Here Are The 2024 Nominations of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists!

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists have announced their nominations for the best of 2024! And here they are:

BEST FILM
ANORA
CONCLAVE
EMILIA PÉREZ
NICKEL BOYS
SING SING
THE BRUTALIST
THE SUBSTANCE
WICKED

BEST DIRECTOR
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, ORIGINAL
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT – PAYAL KAPADIA
ANORA – SEAN BAKER
A REAL PAIN – JESSE EISENBERG
HARD TRUTHS – MIKE LEIGH
THE SUBSTANCE – CORALIE FARGEAT
THE BRUTALIST – BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD

BEST SCREENPLAY, ADAPTED
CONCLAVE – PETER STRAUGHAN, ROBERT HARRIS
EMILIA PÉREZ – JACQUES AUDIARD, THOMAS BIDEGAIN, LEA MYSIUS
NICKEL BOYS – RaMell ROSS, JOSLYN BARNES, COLSON WHITEHEAD
NOSFERATU – ROBERT EGGERS
SING SING – JOHN H. RICHARDSON, BRENT BUELL, CLINT BENTLEY
THE WILD ROBOT – CHRIS SANDERS, PETER BROWN

BEST DOCUMENTARY
BLACK BOX DIARIES – SHIDORI ITO
DAHOMEY – MATI DIOP
DAUGHTERS – ANGELA PATTON, NATALIE RAE
THE LAST OF THE SEA WOMEN – SUE KIM
SUGARCANE – EMILY KASSIE, JASON BRAVE NOISECAT
WILL & HARPER – JOSH GREENBAUM

BEST ANIMATED FILM
FLOW
HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS
INSIDE OUT 2
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
THE WILD ROBOT
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL

BEST ACTRESS
CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PÉREZ
MARIANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE – HARD TRUTHS
MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE
JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA

BEST ACTRESS, SUPPORTING
JOAN CHEN – DIDI
DANIELLE DEADWYLER – THE PIANO LESSON
AUNJANUE ELLIS-TAYLOR – NICKEL BOYS
MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE
ZOE SALDANA – EMILIA PÉREZ

BEST ACTOR
ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE
HUGH GRANT – HERETIC
SEBASTIAN STAN – THE APPRENTICE

BEST ACTOR, SUPPORTING
YURA BORISOV – ANORA
KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
STANLEY TUCCI – CONCLAVE
DENZEL WASHNGTON – GLADIATOR II

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST AND CASTING DIRECTOR
ANORA
CHALLENGERS
CONCLAVE
EMILIA PÉREZ
SATURDAY NIGHT
WICKED

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
CONCLAVE
DUNE: PART TWO
NICKEL BOYS
NOSFERATU
THE BRUTALIST
WICKED

BEST EDITING
ANORA
CONCLAVE
EMILIA PÉREZ
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
THE BRUTALIST
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
DAHOMEY
EMILIA PÉREZ
FLOW
LA CHIMERA
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMAN DIRECTOR
ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
GIA COPPOLA – THE LAST SHOWGIRL
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST FEMALE SCREENWRITER
ANDREA ARNOLD – BIRD
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
PAYAL KAPADIA – ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
MEGAN PARK – MY OLD ASS
ALICE ROHRWACHER – LA CHIMERA
ERICA TREMBLAY, MICIANA ALISE – FANCY DANCE

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST ANIMATED/VOICED PERFORMANCE
AYO EDEBIRI – INSIDE OUT 2
MAYA HAWKE – INSIDE OUT 2
LUPITA NYONG’O – THE WILD ROBOT
AMY POEHLER – INSIDE OUT 2
SARAH SNOOK – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
JACKI WEAVER – MEMOIR OF A SNAIL

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST WOMEN’S BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
NYKIYA ADAMS – BIRD
KARLA SOFIA GASCON – EMILIA PÉREZ
MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA
MAISY STELLA – MY OLD ASS

EDA FEMALE FOCUS: BEST STUNT PERFORMANCE
NIKKI BERWICK – STUNT COORDINATOR ON GLADIATOR II
ALEX JAY (for ZENDAYA) – DUNE: PART TWO
HAYLEY WRIGHT (for ANYA TAYLOR-JOY) – FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
KATY O’BRIAN – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
CAILEE SPAENY – ALIEN: ROMULUS
JUNE SQUIBB – THELMA

The Brutalist Rises From The Ashes In Phoenix

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On December 12th, the Phoenix Critics Circle announced its picks for the best of the year!

BEST PICTURE
ANORA
THE BRUTALIST
NICKEL BOYS
SING SING
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST COMEDY FILM
ANORA
BABES
THE FALL GUY
HIT MAN
THELMA

BEST SCIENCE FICTION FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA
I SAW THE TV GLOW
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST HORROR FILM
ALIEN: ROMULUS
HERETIC
LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE

BEST ANIMATED FILM
FLOW
INSIDE OUT 2
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
THE WILD ROBOT

BEST DOCUMENTARY
COPA ’71
DAUGHTERS
NO OTHER LAND
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
WILL AND HARPER

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
EMILIA PEREZ
EVIL DOES NOT EXIST
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG

BEST ACTOR
ADRIEN BRODY – THE BRUTALIST
TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
DANIEL CRAIG – QUEER
COLMAN DOMINGO – SING SING
RALPH FIENNES – CONCLAVE

BEST ACTRESS
LILY-ROSE DEPP – NOSFERATU
CYNTHIA ERIVO – WICKED
NICOLE KIDMAN – BABYGIRL
MIKEY MADISON – ANORA
DEMI MOORE – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
YURA BORISOV – ANORA
KIERAN CULKIN – A REAL PAIN
CLARENCE MACLIN – SING SING
GUY PEARCE – THE BRUTALIST
JEREMY STRONG – THE APPRENTICE

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
MONICA BARBARO – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
ARIANA GRANDE – WICKED
FELICITY JONES – THE BRUTALIST
MARGARET QUALLEY – THE SUBSTANCE
ISABELLA ROSSELLINI – CONCLAVE

BEST DIRECTOR
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
BRADY CORBET – THE BRUTALIST
ROBERT EGGERS – NOSFERATU
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE
RAMELL ROSS – NICKEL BOYS

BEST SCREENPLAY
JESSE EISENBERG – A REAL PAIN
BRADY CORBET AND MONA FASTVOLD – THE BRUTALIST
SEAN BAKER – ANORA
PETER STRAUGHAN AND ROBERT HARRIS – CONCLAVE
CORALIE FARGEAT – THE SUBSTANCE

BEST SCORE
VOLKER BERTELMANN – CONCLAVE
DANIEL BLUMBERG – THE BRUTALIST
ROBIN CAROLAN – NOSFERATU
TRENT REZNOR AND ATTICUS ROSS – QUEER
HANS ZIMMER – DUNE: PART TWO

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
JARIN BLASCHKE – NOSFERATU
LOL CRAWLEY – THE BRUTALIST
GREIG FRASER – DUNE: PART TWO
JOMO FRAY – NICKEL BOYS
ALICE BROOKS – WICKED

Here Are The 2024 Nominations Of The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle

Posted on December 15, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

On the 13th, the San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle announced their nominations for the best of 2024! The winners will be announced tomorrow.

Best Film
Anora
The Brutalist
Hard Truths
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing

Best Director
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Actress
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
Demi Moore – The Substance

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave

Best Supporting Actress
Joan Chen – Dìdi (弟弟)
Carol Kane – Between the Temples
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Zoe Saldana – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Jeremy Strong – The Apprentice

Best International Feature Film
All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig

Best Documentary Feature
Daughters
No Other Land
Sugarcane
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir Of A Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

Best Original Screenplay
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold
Hard Truths – Mike Leigh
A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg
The Substance – Coralie Fargeat

Best Adapted Screenplay
Conclave – Peter Straughan
Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Emilia Pérez – Jacques Audiard
Nickel Boys – RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes
Sing Sing – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield

Best Cinematography
The Brutalist – Lol Crawley
Conclave – Stéphane Fontaine
Dune: Part Two – Greig Fraser
Nickel Boys – Jomo Fray
Nosferatu – Jarin Blaschke

Best Editing
Anora – Sean Baker
The Brutalist – Dávid Jancsó
Challengers – Marco Costa
Conclave – Nick Emerson
September 5 – Hansjörg Weißbrich

Best Original Score
The Brutalist – Daniel Blumberg
Challengers – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
Conclave – Volker Bertelmann
Emilia Pérez – Clément Ducol, Camille
The Wild Robot – Kris Bowers

Best Production Design
The Brutalist – Judy Becker
Conclave – Suzie Davies, Roberta Federico
Dune: Part Two – Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, Patrice Vermette
Nosferatu – Craig Lathrop
Wicked – Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales

Special Citation for Independent Cinema
Exhibiting Forgiveness
Rumours
The Secret Art of Taking Flight

Here Are The 2024 Golden Globe Nominations

Posted on December 9, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I’ll show a pair of Golden Globes!

The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning. Pamela Anderson picked up a nomination for Best Actress in a Drama, which I appreciated because a Pamela Anderson Oscar nomination would, at the very least, add some surprise to the year. Edward Norton picked up a Supporting Actor nomination for playing Pete Seeger in A Complete Unknown, which is interesting because I really hadn’t heard Norton’s name mentioned as a contender before yesterday. The nominations for The Apprentice‘s Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong felt like they were sent here from an alternate universe where everyone isn’t bored with political movies.

Here are the nominations! The winners will be announced on January 5th.

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 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 PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS 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 AN ACTRESS 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 AN ACTRESS 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 AN 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 AN 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 AN 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 SCREENPLAY, MOTION PICTURE
Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
A Real Pain
Emilia Pérez
The Substance

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE, MOTION PICTURE
The Brutalist
Challengers
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
The Wild Robot

BEST ORIGINAL SONG, MOTION PICTURE
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl
“Compress/Repress” – Challengers
“El Mal” – Emilia Pérez
“Forbidden Road” – Better Man
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot
“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez

BEST MOTION PICTURE, ANIMATED
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Moana 2
Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
The Wild Robot

BEST MOTION PICTURE, FOREIGN LANGUAGE
All We Imagine As Light
Emilia Pérez
The Girl With the Needle
I’m Still Here
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
Vermiglio

GOLDEN GLOBE FOR CINEMATIC & BOX OFFICE ACHIEVEMENT
Alien: Romulus
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Deadpool & Wolverine
Gladiator II
Inside Out 2
Twisters
Wicked
The Wild Robot

Here Are The Independent Spirit Nominations!

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, most awards watchers will be devoting most of their attention to the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute. That said, the Independent Spirit nominations were still announced earlier today and Anora had a strong showing. Meanwhile, The Brutalist, which did so well with the New York Film Critics Circle, picked up a nomination for Best Director but not Best Picture.

Here are the Spirit Nominations. While looking at the nominations, keep in mind that a lot of potential Oscar nominees were not eligible for a nomination. As a result, the Spirit nominations aren’t exactly the strongest predictive tool when it comes to guessing what will eventually be nominated by the Academy.

Still, it never hurts to be mentioned!

Best Feature

Anora
Producers: Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan

I Saw the TV Glow
Producers: Ali Herting, Sam Intili, Dave McCary, Emma Stone, Sarah Winshall

Nickel Boys
Producers: Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine

Sing Sing
Producers: Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton

The Substance
Producers: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner

Best First Feature

Dìdi
Director/Producer: Sean Wang
Producers: Valerie Bush, Carlos López Estrada, Josh Peters

In the Summers

Director: Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
Producers: Janek Ambros, Lynette Coll, Alexander Dinelaris, Cynthia Fernandez De La Cruz, Cristóbal Güell, Sergio Alberto Lira, Rob Quadrino, Jan Suter, Daniel Tantalean, Nando Vila, Slava Vladimirov, Stephanie Yankwitt

Janet Planet
Director/Producer: Annie Baker
Producers: Andrew Goldman, Dan Janvey, Derrick Tseng

The Piano Lesson
Director: Malcolm Washington
Producers: Todd Black, Denzel Washington

Problemista
Director/Producer: Julio Torres
Producers: Ali Herting, Dave McCary, Emma Stone

John Cassavetes Award

Given to the best feature made for under $1,000,000

Big Boys
Writer/Director/Producer: Corey Sherman
Producer: Allison Tate

Ghostlight
Writer/Director: Kelly O’Sullivan
Director/Producer: Alex Thompson
Producers: Pierce Cravens, Ian Keiser, Chelsea Krant, Eddie Linker, Alex Wilson

Girls Will Be Girls
Writer/Director/Producer: Shuchi Talati
Producers: Richa Chadha, Claire Chassagne

Jazzy
Writer/Director/Producer: Morrisa Maltz
Writer/Producer: Lainey Shangreaux
Writers: Andrew Hajek, Vanara Taing
Producers: Miranda Bailey, Tommy Heitkamp, John Way, Natalie Whalen, Elliott Whitton

The People’s Joker
Writer/Director: Vera Drew
Writer: Bri LeRose
Producer: Joey Lyons

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, 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 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 “Divine Eye” 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 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, Vanara Taing
Jazzy

Olivier Bugge Coutté, Olivia Neergaard-Holm
The Apprentice

Anne McCabe
Nightbitch

Hansjörg Weissbrich
September 5

Arielle Zakowski
Dìdi

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD – Given to one film’s director, casting director, and ensemble cast

His Three Daughters
Director: Azazel Jacobs
Casting Director: Nicole Arbusto
Ensemble Cast: Jovan Adepo, Jasmine Bracey, Carrie Coon, Jose Febus, Rudy Galvan, Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen, Randy Ramos Jr., Jay O. Sanders

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

Gaucho Gaucho
Directors/Producers: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Producers: Christos Konstantakopoulos, Cameron O’Reilly, Matthew Perniciaro

Hummingbirds
Directors: Silvia Del Carmen Castaños, Estefanía “Beba” Contreras
Co-Directors/Producers: Miguel Drake-McLaughlin, Diane Ng, Ana Rodriguez-Falco, Jillian Schlesinger
Producers: Leslie Benavides, Rivkah Beth Medow

No Other Land
Directors/Producers: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor
Producers: Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning

Patrice: The Movie
Director: Ted Passon
Producers: Kyla Harris, Innbo Shim, Emily Spivack

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Director: Johan Grimonprez
Producers: Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius

 BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM (Award given to the director)

All We Imagine as Light
France, India, Netherlands, Luxembourg
Director: Payal Kapadia

Black Dog
China
Director: Guan Hu

Flow
Latvia, France, Belgium
Director: Gints Zilbalodis

Green Border
Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium
Director: Agnieszka Holland

Hard Truths
United Kingdom
Director: Mike Leigh

PRODUCERS AWARD  presented by Bulleit Frontier Whiskey – The Producers Award, now in its 28th year, honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources, demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality independent films.

Alex Coco

Sarah Winshall

Zoë Worth

 SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD  – The Someone to Watch Award, now in its 31st year, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition.

Nicholas Colia
Director of Griffin in Summer

Sarah Friedland
Director of Familiar Touch

Pham Thien An
Director of Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell

TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The Truer Than Fiction Award, now in its 30th year, is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition.

Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie
Directors of Sugarcane

Carla Gutiérrez
Director of Frida

Rachel Elizabeth Seed
Director of A Photographic Memory

Lisa Marie’s Early Oscar Predictions For September

Posted on September 30, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

It’s that time of the month again!

It’s time for me to share my latest round of Oscar predictions. Thanks to the summer festival season, the Oscar race is starting to become a bit clearer. That said, there really don’t seem to be any overwhelming favorites right now. There are contenders but there are no front runners. So, I imagine we’ll see some surprise contenders emerge as the precursor season approaches.

You’ll notice that, unlike a lot of Oscar bloggers, I don’t have Gladiator II amongst my predictions. That’s based on the fact that, every year, there’s a new Ridley Scott film that everyone predicts will be a contender and, with the exception of The Martian, it never happens. The Academy just does not seem to have the burning desire to honor Ridley Scott that a lot of film bloggers do. As well, I’m just not convinced that a sequel starring an actor who has yet to prove he can shoulder the weight of a blockbuster is going to be the film that’s going to win Ridley Scott a Best Director statuette. Remember that a few years ago, those same Oscar bloggers were insisting that Martin Scorsese’s Silence was going to be not only a contender but also the winner up until the end of November.

(For that matter, let’s not forget that Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon was expected to be a winner as opposed to an also-ran. Fact of the matter is that, as much as I hate to resort to that overused quote from William Goldman, no one knows anything.)

Do I really think that Pamela Anderson is going to receive a Best Actress nomination? She’s receiving a lot of acclaim for her role in The Showgirl but, at the same time, she’s Pamela Anderson. There’s maybe a 2% chance that she’ll get nominated but I always like to throw in a few candidates who go against the conventional wisdom. So — what the Hell? Why not? Pamela Anderson for Best Actress!

Be sure to check out my predictions for April, May, June, July, and August!

Best Picture

Anora

The Apprentice

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Dune Part Two

Emilia Perez

Maria

The Piano Lesson

Saturday Night

Sing Sing

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez

Sean Baker for Anora

Brady Corbett for The Brutalist

Jason Reitman for Saturday Night

Denis Villeneuve for Dune Part Two

Best Actor

Adrien Brody in The Brutalist

Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown

Daniel Craig in Queer

Colman Domingo in Sing Sing

Ralph Fiennes in Conclave

Best Actress

Pamela Anderson in The Showgirl

Karla Sofia Gascon in Emila Perez

Angelina Jolie in Maria

Mickey Madison in Anora

Demi Moore in The Substance

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borslav in Anora

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson

Guy Pearce in The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice

Best Supporting Actress

Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown

Danielle Deadwyler in The Piano Lesson

Selena Gomez in Emilia Perez

Felicity Jones in The Brutalist

Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For May

Posted on May 2, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

We’re nearly halfway through the year and so far, we have two films that seem like they might still be in the Oscar conversation at the end of the year, Dune 2 and Civil War. With the Cannes Film Festival coming up this month, we should soon have some more contenders to consider.

My predictions below are a bit heavy on sequels. In fact, if the predictions below came true, it would a record year for sequels at the Oscars. Of course, it’s early and it’s totally probable that the majority of the films listed below will not be nominated. Right now, it’s pretty much a guessing game. The production delays caused by last year’s strikes have opened the door for a lot of sequels to receive consideration that they might not receive in other years.

What will happen when the nominations are announced in 2025? Who knows? For now, let’s just have fun guessing. You can check out my predictions for April by clicking here.

Best Picture

The Apprentice

The Bikeriders

Blitz

Civil War

Dune, Part II

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Gladiator 2

Inside Out 2

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

SNL: 1975

Best Director

Ali Abassi for The Apprentice

Alex Garland for Civil War

Steve McQueen for Blitz

George Miller for Furiousa: A Mad Max Saga

Ridley Scott for Gladiator 2

Best Actor

Austin Butler in The Bikeriders

Daniel Craig in Queer

Richard Gere in Oh, Canada

Paul Mescal in Gladiator 2

Glen Powell in Hit Man

Best Actress

Jodie Comer in The Bikeriders

Ryan Destiny in The Fire Inside

Noemie Merlant in Emmanuelle

Anya Taylor-Joy in Furiosa

Zendaya in Challengers

Best Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders

Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson

Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice

Denzel Washington in Gladiator 2

Best Supporting Actress

Joan Chen in Didi

Danielle Deadwyler in The Piano Lesson

Connie Nielsen in Gladiator 2

Saoirse Ronan in Blitz

Rachel Sennot in SNL: 1975

Here Is The Official Cannes Lineup!

Posted on April 11, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The lineup for the Cannes Film Festival has been announced. After a rather subdued Sundance, film lovers like me are desperately looking to Cannes to add some excitement to 2024. Considering that Cannes is going to see the premiere of new films from Francis Ford Coppola, Paul Schrader, Sean Baker, Kevin Costner, Andrea Arnold, George Miller, David Cronenberg, and Yorgos Lanthimos, it might do just that!

In the past, Cannes has always been hit-and-miss when it comes to the Oscars. But lately, films like The Zone of Interest, Parasite, and The Tree of Life have followed success at Cannes with success with the Academy.

With that in mind, here’s the lineup. If you’re going to Cannes in May, you’re going to have a good time!

Full lineup of the 2024 Cannes film festival.

The Second Act Quentin Dupieux (Opening Film) (Out of Competition)

Competition

L’Amour Ouf Gilles Lellouche

All We Imagine As Light Payal Kapadia

Anora Sean Baker

The Apprentice Ali Abbasi

Bird Andrea Arnold

Caught by the Tides Jia Zhangke

Emilia Perez Jacques Audiard

The Girl With the Needle Magnus von Horn

Grand Tour Miguel Gomes

Limonov: The Ballad Kirill Serebrennikov

Marcello Mio Christophe Honoré

Megalopolis Francis Ford Coppola

Motel Destino Karim Ainouz

Oh Canada Paul Schrader

Parthenope Paolo Sorrentino

The Shrouds David Cronenberg

The Substance Coralie Fargeat

Wild Diamond Agathe Riedinger

Kinds of Kindness Yorgos Lanthimos

Out of Competition

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga George Miller

Horizon, an American Saga Kevin Costner

Rumours Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson, Guy Maddin

She’s Got No Name Chan Peter Ho-Sun

Un Certain Regard

Armand Halfdan Ullmann Tondel

Black Dog Guan Hu

The Damned Roberto Minervini

L’Histoire de Souleymane Boris Lojkine

My Sunshine Boku No Ohisama

Norah Tawik Alzaidi

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Rungano Nyoni

Le Royaume Julien Colonna

Santosh Sandhya Suri

September Says Ariane Labed

The Shameless Konstantin Bojanov

Viet and Nam Truong Minh Quý

The Village Next to Paradise Mo Harawe

Vingt Deux! Louise Courvoisier

Who Let the Dogs Bite? Laetitia Dosch

Midnight Screenings

The Balconettes Noémie Merlant

I, The Executioner Seung Wan Ryoo

The Surfer Lorcan Finnegan

Twilight of the Warrior Walled In Soi Cheang

Cannes Premiere

C’est Pas Moi Leos Carax

Everybody Loves Touda Nabil Ayouch

The Matching Bang Emmanuel Courcol

Misericorde Alain Guiraudie

Rendez-Vous Avec Pol Pot Rithy Panh

Le Roman de Jim Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu

Special Screenings

Apprendre Claire Simon

La Belle de Gaza Yolande Zauberman

Ernest Cole, Lost and Found Raoul Peck

Le Fil Daniel Auteuil

The Invasion Sergei Loznitsa

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For April

Posted on April 1, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Now that the 2023 Oscars are over with, it’s time to move on to the 2024 Oscars!

Needless to say, there’s probably nothing more pointless than trying to guess which films are going to be nominated a year from now. I can’t even guarantee that all of the films listed below are even going to be released this year. And, even if they are released this year, I can’t guarantee that they’ll actually be any good or that the Academy will show any interest in them. Sundance was a bit low-key this year. Dune Part II seems like a contender but will it be remembered 9 months from now? Whereas last year started out with everyone waiting for Oppenheimer and Killers of the Flower Moon, this year feels far different as Hollywood, still recovering from last year’s strikes, tries to catch up. As many will say over the months to come, no one knows anything. As much as I hate quoting William Goldman (because, seriously, quoting Goldman on a film site is such a cliché at this point), Goldman was right.

In other words, there’s no real science to these predictions. It’s too early in the year to do anything but guess. And for now, these are my guesses. A year from now, they’ll be good for either bragging rights or a laugh. Hopefully, they’ll be good for both.

Best Picture

The Apprentice

The Bikeriders

Blitz

Didi

Dune, Part II

Emmanuelle

The Fire Inside

Here

Hit Man

SNL: 1975

Best Director