AWARD SEASON BEGINS

The season has officially begun to bestow awards on some of the most compelling, dazzling and moving works of cinema that were released this year. The first to be announced are from a wide section of regional film critic groups who will bring attention to films and performances that should be recognized for their outstanding achievement.

The National Board of Review announced their winners today with "Top Gun: Maverick", the Tom Cruise-lead sequel and the year's biggest box-office champ unexpectedly taking their top prize of Best Film. The New York Film Critics Circle selected "Tár", Todd Field's riveting drama that features an electrifying performance from star, Cate Blanchett, as Best Film while The Gotham Awards, the New York-based group that honors independent cinema and television, handed their Best Feature to "Everything Everywhere All at Once", the absurdist comedy-drama by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.

So far, what has been generating significant award buzz to date has been writer/director Martin McDonagh's Irish comedy, "The Banshees of Inisherin" along with co-star, Colin Farrell; Ke Huy Quan and his heart-warming comeback performance in "Everything Everywhere All at Once"; the delightful, "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" which has been accepted as an animated film depsite being set in live-action world; Charlotte Wells and her astonishing directorial debut, "Aftersun" and the films's stars, Paul Mescal and Frankie Corio; And the outstanding acting work from Janelle Monáe in "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery", Keke Palmer in "Nope" and Danielle Deadwyler in "Till" has been highlighted. This is all just getting started so I'm sure there will be a lot more interesting selections to come.

Here are the 2023 award winners by the National Board of Review:

Best Film: "Top Gun: Maverick"
Best Director: Steven Spielberg, "The Fabelmans"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell, "All Quiet on the Western Front"
Best Original Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Actor: Colin Farrell, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Actress: Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Supporting Actor: Brendan Gleeson, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Supporting Actress: Janelle Monáe, "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery"
Breakthrough Performance: Danielle Deadwyler, "Till"
Breakthrough Performance: Gabriel LaBelle, "The Fabelmans"
Best Directorial Debut: Charlotte Wells, "Aftersun" 

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Claudio Miranda, "Top Gun: Maverick"
Best Documentary: "Sr."
Best International Film: "Close"
Best Animated Feature: "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On"
Best Ensemble: "Women Talking"
NBR Freedom of Expression Awards: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed" and "Argentina, 1985"

Here are the winners of the 2022 New York Film Critics Circle Awards:

Best Film: "Tár"
Best Director: S.S. Rajamouli, "RRR"
Best Screenplay: Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"
Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Tár"
Best Actor: Colin Farrell, "The Banshees of Inisherin" and "After Yang"
Best Supporting Actress: Keke Palmer, "Nope"
Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Cinematography: Claudio Miranda, "Top Gun: Maverick"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed"
Best International Film: "EO" (Poland)
Best Animated Feature Film: "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On"
Best First Film: Charlotte Wells, "Aftersun"

Here are the winners of the 2022 Gotham Awards (Film):

Best Feature: "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Best Screenplay: Todd Field, "Tár"
Outstanding Lead Performance: Danielle Deadwyler, "Till"
Outstanding Supporting Performance: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All at Once"
Breakthrough Performer: Gracija Filipovic, "Murina"
Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award: Charlotte Wells, "Aftersun"
Best Documentary Feature: "All That Breathes"
Best International Feature: "Happening"

And the Film Independent Spirit Award nominations were announced November 22nd with the big arthouse blockbuster, "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leading the pack with eight nominations. One major change this year is that the acting categories are no longer separated by gender (like the Gotham Awards did last year) which means there are now ten nominees in Lead Performance and Supporting Performance and in the new Breakthrough Performance, there are five (but still only one winner).The Spirit Awards will be held on March 4, 2023 (eight days before the Oscars) at their usual spot at the Santa Monica Pier however at this time, there is no official broadcast sponsor will air the ceremony.

Here are the nomination of the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Award:

Best Feature:

"Bones and All"
"Everything Everywhere All At Once"
"Our Father, the Devil"
"Tár"
"Women Talking"

Best Director:

Todd Field, "Tár"
Kogonada, "After Yang"
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Sarah Polley, "Women Talking"
Halina Reijn, "Bodies Bodies Bodies"

Best Screenplay:

Lena Dunham, "Catherine Called Birdy" Todd Field, "Tár"
Kogonada, "After Yang"
Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Sarah Polley, "Women Talking"

Best First Feature:

"Aftersun"
"Emily the Criminal"
"The Inspection"
"Murina"
"Palm Trees and Power Lines"

Best First Screenplay:

Joel Kim Booster, "Fire Island"
Jamie Dack and Audrey Findlay; Story by Jamie Dack, "Palm Trees and Power Lines"
K.D. Dávila, "Emergency"
Sarah DeLappe; Story by Kristen Roupenian, "Bodies Bodies Bodies"
John Patton Ford, "Emily the Criminal"

Best Lead Performance:

Cate Blanchett, "Tár"
Dale Dickey, "A Love Song"
Mia Goth, "Pearl"
Regina Hall, "Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul."
Paul Mescal, "Aftersun"
Aubrey Plaza, "Emily the Criminal"
Jeremy Pope, "The Inspection"
Andrea Riseborough, "To Leslie"
Taylor Russell, "Bones and All"
Michelle Yeoh, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"

Best Supporting Performance:

Jamie Lee Curtis, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Brian Tyree Henry, "Causeway"
Nina Hoss, "Tár"
Brian d’Arcy James, "The Cathedral" Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Trevante Rhodes, "Bruiser"
Theo Rossi, "Emily the Criminal"
Mark Rylance, "Bones and All"
Jonathan Tucker, "Palm Trees and Power Lines"
Gabrielle Union, "The Inspection"

Best Breakthrough Performance:

Frankie Corio, "Aftersun"
Gracija Filipović, "Murina"
Stephanie Hsu, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Lily McInerny, "Palm Trees and Power Lines"
Daniel Zolghadri, "Funny Pages"

Best Documentary:

"All That Breathes"
"All the Beauty and the Bloodshed"
"A House Made of Splinters"
"Midwives"
"Riotsville, U.S.A."

Best International Film:

"Corsage" (Austria/Luxembourg)
"Joyland" (Pakistan)
"Leonor Will Never Die" (Philippines)
"Return to Seoul" (South Korea)
"Saint Omer" (France)

Best Cinematography:

Florian Hoffmeister, "Tár"
Hélène Louvart, "Murina"
Gregory Oke, "Aftersun"
Eliot Rockett, "Pearl"
Anisia Uzeyman, "Neptune Frost"

Best Editing:

Ricky D’Ambrose, "The Cathedral"
Dean Fleischer Camp and Nick Paley, "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On"
Blair McClendon, "Aftersun"
Paul Rogers, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"
Monika Willi, "Tár"

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

"The African Desperate"
"A Love Song"
"The Cathedral"
"Holy Emy"
"Something in the Dirt"

Someone To Watch Award:

Adamma Ebo, "Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul."
Nikyatu Jusu, "Nanny"
Araceli Lemos, "Holy Emy"

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

Isabel Castro, "Mija"
Reid Davenport, "I Didn’t See You There"
Rebeca Huntt, "Beba"

Robert Altman Award (given to one film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast):

"Women Talking"