2020's been a remarkable year at the movies for many reasons, but one that's coming into sharper focus as the year closes is how prevalent female filmmakers have been among both studio and independent fare. This year's Alliance of Women Film Journalists awards mentions six features for Best Film and five for Best Director - four in each category, five overall, are female-directed. That in itself is remarkable, but what's even more remarkable is that these lineups don't look out of place this season, don't look like a conscious pivot toward recognizing women from a group whose membership is all women. It just looks like their honest opinions - indeed, their good opinions! AWFJ award winners will be announced on the 4th of January.
AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS
Best Film
MINARI
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
NOMADLAND
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Best Director
Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Regina King – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Kelly Reichardt – FIRST COW
Aaron Sorkin – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Chloe Zhao – NOMADLAND
Best Screenplay, Original
Emerald Fennell - PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Jack Fincher - MANK
Aaron Sorkin - THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Kemp Powers - ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt - FIRST COW
Chloe Zhao - NOMADLAND
Best Documentary
ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
ATHLETE A
CRIP CAMP
THE PAINTER AND THE THIEF
TIME
Best Animated Film
OVER THE MOON
SOUL
WOLFWALKERS
Best Actress
Viola Davis – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Vanessa Kirby – PIECES OF A WOMAN
Frances McDormand – NOMADLAND
Carey Mulligan – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Ellen Burstyn – PIECES OF A WOMAN
Amanda Seyfried – MANK
Youn Yuh Jung – MINARI
Best Actor
Riz Ahmed – SOUND OF METAL
Chadwick Boseman – MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Delroy Lindo – DA 5 BLOODS
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Sacha Baron Cohen – THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Bill Murray – ON THE ROCKS
Leslie Odom Jr. – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director
DA 5 BLOODS – Kim Coleman
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – Kimberly Hardin
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Francine Maisler
Best Cinematography
MANK – Erik Messerschmidt
NOMADLAND – Joshua James Richards
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – Tami Reiker
Best Editing
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI – Tariq Anwar
NOMADLAND – Chloe Zhao
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Alan Baumgarten
Best Non-English-Language Film
ANOTHER ROUND – Denmark
BEANPOLE – Russia
THE MOLE AGENT – Chile
THE PAINTED BIRD – Czech Republic
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
Best Woman Director
Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Eliza Hittman – NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Regina King – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Channing Godfrey Peoples – MISS JUNETEENTH
Kelly Reichardt – FIRST COW
Chloe Zhao – NOMADLAND
Best Woman Screenwriter
Radha Blank – THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
Emerald Fennell – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Eliza Hittman – NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Chloe Zhao – NOMADLAND
Best Animated Female
Tina Fey, "22" - SOUL
Honor Kneafsey, "Robin Goodfellowe" - WOLFWALKERS
Eva Whittaker, "Mebh Óg MacTíre" - WOLFWALKERS
Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance
Radha Blank – THE FORTY-YEAR-OLD VERSION
Sidney Flanigan – NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Helena Zengel – NEWS OF THE WORLD
Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry
All female heads of film festivals who successfully transitioned from live to online events to sustain festival culture through the pandemic
All indie female writers and directors who normalized abortion as a vital element in the cultural conversation in films such as SAINT FRANCES, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, SISTER OF THE GROOM, ONCE UPON A RIVER, THE GLORIAS and others
Emerald Fennell for creating a film that forces empathy to put an end to the toxic sexist rape culture pervasive through modern history
Sophia Loren for a brilliant comeback at age 86 in THE LIFE AHEAD, the latest in her record-setting career. Loren won a Best Actress Oscar in 1962 for TWO WOMEN and was the first actor to win for a foreign language movie. She was also nominated in 1965 for MARRIAGE ITALIAN STYLE. If she’s nominated in 2021, it will be a 56-year span between her two most recent nominations – the current record is held by Henry Fonda, who had a 41-year gap between nominations
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Grand Dame Award for defying agism.
Ellen Burstyn – PIECES OF A WOMAN
Chin Tsai – LUCKY GRANDMA
Sophia Loren – THE LIFE AHEAD
Frances McDormand – NOMADLAND
Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award
THE BURNT ORANGE HERESY – Elizabeth Debicki and Claes Bang (23 years)
THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME – Riley Keough and Jason Clarke (20 years)
MANK – Amanda Seyfried and Charles Dance (39 years), Gary Oldman (27 years)
TENET – Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh (30 years)
She Deserves A New Agent Award
Rose Byrne – LIKE A BOSS
Tiffany Haddish – LIKE A BOSS
Katie Holmes – DARE TO DREAM
Uma Thurman – WAR WITH GRANDPA
Most Daring Performance Award
Maria Bakalova – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Haley Bennett – SWALLOW
Vanessa Kirby – PIECES OF A WOMAN
Elisabeth Moss – THE INVISIBLE MAN
Carey Mulligan – PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award
THE CROODS: A NEW AGE
DOOLITTLE
REBECCA
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award
Shia LeBoeuf for his ongoing abusive behavior
Christopher Nolan for insisting that TENET be screened exclusively in theaters during a pandemic.
Dallas Sonnier and Adam Donaghey at Cinestate for sexual harassment and abuse, and cover up.