Animated Feature - ENCANTO

Encanto
(US, Disney)
Nov 24th

WINNER

wins: NBR, and a few critics prizes
noms: Annie (9), CCA (2), Globes

Flee
(Denmark, NEON)
Dec 3rd

wins: Annecy (Festival), LAFCA, and a few critics prizes
noms: Annie (4), CCA, Globes

This biographical animated film has made a splash with critics but some may feel its merits fall more in the Doc or International category.

Luca

(US, Disney/Pixar)
June 18th

wins: --
noms: Annie (8), CCA, Globes

 Pixar has the best track record of any animation house with 55% of the wins here but parent Disney has been strange about this wonderful tale of two little boy sea monsters. Sadly, denying it a theatrical release made it less of an event film. Could it be a surprise omission.

The Mitchells vs the Machines
(US, Sony/Netflix)
April 30th

wins: NYFCC, and well over a dozen critics prizes
noms: Annie (8), CCA,

It's cleaning up at regional critics awards and Oscar sure loved this animation style when it first debuted via Into the Spider-Verse. Will they love this as much as critics?

Raya and the Last Dragon
(US, Disney)
March 5th

wins: 1 critics prizes
noms: Annie (10), CCA, Globes

It's unwise to bet against Disney but they can't have ALL the nominations in a category. With Encanto and Luca both in the mix... something's gotta give

The major misses were the huge hit Sing 2 and the Globe nominee My Sunny Maad. Netflix's Summit of the Gods which received one Annie nomination never really caught on.

The were 26 eligible films so 21 of them were on the outside looking in. Those were: The Addams Family 2, The Ape Star, Back to the Outback, Belle, Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People, Boss Baby: Family Business, CryptoZoo, Fortune Favors Lady Nikuko, Josee The Tiger and the Fish, Laws of the Universe, My Sunny Maad, Paw Patrol, Pompo the Cinephile, Poupelle of Chimney Town, Ron's Gone Wrong, Sing 2, Summit of the Gods, Spine of Night, Spirit Untamed, Vivo, and Wish Dragon.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT - WINDSHIELD WIPER

Tier 1 - Predictions 

AFFAIRS OF THE ART
(UK)
Joanna Quinn
16 minutes

Traditional
Official Site

Synopsis: An eccentric family is really into drawing and taxidermy

BEAST / BESTIA
(Chile)
Hugo Covarrubias
15 minutes

Stop motion

Synopsis: About a woman working for the Chilean Intelligence Directorate in 1975

BOX BALLET
(Russia)
Anton Dyakov
15 minutes

Hand-drawn
Vimeo Teaser

Synopsis: a delicate ballerina and a surly boxer meet

ROBIN ROBIN
(UK)
Daniel Ojari & Michael Please
32 minutes

Watch on Netflix

Synopsis: the story of a bird raised by mice wondering about where she belongs.

THE WINDSHIELD WIPER
(US/Spain)
Alberto Miego
21 minutes

WINNER

CG
Official Site

Synopsis: a chainsmoking man asks the question "what is love?"

The other finalists were Bad Seeds, Flowing Home, The Musician, Namoo (from last year's nominee Erick Oh), Mum is Pouring Rain, Only a Child, Souvenir Souvenir, Step Into the River, the Disney short Us Again and The Shaman's Apprentice

Unfortunately the Academy did not release the eligibility list this year (sigh -- why are they reversing on previous years of transparency?) so we don't know what was originally in the mix and then discarded before these finalists were announced

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

The list was narrowed down to 15 from 138 eligible films which is a much smaller number than usual

Key: Citations refers to winning awards that go to several films at once. Wins are festival prizes, critics are wins in documentary (unless otherwise noted) from various regional organizations, Nominations refers to everything except screening in competitive festivals. (If there is a number it refers to the amount of wins or nominations involved)

Tier 1 -Predictions

ASCENSION
(MTV, Paramount+)
Nov 15th
97 minutes

wins: Denver (1), Hamptons (1), Tacoma (1), Tribeca (2)

citations: DOC NYC

noms: PGA, Gotham, Cinema Eye (5), CCA (6), IDA (1),

topics/genre: China, Business, Sociology, Economics, Politics

ATTICA
(Showtime)
Nov 6th
120 minutes

REVIEW

wins:

citations: DOC NYC

noms: CCA (3)

topics/genre: Prison, Politics, Racism, Violence, Sociology, 1970s

FLEE
(Neon)
90 minutes

REVIEW

critics orgs: NYFCC, OAFCC, Atlanta, Boston (Online), Detroit, Nevada, New York (Online), St Louis

wins: Annecy (3), Biografilm (2), Gotham

citations: Cinema Eye, DOC NYC

noms: PGA, BIFA (1), Cinema Eye (7)

topics/genre: Immigration, Memoir, LGBTQ, Afghanistan, Denmark, Politics, Sexuality, Biography

SUMMER OF SOUL
(Searchlight/Hulu)
July 2nd
118 minutes

WINNER

REVIEW

critics:  LAFCA,  BFCC, SEFCA, GWNYFCA,   Boston, Chicago, Dallas, DC, Detroit, Dublin, Florida, Las Vegas, North Texas, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland

wins: Boulder, Provincetown, Sao Paulo, Sundance (2), CCA (6)

citations: DOC NYC

noms: PGA, Cinema Eye (6), IDA (4), Gotham, Grammy Awards

topics/genre: Music, The Arts, 1960s, NYC, Celebrity, Racial Politics

WRITING WITH FIRE
(Music Box Films)
Nov 26th
92 minutes

wins: Al Jazeera, Belfast, Bergen, Blackstar (2), Docs MX, IDFA, Krakow, Molodist, Nordic, Oslo, San Francisco, Seattle, Sundance, Telluride Mountainfilm, Valladolid, DC, Wisconsin, Yamagata

citations: Cinema Eye

noms: PGA, APCA, IDA,

topics/genre: India, Politics, Human Rights

READER'S CHOICE (vote daily)

The other 10 finalists were Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry, Faya Dayi, Julia, The First Wave, In the Same Breath, RSimple as Water, , The Procession, President, The Rescue, and The Velvet Underground

Notable films that didn't make the finals included ome that deserved to be here and some that were merely high profile, included... All Light Everywhere, Bring Your Own Brigade, Citizen Ashe, Crime on the Bayou, Introducing Selma Blair, The Lost Leonardo, Playing with Sharks, Pray Away, Road Runner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, Val ,and Wojnarowicz

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

The list was narrowed down to 15 from an unknown set of eligible films.

The Finalist list also included:
“Águilas”
“A Broken House”
“Camp Confidential: America’s Secret Nazis”
“Coded: The Hidden Love of J. C. Leyendecker”
“Lead Me Home”
“Lynching Postcards: “Token of a Great Day””
“Sophie & the Baron”
“Three Songs for Benazir”
“When We Were Bullies”

LIVE ACTION SHORT

The list was narrowed down to 15 from an unknown set of eligible films.

The other finalists were Censor of Dreams, The Criminals, Distances, Frimas, Les Grandes Claques, Stenofonen, Tala'Vision, Under the Heavens,  When the Sun Sets, and You're Dead Helene ALL REVIEWED HERE.