light" (USA/France/India)
"Emilia Pérez" (France)
"The Girl With The Needle" (Poland/Sweden/Denmark)
"I’m Still Here" (Brazil)
"The Seed of the Sacred Fig" (USA/Germany) 

"Vermiglio" (Italy)

Best Original Score – Motion Picture:

Volker Bertelmann, "Conclave"
Daniel Blumberg, "The Brutalist"
Kris Bowers, "The Wild Robot"
Clément Ducol and Camille, "Emilia Pérez"
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
Hans Zimmer, "Dune: Part Two"

Best Original Song – Motion Picture:

"Beautiful That Way" from "The Last Showgirl" (Music & Lyrics By Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus and Lykke Zachrisson)
"Compress / Repress" from "Challengers" (Music & Lyrics By Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross and Luca Guadagnino)
"El Mal" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard)
"Forbidden Road" from "Better Man" (Music & Lyrics By Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek)
"Kiss the Sky" from "The Wild Robot" (Music & Lyrics By Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack and Ali Tamposi)
"Mi Camino" from "Emilia Pérez" (Music & Lyrics By: Clément Ducol and Camille)

For the 50th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, "Anora" went away with three awards including Best Picture. The film's star, Mickey Madison received Best Leading Performance along with Marianne Jean-Baptiste for her turn in "Hard Truths". The Best Supporting Performance went to Yura Borisov as a sympathetic thug in "Anora" and Kieran Culkin for his work in "A Real Pain".

Here are the winners of the 2024 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Picture: "Anora"
Best Director: Mohammad Rasoulof, "The Seed of the Sacred Fig"
Best Screenplay: Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Best Leading Performances: Marianne Jean-Baptiste, "Hard Truths" and Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Best Supporting Performances: Yura Borisov, "Anora" and Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Best Film Not in English Language: "All We Imagine as Light"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "No Other Land"
Best Animation: "Flow"
Best Cinematography: Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Best Editing (Tie): Nicholas Monsour, "Nickel Boys" and Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Best Production Design: Judy Becker, "The Brutalist"
Best Music Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Challengers"
New Generation Award: Vera Drew, "The People’s Joker"
Career Achievement Award: John Carpenter

Jacques Audiard’s "Emilia Pérez" was the big winner at the 37th annual European Film Awards, winning all five of its nominations including Best Film. Held on December 7th in Lucerne, Switzerland, Audiard won Best Director and Best Screenplay while Karla Sofia Gascón received the Best Actress prize, making her the first trans actor to win this award.

Here are the winners of the 2024 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Director: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Screenplay: Jacques Audiard, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actress: Karla Sofía Gascón, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Actor: Abou Sangare, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane's Story)" (France)
Best European Documentary: No Other Land (Palestine, Norway)
Best European Animated Feature Film: "Straume (Flow)" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
Best European Cinematography: Benjamin Kračun, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
Best European Editing: Juliette Welfling, "Emilia Pérez" (France)
Best European Production Design: Jagna Dobesz, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden) 

Best European Original Score: Frederikke Hoffmeier, "Pigen med nålen (The Girl With The Needle)" (Denmark, Poland, Sweden)
Best European Sound: Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak, Samuel Aïchoun and Rodrigo Diaz, "L'Histoire de Souleymane (Souleymane’s Story)" (France)
Best European Costume Design: Tanja Hausner, "Des Teufels Bad (The Devil's Bath)" (Germany)
Best European Make-up & Hair: Evalotte Oosterop, " Ljósbrot (When The Light Breaks)" (Iceland)
Best European Visual Effects: Bryan Jones, Pierre Procoudine-Gorsky, Chervin Shafaghi and Guillaume Le Gouez, "The Substance" (UK, United States, France)
European Achievement in World Cinema: Isabella Rossellini

And the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which honors the best of the year in indie cinema, unveiled their nominations with "Anora" and "I Saw the TV Glow" leading the field with six noms apiece including Best Feature. The other nominees for Best Feature are the historical drama based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, "Nickel Boys"; the prison reform through the arts drama, "Sing Sing" and the body-horror movie, "The Substance". The 40th annual Spirit Awards will be held on February 22, 2025, at the Santa Monica beach with former SNL member, Aidy Bryant returning as host.

Here are the 2024 nominations of the Film Independent Spirit Awards (Cinema):

Best Feature:

"Anora"
"I Saw The TV Glow"
"Nickel Boys"
"Sing Sing"
"The Substance"

Best Director:

Ali Abbasi, "The Apprentice"
Sean Baker, "Anora"
Brady Corbet, "The Brutalist"
Alonso Ruizpalacios, "La Cocina"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best Screenplay:

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, "Heretic"
Jesse Eisenberg, "A Real Pain"
Megan Park, "My Old Ass"
Aaron Schimberg, "A Different Man"
Jane Schoenbrun, "I Saw the TV Glow"

Best First Feature:

"Didi"
"In the Summers"
"Janet Planet"
"The Piano Lesson"
"Problemista"

Best First Screenplay:

Joanna Arnow, "The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed"
Annie Baker, "Janet Planet"
India Donaldson, "Good One"
Julio Torres, "Problemista"
Sean Wang, "Dìdi"

Best Lead Performance:

Amy Adams, "Nightbitch"
Ryan Destiny, "The Fire Inside"
Colman Domingo, "Sing Sing"
Keith Kupferer, "Ghostlight"
Mikey Madison, "Anora"
Demi Moore, "The Substance"
Hunter Schafer, "Cuckoo"
Justice Smith, "I Saw the TV Glow"
June Squibb, "Thelma"
Sebastian Stan, "The Apprentice"

Best Supporting Performance:

Yura Borisov, "Anora"
Joan Chen, "Dìdi"
Kieran Culkin, "A Real Pain"
Danielle Deadwyler, "The Piano Lesson"
Carol Kane, "Between the Temples"
Karren Karagulian, "Anora"
Kani Kusruti, "Girls Will Be Girls"
Brigette Lundy-Paine, "I Saw the TV Glow"
Clarence Maclin, "Sing Sing"
Adam Pearson, "A Different Man"

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Isaac Krasner, "Big Boys"
Katy O’Brian, "Love Lies Bleeding"
Mason Alexander Park, "National Anthem"
René Pérez Joglar, "In the Summers"
Maisy Stella, "My Old Ass"

Best International Film:

"All We Imagine as Light" (France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg)
"Black Dog" (China)
"Flow" (Latvia, France, Belgium)
"Green Border" (Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium)
"Hard Truths" (United Kingdom)

Best Documentary:

"Gaucho Gaucho"
"Hummingbirds"
"No Other Land"
"Patrice: The Movie"
"Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat"

Best Cinematography:

Dinh Duy Hung, "Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell"
Jomo Fray, "Nickel Boys"
Maria von Hausswolff, "Janet Planet"
Juan Pablo Ramírez, "La Cocina"
Rina Yang, "The Fire Inside"

Best Editing:

Laura Colwell and Vanara Taing, "Jazzy"
Olivier Bugge Coutté and Olivia Neergaard-Holm, "The Apprentice"
Anne McCabe, "Nightbitch"
Hansjörg Weißbrich, "September 5"
Arielle Zakowski, "Dìdi"

The Producers Award:

Alex Coco
Sarah Winshall
Zoë Worth

Truer Than Fiction Award (presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition):

Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie, "Sugarcane"
Carla Gutiérrez, "Frida"
Rachel Elizabeth Seed, "A Photographic Memory"

John Cassavettes Award (presented to the best feature made for under $1,000,000):

"Big Boys"
"Ghostlight"
"Girls Wille Be Girls"
"Jazzy"
"The People’s Joker"

Robert Altman Award (presented to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast): "His Three Daughters"

THE RETURN OF THE GOLDEN GLOBES AND OTHER AWARD NEWS

After going off the air last year due to the outrage over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's controversial practices surrounding its governing and the make-up of their members, it appeared like the Golden Globes might be over. The group seemed to have made an effort to boost the racial and ethnic diversity of their membership and banning the practice of members accepting gifts but will it be enough to convince the industry that the HFPA has actually changed?

Regardless, the Golden Globes seem poised to return to business as usual with the announcement of their nominations for the year's best in film and television. In the motion picture section, "The Banshees of Inisherin", Martin McDonagh's Irish comedy, led with eight nominations, followed by the breakout indie, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" with six, the Brad Pitt/Margot Robbie period drama, "Babylon" and the Steven Spielberg-directed family drama, "The Fabelmans" with five.

One good thing about the Globes is that it does bring attention to great performances in little seen films that may get overlooked during award season. And they did not disappoint this year by recognizing the outstanding work of the British acting vets, Lesley Manville and Emma Thompson in their indie films, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris" and "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande"; Jeremy Pope's amazing turn in "The Inspection", the captivating Dolly De Leon in "Triangle of Sadness" and the fine supporting performances of Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan in "The Banshees of Inisherin".

Eddie Murphy was selected to receive this year's Cecil B. DeMille Award, celebrating the actor and stand-up comedian's lasting impact on film and television. And Ryan Murphy will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award. The writer, producer and director behind "Nip/Tuck", "Glee", "American Horror Story" and "Pose" was chosen for his body of work and the lasting impact of his television career achievements. The 80th annual Golden Globes will be held January 10, 2023 live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills with first-time host, Jerrod Carmichael. NBC and Peacock will air the ceremony although this is the final telecast under the HFPA's current contract with the network. No word at this time if it will be renewed.

Here is the list of the 2022 Golden Globes (Motion Picture):

Best Motion Picture (Drama):

"Avatar: The Way of Water"
"Elvis"
"The Fabelmans"
"Tár"
"Top Gun: Maverick"

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy):

"Babylon"
"The Banshees of Inisherin"
"Everything Everywhere All at Once"
"Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
"Triangle of Sadness"

Best Director (Motion Picture):

James Cameron, "Avatar: The Way of Water"
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Baz Luhrmann, "Elvis"
Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Steven Spielberg, "The Fabelmans"

Best Screenplay (Motion Picture):

Todd Field, "Tár"
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, " Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Sarah Polley, "Women Talking"
Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, "The Fabelmans"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Cate Blanchett, "Tár"
Olivia Colman, "Empire of Light"
Viola Davis, "The Woman King"
Ana de Armas, "Blonde"
Michelle Williams, "The Fabelmans"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Lesley Manville, "Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris"
Margot Robbie, "Babylon"
Anya Taylor-Joy, "The Menu"
Emma Thompson, "Good Luck to You, Leo Grande"
Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Austin Butler, "Elvis"
Brendan Fraser, "The Whale"
Hugh Jackman, "The Son"
Bill Nighy, "Living"
Jeremy Pope, "The Inspection"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Diego Calva, "Babylon"
Daniel Craig, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
Adam Driver, "White Noise"
Colin Farrell, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Ralph Fiennes, "The Menu"

Best Supporting Actress (Motion Picture):

Angela Bassett, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
Kerry Condon, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Jamie Lee Curtis, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Dolly De Leon, "Triangle of Sadness"
Carey Mulligan, "She Said"

Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture):

Brendan Gleeson, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Barry Keoghan, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Brad Pitt, "Babylon"
Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Eddie Redmayne, "The Good Nurse"

Best Picture (Non-English Language):

"All Quiet on the Western Front" (Germany)
"Argentina, 1985" (Argentina)
"Close" (Belgium)
"Decision to Leave" (South Korea)
"RRR" (India)

Best Motion Picture (Animated):

"Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
"Inu-Oh"
"Marcel the Shell With Shoes On"
"Puss in Boots: The Last Wish"
"Turning Red"

Best Original Score (Motion Picture):

Carter Burwell, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Alexandre Desplat, "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
Hildur Guðnadóttir, "Women Talking"
Justin Hurwitz, "Babylon"
John Williams, "The Fabelmans"

Best Original Song (Motion Picture):

Taylor Swift, "Carolina" from "Where the Crawdads Sing"
Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro, "Ciao Papa" from "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
Lady Gaga, BloodPop and Benjamin Rice, "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick"
Tems, Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna and Ryan Coogler, "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"
Kala Bhairava, M. M. Keeravani and Rahul Sipligunj, "Naatu Naatu" from "RRR"

The Los Angeles Film Critics had a tie in Best Picture this year with "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tár" sharing the prize, making this the fourth time the group had a tie in their forty-eight year history. The LAFC also introduced gender-neutral acting categories this year but selected a male and a female winner in Lead Performance and Supporting Performance, making this not really much different from previous years.

Here are the winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best Picture: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tár" (tie)
Best Director: Todd Field, "Tár"
Best Screenplay: Todd Field, "Tár"
Leading Performances: Cate Blanchett, "Tár" and Bill Nighy, "Living"
Supporting Performances: Dolly De Leon, "Triangle of Sadness" and Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Foreign Language: "EO"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed"
Best Animation: "Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio"
Best Cinematography: Michal Dymek, "EO"
Best Editing: Blair McClendon, "Aftersun"
Best Production Design: Dylan Cole and Ben Procter, "Avatar: The Way of Water"
Best Music Score: M.M. Keeravani, "RRR"
New Generation Award: Davy Chou and Park Ji-Min, "Return to Seoul"
Career Achievement Award: Claire Denis

Ruben Östlund and his black comedy satire involving class and the wealthy, "Triangle of Sadness" was the big winner at the 35th annual European Film Awards, handed out on December 10th in Reykjavík, Iceland, winning four awards including Best Film. Vicky Krieps received Best European Actress for her irreverent turn as Empress Elisabeth of Austria in "Corsage", a historical drama which is due to be released in the US on December 23rd. And German actress and filmmaker, Margarethe von Trotta received the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Here are the winners of the 2022 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Triangle of Sadness"
Best European Director: Ruben Östlund, "Triangle of Sadness"
Best European Screenwriter: Ruben Östlund, "Triangle of Sadness"
Best European Actor: Zlatko Burić, "Triangle of Sadness"
Best European Actress: Vicky Krieps, "Corsage"
Best European Comedy: "The Good Boss"
Best European Documentary: "Mariupolis 2"
Best European Animated Feature Film: "No Dogs or Italians Allowed"
Best European Short Film: "Granny’s Sexual Life"

AWARD SEASON NEWS

The 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced and "Zola", Janicza Bravo's dark comedy about a stripper's trip to Florida that takes a very ugly turn, leads the field with seven noms including Best Feature. The other films vying for the top prize include "The Novice" a twisted thriller of an obsessive college freshman joining her university's rowing team, that received five nominations; "The Lost Daughter", actress, Maggie Gyllenhaal's directorial debut with an adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s novel, scored four nominations; "A Chiara" an Italian-language family drama and the latest from Mike Mills, "C’mon C’mon" which stars Joaquin Phoenix as a radio journalist traveling the country and his relationship with his young nephew. In order to be eligible for a Spirit Award, films must be under the specific budget of $22.5 million. The 2021 Spirit Awards are planned to return to an in-person event on March 6th at the beach in Santa Monica and broadcast live on IFC.

Here is the complete list of the nominations of the 2021 Film Independent Spirit Awards:

Best Feature:

"A Chiara"
"C’mon C’mon"
"The Lost Daughter"
"The Novice"
"Zola"

Best Director:

Janicza Bravo, "Zola"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
Lauren Hadaway, "The Novice"
Mike Mills, "C’mon C’mon"
Ninja Thyberg, "Pleasure"

Best Screenplay:

Nikole Beckwith, "Together Together"
Janicza Bravo and Jeremy O. Harris, "Zola"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
Mike Mills, "C’mon C’mon"
Todd Stephens, "Swan Song"

Best Female Lead:

Isabelle Fuhrman, "The Novice"
Brittany S. Hall, "Test Pattern"
Patti Harrison, "Together Together"
Taylour Paige, "Zola"
Kali Reis, "Catch the Fair One"

Best Male Lead:

Clifton Collins Jr., "Jockey"
Frankie Faison, "Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain"
Michael Greyeyes, "Wild Indian"
Udo Kier, "Swan Song"
Simon Rex, "Red Rocket"

Best Supporting Female:

Jessie Buckley, "The Lost Daughter"
Amy Forsyth, "The Novice"
Ruth Negga, "Passing"
Revika Reustle, "Pleasure"
Suzanna Son, "Red Rocket"

Best Supporting Male:

Colman Domingo, "Zola"
Meeko Gattuso, "Queen of Glory"
Troy Kotsur, "CODA"
Will Patton, "Sweet Thing"
Chaske Spencer, "Wild Indian"

Best International Film:

"Compartment No. 6" (Finland/Russia)
"Drive My Car" (Japan)
"Parallel Mothers" (Spain)
"Pebbles" (India)
"Petite Maman" (France)
"Prayers for the Stolen" (Mexico)

Best Documentary:

"Ascension"
"Flee"
"In The Same Breath"
"Procession"
"Summer of Soul"

Best Cinematography:

Ante Cheng and Matthew Chuang, "Blue Bayou"
Lol Crawley, "The Humans"
Tim Curtin, "A Chiara"
Edu Grau, "Passing"
Ari Wegner, "Zola"

Best Editing:

Affonso Gonçalves,"A Chiara"
Ali Greer, "The Nowhere Inn"
Lauren Hadaway and Nathan Nugent, "The Novice"
Joi McMillon, "Zola"
Enrico Natale, "The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain"

Best First Feature:

"7 Days"
"Holler"
"Queen of Glory"
"Test Pattern"
"Wild Indian"

Best First Screenplay:

Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr., "Wild Indian"
Matt Fifer, Story by Sheldon D. Brown, “Cicada"
Shatara Michelle Ford, "Test Pattern"
Fran Kranz, "Mass"
Michael Sarnoski, Story by Vanessa Block and Michael Sarnoski, "Pig"

John Cassavetes Award (awarded to the best feature made for under $500,000):

"Cryptozoo"
"Jockey"
"Shiva Baby"
"Sweet Thing"
"This is Not a War Story"

The Someone to Watch Award (recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition):

Alex Camilleri, "Luzzu"
Gillian Wallace Horvat, "I Blame Society"
Michael Sarnoski, "Pig"

The Truer Than Fiction Award (awarded to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition):

Angelo Madsen Minax, "North By Current"
Jessica Beshir, "Faya Dayi"
Debbie Lum, "Try Harder!"

Robert Altman Award (awarded to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast) "Mass"

Jasmila Žbanić’s "Quo Vadis, Aida?" was the big winner at the 34th annual European Film Awards, receiving the Best European Film as well as Best European Director and Best European Actress for lead, Jasna Đuričić. This drama, which was nominated for a Best International Feature Oscar at last year's Academy Awards, tells the story of a brave woman’s fight to save her family during the Bosnian War genocide in Srebrenica. Anthony Hopkins won Best European Actor for his brilliant performance in "The Father" along with the film's screenwriters, Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton For Best European Screenwriter, all winning Oscars for their work earlier this year. And "Flee", the animated documentary from Danish filmmaker, Jonas Poher Rasmussen, took both Best European Animated Feature Film and Best European Documentary. This film about a man originally from Afghanistan who shares his hidden past about the arduous journey of fleeing his country could potentially repeat this feat at this year's Oscars as it is shortlisted in both categories as well as Best International Feature.

Here is the list of winners from the 2021 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Quo Vadis, Aida?"
Best European Director: Jasmila Žbanić, "Quo Vadis, Aida?"
Best European Screenwriter: Florian Zeller & Christopher Hampton, "The Father"
Best European Actress: Jasna Đuričić, "Quo Vadis, Aida?"
Best European Actor: Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"
Best European Comedy: "Ninjababy"
Best European Documentary: "Flee"
Best European Animated Feature Film: "Flee"
Best European Cinematography: Crystel Fournier, "Great Freedom"
Best European Editing: Mukharam Kabulova, "Unclenching The Fists"
Best European Production Design: Marton Agh, "Natural Light"
Best European Original Score: Nils Petter Molvaer and Peter Brotz-Mann, "Great Freedom"
Best European Sound: Gisle Tveito and Gustaf Berger, "The Innocents"
Best European Visual Effects: Peter Hjorth and Fredrik Nord, "Lamb"
Best European Costume Design: Michael O’Connor, "Ammonite"
Best European Make-Up & Hair: Flore Masson, Olivier Alfonso and Antoine Mancini, "Titane"
Best European Discovery (Prix Fipresci): Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"

And the scandal-plagued Hollywood Foreign Press Association have announced their nominations for the 2022 Golden Globe Awards. This secretive group of international critics had run in to trouble earlier in the year due to a long history of corruption in the group and their lack of diversity amongst their ranks. They tried to repair the damage with a series of reforms including admitting new members and hiring a new chief diversity officer. But despite their efforts, the HFPA have continued to struggle with their event. NBC is apparently declining to air the award show along with agents and publicists still planning on having their clients boycott the Globes. I guess we will have to see how this will shake out as the Golden Globes will be announcing their winners on January 9th in some capacity.

Here is the complete list of the 2022 Golden Globe nominations in film:

Best Motion Picture (Drama):

"Belfast"
"CODA"
"Dune"
"King Richard"
"The Power of the Dog"

Best Picture (Musical or Comedy):

"Cyrano"
"Don’t Look Up"
"Licorice Pizza"
"Tick, Tick … Boom!"
“West Side Story"

Best Director (Motion Picture):

Kenneth Branagh, "Belfast"
Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
Maggie Gyllenhaal, "The Lost Daughter"
Steven Spielberg, "West Side Story"
Denis Villeneuve, "Dune"

Best Screenplay (Motion Picture):

Paul Thomas Anderson, "Licorice Pizza"
Kenneth Branagh, "Belfast"
Jane Campion, "The Power of the Dog"
Adam McKay, "Don’t Look Up"
Aaron Sorkin, "Being the Ricardos"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama)

Jessica Chastain, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"
Olivia Colman, "The Lost Daughter"
Nicole Kidman, "Being the Ricardos"
Lady Gaga, "House of Gucci"
Kristen Stewart, "Spencer"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Marion Cotillard, "Annette"
Alana Haim, "Licorice Pizza"
Jennifer Lawrence, "Don’t Look Up"
Emma Stone, "Cruella"
Rachel Zegler, "West Side Story"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama):

Mahershala Ali, "Swan Song"
Javier Bardem, "Being the Ricardos"
Benedict Cumberbatch, "The Power of the Dog"
Will Smith, "King Richard"
Denzel Washington, "The Tragedy of Macbeth"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy):

Leonardo DiCaprio, "Don’t Look Up"
Peter Dinklage, "Cyrano"
Andrew Garfield, "Tick, Tick … Boom!"
Cooper Hoffman, "Licorice Pizza"
Anthony Ramos, "In the Heights"

Best Supporting Actor (Motion Picture):

Ben Affleck, "he Tender Bar"
Jamie Dornan, "Belfast"
Ciarán Hinds, "Belfast"
Troy Kotsur, "CODA"
Kodi Smit-McPhee, "The Power of the Dog"

Best Supporting Actress (Motion Picture):

Caitríona Balfe, "“Belfast"
Ariana DeBose. "West Side Story"
Kirsten Dunst, "The Power of the Dog"
Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard"
Ruth Negga, "Passing"

Best Picture (Foreign Language):

“Compartment No. 6” (Finland/Russia/Germany)
“Drive My Car” (Japan)
“The Hand of God” (Italy)
"A Hero" (France/Iran)
"Parallel Mothers" (Spain)

Best Motion Picture (Animated):

"Encanto"
"Flee"
"Luca"
"My Sunny Maad"
"Raya and the Last Dragon"

Best Original Score (Motion Picture):

Alexandre Desplat, "The French Dispatch"
Germaine Franco, "Encanto"
Jonny Greenwood, "The Power of The Dog"
Alberto Iglesias, "Parallel Mothers"
Hans Zimmer, "Dune"

Best Original Song (Motion Picture):

"Be Alive" from “King Richard” -  Beyoncé Knowles-Carter and Dixson
"Dos Orugitas" from "Encanto"  - Lin-Manuel Miranda
"Down to Joy" from "Belfast"  - Van Morrison
"Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)" from "Respect"  - Jamie Hartman, Jennifer Hudson and Carole King
"No Time to Die" from "No Time to Die"  - Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

AWARD SEASON NEWS

Film critics are beginning to announce their selections for the best in cinema in 2020. The LA Film Critics Association selected yesterday "Small Axe", a collection of five films directed by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen, as Best Picture and Best Cinematography for Shabier Kirchner who filmed all five parts. While last week, The New York Film Critics Circle picked "First Cow", Kelly Reichardt's 19th century drama about a cook heading out West seeking his fortune, as Best Film while the Boston Society of Film Critics selected as their Best Picture, "Nomadland", which stars Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves her small town to travel around the American West from Chloé Zhao, who also won Best Director here and with New York.

Other films being recognized by these groups and generating some early buzz are the film adaptation of August Wilson's play, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" and it's stars, Viola Davis, Glynn Turman and the late, Chadwick Boseman; writer/director, Emerald Fennell's feature film debut, "Promising Young Woman" which stars Carey Mulligan; "Never Rarely Sometimes Always", a drama from writer/director, Eliza Hittman, that follows a teenager making the difficult decision to end her unplanned pregnancy and "Wolfwalkers", the hand-drawn animated feature film about the unlikely friendship between an apprentice wolf hunter and a mysterious young girl who has the ability to transform into a wolf by night.

And the European Film Awards selected their winners with Thomas Vinterberg's "Another Round" sweeping the major awards with Best European Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter (for Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm) and Best Actor for star, Mads Mikkelsen.

Winners from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best Picture: "Small Axe" (all five films)
Best Director: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"
Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Supporting Actress: Yuh-jung Youn, "Minari"
Best Supporting Actor: Glynn Turman, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction: "Time"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Beanpole"
Best Animated Film: "Wolfwalkers"
Best Cinematography: Shabier Kirchner, "Small Axe" (all films)
Best Editing: Yorgos Lamprinos, "The Father"
Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt, "Mank"
Best Music/Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Soul"
New Generation Prize: Radha Blank, "The Forty-Year-Old Version"

Winners from the New York Film Critics Circle:

Best Film: "First Cow"
Best Director: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Actress: Sidney Flanagan, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Actor: Delroy Lindo, "Da 5 Bloods"
Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
Best Supporting Actor: Chadwick Boseman, "Da 5 Bloods" 

Best First Film: "The 40 Year Old Version"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "Bacurau"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "Time"
Best Animated Film: "Wolfwalkers"
Best Cinematography: Shabier Kirchner, "Small Axe" (all films)

Winners from the Boston Society of Film Critics:

Best Picture: "Nomadland"
Best Director: Chloe Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"
Best New Filmmaker: Florian Zeller, "The Father"
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"
Best Actress: Sidney Flanigan, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung, "Minari"
Best Ensemble Cast: "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Documentary: "Collective"
Best Non-English Language Film: "La Llorona"
Best Animated Film: "The Wolf House"
Best Cinematography: Joshua James Richards, "Nomadland"
Best Film Editing: Robert Frazen, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"
Best Original Score: Emile Mosseri, "Minari"

Winners of the 2020 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Another Round"
Best European Director: Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"
Best European Screenwriter: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, "Another Round"
Best European Actress: Paula Beer, "Undine"
Best European Actor: Mads Mikkelsen, "Another Round"
Best European Discovery (Prix Fipresci): Carlo Sironi, "Sole"
Best European Comedy: "The Big Hit"
Best European Documentary: "Collective"
Best European Animated Feature: "Josep"
Best European Short Film: "All Cats Are Grey in the Dark"
Best European Cinematography: Matteo Cocco, "Hidden Away"
Best European Editing: Maria Fantastica Valmori, "Once More Unto the Breach"
Best European Production Design: Cristina Casali, "The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Best European Costume Design: Ursula Patzak, "Hidden Away"
Best European Make-Up & Hair: Yolanda Piña, Félix Terrero and Nacho Diaz, "The Endless Trench"
Best European Original Score: Dascha Dauenhauer, "Berlin Alexanderplatz"
Best European Sound: Yolande Decarsin, Kristian Selin and Eidnes Andersens, "Little Girl"
Best European Visual Effects: Inaki Madariaga, "The Platform"
EFA Award for Innovative Storytelling: Mark Cousins, "Women Make Films"

AWARD SEASON 2020 BEGINS

As COVID-19 continues to ravage society and forcing people to consider a return to sheltering in place, it was questionable whether award season would be able to proceed due to many films being delayed and a large number of theaters across the country forced to remain shut down. And those films that did manage to be released through streaming and drive-in theaters found a far more limited audience due to a lack of major promotion. Without a certain amount of buzz to generate attention, most people are not even aware of these feature films, particularly indie fare.

But surprisingly award season appears to be starting with a trickle as the IFP Gotham and The European Film Academy have announced nominations for their awards. The Gotham Awards, which recognizes the best of independent cinema, unveiled its nominees for this year and, as a major first, all five of the nominated films for Best Feature were directed by women. One of those nominees, Kelly Reichardt’s period drama, "First Cow" leads with the most nods with four and includes Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Breakthrough Actor. The other nominees are Kitty Green for "The Assistant", Eliza Hittman for "Never Rarely Sometimes Always", Chloé Zhao for "Nomadland" and Natalie Erika James for "Relic". The 30th annual award ceremony will be held on January 11th, 2021 at their longtime home, Cipriani Wall Street, however without any in-person attendees.

The European Film Awards, which honors the best of cinema throughout the continent, will be a live-streamed ceremony and held on December 12, 2020. Danish filmmaker, Thomas Vinterberg and his comedy, "Another Round" leads the nominations with a total of four including Best Actor for Mads Mikkelsen who stars as a teacher who takes part in an experiment which requires him to be drunk all the time.

Here is the list of nominations for the 2020 IFP Gotham Awards:

Best Feature:

"The Assistant"
"First Cow"
"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
"Nomadland"
"Relic"

Best Screenplay:

Mike Makowsky, "Bad Education"
Jon Raymond and Kelly Reichardt, "First Cow"
Radha Blank, "The Forty-Year-Old Version"
Dan Sallitt, "Fourteen"
James Montague and Craig Sanger, "The Vast of Night"

Best Actress:

Nicole Beharie, "Miss Juneteenth"
Jessie Buckley, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"
Yuh-Jung Youn, "Minari"
Carrie Coon, "The Nest"
Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

Best Actor:

Riz Ahmed, "Sound of Metal"
Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Jude Law in "The Nest"
John Magaro, "First Cow"
Jesse Plemons, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award:

Radha Blank, "The Forty-Year-Old Version"
Channing Godfrey Peoples, "Miss Juneteenth"
Alex Thompson, "Saint Frances"
Carlo Mirabella-Davis, "Swallow"
Andrew Patterson, "The Vast of Night"

Breakthrough Actor Award:

Jasmine Batchelor, "The Surrogate"
Kingsley Ben-Adir, "One Night in Miami"
Sidney Flanigan, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Orion Lee, "First Cow"
Kelly O’Sullivan, "Saint Frances"

Best Documentary:

"76 Days"
"City Hall"
"Our Time Machine
"A Thousand Cuts"
"Time"

Best International Feature:

"Bacurau" (Brazil/France)
"Beanpole" (Russia)
"Mignonnes (Cuties)" (France)
"Identifying Features" (Mexico/Spain)
"Martin Eden" (Italy/France)
"Wolfwalkers" (Ireland)

Here are the nominations for the 2020 European Film Awards:

Best European Film:

"Another Round" (Denmark)
"Berlin Alexanderplatz" (Germany)
"Corpus Christi" (Poland)
"Martin Eden" (Italy/France)
"The Painted Bird" (Czechoslovakia)
"Undine" (Germany)

Best European Director:

Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"
Jan Komasa, "Corpus Christi"
Pietro Marcello, "Martin Eden"
Agnieszka Holland, "Charlatan"
Francois Ozon, "Summer Of 85" (France)
Maria Sødahl, "Hope" (Norway)

Best European Screenplay:

Martin Behnke and Burhan Qurbani, "Berlin Alexanderplatz"
Costa-Gavras, "Adults In The Room"
Damiano and Fabio D’Innocenzo, "Bad Tales"
Pietro Marcello and Maurizio Braucci, "Martin Eden"
Mateusz Pacewicz, "Corpus Christi"
Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, "Another Round"

Best European Actress:

Paula Beer, "Udine"
Natasha Berezhnaya, "Dau. Natasha"
Andrea Bræin Hovig, "Hope"
Ane Dahl Torp, "Charter"
Nina Hoss, "My Little Sister"
Marta Nieto, "Mother"

Best European Actor:

Bartosz Bielenia, "Corpus Christi"
Goran Bogdan, "Father"
Elio Germano, "Hidden Away"
Luca Marinelli, "Martin Eden"
Mads Mikkelsen, "Another Round"
Viggo Mortensen, "Falling"

Best European Documentary:

"Acasa, My Home"
"Collective"
"Gunda"
"Little Girl"
"Saudi Runaway"
"The Cave"

Best European Short Film:

"All Cats Are Grey In The Dark"
"Genius Loci"
"Past Perfect"
"Sun Dog"
"Uncle Thomas"
"Accounting For The Days"