Here Are The 2024 Nominations for the Black Reel Awards


The 2024 nominations for the Black Reel Awards were announced on December 19th.  The winners will be announced on February 10th.

OUTSTANDING FILM
“Challengers” | Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal & Zendaya, producers
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Stephanie Allain, Derek Cianfrance, Sean Cotton, Titus Kaphar & Jamie Patricof, producers
“Nickel Boys” | Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner & David Levin, producers
“The Piano Lesson” | Todd Black & Denzel Washington, producers
“Sing Sing” | Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar & Monique Walton, producers

OUTSTANDING LEAD PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie | “Blink Twice”
Ryan Destiny | “The Fire Inside”
Colman Domingo | “Sing Sing”
Cynthia Erivo | “Wicked”
Andre Holland | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Marianne Jean-Baptiste | “Hard Truths”
Regina King | “Shirley”
John David Washington | “The Piano Lesson”
Kerry Washington | “The Six Triple Eight”
Zendaya | “Challengers”

OUTSTANDING DIRECTOR
Titus Kaphar | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Zoë Kravitz | “Blink Twice”
Steve McQueen | “Blitz”
RaMell Moss | “Nickel Boys”
Malcolm Washington | “The Piano Lesson”

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Danielle Deadwyler | “The Piano Lesson”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor | “Nickel Boys”
Brian Tyree Henry | “The Fire Inside”
Clarence Maclin | “Sing Sing”
Lashana Lynch | “Bob Marley: One Love”
Zoe Saldaña | “Emilia Pérez”
Jurnee Smollett | “We Grown Now”
Denzel Washington | “Gladiator II”
Brandon Wilson | “Nickel Boys”

OUTSTANDING SCREENPLAY
“Blitz” | Steve McQueen
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Titus Kaphar
“The Fire Inside” | Barry Jenkins
“Nickel Boys” | RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes
“The Piano Lesson” | Malcolm Washington & Virgil Williams

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY (awarded to the director)
“Dahomey” | Mati Diop, director
“Daughters” | Angela Patton & Natalie Rae, directors
“Luther: Never Too Much” | Dawn Porter, director
“Piece by Piece” | Morgan Neville, director
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” | Jazmin Renée Jones, director

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL FILM (awarded to the country)
“Bird” | United Kingdom
“Emilia Pérez” | France
“Hard Truths” | United Kingdom
“Old Righteous Blues” | South Africa
“Nine” | South Africa

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE (awarded to the casting director)
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Kim Coleman, casting director
“Hard Truths” | Nina Gold, casting director
“Nickel Boys” | Victoria Thomas, casting director
“The Piano Lesson” | Lindsay Graham & Mary Vernieu, casting directors
“Sing Sing” | Greg Kwedar, casting director

OUTSTANDING VOICE PERFORMANCE
Ayo Edebiri | “Inside Out 2”
Brian Tyree Henry | “Transformers One”
Dwayne Johnson | “Moana 2”
Lupita Nyong’o | “The Wild Robot”
Aaron Pierre | “Mufasa: The Lion King”

OUTSTANDING INDEPENDENT FILM (awarded to the director)
“Albany Road” | Christine Swanson, director
“Blink Twice” | Zoë Kravitz, director
“Hard Truths” | Mike Leigh, director
“I Saw the TV Glow” | Jane Schoenbrun, director
“We Grown Now” | Minhal Baig, director

OUTSTANDING SHORT FILM (awarded to the director)
“Chocolate With Sprinkles” | Huriyyah Muhammad, director
“Mosiah” | Jirard, director
“On a Sunday at Eleven” | Alicia K. Harris, director
“Self” | Searit Kahsay Huluf, director
“Will I See You Again?” | Michael Perez-Lindsey, director

OUTSTANDING SCORE (awarded to the composer)
“Blink Twice” | Chandra Dancy, composer
“Bob Marley: One Love” | Kris Bowers, composer
“The Fire Inside” | Tamar-kali, composer
“Saturday Night” | Jon Batiste, composer
“The Wild Robot” | Kris Bowers, composer

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SONG (awarded to the performers & writers)
“Bricks” from “Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Andra Day, performer; Andra Day & Jherek Bischoff, writers
“El Mal” from “Emilia Pérez” | Zoe Saldaña, Karla Sofía Gascón & Camille, performers; Clément Ducol, Camille & Jacques Audiard, writers
“The Journey” from “The Six Triple Eight” | H.E.R., performer; Dianne Warren, writer
“Like a Bird” from “Sing Sing” | Adrian Quesada & Abraham Alexander, performers; Adrian Quesada, Abraham Alexander & Brandon Marcel, writers
“Piece by Piece” from “Piece by Piece” | Pharrell Williams and Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers, performers; Pharrell Williams, writer

OUTSTANDING SOUNDTRACK
“Bob Marley: One Love” – Tuff Gong / Island
“Mufasa: The Lion King” – Walt Disney Records
“Piece by Piece” – Columbia / I AM Other
“Wicked” – Republic / Verve
“The Wild Robot” – Black Lot Music

OUTSTANDING EMERGING DIRECTOR
Titus Kaphar | “Exhibiting Forgiveness”
Zoë Kravitz | “Blink Twice”
RaMell Moss | “Nickel Boys”
Angela Patton | “Daughters”
Malcolm Washington | “The Piano Lesson”

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Naomi Ackie | “Blink Twice”
Ryan Destiny | “The Fire Inside”
Ray Fisher | “The Piano Lesson”
Elliot Heffernan | “Blitz”
Ethan Herisse | “Nickel Boys”
Blake Cameron James | “We Grown Now”
Jharrel Jerome | “Unstoppable”
Clarence Maclin | “Sing Sing”
Lamorne Morris | “Saturday Night”
Brandon Wilson | “Nickel Boys”

OUTSTANDING FIRST SCREENPLAY (awarded for the debut screenplay by a first-time writer)
“Blink Twice” | Zoë Kravitz
“Exhibiting Forgiveness” | Titus Kaphar
“Nickel Boys” | RaMell Moss
“Parallel” | Aldis & Edwin Hodge
“The Piano Lesson” | Malcolm Washington

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found” | Wolfgang Held & Moses Tau, cinematographers
“Luther: Never Too Much” | Bryan Gentry, cinematographer
“Nickel Boys” | Jomo Fray, cinematographer
“Rez Ball” | Kira Kelly, cinematographer
“Suncoast” | Bruce Francis Cole, cinematographer

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN
“The Book of Clarence” | Antoinette Messam, costume designer
“The Piano Lesson” | Francine Jamison-Tanchuck, costume designer
“Shirley” | Megan Coates, costume designer
“We Grown Now” | Courtney Wheeler, costume designer
“Wicked” | Paul Tazewell, costume designer

OUTSTANDING EDITING
“Daughters” | Adelina Bichis & Troy Lewis, editors
“Hard Truths” | Tania Reddin, editor
“Seeking Mavis Beacon” | Yeelen Nelson Cohen, Jon Fine & Jazmin Renée Jones, editors
“Twisters” | Terilyn A. Shropshire, editor
“We Grown Now” | Stephanie Filo, editor

OUTSTANDING HAIRSTYLING & MAKEUP
“Bob Marley: One Love” | Nadia Stacy & Carla Farmer
“The Book of Clarence” | Allison Lacour, Wayne Jolla Jr. & Yolanda Mercadel
“Nickel Boys” | Iganica Soto-Aguilar & Shandrea Williams
“The Piano Lesson” | Andrea ‘Mona’ Bowman & Para Shardé Malden
“Shirley” | Nakoya Yancey & Debi Young

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Nickel Boys” | Nora Mendis (production designer), Elizabeth Herberg (art director) & Monique Champagne (set decorator)
“Nine” | Gilbert Ekow Ampah (production designer) & Edmund Johnson (set decorator)
“The Piano Lesson” | David J. Bomba (production designer), Chardae Adams (art director) & Patrick Cassidy (set decorator)

The African American Film Critics Association Honors Nickel Boys


On December 13th, the African American Film Critics Association announced its picks for the best of 2024.

And here they are:

AAFCA’S TOP 10 FILMS OF THE YEAR
1. Nickel Boys
2. Sing Sing
3. The Piano Lesson
4. Gladiator II
5. Wicked 
6. Emilia Pérez 
7. Albany Road 
8. The Fire Inside 
9. Exhibiting Forgiveness 

10. Dahomey

WINNERS | 16TH ANNUAL AAFCA AWARDS
Best Picture: Nickel Boys
Best Actor:
 Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) 
Best Actress: Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) 
Best Supporting Actor: Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing) 
Best Supporting Actress: Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson) 
Best Ensemble: The Piano Lesson
Best Original Score: The Wild Robot (Kris Bowers) 
Best Original Song: Bricks – Exhibiting Forgiveness (Andra Day, Cassandra Batie & Jherek Bischoff) 
Best Screenplay: Sing Sing (Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar) 
Best Director: RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)   
Best Documentary: *TIE* Daughters (Netflix) & Dahomey (Mubi) 
Best Animated Feature: The Wild Robot
Best International Film: Emilia Pérez
Best Independent Feature: She Taught Love

Sing Sing Wins In San Diego


Yesterday, the San Diego Film Critics Society named Sing Sing the best film of 2024!  All of the winners and nominees can be found below!

Best Picture
ANORA (1st RUNNER UP)
CHALLENGERS
CONCLAVE (2nd RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING (WINNER)

Best Director
Brady Corbet – THE BRUTALIST
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Denis Villeneuve – DUNE: PART TWO (WINNER)
Edward Berger – CONCLAVE
Greg Kwedar – SING SING (RUNNER UP)

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – THE BRUTALIST (1st RUNNER UP)
Colman Domingo – SING SING (WINNER)
Daniel Craig – QUEER (2nd RUNNER UP)
Ralph Fiennes – CONCLAVE
Timothée Chalamet – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

Best Actress
Amy Adams – NIGHTBITCH (RUNNER UP)
Cynthia Erivo – WICKED
Demi Moore – THE SUBSTANCE
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – HARD TRUTHS (WINNER)
Mikey Madison – ANORA

Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin – SING SING
Denzel Washington – GLADIATOR II (RUNNER UP)
Guy Pearce – THE BRUTALIST
Kieran Culkin – A REAL PAIN (WINNER)
Stanley Tucci – CONCLAVE

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – WICKED (WINNER)
Danielle Deadwyler – THE PIANO LESSON
Jessie Buckley – WICKED LITTLE LETTERS
Joan Chen – DÌDI (RUNNER UP)
Natasha Lyonne – HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

Best Comedic Performance
Aubrey Plaza – MY OLD ASS
Channing Tatum – DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
June Squibb – THELMA (WINNER)
Michael Keaton – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE (RUNNER UP)
Ryan Gosling – THE FALL GUY

Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Alisha Weir – ABIGAIL
Alix West Lefler – SPEAK NO EVIL (RUNNER UP)
Elliott Heffernan – BLITZ
Izaac Wang – DÌDI (WINNER)
Katherine Mallen Kupferer – GHOSTLIGHT

Best Original Screenplay
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Jesse Eisenberg – A REAL PAIN
Justin Kuritzkes – CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Sean Baker – ANORA (WINNER)

Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Sanders – THE WILD ROBOT
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar – SING SING (WINNER)
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – DUNE: PART TWO (RUNNER UP)
Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams – THE PIANO LESSON
Peter Straughan – CONCLAVE

Best First Feature (Director)
Anna Kendrick – WOMAN OF THE HOUR
Dev Patel – MONKEY MAN
Rachel Morrison – THE FIRE INSIDE
Sean Wang – DÌDI (RUNNER UP)
Zoë Kravitz – BLINK TWICE (WINNER)

Best Documentary
DAUGHTERS (RUNNER UP)
MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS
SUGARCANE
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY (WINNER)
WILL & HARPER

Best Animated Film
FLOW (WINNER)
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
THE WILD ROBOT (RUNNER UP)

Best Foreign Language Film
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT (WINNER)
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
NO OTHER LAND
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG
VERMIGLIO

Best Editing
Hansjörg Weißbrich – SEPTEMBER 5 (WINNER)
Joe Walker – DUNE: PART TWO
Kathryn J. Schubert – BLINK TWICE
Marco Costa – CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
Sean Baker – ANORA

Best Cinematography
Alice Brooks – WICKED
Greig Fraser – DUNE: PART TWO
Jarin Blaschke – NOSFERATU (WINNER)
Pat Scola – SING SING
Stéphane Fontaine – CONCLAVE (RUNNER UP)

Best Production Design
Craig Lathrop, Beatrice Brentnerova – NOSFERATU (1st RUNNER UP)
Judy Becker – THE BRUTALIST
Nathan Crowley – WICKED (WINNER)
Patrice Vermette – DUNE: PART TWO (2nd RUNNER UP)
Suzie Davies – CONCLAVE

Best Visual Effects
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO (1st RUNNER UP)
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES (2nd RUNNER UP)
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE (WINNER)

Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Jacqueline Getty, Rainy Jacobs – THE LAST SHOWGIRL (RUNNER UP)
Jacqueline West – DUNE: PART TWO
Lisy Christl – CONCLAVE
Paul Tazewell – WICKED (WINNER)

Best Sound Design
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
ALIEN: ROMULUS
CIVIL WAR (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO (WINNER)
WICKED

Best Use of Music
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (WINNER)
CHALLENGERS (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING
WICKED

Best Stunt Choreography
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
THE FALL GUY (WINNER)
GLADIATOR II
MONKEY MAN (RUNNER UP)

Best Ensemble
CONCLAVE (RUNNER UP)
DUNE: PART TWO
SEPTEMBER 5 (WINNER)
SING SING
WICKED

Breakthrough Performance
Mikey Madison – ANORA (WINNER)
Nell Tiger Free – THE FIRST OMEN (RUNNER UP)

Special Award for Body of Work
Nicholas Hoult – JUROR #2, NOSFERATU, THE ORDER, THE GARFIELD MOVIE

Anora Wins In Michigan


The Michigan Movie Critics Guild have announced their picks for the best of 2024!

(The winners are listed in bold.)

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Best Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
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
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Burisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Piece By Piece
Transformers One
The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
Music By John Williams
No Other Land
Piece By Piece
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Ensemble
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Saturday Night
Wicked

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Breakthrough Award
Mikey Madison – Actress for Anora
Giovanni Ribisi – Cinematographer for Strange Darling
Jane Schoenbrun – Director for I Saw the TV Glow
Maisy Stella – Actress for My Old Ass
Zelda Williams – Director for Lisa Frankenstein

Stunts
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Monkey Man
Road House

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member, etc., who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
The Fire Inside (Set in Flint, and lead actress Ryan Destiny is a Detroit native)
Francis Ford Coppola (Writer/Director of Megalopolis)
Hundreds of Beavers (Partially filmed in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key (Actor in IF, Transformers One & Dear Santa)
J.K. Simmons (Actor in Saturday Night, Red One and Juror #2)

Here Are The Nominations of the San Diego Film Critics Society!


Yesterday, the San Diego Film Critics Society announced their nominations for the best of 2024!  The winners will be announced on December 9th …. hey, that’s right around the corner!

Here are the nominees:

Best Picture
ANORA
CHALLENGERS
CONCLAVE
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING

Best Director
Brady Corbet – THE BRUTALIST
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Denis Villeneuve – DUNE: PART TWO
Edward Berger – CONCLAVE
Greg Kwedar – SING SING

Best Actor
Adrien Brody – THE BRUTALIST
Colman Domingo – SING SING
Daniel Craig – QUEER
Ralph Fiennes – CONCLAVE
Timothée Chalamet – A COMPLETE UNKNOWN

Best Actress
Amy Adams – NIGHTBITCH
Cynthia Erivo – WICKED
Demi Moore – THE SUBSTANCE
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – HARD TRUTHS
Mikey Madison – ANORA

Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin – SING SING
Denzel Washington – GLADIATOR II
Guy Pearce – THE BRUTALIST
Kieran Culkin – A REAL PAIN
Stanley Tucci – CONCLAVE

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – WICKED
Danielle Deadwyler – THE PIANO LESSON
Jessie Buckley – WICKED LITTLE LETTERS
Joan Chen – DÌDI
Natasha Lyonne – HIS THREE DAUGHTERS

Best Comedic Performance
Aubrey Plaza – MY OLD ASS
Channing Tatum – DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
June Squibb – THELMA
Michael Keaton – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Ryan Gosling – THE FALL GUY

Best Youth Performance (For a performer under the age of 18)
Alisha Weir – ABIGAIL
Alix West Lefler – SPEAK NO EVIL
Elliott Heffernan – BLITZ
Izaac Wang – DÌDI
Katherine Mallen Kupferer – GHOSTLIGHT

Best Original Screenplay
Coralie Fargeat – THE SUBSTANCE
Jesse Eisenberg – A REAL PAIN
Justin Kuritzkes – CHALLENGERS
Rose Glass and Weronika Tofilska – LOVE LIES BLEEDING
Sean Baker – ANORA

Best Adapted Screenplay
Chris Sanders – THE WILD ROBOT
Craig Bentley, Greg Kwedar – SING SING
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – DUNE: PART TWO
Malcolm Washington, Virgil Williams – THE PIANO LESSON
Peter Straughan – CONCLAVE

Best First Feature (Director)
Anna Kendrick – WOMAN OF THE HOUR
Dev Patel – MONKEY MAN
Rachel Morrison – THE FIRE INSIDE
Sean Wang – DÌDI
Zoë Kravitz – BLINK TWICE

Best Documentary
DAUGHTERS
MUSIC BY JOHN WILLIAMS
SUGARCANE
SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY
WILL & HARPER

Best Animated Film
FLOW
MEMOIR OF A SNAIL
TRANSFORMERS ONE
WALLACE & GROMIT: VENGEANCE MOST FOWL
THE WILD ROBOT

Best Foreign Language Film
ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT
THE GIRL WITH THE NEEDLE
NO OTHER LAND
THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG
VERMIGLIO

Best Editing
Hansjörg Weißbrich – SEPTEMBER 5
Joe Walker – DUNE: PART TWO
Kathryn J. Schubert – BLINK TWICE
Marco Costa – CHALLENGERS
Sean Baker – ANORA

Best Cinematography
Alice Brooks – WICKED
Greig Fraser – DUNE: PART TWO
Jarin Blaschke – NOSFERATU
Pat Scola – SING SING
Stéphane Fontaine – CONCLAVE

Best Production Design
Craig Lathrop, Beatrice Brentnerova – NOSFERATU
Judy Becker – THE BRUTALIST
Nathan Crowley – WICKED
Patrice Vermette – DUNE: PART TWO
Suzie Davies – CONCLAVE

Best Visual Effects
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
NOSFERATU
THE SUBSTANCE

Best Costume Design
Colleen Atwood – BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Jacqueline Getty, Rainy Jacobs – THE LAST SHOWGIRL
Jacqueline West – DUNE: PART TWO
Lisy Christl – CONCLAVE
Paul Tazewell – WICKED

Best Sound Design
A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE
ALIEN: ROMULUS
CIVIL WAR
DUNE: PART TWO
WICKED

Best Use of Music
A COMPLETE UNKNOWN
CHALLENGERS
DUNE: PART TWO
SING SING
WICKED

Best Stunt Choreography
ALIEN: ROMULUS
DUNE: PART TWO
THE FALL GUY
GLADIATOR II
MONKEY MAN

Best Ensemble
CONCLAVE
DUNE: PART TWO
SEPTEMBER 5
SING SING
WICKED

Here Are The 2024 Nominations of the Michigan Movie Critics Guild!


The Michigan Movie Critics Guild have announced their nominations for the best of 2024.  The winners will be announced on December 9th!

Best Picture
Anora
The Brutalist
Dune: Part Two
The Substance
Wicked

Best Director
Sean Baker – Anora
Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
Robert Eggers – Nosferatu
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance

Best Actress
Amy Adams – Nightbitch
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Nicole Kidman – Babygirl
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
Hugh Grant – Heretic

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana Grande-Butera – Wicked
Felicity Jones – The Brutalist
Natasha Lyonne – His Three Daughters
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez

Best Supporting Actor
Yura Burisov – Anora
Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Adam Pearson – A Different Man
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II

Best Animated Film
Flow
Inside Out 2
Piece By Piece
Transformers One
The Wild Robot

Best Documentary
Daughters
Music By John Williams
No Other Land
Piece By Piece
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper

Best Ensemble
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Nosferatu
Saturday Night
Wicked

Best Screenplay (Adapted or Original)
Anora
The Brutalist
Challengers
Nosferatu
The Substance
Wicked

Breakthrough Award
Mikey Madison – Actress for Anora
Giovanni Ribisi – Cinematographer for Strange Darling
Jane Schoenbrun – Director for I Saw the TV Glow
Maisy Stella – Actress for My Old Ass
Zelda Williams – Director for Lisa Frankenstein

Stunts
Deadpool & Wolverine
The Fall Guy
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Kill
Monkey Man
Road House

The MMCG Award for Film Excellence (presented to a filmmaker, writer, actor, crew member, etc., who has Michigan ties or to a film made or set in Michigan)
The Fire Inside (Set in Flint, and lead actress Ryan Destiny is a Detroit native)
Francis Ford Coppola (Writer/Director of Megalopolis)
Hundreds of Beavers (Partially filmed in Michigan)
Keegan-Michael Key (Actor in IF, Transformers One & Dear Santa)
J.K. Simmons (Actor in Saturday Night, Red One and Juror #2)

Here Are The Independent Spirit Nominations!


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

Here Are The 2024 Gotham Nominations


Awards season began this morning, with the announcement of the Gotham nominations!

Now, to be clear, the Gotham Awards are not exactly the best precursor when it comes to predicting the Oscars.  The Gothams are designed to honor independent films and, as a result, a lot of Oscar contenders are not even eligible for the Gothams.  Dune 2, for instance, is definitely not a Gotham film.

That said, every little bit helps and, since we’ve got a whole month before the rest of precursors start weighing in, the producers of Anora have to be happy that today’s headlines have all basically been a variation of “ANORA LEADS THE GOTHAMS.”  If you’re going to build momentum on the way to the Oscars, it’s important to stay in the conversation.  Today, Anora is dominating that conversation.

Here are the Gotham nominations!

Best Feature

Anora
Sean Baker, director; Sean Baker, Alex Coco, Samantha Quan, producers (NEON)

Babygirl
Halina Reijn, director; David Hinojosa, Julia Oh, Halina Reijn, producers (A24)

Challengers
Luca Guadagnino, director; Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal, Zendaya, producers (Amazon MGM Studios)

A Different Man
Aaron Schimberg, director; Gabriel Mayers, Vanessa McDonnell, Christine Vachon, producers (A24)

Nickel Boys
RaMell Ross, director; Joslyn Barnes, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, David Levine, producers (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Best International Feature

All We Imagine as Light
Payal Kapadia, director; Julien Graff, Thomas Hakim, producers (Sideshow and Janus Films)

Green Border
Agnieszka Holland, director; Fred Bernstein, Agnieszka Holland, Marcin Wierzchoslawski, producers (Kino Lorber)

Hard Truths
Mike Leigh, director; Georgina Lowe, producer (Bleecker Street)

Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Thien An Pham, director; Jeremy Chua, Tran Van Thi, producers (Kino Lorber)

Vermiglio
Maura Delpero, director; Francesca Andreoli, Maura Delpero, Santiago Fondevila Sance, Leonardo Guerra Seràgnoli, producers (Sideshow and Janus Films)

Best Documentary Feature

Dahomey
Mati Diop, director; Mati Diop, Judith Lou Lévy, Eve Robin, producers (MUBI)

Intercepted
Oksana Karpovych, director; Darya Bassel, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Rocío B. Fuentes, Giacomo Nudi, Lucie Rego Pauline Tran Van Lieu, producers (Grasshopper Film)

No Other Land
Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, directors; Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning, producers (Antipode Films)

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat
Johan Grimonprez, director; Rémi Grellety, Daan Milius, producers (Kino Lorber)

Sugarcane
Julian Brave NoiseCat, Emily Kassie, directors; Emily Kassie, Kellen Quinn, producers (National Geographic Documentary Films)

Union
Stephen Maing, Brett Story, directors; Samantha Curley, Mars Verrone, producers (Self-Distributed)

Best Director

Payal Kapadia, All We Imagine as Light (Sideshow and Janus Films)
Sean Baker, Anora (NEON)
Guan Hu, Black Dog (The Forge)
Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Best Screenplay

Between the Temples, Nathan Silver, C. Mason Wells (Sony Pictures Classics)
Evil Does Not Exist, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (Sideshow and Janus Films)
Femme, Sam H. Freeman, Ng Choon Ping (Utopia)
His Three Daughters, Azazel Jacobs (Netflix)
Janet Planet, Annie Baker (A24)

Breakthrough Director

Shuchi Talati, Girls Will Be Girls (Juno Films, Inc)
India Donaldson, Good One (Metrograph Pictures)
Alessandra Lacorazza, In the Summers (Music Box Films)
Vera Drew, The People’s Joker (Altered Innocence)
Mahdi Fleifel, To a Land Unknown (Watermelon Pictures)

Outstanding Lead Performance

Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl (Roadside Attractions)
Adrien Brody, The Brutalist (A24)
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing (A24)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths (Bleecker Street)
Nicole Kidman, Babygirl (A24)
Keith Kupferer, Ghostlight (IFC Films)
Mikey Madison, Anora (NEON)
Demi Moore, The Substance (MUBI)
Saoirse Ronan, Outrun (Sony Pictures Classics)
Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Outstanding Supporting Performance

Yura Borisov, Anora (NEON)
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)
Danielle Deadwyler, The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow (A24)
Natasha Lyonne, His Three Daughters (Netflix)
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing (A24)
Katy O’Brian, Love Lies Bleeding (A24)
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist (A24)
Adam Pearson, A Different Man (A24)
Brian Tyree Henry, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)

Breakthrough Performer

Lily Collias, Good One (Metrograph Pictures)
Ryan Destiny, The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
Maisy Stella, My Old Ass (Amazon MGM Studios)
Izaac Wang, Dìdi Y(Focus Features)
Brandon Wilson, Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Lisa Marie’s Early Oscar Predictions For August!


  You can check out my predictions for April by clicking hereAnd then check out my predictions for May!  And June as wellAnd July!

Best Picture

Anora

Blitz

Didi

Dune Part 2

Emilia Perez

Gladiator II

Maria

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

The Substance

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez

Sean Baker for Anora

Pablo Larrain for Maria

Steve McQueen for Blitz

Denis Villeneuve for Dune Part 2

Best Actor

Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain

Andre Holland in The Actor

Daniel Craig in Queer

Barry Keoghan in Bird

Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness

Best Actress

Ryan Destiny in The Fire Inside

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked

Angelina Jolie in Maria

Mikey Madison in Anora

Demi Moore In The Substance

Best Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Brian Tyree Henry in The Fire Inside

Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson

Paul Raci in Sing Sing

Denzel Washington in Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress

Joan Chen in Didi

Toni Collette in Juror #2

Julianne Moore in The Room Next Door

Saoirse Ronan in Blitz

Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez

Lisa Marie’s Way Too Early Oscar Predictions For July


  You can check out my predictions for April by clicking hereAnd then check out my predictions for May!  And June as well!

Best Picture

Anora

Blitz

Didi

Dune Part 2

Emilia Perez

The Fire Inside

Gladiator II

Inside Out 2

A Real Pain

Sing Sing

Best Director

Jacques Audiard for Emilia Perez

Sean Baker for Anora

Steve McQueen for Blitz

Rachel Morrison for The Fire Inside

Denis Villeneuve for Dune Part 2

Best Actor

Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain

Andre Holland in The Actor

Daniel Craig in Queer

Barry Keoghan in Bird

Jesse Plemons in Kinds of Kindness

Best Actress

Ryan Destiny in The Fire Inside

Cynthia Erivo in Wicked

Angelina Jolie in Maria

Mikey Madison in Anora

Demi Moore In The Substance

Best Supporting Actor

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Brian Tyree Henry in The Fire Inside

Samuel L. Jackson in The Piano Lesson

Paul Raci in Sing Sing

Denzel Washington in Gladiator II

Best Supporting Actress

Joan Chen in Didi

Toni Collette in Juror #2

Julianne Moore in The Room Next Door

Saoirse Ronan in Blitz

Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez