"Dorian Award" Nominations - here's what LGBTQ critics loved this year

by Nathaniel R

The 14th annual Dorian Film Award winners will be announced on February 23rd. The Dorian Film Awards comes from the Society of LBGTQ Critics (also known as GALECA, an earlier acronym) to which a few of us here at The Film Experience belong. But we're just a tiny drop in the bucket; The society has grown tremendously and now represents over 400 critics/journalists. Everything Everywhere All At Once led the nominations with 9 with TÁR as runner up with 7 nominations.

Full list of nominees and a few comments follow (NOW UPDATED WITH WINNERS 2/23) ...

Film of the Year

• Aftersun (A24)
• The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight)
• ★ Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• The Fabelmans (Universal)
• TÁR (Focus Features)

The Fabelmans scored a nomination with NO OTHER NODS which is interesting since the other films are abundantly represented in other categories. Though it should be noted that the young star of The Fabelmans, Gabriel Labelle was nominated in Rising Star though that category doesn't technically specify a film. 

 
LGBTQ Film of the Year

BENEDICTION

• Benediction (Roadside Attractions)
• Bros (Universal)
• ★ Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• The Inspection (A24)
• TÁR (Focus Features)

EEAAO totally qualifies but it's so abundantly honored in nearly all the other categories that it would have been nice to see a smaller queer picture here for some variety. In other words, spread the wealth! As it now it's easy to suspect that EEAAO will win both top film prizes and Michelle Yeoh is also likely to win two prizes. Lots of double-dipping possible.

Note to self: It's weird that we haven't written about Benediction here at TFE. We need a bigger team!

Given that all of the nominees are English language pictures, and usually are, GALECA needs to add a Category for "Non-English Language LGBTQ Film of the Year" to mirror the top two awards... and because it would be thematically correct with the organization: Blue Caftan, Girl Picture, Joyland, and Close would have looked great as nominees, for example. 

 
Director(s) of the Year 

• Todd Field, TÁR (Focus Features)
• ★ Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight)
• Sarah Polley, Women Talking (United Artists)
• Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (A24)

 
Screenplay of the Year 

• Todd Field, TÁR (Focus Features)
• ★ Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• Martin McDonagh, The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight)
• Sarah Polley, Women Talking (United Artists)
• Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (A24)

Director & Screenplay are an exact match. A year of the writer-director.

 
Non-English Language Film of the Year

CLOSE

• All Quiet on the Western Front (Netflix, Amusement Park)
• Close (A24)
• Decision to Leave (Mubi, CJ Entertainment) 
• EO (Sideshow, Janus Films)
• ★ RRR (DVV Entertainment, Variance Films)

These are all really fine films but given how closely nominations aligned with Globes, Critics Choice, and now GALECA (the only GALECA nominee not nominated at those previous orgs is EO) it's clear that with the "specialty" categories each year (this, animation, doc) it's always a contest of "how many people have actually seen your film?" Thus the power of awards campaigns if you can afford them! 

In other words we're shedding a tear for terrific pictures like Holy Spider, Girl Picture, Joyland, and Return to Seoul, that didn't get the same kind of exposure as these five. Will Oscar voters go with the four above (minus RRR obviously since it's not eligible for that prize) and if so which of the other finalists gets a slot? Will they add in something underrecognized or simply switch out RRR for Globe nominee Bardo or Globe winner Argentina 1985. It's worth noting that the Spirit awards strayed far from the Globe/Critics Choice picks in terms of Oscar hopefuls and honored Joyland, Corsage, Return to Seoul, and Saint Omer.

 
Unsung Film of the Year (to an exceptional movie worthy of greater attention)

EMILY THE CRIMINAL

• ★ Aftersun (A24)
• After Yang (A24)
• Benediction (Roadside Attractions)
• The Eternal Daughter (A24)
• Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (Searchlight)
• The Menu (Searchlight) 
• Emily the Criminal  

Hmmm, there really should be a rule that if you're nominated for Film of the Year you can't also be nominated for "Unsung"... since that becomes dichotomous. Personally disappointed that Girl Picture didn't score here or anywhere else since we held out hope that at least queer critics would recognize it (I voted for it in multiple categories myself) 

Note to self: It's strange that we haven't written about Emily the Criminal here at TFE. Aubrey Plaza had such a fantastic year between this and White Lotus: Sicily.

 
Film Performance of the Year

TILL

• Cate Blanchett, TÁR (Focus Features)
• Austin Butler, Elvis (Warner Bros.) 
• Viola Davis, The Woman King (Sony) 
• Danielle Deadwyler, Till (United Artists) 
• Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight)
• Brendan Fraser, The Whale (A24)
• Mia Goth, Pearl (A24)
• Paul Mescal, Aftersun (A24)
• Jeremy Pope, The Inspection (A24) 
• ★ Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)

Color us surprised that this ended up being an exact 50/50 split between actors and actresses. 

Supporting Film Performance of the Year

 THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN

• Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Disney, Marvel)
• Hong Chau, The Whale (A24)
• Jamie Lee Curtis, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• Dolly De Leon, Triangle of Sadness (Neon)
• Nina Hoss, TÁR (Focus Features)
• Stephanie Hsu, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin (Searchlight)
• Janelle Monáe, Glass Onion (Netflix)
• Keke Palmer, Nope (Universal)
• ★ Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)

Only two male actors nominated here so it's a delight that Barry Keoghan is one of them given the odds against him. Even with 8 nominations for supporting actresses, the Women Talking thespians did not land. That also happened at SAG which suggests that votes are splitting and people are just thinking "great cast".

Documentary of the Year

FIRE OF LOVE

• ★ All The Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)
• Fire of Love (Neon, National Geographic)
• Good Night Oppy (Amazon Studios)
• Moonage Daydream (Neon)
• Navalny (Warner Bros.) 

LGBTQ Documentary of the Year 

• ★ All The Beauty and the Bloodshed (Neon)
• Framing Agnes (Kino Lorber)
• Moonage Daydream (Neon)
• Nelly & Nadine (Auto Images) 
• Sirens (Frameline)

Animated Film of the Year

• Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (Netflix)
• ★ Marcel The Shell with Shoes On (A24)
• Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (DreamWorks, Universal) 
• Turning Red (Disney, Pixar)
• Wendell & Wild (Netflix)

A shame that no non-English language film scored given five slots. (This complaint is also known as Inu-Oh is better than Wendell & Wild)

 
Film Music of the Year

ELVIS

• Babylon - score by Justin Hurvitz (Paramount)
• Elvis - score and music production by Elliott Wheeler; the music of Elvis Presley; various artists (Warner Bros.)
• RRR - score by M.M. Keeravani (DVV Entertainment, Variance Films)
• ★ TÁR - score and curation by Hildur Guðnadóttir (Focus Features)
• Women Talking - score by Hildur Guðnadóttir (United Artists)

 
Visually Striking Film of the Year 

• Avatar: The Way of Water (20th Century) 
• Babylon (Paramount) 
• ★ Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
• Nope (Universal) 
• RRR (DVV Entertainment, Variance Films)

Campiest Flick of the Year 

• Babylon (Paramount)
• Bodies Bodies Bodies (A24)
• Elvis (Warner Bros.)
• Glass Onion (Netflix) 
• ★ Pearl (A24)
• RRR (DVV Entertainment, Variance Films)

I don't personally vote on this category since I believe "camp" has lost all discernible purposeful definition in 21st century overuse but I think Blonde should have easily scored here. (P.S. I hated Blonde.)

Rising Star Award

WEDNESDAY

• Austin Butler
• Frankie Corio
• ★ Stephanie Hsu
• Gabriel LaBelle
• Jenna Ortega
• Jeremy Pope

Though Dorian Awards have a separate TV awards, for some reason they lump "Rising Star" in the film awards but then you end up with new TV stars making the list like Ortega who we agree is superb in Wednesday!  

 
Wilde Artist Award (to a truly groundbreaking force in film, theater and/or television) 

• Cate Blanchett
• Billy Eichner
• Janelle Monáe
• Keke Palmer
• ★ Michelle Yeoh

If we were going to honor Keke Palmer here (a solid way to honor her!) why also include her in "supporting" for her lead role in Nope? 

LGBTQIA+ Film Trailblazer.
★ Janelle Monae

Special prize.

 
Timeless Award (to an actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit; alternates yearly between male and female / non-binary honorees)

• RuPaul Andre Charles
• Nathan Lane
• Tom Hanks
• Anthony Hopkins
• Bill Nighy

Given that the acting categories have gone genderless, it's odd that this one remains gendered and alternating. GALECA has not yet announced a winner in this category.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE NOMINATION THIS YEAR HERE? 

Comments

[Peggy Sue]

A rising star category and no Daryl McCormack.

Incredibly boring norminations. This could perfectly be Southeastern Film Critics Awards or the Online Film Critics whatever.

[Tony L]

I would be ECSTATIC if their lead performance group were the 10 nominees at the Oscars.

Blanchett, Yeoh, Davis, Deadwyler, Goth
Pope, Farrell, Butler, Fraser, Mescal

To include Jeremy Pope and Mia Goth would be a dream come true!!!

[Ryan T.]

Well as a gay and EEAAO being his #1 film of the year, this list is great!

And yes to both BENEDICTION and EMILY THE CRIMINAL write-ups! Can't wait to see what Aubrey Plaza does next.

[forever1267]

No love for SPOILER ALERT ??? That was a beautiful, moving film. Even when we get to the Big Screen, we ignore ourselves.

[jules]

I have to agree that these are pretty boring, particularly those "Unsung Film of the Year" nominees. And how did Women Talking get nominated for screenplay and direction but not get a best film nomination?

[Tony L]

Thanks Ryan T for a positive comment. Sometimes just seeing negative comments makes me shut down. Were these nominations perfect? Not to everyone. Will any group get them 100% right? Of course not. But it’s nice to see comments about the good instead of the bad. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.