Friday Awards Wrap-Up: BIFA, AFI, and more!
Friday, December 8, 2023 at 7:00PM 
With the awards race heating up, there's much to discuss. Maybe too much. Da'Vine Joy Randolph is proving a sweeper in Best Supporting Actress, taking every single one of those awards so far. Her The Holdovers costar, Paul Giamatti, is also doing well for himself, somehow scoring better results than some of the supposed Oscar frontrunners. Then there's Lily Gladstone taking the lead in Best Actress, while Killers of the Flower Moon adds some more victories to go alongside its NYFCC wins. The Color Purple has struggled to make an impression, but that might be due to late screenings, while Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is making a good case for itself as a Best Picture contender.
In any case, here's a small compendium of prizes and top ten announcements from this week, plus some additional commentary…
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARDS
Best British Independent Film: ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Director: Andrew Haigh, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Debut Director: Savanah Leaf, EARTH MAMA
Best Debut Director – Feature Documentary: Chloe Abrahams, THE TASTE OF MANGO
Best Lead Performance: Mia McKenna-Bruce, HOW TO HAVE SEX
Best Supporting Performance: Paul Mescal, ALL OF US STRANGERS & Shaun Thomas, HOW TO HAVE SEX (tie)
Best Joint Performance: Nathan Stewart-Jarrett & George MacKay, FEMME
Breakthrough Performance: Vivian Oparah, RYE LANE
Best Casting: Isabella Odoffin, HOW TO HAVE SEX
Breakthrough Producer: Theo Barrowclough, SCRAPPER
Best Screenplay: Andrew Haigh, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Debut Screenwriter: Nida Manzoor, POLITE SOCIETY
Best Editing: Jonathan Alberts, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Cinematography: Jamie D. Ramsay, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Production Design: Nathan Parker THE KITCHEN
Best Costume Design: Buki Ebiesuwa, FEMME
Best Make-Up & Hair Design: Marie Deehan, FEMME
Best Effects: Jonathan Gales & Richard Baker, THE KITCHEN
Best Original Music: Kwes, RYE LANE
Best Music Supervision: Connie Farr, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Best Sound: Mark Jenkin, ENYS MEN
Best Feature Documentary: Alice Russell & Gannesh Rajah, IF THE STREETS WERE ON FIRE
Best International Independent Film: ANATOMY OF A FALL
Best British Short Film: Abdou Cissé, Cheri Darbon & George Telfer, FESTIVAL OF SLAPS
The Raindance Maverick Award: Alice Russell & Gannesh Rajah, IF THE STREETS WERE ON FIRE
Many of Haigh's past films have been nominated at the BIFAs, but few have won prizes. So, it's fair to say the director and his team came to the awards with an aura of "overdue" about them. Still, between that and their staggering seven wins, it goes a long way. One imagines that in a world where All of Us Strangers wasn't in competition, Cannes sensation How to Have Sex would have been the year's grand champion.
ATLANTA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
Top 10 Films:
1) OPPENHEIMER
2) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
3) THE HOLDOVERS
4) PAST LIVES
5) BARBIE
6) MAY DECEMBER
7) SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
8) AMERICAN FICTION
9) ANATOMY OF A FALL
10) POOR THINGS
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Lead Actress: Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Lead Actor: Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., OPPENHEIMER & Ryan Gosling, BARBIE (tie)
Best Ensemble Cast: OPPENHEIMER
Best Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Documentary: STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best Foreign Language Film: ANATOMY OF A FALL
Best Animated Film: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER
Best Stunt Work: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Best Breakthrough Performer: Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best First Feature Film: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Though many would still call him the frontrunner for the Oscar, it's notable how Robert Downey Jr. has struggled to capture voters' attention. Even here, with a critics group besotted by Oppenheimer, he shares the Best Supporting Actor honor with Ryan Gosling. In other news, Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie is starting to feel like a mighty Best Documentary contender. Alternatively, it's one of those critical darlings that get a lot of precursor support but fail to make the Oscar lineup. That's not uncommon in the documentary race.
MICHIGAN MOVIE CRITICS GUILD
Best Picture: BARBIE
Best Director: Greta Gerwig, BARBIE
Best Actress: Emma Stone, POOR THINGS
Best Actor: Paul Giamatti, THE HOLDOVERS & Jeffrey Wright, AMERICAN FICTION (tie)
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, BARBIE
Best Animated Film: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Documentary: STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best Ensemble: OPPENHEIMER
Best Screenplay: ANATOMY OF A FALL
Breakthrough Award: Cord Jefferson, AMERICAN FICTION
Stunts: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 & MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE (tie)
MGMCG Award for film Excellence: Keegan-Michael Key
The only Best Actress award Lily Gladstone has lost so far was this one from the Michigan critics. Though I'm personally rooting for her, I can't say this is a great tragedy. There should be more variety in the awards season, and it's very dull when most groups fall into lockstep. Not to mention that Stone's performance is quite marvelous, too. Once again, Cooper misses Best Actor despite many still counting it as the favorite for the Oscar. Maybe it'll be like in 2017 when Oldman failed to convince critics but won all the televised awards.
AMERICAN FILM INSTITUTE
AMERICAN FICTION
BARBIE
THE HOLDOVERS
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
MAESTRO
MAY DECEMBER
OPPENHEIMER
PAST LIVES
POOR THINGS
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
The AFI always boosts a movie's chances, even if their list seldom translates wholesale to the Academy's Best Picture lineup. That is another way of saying that, while this is good news for May December, we shouldn't start celebrating yet. AMPAS is famously allergic to Haynes, having never nominated him for Best Director nor any of his works for Best Picture. I don't know about you, but I'm still stung with disappointment whenever I remember Carol's fate.
SIGHT & SOUND
1) KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, Martin Scorsese
2) THE ZONE OF INTEREST, Jonathan Glazer
3) PAST LIVES, Celine Song
4) POOR THINGS, Yorgos Lanthimos
5) BARBIE, Greta Gerwig (tie)
5) OPPENHEIMER, Christopher Nolan (tie)
7) PASSAGES, Ira Sachs
8) ANATOMY OF A FALL, Justine Triet
9) DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD, Radu Jude
10) MAY DECEMBER, Todd Haynes
The ten first titles of Sight & Sound's top 35 feel remarkably awards-adjacent. Even Radu Jude's opus is in the conversation since it represents Romania in the Best International Film. One can take this as a sign that this season is dominated by titles critics actually love, cause for much joy. Or, it might be cause for concern about a publication that's usually more adventurous in their picks.
Beyond victories and end-of-the-year lists, awards obsessives can also pour over some scattered nominations. The Hollywood Creative Alliance is pulling for Ben Affleck's Air like no one else so far, and even their general segregation of international from American titles couldn't stop Anatomy of a Fall from scoring nods across the board. There are also the Film Independent Spirit Awards, where many TFE favorites got a welcome boost. Their Best Feature nominees are All of Us Strangers, American Fiction, May December, Passages, and Past Lives. As in years past, I'll share my complete ballot closer to the February 25th ceremony. In the meantime, here's the full list of nominations.
The Las Vegas Film Critics Society and the Chicago Film Critics Association also announced their nominations in several categories. Maestro was a hit with the Vegas voters, scoring nominations across the board, while leaving space for some more Netflix love in the form of nods for Rustin and May December. Chicago was less enamored with the Leonard Bernstein biopic, snubbing it mercilessly. This resulted in some pleasant surprises, like Past Lives' Teo Yoo in contention for Best Actor. Another pleasant surprise, common to both groups, was a groundswell of support for Godzilla: Minus One in multiple lineups.
What do you think of these developments in the race? Is there a pleasant surprise in the bunch or just endless disappointment?
Reader Comments (10)
This is going to be an unhappy season for me as I'm not a fan of Killers of the Flower Moon.
NATHANIEL R -- If it makes you feel better, I believe this well of love for it will dry up when we get to televised awards. By then, I imagine MAESTRO will rise, and it'll be time for me to be unhappy.
I'm probably being pessimistic to a fault, but my favorites so seldom go all the way that I always get suspicious if, early in the season, things seem to be going too well. It's why I immediately started to be afraid for Dafoe when I watched POOR THINGS. He's my favorite performance in the film, so there's no way he'll be AMPAS' too. It's silly, I know :P
If Da’Vine keeps winning then I’ll be joining both of you in the unhappy camp.
As much as I strongly disagreed with 3 of the 4 acting Oscar winners last year, what made it absolutely palatable for me was that none of the 4 Oscar winners were sweepers of televised awards. None of them deserved to be! And so far in 2023 I have not seen a once-in-a-generation performance that deserves to be winning everything. If people wonder why fewer people tune into the Oscars, maybe it’s because they’ve already seen the winners give their speeches at 4 other shows before the Oscars!!!
charlea -- Well, Actor and Supporting Actor feel volatile right now, so there's that.
I agree that it's very boring when the same people win everything. It's good to have variety, to reward multiple artists, and to go into Oscar night with some suspense. Last year, Best Actress was such a nail-biter!
Firstly I don't see a situation where the Academy would fail to nominate the Michael J Fox doc and not to have him up there accepting,Oscar is made for moments like this and wouldn't it be great to see.
Once the televised awards start I figure Giamatti will have to give up the win to Cooper.
It's Downey vs Gosling for Supporting.
Lily is in to win now and I don't see Stone taking a 2nd,Poor Things is more likely to be widely admired than widely loved.
Randolph looks like a lock now for a win though i'm rooting for Foster she totally overshadowed Annette.
Maybe now is the this time the Academy will finally warm up to Haynes,i've a sneaking feeling May December is going to do better than many are predicting after all it's about acting plus Moore and Portman are former Oscar winners and both are well liked,Moore would then be a 7 time nominee.
This award season is definitely not that exciting to me either - the only films I have any remote interest in is May December and All of Us Strangers. And usually my like of something is bad luck so there you go
Happy that my local film critics guild made some good picks.
Interesting that Las Vegas had NO acting nominations for Killers of the Flower Moon.
Another note - noticed Glenn Howerton showing up a lot for Blackberry - which I just watched and kinda excited for him.
I can't believe critics so far are rooting so hard for Killers of the Flower Moon and Lily Gladstone! There are admittedly better performances and films in the running. This further proves how much America loves giving laurels to politically charged films without regarding quality, which makes them feel good about themselves and appear aware of social issues.
Here's to hoping that LAFC and NSFC amend that.
I loved May December and it seems like Melton stands a good chance to earn a nod.
I really want to see Moore get in, though. She was absolutely phenomenal, but my sense is that she's going to miss. I'd love to see her get a 6th nod.