Female directors lead 2021 AWFJ award nominations
Updated: Dec 13, 2021
It seems like every awards season I state this, only for it to go unacknowledged by the major industry voting bodies, but the current season is undeniably flush with female talent both in front of and behind the camera. Three movies from female directors - two of them first-timers - lead the nominations for the Alliance of Women Film Journalists' 2021 awards: Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog with 10, Rebecca Hall's Passing with 9, and Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Lost Daughter with 8, tied alongside Kenneth Branagh's Belfast. Rounding out the AWFJ's Best Film and Director fields is Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza. Winners aren't due to be announced until the AWFJ's usual awards time in early January. Check out all the nominees below.
Best Film
BELFAST
LICORICE PIZZA
THE LOST DAUGHTER
PASSING
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA)
Kenneth Branagh (BELFAST)
Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Rebecca Hall (PASSING)
Best Actress
Jessica Chastain (THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE)
Olivia Colman (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Lady Gaga (HOUSE OF GUCCI)
Kristen Stewart (SPENCER)
Tessa Thompson (PASSING)
Best Actor
Benedict Cumberbatch (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Peter Dinklage (CYRANO)
Andrew Garfield (TICK, TICK...BOOM!)
Will Smith (KING RICHARD)
Denzel Washington (THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Jessie Buckley (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Ann Dowd (MASS)
Kirsten Dunst (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Aunjanue Ellis (KING RICHARD)
Ruth Negga (PASSING)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jamie Dornan (BELFAST)
Ciaran Hinds (BELFAST)
Troy Kotsur (CODA)
Jesse Plemons (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Kodi Smit-McPhee (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Best Screenplay, Original
Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA)
Kenneth Branagh (BELFAST)
Fran Kranz (MASS)
Adam McKay (DON'T LOOK UP)
Aaron Sorkin (BEING THE RICARDOS)
Best Screenplay, Adapted
Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Rebecca Hall (PASSING)
Sian Heder (CODA)
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth (DUNE)
Best Cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel (THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH)
Greig Fraser (DUNE)
Eduard Grau (PASSING)
Ari Wegner (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Haris Zambarloukos (BELFAST)
Best Editing
Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn (WEST SIDE STORY)
Hank Corwin (DON'T LOOK UP)
Una ni Dhonghaile (BELFAST)
Peter Sciberras (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Joe Walker (DUNE)
Best Ensemble Cast / Casting Director
BELFAST (Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann)
THE FRENCH DISPATCH (Douglas Aibel and Antoinette Boulat)
THE HARDER THEY FALL (Victoria Thomas)
KING RICHARD (Rich Delia and Avy Kaufman)
THE POWER OF THE DOG (Nikki Barrett, Tina Cleary, Carmen Cuba and Nina Gold)
Best Animated Film
ENCANTO
FLEE
LUCA
THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES
RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON
Best Documentary
ASCENSION
FLEE
JULIA
SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
VAL
Best Non-English-Language Film
DRIVE MY CAR
FLEE
A HERO
I'M YOUR MAN
TITANE
EDA Female Focus Awards
Best Woman Director
Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Julia Ducournau (TITANE)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Rebecca Hall (PASSING)
Sian Heder (CODA)
Best Woman Screenwriter
Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG)
Maggie Gyllenhaal (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Rebecca Hall (PASSING)
Sian Heder (CODA)
Maria Schrader (I'M YOUR MAN)
Best Woman's Breakthrough Performance
Ariana DeBose (WEST SIDE STORY)
Alana Haim (LICORICE PIZZA)
Emilia Jones (CODA)
Renate Reinsve (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD)
Rachel Zegler (WEST SIDE STORY)
Best Animated Female
"Giulia" - Emma Berman (LUCA)
"Katie" - Abbi Jacobson (THE MITCHELLS VS THE MACHINES)
"Mirabel" - Stephanie Beatriz (ENCANTO)
"Raya" - Kelly Marie Tran (RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON)
"Sisu" - Awkwafina (RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON)
Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry
Victoria Alonso (for her achievements at Marvel Studios)
Maya Cada (for establishing the Black Film Archive)
Anna Serner (for 20 years of female-forward work at the Swedish Film Institute)
EDA Special Mention Awards
Grand Dame Award for Defying Ageism
Judi Dench
Rita Moreno
Diana Rigg
Most Daring Performance
Sandra Bullock (THE UNFORGIVABLE)
Olivia Colman (THE LOST DAUGHTER)
Ruth Negga (PASSING)
Renate Reinsve (THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD)
Agathe Rousselle (TITANE)
Most Egregious Lovers' Age Difference
THE HITMAN'S WIFE'S BODYGUARD (Salma Hayek and Samuel L. Jackson - 21 years)
LICORICE PIZZA (Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman - 10 years)
THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK (Michela Derossi and Ray Liotta - 38 years)
NIGHTMARE ALLEY (Toni Collette and David Strathairn - 22 years)
RED ROCKET (Simon Rex and Suzanna Son - 21 years)
She Deserves a New Agent Award
Amy Adams (DEAR EVAN HANSEN / THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW)
Melissa McCarthy (THE STARLING)
Chloe Grace Moretz (TOM AND JERRY)
Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award
THE BOSS BABY: FAMILY BUSINESS
CRUELLA
GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE
SPACE JAM: A NEW LEGACY
TOM AND JERRY
Hall of Shame Award
Gina Carano, Nicki Minaj and Letitia Wright (for using celeb status for anti-vax propaganda)
Producers, crew and cast of RUST (for not following proper safety protocol and causing the tragic death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins)*
Warner Bros. (for contributing to Mel Gibson's resurgence by hiring him to direct LETHAL WEAPON 5)
*I think the death of Halyna Hutchins was tragic and surely avoidable, and think that those to blame ought not be let off the hook for her death. And I think using whatever forum is available to you to express your anger and disgust over her killing is quite valid. But nominating, without discrimination, producers, crew and cast of Rust when many/most of them are almost certainly without blame and likely traumatized to some extent or another, and when Hutchins herself was part of that crew, for a "Hall of Shame" award, never mind the fact that they're collectively nominated alongside persons who've made disgraceful decisions but not necessarily lethal ones, is crass and ill-judged. The AWFJ ought to amend or rescind this nomination, apologize, and commit faithfully and comprehensively to understanding why it was such a poor decision.