Weekend Awards Wrap-Up: From the PGA to Cinema Eye

by Cláudio Alves

THE ZONE OF INTEREST proved an unexpected hit with the Producers Guild of America.

Oscar voting is ongoing, so this past week's honors feel especially important. They can be the spotlight that shines on a movie at just the right time, reminding Academy members of its merit as a contender. But of course, in terms of guild honors, they're also a way for awards obsessives to get a sense of what movies the industry values most. For example, the latest onslaught of guild nods makes the picture clear for those doubting that Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest could succeed beyond critics' prizes. If an organization as mainstream-inclined as the PGA can embrace Jonathan Glazer's latest nightmare, what's stopping AMPAS from doing the same?

So, from producers to regional critics, Annie nominees to Cinema Eye winners, this is what happened last week…

PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA

Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

• AMERICAN FICTION
• ANATOMY OF A FALL
• BARBIE
• THE HOLDOVERS
• KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• MAESTRO
• OPPENHEIMER
• PAST LIVES
• POOR THINGS
• THE ZONE OF INTEREST

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

• THE BOY AND THE HERON
• ELEMENTAL
• SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
• THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

• 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
• AMERICAN SYMPHONY
• BEYOND UTOPIA
• THE DISAPPEARANCE OF SHERE HITE
• THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES
• SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD
• SQUARING THE CIRCLE (THE STORY OF HIPGNOSIS)

For the first time in the organization's history, the PGA nominated two films predominantly performed in non-English languages. Most pundits thought they'd turn their nose at Sandra Hüller's Cannes-anointed double feature, but it wasn't so. But now, what do we do? Surely, it can't be this simple to predict Best Picture at the Oscars. After all, don't they always disagree with PGA in some way? 

Well, yes, but it's usually to the benefit of some artsier fare like The Father and Drive My Car. Beyond these ten, most strong contenders fall closer to the denomination of popular hits rather than arthouse gems. If they do match, it'll be nearly unprecedented. The last few times the Oscar lineup was made exclusively from PGA honorees, it was because the Academy chose fewer titles than the guild, snubbing some of their nominees just the same.

In other news, Wish is in trouble. If the Disney flick couldn't get the PGA approval, can it strike gold with AMPAS? It seems unlikely, but more on that later. Also, The Boy and the Heron is the first non-English-language film nominated for the Animation PGA.

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Feature Film

• Hoyte van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER
• Edward Lachmann, EL CONDE
• Matthew Libatique, MAESTRO
• Rodrigo Prieto, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• Robbie Ryan, POOR THINGS

Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Documentary

• Jeff Hutchens, MURDER IN BIG HORN "Episode 1"
• Curren Sheldon, KING COAL
• D. Smith, KOKOMO CITY 

Spotlight Award

• Eric Branco, STORY AVE.
• Krum Rodrigues, CITIZEN SAINT
• Warwick Thornton, THE NEW BOY

The ASC is prone to surprise nominees, and, lately, so is the Academy's cinematographers' branch. While that doesn't mean El Conde is suddenly an Oscar frontrunner, keep an eye on it. Pablo Larraín's black-and-white piece of vampiric absurdism would make a great addition to any Best Cinematography lineup. And after some of the snubs along his career, living legend Edward Lachmann could do with more love from AMPAS.

The other film categories make for a beautiful set of recommendations, too. Maybe this way, more people will see Citizen Saint and The New Boy, two of 2023's most underrated titles.

BRITISH SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film

• Hoyte van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER
• Matthew Libatique, MAESTRO
• Rodrigo Prieto, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• Robbie Ryan, POOR THINGS
• Linus Sandgren, SALTBURN 

Compared to their American colleagues, the British cinematographers replaced Edward Lachmann with Linus Sandgren. One should remember that last year, while everyone was throwing cinematography prizes at Top Gun, the BSC picked All Quiet on the Western Front, which went on to win the Oscar, while the other film didn't even score a nomination.

ART DIRECTORS GUILD

Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary Feature Film 

• Donald Graham Burt, THE KILLER
• Fiona Crombie, BEAU IS AFRAID
• Suzie Davies, SALTBURN
• Gary Freeman, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
• Kevin Kavanaugh, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 

 Excellence in Production Design for a Period Feature Film

• Jack Fisk, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• Ruth De Jong, OPPENHEIMER
• Arthur Max, NAPOLEON
• Adam Stockhausen, ASTEROID CITY
• Kevin Thompson, MAESTRO 

Excellence in Production Design for a Fantasy Feature Film

• James Clyne, THE CREATOR
• Nathan Crowley, WONKA
• Sarah Greenwood, BARBIE
• Shona Heath & James Price, POOR THINGS
• Beth Mickle, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 

Excellence in Production Design for an Animated Feature Film

• Guillaume Aretos, SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
• Yashar Kassai, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
• Patrick O'Keefe, SPIDER-MEN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
• Don Shank, ELEMENTAL
• Yoji Takeshige, THE BOY AND THE HERON 

It's interesting to see that, unlike the Costume Designers Guild, the ADG considered Poor Things a fantasy. They also remembered Asteroid City in their period category, which warms my cold heart. Still, the most exciting race is the contemporary one, mainly made up of achievements with little chance of getting Oscar recognition. Or we'll even be surprised on that front. While I don't trust AMPAS ever to recognize the likes of Beau Is Afraid or John Wick, Saltburn could still succeed.

CINEMA AUDIO SOCIETY

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action 

• BARBIE
• FERRARI
• KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• MAESTRO
• OPPENHEIMER

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Animated

• THE BOY AND THE HERON
• ELEMENTAL
• SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
• THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Documentary 

• 32 SOUNDS
• AMERICAN SYMPHONY
• LITTLE RICHARD: I AM EVERYTHING
• STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
• TAYLOR SWIFT: THE ERAS TOUR

Prepare yourself for Ferrari in the Oscar ballot. Sound people love car movies, and this one is especially bold in its use of sonic effects, dialogue-obscuring cacophony sometimes, and then deep pools of unsettling silence. Indeed, Barbie, not Ferrari, can be said to be the CAS' surprise nominee. Then again, all of Hollywood seems to have Barbie fever this season.

ANNIE AWARDS 

Best Animated Feature

• THE BOY AND THE HERON
• NIMONA
• SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
• SUZUME
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM

Best Animated Feature – Independent

• ERNEST & CELESTINE: A TRIP TO GIBBERITIA
• FOUR SOULS OF COYOTE
• ROBOT DREAMS
• THE INVENTOR
• WHITE PLASTIC SKY

The International Animated Film Association has many categories, but I only included the main ones here. However, look at the complete list of nominations and see if you can spot a glaring absence. Wish got nothing. Moreover, this is the first time in 32 years that no Disney or Pixar movie has been nominated for the Best Animated Feature Annie. It seems the animation community has run out of love for the House of Mouse, at least for the time being. The industry's biggest titan has fallen. 

On the other hand, Nimona, a project abandoned by Disney and picked up by Netflix, scored the most nominations – nine overall. It was followed by The Boy and the Heron, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Suzume – seven each. This is excellent news for Makoto Shinkai's Berlinale title, for it signals a swell of support at the right time. We could have our first Best Animated Feature Oscar race with two Japanese titles vying for gold.

CASTING SOCIETY OF AMERICA

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature – Drama

• THE COLOR PURPLE
• KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
• MAESTRO
• OPPENHEIMER
• SALTBURN

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Studio or Independent Feature – Drama

• THE IRON CLAW
• MAY DECEMBER
• PAST LIVES
• PRISCILLA
• RUSTIN

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Big Budget Feature – Comedy 

• AIR
• ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.
• ASTEROID CITY
• COCAINE BEAR
• WONKA

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Studio or Independent Feature – Comedy

• AMERICAN FICTION
• BOTTOMS
• THE HOLDOVERS
• JOY RIDE
• THEATER CAMP

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Low Budget Feature – Comedy or Drama 

• BIRTH/REBIRTH
• EMILY
• JULES
• MEMORY
• MONICA

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Micro-Budget Feature – Comedy or Drama

• THE DONOR PARTY
• HOW I LEARNED TO FLY
• SUMMONING SYLVIA
• WHAT COMES AROUND
• YOUR LUCKY DAY

Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Animation Feature 

• ELEMENTAL
• LEO
• SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
• WISH

The Zeitgeist Award

• BARBIE
• THE FLASH
• THE HUNGER GAMES: THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES
• REBEL MOON: PART ONE – A CHILD OF FIRE
• TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEASTS

While there's no equivalent honor at the Oscars, it feels important to highlight the Casting Society's honors. In its membership, the Academy includes casting professionals, after all. Also, it's nice to see some of these titles recognized. I was thrilled with such inclusions as May December, Asteroid City, Memory, and Monica.

And now, let's leave the guilds and embark on a journey across America, one critics group at a time.

AUSTIN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION

Best Picture: KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., OPPENHEIMER
Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance: Bradley Cooper, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3
Best Ensemble: OPPENHEIMER
Best Original Screenplay: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, OPPENHEIMER
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER
Best Stunt Coordination: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Best Animated Movie: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Documentary: STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best International Film: GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Best First Film: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award: Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, THE UNKNOWN COUNTRY, FANCY DANCE, and QUANTUM COWBOYS
Best Austin Film: MILLI VANILLI, Luke Korem

It's notable that, even when Killers of the Flower Moon takes Best Picture, there are a number of organizations where Oppenheimer still finishes as the one with the most prizes. Also, one wonders if Japan would have sent Godzilla Minus One as their submission if it had fallen within the Oscar calendar. Seeing it pick up so many International Film awards is a fascinating oddity this season.

DENVER FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

Best Film: OPPENHEIMER
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Actress: Emma Stone, POOR THINGS
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, BARBIE
Best Original Screenplay: Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach, BARBIE
Best Adapted Screenplay: Tony McNamara, POOR THINGS
Best Visual Effects: THE CREATOR and GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 (tie)
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER
Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?," BARBIE
Best Animated Film: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Documentary Feature: STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best Non-English Language Feature: GODZILLA MINUS ONE and THE ZONE OF INTEREST (tie)
Best Comedy: BARBIE and POOR THINGS (tie)
Best Sci-Fi/Horror: GODZILLA MINUS ONE 

Denver sure loves a tie, even if their choices aren't at all removed from the consensus. And again, Godzilla triumphs, making for a bizarre companion to The Zone of Interest. That said, Denver was all about Barbenheimmer with a few surges of Poor Things love. While I've been skeptical of Tony McNamara's chances in the Oscar race, he may become a de facto favorite if Scorsese, Gerwig, and Nolan's pictures split the vote as Best Picture frontrunners.

HAWAII FILM CRITICS SOCIETY

Best Picture: BARBIE
Best Director: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Actress: Greta Lee, PAST LIVES
Best Actor: Cillian Murphy, OPPENHEIMER
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Ryan Gosling, BARBIE
Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance: Jason Schwartzman, SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Original Screenplay: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Best Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Nolan, OPPENHEIMER
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, OPPENHEIMER
Best Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt, FERRARI
Best Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer, BARBIE
Best Costume Design: Holly Waddington, POOR THINGS
Best Make-up: POOR THINGS
Best Visual Effects: THE CREATOR
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER
Best Song: "What Was I Made For?," BARBIE
Best Sound: FERRARI
Best Stunt Work: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Best Animated Film: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Documentary: STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best Foreign Language Film: ANATOMY OF A FALL
Best First Film: AMERICAN FICTION
Best New Filmmaker: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Best Overlooked Film: ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.
Best Horror Film: TALK TO ME
Best Sci-Fi Film: GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Best Comic Book Movie: SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
Best Hawaiian Film: GROWING UP LOCAL, James Sereno
Worst Film of 2023: 80 FOR BRADY 

Just when you thought critics would be forever split between Stone and Gladstone for Best Actress, Hawaii throws a curveball and honors Greta Lee instead. If only that originality had manifested in their Supporting Actress vote as well. But no, one must accept Da'Vine Joy Randolph's dominance. Best Cinematography is a different story, with Ferrari proving an unlikely winner. Despite having a relatively short filmography, Erik Messerschmidt has become something of a big name in these past few years.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

Best Picture: OPPENHEIMER
Best Director: Jonathan Glazer, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Best Actress: Emma Stone, POOR THINGS
Best Actor: Jeffrey Wright, AMERICAN FICTION
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr., OPPENHEIMER
Best Original Screenplay: Celine Song, PAST LIVES
Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson, AMERICAN FICTION
Best Film Editing: Paul Watts, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Best Cinematography: Hoyte van Hoytema, OPPENHEIMER
Best Production Design: Sarah Greenwood, BARBIE
Best Original Score: Robbie Robertson, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Animated Feature: THE BOY AND THE HERON
Best Documentary Feature: 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
Best International Feature Film: THE ZONE OF INTEREST
Special Citation for Independent Cinema: EARTH MAMA and FREMONT (tie) 

Although Bradley Cooper was considered the Best Actor frontrunner at one point, that never caught on as far as critics were concerned. While Murphy and Giamatti battle it out for favorite status, Jeffrey Wright quietly became the third most honored thespian in this race. Honestly, he delivers my favorite performance from the probably Oscar five, so I can't be mad about it. In other news, that Zone of Interest pick in Best Editing is inspired stuff.

SEATTLE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY 

Best Picture: PAST LIVES
Best Director: Martin Scorsese, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Actress: Lily Gladstone, KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
Best Actor: Jeffrey Wright, AMERICAN FICTION
Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Supporting Actor: Charles Melton, MAY DECEMBER
Best Youth Performance: Milo Machado Graner, ANATOMY OF A FALL
Best Ensemble Cast: Susan Shopmaker, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Screenplay: David Hemingson, THE HOLDOVERS
Best Editing: Jennifer Lame, OPPENHEIMER
Best Cinematography: Robbie Ryan, POOR THINGS
Best Production Design: Sarah Greenwood & Katie Spencer, BARBIE
Best Costume Design: Jacqueline Durran, BARBIE
Best Visual Effects: GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson, OPPENHEIMER
Best Action Choreography: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
Best Animated Film: THE BOY AND THE HERON
Best Documentary Film: 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
Best International Film: GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Villain of the Year: Godzilla, GODZILLA MINUS ONE
Best Pacific Northwest Film: Kelly Reichardt, SHOWING UP

The week's final critics group did like the NSFC and gave Past Lives its top prize. The Seattle crowd also jumped on the Jeffrey Wright bandwagon and showed Charles Melton some love just as his Oscar dreams started to dwindle. Even if, like me, you consider him a co-lead in the Haynes picture, one can't be upset at his Supporting Actor victories. It's one of the year's best performances, regardless of categorization.

CINEMA EYE HONORS DOCUMENTARY AWARDS

Best Nonfiction Feature: 32 SOUNDS
Best Direction: Maite Alberdi, THE ETERNAL MEMORY and Kaouther Ben Hania, FOUR DAUGHTERS (tie)
Best Editing: Michael Harte, STILL: A MICHAEL J. FOX MOVIE
Best Cinematography: Ants Tammik, SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD
Best Original Score: JD Samson, 32 SOUNDS
Best Sound Design: Mark Mangini, 32 SOUNDS
Best Visual Effects: GOING TO MARS: THE NIKKI GIOVANNI PROJECT
Best Production: 20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL
Best Debut: KOKOMO CITY
Best Broadcast Film: THE STROLL
Spotlight: Q
Heterodox: THE BURITI FLOWER
Audience Choice: BOBI WINE: THE PEOPLE'S PRESIDENT
Best Nonfiction Short: BLACK GIRLS PLAY: THE STORY OF HAND GAMES 

The Cinema Eye Honors started in 2008, voted by a selection of documentary film festival programmers and other doc experts. This year, their choices reflect the Academy's preferences, with many winners present in the Oscar shortlist. However, there are still a few diverging notes to celebrate. Notice Smoke Sauna Sisterhood's cinematography victory or the wins for trans sex work documentaries Kokomo City and The Stroll.

Beyond these results, some other groups also announced their nominations. They were the AARP Movies for Grownups Awards, the Chicago Indie Critics, the Houston Film Critics Society, the Music City Film Critics Association, the North Dakota Film Society, and the Portland Critics Association. If you're interested, go explore those lists. I'll return to those organizations once they announce their winners. 

What do you think of the guild results? Moreover, how do they affect your personal Oscar predictions?

Comments

[Wae Mest]

I still don't understand how Erik Messerschmidt's stunning work on THE KILLER has gone overlooked all season. And he's an Oscar winner!

[Wes]

Depressing to think of how many prizes are getting thrown in the direction of Poor Things and Barbie this season. A waste of plaudits, imo, while quite a number of other, better films are getting overlooked.

[McGill]

Erik Messerschmidt’s win for Cinematography from the Hawaii critics ( for Ferrari) is well deserved. The work is stunning, so crisp and clear edged, and works in tandem with the excellent editing. You get scale, pace, sense of place, understanding of what’s happening ... you are totally drawn in.

They say the movie didn’t use much CGI and you can really tell, the images are so sharp.

[Travis C]

Please, please Oscar voters, can you take notice of the Annies to understand that you don't have to vote for anything Disney? I had resigned myself to the fact of ELEMENTAL getting an undeserved nomination (3rd worst film of the year for me), but could it be possible that this is the year of five actual deserving animated nominees?

[Tony L]

Thank you North Dakota Film Society for nominating Andrew Scott, Teo Yoo (!!!), Charles Melton and Julianne Moore.

[Edwin]

The Color Purple is likely out if it didn’t even make the PGA list. Honestly, the only movie I could see making the cut beyond these 10 is All of Us Strangers, pending how well it does at the BAFTA nominations. But I think a 10/10 matchup with PGA is probable at this point.

[NATHANIEL R]

The thing i found most surprising about the PGA nods this year was their documentary choices. Only half of them are on Oscar's final 15.

thank you for covering all of these. I've struggled for years with dwindling interest in critics awards only because most groups are content to just rubber stamp other groups choices and it gets so dull. In real life you run into so many different opinions and then somehow with critics groups you don't! Part of it just consensus choices if everyone likes a particular performance (say Da'Vine Joy Randolph)... but that should really only be a problem with mainstream industry awards where there are multiple nominees. When it comes to critics awards and everyone can technically zero in on the one person they just have to see honored, it's stranger that it happens.

I think part of the problem might be that most groups have moved to adding a nomination stage and just voting with no actual conversation... which deletes some of the usual curveballs you can get from the critics group that all vote in the same room (like LAFCA and NYFCC who operate more like juries at festivals) and argue about things and make compromises and such.

[Paranoid Android]

Maestro: didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. Good performances in an ok story. But the fact that it’s showing up in an all of the below-the-line guilds makes me think it’s locked for a Best Picture nod, and that Mulligan won’t be a surprise snub in Best Actress.

Oddly, I think the DGA 5 and PGA 10 are the most likely nominees at this point.