Awards Season 2025: Critics' Choice Awards Nominations

This afternoon (Thursday 12th December), the film nominations for the 30th Annual Critics Choice Awards were announced. 

Here are a selection of their nominees:

Best Picture

A Complete Unknown 

Anora 

The Brutalist 

Conclave 

Dune: Part Two 

Emilia Pérez 

Nickel Boys 

Sing Sing 

The Substance 

Wicked

Best Director

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)

Sean Baker (Anora)

Edward Berger (Conclave)

Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

Jon M. Chu (Wicked)

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

RaMell Ross (Nickel Boys)

Denis Villeneuve (Dune: Part Two)

Best Actor

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)

Daniel Craig (Queer)

Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)

Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)

Hugh Grant (Heretic) 

Best Actress

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)

Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)

Angelina Jolie (Maria)

Mikey Madison (Anora)

Demi Moore (The Substance)

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov (Anora)

Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin (Sing Sing) 

Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)

Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)

Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Supporting Actress

Danielle Deadwyler (The Piano Lesson)

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys)

Ariana Grande-Butera (Wicked)

Margaret Qualley (The Substance)

Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)

Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

A full list of nominees can be found here. 

Conclave and Wicked lead the pack with 11 nominations apiece; Emilia Pérez and Dune: Part Two have 10, whilst The Brutalist gets nine. 

As is usual, there's a lot of the same names coming up in the various awards bodies. Of course, nothing's ever certain until the nominations are announced but you can definitely see the way the wind is blowing for this awards season. Still time for some interesting curveballs though before we get to the Oscar nominations. 

The 30th Critics' Choice Awards will be handed out on Sunday 12th January 2025. Broadcast on The CW, Chelsea Handler will return for hosting duties for the third year running. 

Congratulations to all nominees!

Awards nonsense pauses over the next couple of weeks so everyone can enjoy the holidays. We'll be getting back on the awards trail in early January, with the Golden Globes being handed out on 5th January 2025. 

Awards Season 2025: Golden Globes Nominations

Today (Monday 9th December 2024) saw the announcement of the nominees for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards, with Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project. The Office, Inside Out) and Morris Chestnut (Boyz N The Hood, The Best Man, Kick-Ass 2) doing the honours. 

The awards are now administered by Dick Clark Productions and Eldridge Industries, following the disbanding of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) in June 2023. A group of voters consisting of 334 journalists representing 85 countries selected the nominees. Upon taking over from the HFPA, the decision was made to keep the split between drama and musical/comedy categories (as had been the HFPA's tradition). 

Below is a selected list of the film nominees:

Best Picture - Drama

The Brutalist

A Complete Unknown

Conclave

Dune Part 2

Nickel Boys

September 5

Best Picture - Musical or Comedy

Anora

Challengers

Emilia Pérez

A Real Pain

The Substance

Wicked

Best Director

Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)

Sean Baker (Anora)

Edward Berger (Conclave)

Brady Corbet (The Brutalist)

Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)

Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine As Light)

Best Actor - Drama

Adrien Brody (The Brutalist)

Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown)

Daniel Craig (Queer)

Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)

Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)

Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice)

 

Best Actor - Musical or Comedy

Jesse Eisenberg (A Real Pain)

Hugh Grant (Heretic)

Gabriel LaBelle (Saturday Night)

Jesse Plemons (Kinds Of Kindness)

Glen Powell (Hit Man)

Sebastian Stan (A Different Man)

Best Actress - Drama

Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)

Angelina Jolie (Maria)

Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)

Tilda Swinton (The Room Next Door)

Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here)

Kate Winslet (Lee)

Best Actress - Musical or Comedy

Amy Adams (Nightbitch)

Cynthia Erivo (Wicked)

Karla Sofía Gascón (Emilia Pérez)

Mikey Madison (Anora)

Demi Moore (The Substance)

Zendaya (Challengers)

Best Supporting Actor

Yura Borisov (Anora)

Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain)

Edward Norton (A Complete Unknown)

Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)

Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice)

Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)

Best Supporting Actress

Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez)

Ariana Grande-Butera (Wicked)

Felicity Jones (The Brutalist)

Margaret Qualley (The Substance)

Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)

Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez)

A full list of nominations can be found here.

OK, before I get too far into it, I just want to point out one thing. There may be a new team heading the Golden Globes but the HFPA's naughty little habit of category fraud is still alive and well. Whilst I am pleased to see both Hugh Grant and Demi Moore recognised for their bravura performances (you can file this directly under "don't hate the player, hate the game"), I would argue that neither Heretic (thriller and psychological horror) nor The Substance (body horror and psychological drama) are musicals or comedies; you could maybe get away with an argument that The Substance (and possibly Nightbitch) could be classed as "black comedy". I don't get the thinking behind it at all. It's giving off The Tourist and The Martian vibes for those who remember those years. 

I'm really pleased to see both Daniel Craig and Ralph Fiennes recognised. I was initially unsure whether Queer (on its title alone, let alone its content) would figure, but I'm glad it did. Similarly, I'm chuffed that Conclave has got as much love as it has; it's a well-made film, expertly acted and beautiful to look at. This year's Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award nominees include Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters, Wicked, and (surprisingly) Alien: Romulus. Also, in case anyone is wondering what September 5 is ('cause I sure was), it's a historical thriller which follows the ABC Sports broadcast team who find themselves covering the hostage crisis which unfolded at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics.

Emilia Pérez leads the way with an amazing 10 nominations; The Brutalist (a biopic of architect László Toth) is second with seven, and Conclave has six. 

It was also announced that the brilliant Viola Davis will be the recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award (for "outstanding achievement" in film), whilst Ted Danson would be getting the television equivalent with the Carol Burnett Award. 

The Golden Globes will be handed out in a ceremony on Sunday 5th January 2025, to be broadcast live on CBS with Nikki Glaser (Trainwreck, I Feel Pretty, Good Clean Filth) taking up hosting duties. 

Congratulations to all nominees!

So, next up on the awards season trail, and our last stop before the Christmas holidays, will be the Critics' Choice Awards who will announce their nominees this coming Thursday (12th December 2024).

  

Awards Season 2025: Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations

It's been a busy couple of months for Watchers Productions, as we've ventured into the world of theatre and are putting on a play. Twinkle - a one-man show about a vengeful pantomime dame - will hit the stage in Cardiff next week. Tickets are available here. It's a perfect alternative Christmas night out for those of you who like your festive entertainment a little darker. 

Anyway, with all this going on, I'm sure the handful of awards season aficionados will forgive me for letting this creep up on me. 

Today (Wednesday 4th December) saw the announcement of the nominees for the 40th Independent Spirit Awards. The nominations were announced via YouTube video by Cooper Hopkins and Lauren Melton. You will no doubt be aware by now that these awards recognise films made wholly or partly outside the traditional studio system. 

Below is a selection of nominations:

Best Feature

Anora

I Saw The TV Glow

Nickel Boys

Sing Sing

The Substance

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 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 (Didi)

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) 

A full list of nominees can be found here.

Anora (a romantic comedy-drama about the whirlwind marriage between a Brooklyn stripper [Mikey Madison] and the dissolute son of a Russian oligarch [Mark Eydelshteyn], which won the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival) and I Saw The TV Glow (a psychological horror about two troubled high school students [Justice Smith and Brigette Lundy-Paine] whose connection to their favourite TV show - The Pink Opaque - leads them to question their realities) lead the field with six nominations apiece. 

There are some interesting nominations in the television categories. Shogun leads the way with five nods, with Baby Reindeer and English Teacher both getting four. However, what surprised me were the three nominations for Agatha All Along (rightly recognising the stellar work of Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, and Joe Locke) and a very well-deserved nomination for Cristin Miloti for her superb performance as Sofia Falcone in The Penguin. Andrew Scott also gets a nod for Ripley, which is nice. 

The 40th Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony will take place at the usual Santa Monica beachside tent on 22nd February 2025, hosted by Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live, Human Resources, The Big Sick) for the second year in a row. 

Congratulations to all the nominees!

As I didn't get a chance to do my usual "For Your Consideration" post, I'm going to include the important dates here. The timetable for the major movie awards in 2025 is as follows:

Golden Globes

Nominations announced: 9th December 2024

Awards ceremony: 5th January 2025 (hosted by Nikki Glaser)

Critics' Choice Award

Nominations announced: 12th December 2024

Awards ceremony: 12th January 2025 (hosted by Chelsea Handler)

Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards

Nominations announced: 8th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 23rd February 2025

Directors' Guild Of America (DGA) Award

Nominations announced: 8th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 8th February 2025

Writers' Guild Of America (PGA) Award

Nominations announced: 9th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 15th February 2025

Producers' Guild Of America (PGA) Award

Nominations announced: 10th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 8th February 2025

BAFTA Film Awards

Nominations announced: 15th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 16th February 2025

Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies)

Nominations announced: 16th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 1st March 2025

The 97th Academy Awards (Oscars)

Nominations announced: 17th January 2025

Awards ceremony: 2nd March 2025 (hosted by Conan O'Brien)

So, as a very wise lizard woman from the dawn of time once said,

Awards Season 2024: The 96th Academy Awards

 

And there we have it, ladies and gents. The curtain comes down on the 2024 awards season with one of the strongest Oscar ceremonies of recent years. 

Jimmy Kimmel's opening monologue was funny enough, but a couple of jokes- at the expense of Robert Downey Jr's past- didn't really land. However, he won a lot of good will by giving behind-the-scenes crew members a shout out as the people who kept Hollywood going during the actors' and writers' strikes. He's on his fourth time at the Oscars, and I personally think this was his best attempt yet. There was little in the way of superfluous gimmicks; the ceremony ticked along at a nice pace, and came in at around 3hrs 30m (including copious ad breaks). 

Some of my personal highlights of the evening: a very game John Cena, appearing nude(ish?) to announce Best Costume Design;  Jonathan Glazer's powerful acceptance speech on winning Best International Feature for Holocaust drama The Zone Of Interest; the winning crew of Godzilla Minus One bringing a golden Godzilla onto stage; and the truly stunning performance of "I'm Just Ken" replete with 65 Kens, Slash on guitar, and a pink-clad Ryan Gosling!

I was very happy that The Boy And The Heron won Best Animated Feature Film, and that American Fiction won Best Adapted Screenplay. Along with The Holdovers, American Fiction was one of my favourite films of this awards season. Cord Jefferson's enthusiastic acceptance speech contained a plea that I've long hoped Hollywood would listen to: take a chance on making smaller budget movies. Who knows, maybe they'll listen?

20 Days In Mariupol becomes the first Ukrainian Oscar winner; its director Mstyslav Chernov gave a stirring and emotional speech, saying he wished he'd never had to make the film. The inclusion of a clip from last year's Best Documentary Feature- Navalny- about the (recently-deceased) Russian political prisoner before the "In Memoriam" section was an interesting choice and will no doubt provoke a couple of column inches. 

Hosting pairs were the usual mix of passable and get-these-two-to-host-this-next-year; Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling were funny, riffing on the Barbenheimer "rivalry", and rightly introduced a tribute to stunt performers - which does beg the question: why the fuck aren't stunt performers getting an Oscar? Yes, casting is important, but stunt work is an intrinsic part of most films and has been from cinema's inception. Get on it, Academy. 

John Mulaney riffing on Field Of Dreams, and Ramy Youssef and Issa Rae cutting right to the chase were particular highlights, and there was an enjoyable reunion between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito. They also did something interesting with the acting awards: each of the four categories had five former winners (including last year's winners) to give a short testimonial about one of the nominees. (They'd done something similar a few years ago, but refined it somewhat for this time around) 

Onto my predictions: 5 out of 6, as I expected. Emma Stone looked genuinely shocked to have her name announced, and her tearful, torn-dress acceptance speech was touching. Robert Downey Jr's speech was superb, full of what's become a familiar kind of snark disguising genuine feelings. Da'Vine Joy Randolph's win was the first award announced of the evening, and her acceptance speech was pretty lovely, and Cillian Murphy's was thoughtful and considered, giving a shout out to the "peacemakers" in the current-day. 

Unsurprisingly, Oppenheimer was the big winner of the evening, with seven Oscars. Poor Things came second with four, whilst The Zone Of Interest was the only other multiple Oscar winner, taking two. 

Despite multiple nominations, Killers Of The Flower Moon, Maestro, Napoleon, Nyad, and Society Of The Snow came home emptyhanded. 

Below is the full list of winners at the 96th Academy Awards:

Best Motion Picture of the Year: Oppenheimer

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Best Actress: Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Best Original Screenplay: Justine Triet and Arthur Harari (Anatomy Of A Fall)

Best Adapted Screenplay: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year: The Boy And The Heron

Best International Feature Film of the Year: The Zone Of Interest

Best Cinematography: Oppenheimer

Best Film Editing: Oppenheimer

Best Production Design: Poor Things

Best Costume Design: Poor Things

Best Makeup and Hairstyling: Poor Things

Best Original Score: Oppenheimer

Best Original Song: "What Was I Made For?" (Barbie)

Best Sound: The Zone Of Interest

Best Visual Effects: Godzilla Minus One

Best Documentary (Feature): 20 Days In Mariupol

Best Documentary (Short Subject): The Last Repair Shop

Best Animated Short Film: WAR IS OVER! Inspired By The Music Of John & Yoko

Best Live Action Short Film: The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar

Congratulations to all winners!

Awards Season 2024: Tez's Official Oscar Predictions

It's Oscar night! 

Jimmy Kimmel will be in charge of events for the fourth time, so expect jokes about the Barbenheimer phenomenon, a jab or two at Matt Damon, a pointed barb at the Academy's overlooking of Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, maybe some stuff about the writers' and actors' strikes of the last year, and probably a saucy reference or two to Saltburn. 

It has become a tradition for me to predict the nominations and the winners in the main six categories (the four acting categories, Best Director and Best Picture). I've done this since 2003 with varying degrees of success. Last year, I got 5 out of 6, plumping for Angela Bassett for Best Supporting Actress instead of Jamie Lee Curtis. I'm expecting it to be the same this evening. 

So, without further ado, here are my predictions for who will win.

Best Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

The Holdovers was, to the surprise of nobody, one of my favourite films of this awards season. The surprisingly sweet comedy-drama directed by Alexander Payne is definitely "my kind of film". Randolph has been the runaway winner of the Supporting Actress races this year, and I think it'll be a major surprise if anyone else's name comes out for this category. Randolph's performance as Mary, the grieving cook staying at the school over the holidays, is superb, full of warmth, candour, and emotion.

Best Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

I'll be talking more about Oppenheimer in a bit, but I genuinely do think that Robert Downey Jr's performance as Lewis Strauss is the strongest performance I've ever seen him give. He commands every moment he's on the screen, giving a strange almost reptilian warmth to this complex character. As layers of duplicity peel away to reveal a very dangerous, petty and wounded man, you can't help but admire how truly detestable he is - and how Downey never shies away from that. Other actors may have tried to soften or "redeem" Strauss; Downey revels in these contradictions. 

Best Actress: Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

Now here's where I think I may get unstuck. With no disrespect intended to Annette Bening, Sandra Hüller, or Carey Mulligan, this year's Best Actress race has been between Emma Stone (for her fearless performance in Poor Things) and Lily Gladstone for her turn as Mollie Burkhart in Scorsese's epic Killers Of The Flower Moon. It's my belief that Gladstone's win at the Screen Actors' Guild Awards puts her ahead in the Oscar race, and so that's who my pick for Best Actress is. Both performances have much to recommend them, but Gladstone's performance has more shade and nuance, it's less showy but not less impactful; Mollie's stoicism in the face of the epidemic of killings which blight her kin belies a power beneath. But, if it does happen, I won't be at all surprised if Stone gets her second Oscar tonight.

Best Actor: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

I'd dearly love Paul Giamatti to win in this category, but it's not going to happen. Murphy's strong central performance as the titular physicist, J. Robert Oppenheimer, has swept the boards throughout this awards season. It's truly deserved. In the latter stages of the film, Murphy's already solid performance kicks up a gear as he wrestles with Oppenheimer's moral crisis over the real-life application of what had originally just been theoretical. 

Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Best Picture: Oppenheimer

Plainly put, Oppenheimer is a film which is easy to admire but difficult to like. But I don't think you're meant to "like" it. I genuinely can't imagine anyone suggesting a get-together of friends and sticking Oppenheimer on for entertainment, for instance. Like a lot of big weighty films which deal with big weighty subjects (and which often win Best Picture at the Oscars), it's a well-made piece of cinema, chockful of impressive performances, detailed costumes, a moving score, immaculate production design, and beautiful cinematography. All of which comes under the aegis of director Christopher Nolan, who will almost certainly get Best Director (and deserves it, if only for recreating the Trinity test with practical effects). As a film, it's a little cool and a little sterile in places, especially at the beginning. The dual timelines can occasionally be confusing but not detrimentally so; this is definitely not a film to be passively watched. You need your brain engaged. But, it's an impressive piece of filmmaking about a fascinating event in modern history, and- as such- I think it's going to take the big prize this evening. 

So there are my predictions. What do you think? Some dead certs there, surely? Or am I right off the money? Let me know what you think.  

In the UK, the Oscars telecast is being broadcast via ITV and ITVX this evening, as they now have the rights (with Sky having had them for the past 20ish years). Will be interesting to see who and how they manage it; given how often they go to ads during the Oscar broadcast, ITV could well just do the same. Anything that spares us from inane talking heads nonsense might be welcome. 

I'll let you know my thoughts on the ceremony as soon as I can once it finishes. 

Awards Season 2024: Razzies Winners

Ah, Oscars Eve. A day for last-minute preparations, looking over acceptance speeches, sorting out outfits, and generally hoping your name follows the famous declaration "And the Oscar goes to..."

As is traditional, the Golden Raspberry Awards are also handed out on this day, to dishonour the worst in cinema of the previous year. And this year, as well as the undeniable stink of cinematic effluence, there's a definite whiff of both blood and honey as well... 

Here are this year's "winners"

Worst Picture: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey 

Worst Director: Rhys Frake-Waterfield (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Actor: Jon Voight (Mercy)

Worst Actress: Megan Fox (Johnny & Clyde)

Worst Supporting Actor: Sylvester Stallone (Expend4bles)

Worst Supporting Actress: Megan Fox (Expend4bles)

Worst Remake, Sequel Or Rip-Off: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Worst Screen Combo: Pooh and Piglet as Blood-Thirsty Slasher/Killers (Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey)

Worst Screenplay: Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey

Razzie Redeemer: Fran Drescher

This year's Razzie Redeemer, Fran Drescher, was previously nominated for Worst Actress at the Razzies for the as-bad-as-it-sounds romantic comedy The Beautician And The Beast (1997). However, as the current president of SAG/AFTRA (the American actors' union), she has been rightly praised for her strong leadership throughout the 2023 actors' strike. 

Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood And Honey was the big winner, taking home five awards (and "winning" each category it was nominated in). Expend4bles takes home two Razzies, including another win for Sylvester Stallone. As the French say, "plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose".

Congratulations (commiserations?) to the "winners". 

So, that just leaves the big one: the 96th Academy Awards. I'll be posting my predictions for who will win in six major categories tomorrow afternoon. And, much like today, there'll be one particular movie that's going to come up a lot...

Awards Season 2024: Awards Winners Round-Up

Due to a combination of factors (don't you just hate it when life gets in the way?), I've not been up to updating the awards season tracker. But time stands still for no nerd, which means that in the meantime, no less than five (yes, five) of the major awards bodies have handed out their gold/silver/glassware. 

So brace yourself for a positive deluge of awards results, and get ready to see a lot of the same names over and over again. Let's begin!

DIRECTORS GUILD AWARDS

On Saturday 10th February 2024, the Directors' Guild Awards (DGA) were handed out. The film winners are:

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Films: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Outstanding Directorial Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director: Celine Song (Past Lives) 

Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: Mstyslav Chernov (20 Days In Mariupol)

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BAFTA FILM AWARDS

On Sunday 18th February 2024, the 77th British Academy Film Awards were given out in a star-studded ceremony, hosted for the first time by David Tennant (who made for a very affable and enjoyable host). 

Here's a full list of BAFTA winners.

Best Film: Oppenheimer

Outstanding British Film: The Zone Of Interest

Leading Actor: Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Leading Actress: Emma Stone (Poor Things)

Supporting Actor: Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Supporting Actress: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Director: Christopher Nolan (Oppenheimer)

Original Screenplay: Anatomy Of A Fall

Adapted Screenplay: American Fiction

Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer: Savanah Leaf (writer/director/producer), Shirley O’Connor (producer), Medb Riordan (producer) (Earth Mama)

Animated Film: The Boy And The Heron

Documentary: 20 Days In Mariupol

Film Not In The English Language: The Zone Of Interest

Cinematography: Oppenheimer

Costume Design: Poor Things

Editing: Oppenheimer

Make Up And Hair: Poor Things

Original Music: Oppenheimer

Production Design: Poor Things

Sound: The Zone Of Interest

Special Visual Effects: Poor Things

Casting: The Holdovers

Short Animation: Crab Day

Short Film: Jellyfish And Lobster

Rising Star: Mia McKenna-Bruce

Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema: June Givanni

BAFTA Fellowship: Samantha Morton

Oppenheimer took home the most awards, winning seven; Poor Things wins five, and The Zone Of Interest wins three. 

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SCREEN ACTORS GUILD (SAG) AWARDS

The 30th Screen Actors Guild Awards were held on Saturday 24th February in a ceremony which streamed live on Netflix and hosted by Idris Elba.

Here are the film winners:

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

Oppenheimer

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Lily Gladstone (Killers Of The Flower Moon)

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer)

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Three awards for Oppenheimer, including the SAG-equivalent of Best Picture, makes them the big winner of the night. Lily Gladstone's win here will be very welcome in keeping her Oscar hopes alive. 

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PRODUCERS GUILD AWARDS (PGA)

The 35th Producers Guild Awards (PGA) were handed out on Sunday 25th February. The film winners are:

Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures: Oppenheimer

Documentary Film: American Symphony

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures: Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

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INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS

Also on Sunday 25th February, the 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards- recognising films made wholly or partly outside the traditional studio system- took place.

Here's a full list of film winners. 

Best Feature: Past Lives

Best Lead Performance: Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction)

Best Supporting Performance: Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers)

Best Breakthrough Performance: Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers)

Best Director: Celine Song (Past Lives)

Best Screenplay: Cord Jefferson (American Fiction)

Best First Screenplay: Samy Burch (screenplay); Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik (story) (May December)

Best Cinematography: The Holdovers

Best Editing: How To Blow Up A Pipeline

Best First Feature: A Thousand And One

Best International Film: Anatomy Of A Fall

Best Documentary: Four Daughters

John Cassavetes Award: Fremont

Robert Altman Award: Showing Up

The John Cassavetes Award is given to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $1 million, whilst the Robert Altman Award is presented to the ensemble cast of the movie, its director, and its casting director(s). 

The Holdovers was the biggest winner of the night, with three awards; Past Lives and American Fiction took home two apiece. 

Congratulations to all winners!

So, after all of this is taken into consideration, where does it look like the awards season is headed, as we get into the home strait with only the Razzies and the Oscars left to announce? From my position, this is what I'm thinking: 

• Oppenheimer looks to be in a strong position to win Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor. 

• Da'Vine Joy Randolph is almost certainly going to win the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

• It feels like a two-horse race between Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone for Best Actress, but I'd say Gladstone's SAG win puts her slightly ahead.

• Barbie's best chance of any kind of Oscar win is almost certainly Best Original Song, although it may also get several of the technical awards (if they don't go to Poor Things or Oppenheimer)

• There's a couple of films that were low on my radar that I really need to get to watch!

The next- and indeed final- weekend of the 2024 awards season comes on the weekend of 9th/10th March with the Razzies and the Oscars announced that weekend.