2019 Academy Awards: ‘Green Book’ wins three Oscars, including Best Picture

February 24, 2019

by Carla Hay

 

"Green Book
Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen in “Green Book” (Photo by Patti Perret)

Universal Pictures’ “Green Book” won three Oscars, including Best Picture, at the 91st Academy Awards, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019.  Meanwhile, Netflix’s Spanish-language film “Roma,”  which went into the ceremony tied with the most nominations (10), won four Oscars. There was no host for the show, following the controversy over Kevin Hart quitting the job over his past homophobic remarks, as well as disagreements over his public apologies for those remarks. ABC had the U.S. telecast of the Academy Awards ceremony, which is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

“Green Book” is inspired by the true story of a friendship that develops between Italian-American driver Tony “Lip” Vallelonga and African-American pianist Don Shirley during a early 1960s road trip in the segregated South. “Green Book” also won Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Marhershala Ali, who plays Shirley) and Best Original Screenplay, which was co-written by Nick Vallelonga (one of Tony Vallelonga’s sons) and director Peter Farrelly. “Green Book” is one of the few movies that has won the Oscar for Best Picture without its director getting a Best Director nomination.

“Roma” is inspired by filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood in early 1970s Mexico, as seen through the perspective of his family’s nanny/housekeeper. “Roma” won the Oscars for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film.  Cuarón was a winner of all three of these Oscars, since he is the director and cinematographer of “Roma,” as well as one of the film’s producers.

The official Queen biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” won four Oscars: Best Actor (for Rami Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. 20th Century Fox’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture.

Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite,” which had 10 nominations going into the ceremony, won one award that came as a surprise to many: Best Actress, for Olivia Colman, who triumphed over widely predicted Glenn Close of “The Wife,” who had been winning several major prizes in this category at other major award shows. “The Favourite,” set in the early 1700s, tells the story of Great Britain’s Queen Anne and two women who compete for her affections. Meanwhile, Regina King of “If Beale Street Could Talk” won for Best Supporting Actress.

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther,” won three out its seven Oscar nominations: Best Original Score, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. “Black Panther” now holds the record as the superhero movie with the most Oscars.

Presenters at the 2019 Academy Awards were Awkwafina, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Tina Fey, Jennifer Lopez, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amandla Stenberg, Tessa Thompson Constance Wu, Javier Bardem, Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Emilia Clarke, Laura Dern, Samuel L. Jackson, Stephan James, Keegan-Michael Key, KiKi Layne, James McAvoy, Melissa McCarthy, Jason Momoa, Sarah Paulson, Gary Oldman, Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney, Elsie Fisher, Danai Gurira, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Keaton, Helen Mirren, John Mulaney, Tyler Perry, Pharrell Williams, Krysten Ritter, Paul Rudd, Michelle Yeoh, José Andrés, Dana Carvey, Queen Latifah, Congressman John Lewis, Diego Luna, Tom Morello, Mike Myers, Trevor Noah, Amandla Stenberg, Barbra Streisand and Serena Williams.

Queen with singer Adam Lambert opened the show with a medley of Queen’s “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.” Other musical performances were for four of the five Oscar-nominated songs. Bette Midler sang “The Place Where Los Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns.” Jennifer Hudson performed “I’ll Fight” from “RBG.” David Rawlings and Gillian Welch performed “When a Cowboy Trades His Spurs for Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.” Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper duetted on “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born,” which won the Oscar for Best Original Song. “All the Stars” from “Black Panther” was not performed since the song’s artists Kendrick Lamar and SZA declined to perform the song.

Donna Gigliotti (who won an Oscar for Best Picture for 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love) and Emmy-winning director Glenn Weiss were the producers of the 2019 Academy Awards. This was the first time that Gigliotti is producing the Oscar ceremony. Weiss has directed several major award shows, including the Oscars and the Tonys.

Diversity and Historic Wins

Rami Malek, Olivia Colman, Regina King and Mahershala Ali at the 91st Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019. (Photo by Rick Rowell/ABC)

It was a historic Oscar ceremony for diversity, since it was a record-breaking Oscar ceremony, with the highest number so far (14) of non-whites winning Oscars in one year. Malek became the first Egyptian-American to win an Oscar for Best Actor. Ali of “Green Book” and Regina King of “If Beale Street Could Talk” joined the growing list of black actors who have won Oscars. “BlacKkKlansman” screenplay co-writer Spike Lee won his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. (Lee  also received an honorary Oscar, a non-competitive prize, in 2015.) Black filmmakers won in the categories for Best Adapted Screenplay (Lee and Kevin Willmott); Best Animated Feature (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” co-director Peter Ramsey); Best Production Design (Hannah Beachler of “Black Panther”); and Best Costume Design (Ruth Carter of “Black Panther”). It was the first time that black people have won Oscars for Best Animated Feature, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.

Asian filmmakers also had several Oscar wins: “Free Solo” directors/producers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyil won for Best Documentary Feature; “Bao” director Domee Shi won for Best Animated Short; and “Period. End of Sentence.” director/producer Rayka Zehtabchi won for Best Live-Action Short. “Roma” was the movie that gave Latinos the most representation at this year’s Academy Awards, with wins for Cuarón and producer Gabriela Rodríguez.

The number of female Oscar winners increased considerably in 2019, compared to 2018. In 2019, there were 15 female winners and 36 male winners, compared to 2018, when there were only six female winners and 24 male winners.

In addition, this was the first time in Oscar history that three of the four acting prizes went to LGBTQ character roles, and these characters also happened to be based on real people: Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen Anne of “The Favourite” and pianist Shirley of “Green Book.”

Here is the complete list of winners and nominations for the 2019 Academy Awards:

*=winner

Best Picture

Mahershala Ali and Viggo Mortensen in “Green Book” (Photo by Patti Perret)

“Black Panther”
(Producer: Kevin Feige)

“BlacKkKlansman”
(Producers: Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee)

“Bohemian Rhapsody”
(Producer: Graham King)

“The Favourite”
(Producers: Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos)

“Green Book”*
(Producers: Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga)

“Roma”
(Producers: Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón)

“A Star Is Born”
(Producers: Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor)

“Vice”
(Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick)

Best Actor

Rami Malek and Gwilym Lee in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Photo by Alex Bailey)

Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”*
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Best Actress

Olivia Colman in “The Favourite” (Photo by Atsushi Nishijima)

Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”*
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Best Supporting Actor

Mahershala Ali in “Green Book” (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and Participant Media)

Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”*
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Best Supporting Actress

Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Photo by Tatum Mangus)

Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”*
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Best Director

Alfonso Cuarón and Yalitza Aparicio on the set of “Roma” (Photo by Carlos Somonte/Netflix)

Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Paweł Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”*
Adam McKay, “Vice”

Best Animated Feature

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation)

“Incredibles 2,” directed by Brad Bird; produced by John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle

“Isle of Dogs,” directed and produced by Wes Anderson; produced by Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson

“Mirai,” directed by Mamoru Hosoda; produced by Yuichiro Saito

“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston; produced by Clark Spencer

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman; produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller*

Best Animated Short

“Animal Behaviour,” directed and produced by Alison Snowden and David Fine
“Bao,” directed by Domee Shi; produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb*
“Late Afternoon,” directed by Louise Bagnall; produced by Nuria González Blanco
“One Small Step,” directed by Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas
“Weekends,” directed and produced by Trevor Jimenez

Best Adapted Screenplay

Spike Lee and Adam Driver on the set of “BlacKkKlansman” (Photo by David Lee/ Focus Features)

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee*
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters

Best Original Screenplay

Viggo Mortensen, writer/director/producer Peter Farrelly and Mahershala Ali on the set of “Green Book” (Photo by Patti Perret)

“The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
“First Reformed,” Paul Schrader
“Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly*
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice,” Adam McKay

Best Cinematography

Marco Graf, Daniela Demesa, Yalitza Aparicio, Marina De Tavira, Diego Cortina Autrey and Carlos Peralta Jacobson in “Roma” (Photo by Carlos Somonte)

“Cold War,” Łukasz Żal
“The Favourite,” Robbie Ryan
“Never Look Away,” Caleb Deschanel
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón*
“A Star Is Born,” Matthew Libatique

Best Documentary Feature

Alex Honnold in “Free Solo” (Photo courtesy of National Geographic)

“Free Solo,” directed and produced by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyil; produced by Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill*

“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” directed and produced by RaMell Ross; produced by Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim

“Minding the Gap,” directed and produced by Bing Liu; produced by Diane Quon

“Of Fathers and Sons,” directed by Talal Derki; produced by Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert

“RBG,” directed and produced by Betsy West and Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Black Sheep,” directed by Ed Perkins; produced by Jonathan Chinn
“End Game,” directed and produced by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat,” directed and produced by Skye Fitzgerald
“A Night at the Garden,” directed and produced by Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.,” directed and produced by Rayka Zehtabchi*

Best Live Action Short Film

“Detainment,” directed and produced by Vincent Lambe; produced by Darren Mahon
“Fauve,” directed by Jeremy Comte; produced by Maria Gracia Turgeon
“Marguerite,” directed by Marianne Farley; produced by Marie-Hélène Panisset
“Mother,” directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen; produced by María del Puy Alvarado
“Skin,” directed and produced by Guy Nattiv; produced by Jaime Ray Newman*

Best Foreign Language Film

Yalitza Aparicio, Marco Graf, Carlos Peralta Jacobson and Daniela Demesa in “Roma” (Photo by Alfonso Cuarón)

“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)*
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Best Film Editing

Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Rami Malek and Joe Mazzello in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox)

“BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman*
“Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito
“The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
“Vice,” Hank Corwin

Best Sound Editing

Gwilym Lee, Rami Malek and Joe Mazzello in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Photo courtesy 20th Century Fox)

“Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst*
“First Man,” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“Roma,” Sergio Diaz and Skip Lievsay

Best Sound Mixing

Joe Mazzello, Ben Hardy, Rami Malek and Gwilym Lee in “Bohemian Rhapsody” (Photo by Alex Bailey)

“Black Panther,” Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali*
“First Man,” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
“Roma,” Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García
“A Star Is Born,” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow

Best Production Design

Michael B. Jordan and Daniel Kaluuya in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)

“Black Panther”*
Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart

“The Favourite”
Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton

“First Man”
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

“Mary Poppins Returns”
Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

“Roma”
Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enríquez

Best Original Score

Lupita Nyong’o and Chadwick Boseman in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)

“BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard
“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson*
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell
“Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

Best Original Song

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper in “A Star Is Born” (Photo by Clay Enos)

“All the Stars” from “Black Panther,” song written by Kendrick Lamar, Solana Rowe (SZA), Mark Spears and Anthony Tiffith

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG,” song written by Diane Warren

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns,” song written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born,” song written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice*

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” song written by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Amy Adams and Christian Bale in “Vice” (Photo by Matt Kennedy)

“Border,” Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
“Vice,” Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney*

Best Costume Design

Lupita Nyong’o and Letitia Wright in “Black Panther” (Photo by Matt Kennedy)

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter*
“The Favourite,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne

Best Visual Effects

Ryan Gosling in “First Man”  (Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures)

“Avengers: Infinity War,” Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick

“Christopher Robin,” Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould

“First Man,” Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm*

“Ready Player One,” Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk

“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy

2019 BAFTA Awards: ‘Roma,’ ‘The Favourite’ are the top winners

February 10, 2019

by Carla Hay

Alfonso Cuarón and Yalitza Aparicio on the set of “Roma” (Photo by Carlos Somonte/Netflix)
Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in “The Favourite” (Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos)

With four prizes, including Best Film, “Roma” was one of the top winners at the 72nd annual British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards, which were presented at Royal Albert Hall in London on February 10, 2019. BBC America had the U.S. telecast of the show. Joanna Lumley hosted the show for the second consecutive year. Meanwhile, “The Favourite,” which went into the ceremony with the most nominations (12) emerged with the most prizes (six), including Outstanding British Film. Eligible movies were those released in the United Kingdom in 2018.

The Spanish-language “Roma,” which had garnered seven nods, won BAFTAs for Best Film, Best Director (for Alfonso Cuarón), Best Cinematography and Best Film Not in the English Language. Netflix’s “Roma,” which is inspired by Cuarón’s Mexico City childhood from the perspective of his family’s housekeeper/nanny, made BAFTA history for being the first non-English-language film and the first movie from a streaming service to win the BAFTA prize for Best Film.

“The Favourite,” which tells the story of Great Britain’s mercurial Queen Anne and two women who compete for her affections, won the following BAFTAs: Outstanding British Film, Best Actress (for Olivia Colman), Best Supporting Actress (for Rachel Weisz), Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design and Best Makeup and Hair.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” and “A Star Is Born,” the two biggest music-oriented films of 2018, went into the ceremony with seven nominations each. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” the official biopic of rock band Queen, emerged with two BAFTAs: Best Actor (for Rami Malek) and Best Sound, while “A Star Is Born” won only one BAFTA: Best Original Music. Meanwhile, “First Man” (which had seven nods) and “Cold War” (which had four nods) didn’t win any BAFTAs. Three-time BAFTA nominees “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” “Mary Poppins Returns,” “Mary Queen of Scots” and “Stan & Ollie” also failed to get any of the prizes.

“BlacKkKlansman,” which had five nods, ended up with one award: Best Adapted Screenplay. It was the first BAFTA won by Spike Lee, who co-wrote the screenplay. Although this was Lee’s first BAFTA prize in a competitive category, he was given a special, non-competitive BAFTA Award in 2002. Four-time BAFTA nominee “Green Book” also won one award: Best Supporting Actor, for Mahershala Ali. “Vice,” which received six nominations, ended up with one BAFTA: Best Editing.

 

Here is the complete list of winners and nominations for the BAFTA Awards:

*=winner

Best Film

“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”
“Roma”*
“A Star Is Born”

Outstanding British Film

“Beast”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”*
“McQueen”
“Stan & Ollie”
“You Were Never Really Here”

Best Leading Actor

Bradley Cooper – “A Star Is Born”
Christian Bale – “Vice”
Rami Malek – “Bohemian Rhapsody”*
Steve Coogan – “Stan & Ollie”
Viggo Mortensen – “Green Book”

Best Leading Actress

Glenn Close – “The Wife”
Lady Gaga – “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy – “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Olivia Colman – “The Favourite”*
Viola Davis – “Widows”

Best Supporting Actor

Adam Driver – “BlacKkKlansman”
Mahershala Ali – “Green Book”*
Richard E Grant – “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell – “Vice”
Timothée Chalamet – “Beautiful Boy”

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams – “Vice”
Claire Foy – “First Man”
Emma Stone – “The Favourite”
Margot Robbie – “Mary Queen of Scots”
Rachel Weisz – “The Favourite”*

EE Rising Star Award (public vote)

Jessie Buckley
Cynthia Erivo
Barry Keoghan
Lakeith Stanfield
Letitia Wright*

Best Director

Spike Lee – “BlacKkKlansman”
Paweł Pawlikowski – “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos – “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón – “Roma”*
Bradley Cooper – “A Star Is Born”

Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer

“Apostasy” – Daniel Kokotajlo (writer/director)
“Beast” – Michael Pearce (writer/director), Lauren Dark (producer)*
“A Cambodian Spring” – Chris Kelly (writer/director/producer)
“Pili” – Leanne Welham (writer/director), Sophie Harman (producer)
“Ray & Liz” – Richard Billingham (writer/director), Jacqui Davies (producer)

Best Film Not in the English Language

“Capernaum”
“Cold War”
“Dogman”
“Roma”*
“Shoplifters”

Best Documentary

“Free Solo”*
“McQueen”
“RBG”
“They Shall Not Grow Old”
“Three Identical Strangers”

Best Animated Film

“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse”*

Best Original Screenplay

“Cold War”
“The Favourite”*
“Green Book”
“Roma”
“Vice”

Best Adapted Screenplay

“BlacKkKlansman”*
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
“First Man”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Original Music

“BlackkKlansman”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“A Star Is Born”*

Best Cinematography

“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Cold War”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Roma”*

Best Costume Design

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”*
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Mary Queen of Scots”

Best Editing

“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Roma”
“Vice”*

Best Production Design

“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“The Favourite”*
“First Man”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Roma”

Best Makeup and Hair

“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”*
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Stan & Ollie”
“Vice”

Best Sound

“Bohemian Rhapsody”*
“First Man”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
“A Quiet Place”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Special Visual Effects

“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”*
“Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”
“First Man”
“Ready Player One”

British Short Film

“73 Cows”*
“Bachelor”
“The Blue Door”
“The Field”
“Wale”

British Short Animation

“I’m OK”
“Marfa”
“Roughhouse”*

Outstanding Contribution to British Cinema

Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen (Number 9 Films)

2019 Academy Awards: ‘Roma’ and ‘The Favourite’ are the top nominees

January 22, 2019

by Carla Hay

Yalitza Aparicio in "Roma"
Yalitza Aparicio in “Roma” (Photo by Alfonso Cuarón)
Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman in “The Favourite” (Photo by Yorgos Lanthimos)

With 10 nominations each, including Best Picture, the Spanish-language drama “Roma” and the British dark comedy “The Favourite” are the leading nominees for the 91st Academy Awards, which will take place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019. There is no host for the show, following the controversy over Kevin Hart quitting the job over his past homophobic remarks, as well as disagreements over his public apologies for those remarks. ABC will have the U.S. telecast of the Academy Awards ceremony, which is presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Actor/screenwriter Kumail Nanjiani and actress Tracee Ellis Ross announced the nominations on January 22 at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California.

Netflix’s “Roma” is inspired by filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s childhood in early 1970s Mexico, as seen through the perspective of his family’s nanny/housekeeper. Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite,” set in the early 1700s, tells the story of Great Britain’s Queen Anne and two women who compete for her affections.

As of 2010, the Academy can nominate up to 10 movies for Best Picture. This year, there are only eight movies that made the list: In addition to “Roma” and “The Favourite,” the other Best Picture contenders are “BlacKkKlansman,” “Black Panther,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Green Book,” “A Star Is Born” and “Vice.” Of those contenders, “A Star is Born” and “Vice” have eight nominations each; “Black Panther” scored seven nods; “BlacKkKlansman” has six nominations; and “Green Book” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” received five nods each.

In the categories for actors, actresses and directors, most of the contenders are those who have been the same nominees or winners at other award shows leading up to the Oscars. However, there were some nominations that were not widely predicted.

Snubs and Surprises

Bradley Cooper (pictured at left) on the set of “A Star Is Born” (Photo by Clay Enos)

The Oscars can always be counted on to have some nominations that are very different from the other major movie awards. The biggest snub was Bradley Cooper of “A Star Is Born” being shut out of the Best Director category, even though he was nominated for that prize at just about every other award show where movies from major studios are eligible. (Cooper’s 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born” was released by Warner Bros. Pictures.) Cooper, who made his directorial debut with “A Star Is Born,” still received three Oscar nominations for the movie: Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. (He’s also one of the movie’s producers and screenwriters.)

The biggest surprises were the nominations for the two main actresses from “Roma”: Yalitza Aparicio (for Best Actress) and Marina de Tavira (for Best Supporting Actress). Aparicio, who made her film debut in “Roma,” got very little recognition on the awards circuit leading up to the Oscars: She picked up a Critics’ Choice nomination and won a Hollywood Film Award for her role in the movie, but she was passed over for nominations at just about all the other movie award shows. Meanwhile, de Tavira was completely shut out of being nominated at all other major U.S.-based movie award shows until the Oscars.

Another big surprise was Paweł Pawlikowski getting a Best Director nomination for his Polish-language “Cold War,” which is, just like “Roma,” a period movie filmed in black-and-white in a non-English language and distributed by a streaming service. (Amazon is distributing “Cold War.”) Pawlikowski’s nomination for Best Director was also unusual because it’s rare for someone to get an Oscar nomination for Best Director for a movie that is not nominated for Best Picture. In addition to Pawlikowski, the other Best Director nominees are Spike Lee for “BlacKkKlansman”; Yorgos Lanthimos for “The Favourite”; Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma”; and Adam McKay for “Vice.” “Cold War” had been widely predicted to get Oscar nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Cinematography, and the movie did get those nods, but it’s got stiff competition from “Roma” in all of those categories.

Amazon Studios’ robust awards campaign for Timothée Chalamet and his supporting role in the drug-addiction drama “Beautiful Boy” seemed to be paying off, since he was getting nominated at several award shows, but Chalamet and “Beautiful Boy” were ultimately shut out of the Oscar race. And so was another buzzworthy “based on a true story” drama about a troubled teenage son: Focus Features’ “Boy Erased,” starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe as a family affected by the controversial practices of gay-conversion therapy.

Ethan Hawke in “First Reformed” (Photo courtesy of A24)

Ethan Hawke won the majority of critics’ awards for Best Actor for his role in A24’s “First Reformed,” but he was shut out of the Oscar race for the movie. Although he was a critics’ darling, Hawke did very little awards campaigning for the movie, which probably hurt his chances of being nominated for an Oscar. (He was also snubbed this year by the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Golden Globe Awards.) Instead, the only Oscar nomination for writer/director Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” was Best Original Screenplay.

Horror movies are typically overlooked by the Academy Awards (2017’s “Get Out” was one of the few exceptions), and this year continued that snubbing pattern, with critically acclaimed “A Quiet Place”from Paramount Pictures getting just one nomination (Best Sound Editing) and A24’s “Hereditary” (which had its share of passionate fans and detractors) getting completely shut out of the race.

It hasn’t been a good Oscar year for independent film distributor A24, which previously scored Oscar gold for 2016’s “Moonlight,” winner of the prizes for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor. A24 lost some of its Oscar momentum for its movies released in 2017: “Lady Bird” received five Oscar nominations but no Oscar wins, while the Oscar campaign for “The Disaster Artist” imploded when the movie’s star/director James Franco was accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women during the final week of Oscar nomination voting. Franco was snubbed by the Academy for “The Disaster Artist,” and the movie ended up with only one Oscar nomination:  Best Adapted Screenplay, for writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber. This year, A24’s “Hereditary” and the critically acclaimed teen comedy “Eighth Grade” were completely shut out for Oscar nominations, while A24’s only Oscar nod for a 2018 movie was for the previously mentioned Best Original Screenplay nomination for “First Reformed.”

As streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu continue to increase their clout in the movie industry, traditional independent studios are struggling to keep up with getting hit movies and major awards. A24 isn’t the only independent studio whose awards influence has faded for movies released in 2018. Neon hit a home run in its first year in business with 2017’s “I, Tonya,” which scooped up several major awards (including an Oscar) for Allison Janney’s supporting performance. However, Neon’s 2018 movies have mostly been passed over for winning awards: The Natalie Portman music-oriented drama “Vox Lux” and the documentary “Three Identical Strangers” were Neon’s biggest awards hopefuls of the year, but those two films have been completely shut out of Oscar nominations. Neon’s only Oscar nod for a 2018 film is Best Makeup and Hairstyling for the troll movie “Border,” which has tough competition with category frontrunner “Vice.”

Emily Blunt in “Mary Poppins Returns” (Photo by Jay Maidment/Disney Enterprises, Inc.)

Disney’s musical sequel “Mary Poppins Returns” didn’t get Oscar nominations for Best Picture, lead actress Emily Blunt and supporting actor Lin-Manuel Miranda, but the movie got expected nominations for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

Universal Pictures’ “First Man,” which depicts astronaut Neil Armstrong’s journey to being the first man on the moon, started out strong after getting rave reviews at the 2018 Venice Film Festival, but Oscar buzz for “First Man” (starring Ryan Gosling as Armstrong) considerably faded after the movie fizzled at the box office and got snubbed in most of the major categories at several award shows. Best Original Score was the only category for which “First Man” was winning the most awards leading up to the Oscars. The prizes for “First Man” composer Justin Hurwitz included a Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. Therefore, it was surprising that he didn’t get an Oscar nomination in this category. “First Man” did receive four Oscar nods, but only in technical categories: Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. “First Man” was director Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to his award-winning hit “La La Land” (which won six Oscars, including Best Director), so “First Man” getting snubbed in the biggest Oscar categories is a big step down for Chazelle.

Focus Features’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” the Fred Rogers biography directed by Morgan Neville, was widely predicted as the frontrunner for Best Documentary Feature because the movie had been winning most of the documentary awards up until this point, but the movie failed to get an Oscar nomination. Instead, “Of Fathers and Sons,” a movie about a radical Islamist family, received a surprise Oscar nomination, after being passed over for nominations at every other major award show that gives prizes to documentary feature films. So why the Oscar snub for “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” The Academy tends to reward documentaries that have a great deal of original footage (in other words, not relying too heavily on archived footage), and the Academy voters prefer investigative documentaries that uncover a lot of information that was not widely known to the general public. “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” was undoubtedly a feel-good popular movie, but perhaps Academy voters considered it to be too much of a safe and conventional documentary where the filmmakers didn’t challenge themselves enough, beyond collecting archived footage and getting authorized interviews with Rogers’ family and colleagues.

Despite all the hoopla over the romantic comedy “Crazy Rich Asians,” the movie was completely shut out of the Oscar race. Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Crazy Rich Asians,” which was a big international hit, was the first major Hollywood studio movie to have an all-Asian cast since 1993’s “The Joy Luck Club.” “Crazy Rich Asians” got mostly positive reviews from critics, but the movie’s formulaic plot with over-used clichés seem to have severely hurt its chances of being taken seriously by Oscar voters.

In other categories, surprises included the German film “Never Look Away” (distributed in the U.S. by Sony Pictures Classics) getting nominations for Best Foreign-Language Film and Best Cinematography after being passed over for those nominations at almost all of the other movie award shows. The Academy rewarded “Never Look Away” with Oscar nominations, but snubbed South Korea’s “Burning” for Best Foreign-Language Film and “Black Panther” for Best Cinematography, even though “Burning” and “Black Panther” scored those nominations at several other award shows.

Diversity Issues

Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira in “Black Panther” (Photo courtesy of Disney/Marvel Studios)

Ever since the #OscarsSoWhite backlash of 2015 and 2016, the Academy has been under intense scrutiny over diversity issues when it comes to race and gender. (Most of the Academy members and Oscar nominees are white males.) The Academy has made public efforts to invite more women and people of color into its membership in recent years. There has been a little more diversity, in terms of who gets nominated for Oscars, but there is still a long way to go for most of the behind-the-scenes technical categories, such as editing, visual effects, original score and cinematography. The good news for Oscar diversity in 2019 is that there is at least one person of color nominated in each of the four acting categories. In addition, several women and people of color are nominated in the category of Best Picture, an award that goes to a film’s producer(s). They are Jordan Peele and Spike Lee (African-American males) for “BlacKkKlansman”; and Ceci Dempsey and Lee Magiday (white females) for “The Favourite”; Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón (Latinos) for “Roma”; Lynette Howell Taylor (white female) for “A Star Is Born”; and Dede Gardner (white female) for “Vice.”

In other gender-neutral Oscar categories, women did not make much progress, compared to the 2018 Academy Awards. In 2019, there were no women nominated in the Oscar categories of Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. (In 2018, the categories of Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing each had one female nominee, while Best Original Score continued to have only male nominees.) And in the categories of Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay, only one woman was nominated in each category in 2019, and they share the nomination with a man.

The categories for Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling have traditionally been dominated by women. All of this year’s nominees for Best Costume Design are female, while women are 62.5 percent of this year’s Best Makeup and Hairstyling nominees. The gender-neutral categories that have the most gender parity this year are Best Production Design, Best Original Song and Best Documentary Feature, where women are almost half of the nominees in each category.

Hannah Beachler of “Black Panther” became the first African-American to get an Oscar nomination for Best Production Design. African-Americans earned other rare nominations in categories that are typically dominated by white/Caucasian filmmakers: “BlacKkKlansman” had the most nominations this year for black filmmakers: Spike Lee earned three nods as a director, producer and screenwriter, while producer Jordan Peele, screenwriter Kevin Willmott and composer Terence Blanchard were also nominated for the movie. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” co-director Peter Ramsey is among the nominees for Best Animated Feature; costume designer Ruth E. Carter is a contender for “Black Panther”; and Barry Jenkins of “If Beale Street Could Talk” is up for Best Adapted Screenplay, an Oscar that he won for 2016’s “Moonlight,” making him only the third black person to win an Oscar in that category. Other black Oscar nominees this year are Kendrick Lamar, Solana Rowe (also known as SZA), Mark Spears and Anthony Tiffith, who all co-wrote Best Original Song nominee “All the Stars” from “Black Panther.”

“Roma” was the movie that gave Latinos the most representation at this year’s Academy Awards, and “Roma” is expected to win multiple Oscars. In addition to Cuarón and actresses Aparicio and de Tavira, other “Roma” Oscar nominees are producer Gabriela Rodríguez (Best Picture and Best Foreign Language Film); Sergio Diaz (Best Sound Editing); José Antonio García (Best Sound Mixing);and Eugenio Caballero and Bárbara Enríquez (Best Production Design), It’s also worth noting that three Mexican directors (Cuarón, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Guillermo del Toro) have won several of the Best Director awards in the 2010s decade. Cuarón, who is the frontrunner to win for “Roma,” previously won the Best Director prize for 2013’s “Gravity”; Iñárritu won for 2014’s “Birdman” and 2015’s “The Revenant”‘; and del Toro won for 2017’s “The Shape of Water.”

Even though “Crazy Rich Asians” didn’t get any Oscar nominations, that doesn’t mean that Asians were completely snubbed by the Academy this year. Asians who received Oscar nominations include cinematographer Matthew Libatique for “A Star Is Born”; director Mamoru Hosoda and producer Yuichiro Saito for the animated film “Mirai”; director Hirokazu Kore-eda, who scored a Best Foreign-Language Film nod for Japan’s “Shoplifters”; and director Bobby Pontillas, who earned a Best Animated Short nomination for  co-directing “One Small Step.” The category of Best Documentary Feature had the highest Asian representation, with directors/producers Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi for “Free Solo”; director/producer Bing Liu and producer Diane Quon for “Minding the Gap”; director Talal Derki (who is of Syrian/Middle Eastern descent) for “Of Fathers and Sons”; and producer Su Kim for “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.”

Notable Milestones

Alfonso Cuarón and Yalitza Aparicio on the set of “Roma” (Photo by Carlos Somonte/Netflix)

The 2019 Oscar race has several milestones. “Roma” is the first Netflix movie to get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, although it’s not the first streaming service to score a nomination in that category. That milestone was achieved by Amazon’s 2016 drama “Manchester by the Sea,” which went on to win Best Actor (for Casey Affleck) and Best Original Screenplay (for Kenneth Lonergan).  Netflix won its first Oscar for the 2017 documentary feature film “Icarus.” If “Roma” wins Best Picture, it will be not only be the first movie from a streaming service to win Best Picture at the Oscars, but also the first non-English-language movie to win the prize.

As widely predicted, Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” was nominated for Best Picture, making it the first superhero movie to be nominated in this Oscar category. However, with no Oscar nominations in the categories for acting, directing or screenplay, “Black Panther” is a long shot to win Best Picture. The other Oscar nominations for “Black Panther” are for Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Original Score and Best Original Song.

“BlacKkKlansman” filmmaker Spike Lee, who has been making critically acclaimed movies since the 1980s, received his first Oscar nomination for Best Director, after being passed over in that category for decades. Lee, who is one of the producers and screenwriters of Focus Features’ “BlacKkKlansman,” also picked up nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, which are also his first Oscar nominations in those categories. He was previously nominated for Best Original Screenplay for 1989’s “Do the Right Thing” and Best Documentary Feature for 1997’s “4 Little Girls.” Lee  also received an honorary Oscar (a non-competitive prize) in 2015.

Spike Lee and Adam Driver on the set of “BlacKkKlansman” (Photo by David Lee/ Focus Features)

Here is the complete list of nominations for the 2019 Academy Awards:

Best Picture
“Black Panther”
(Producer: Kevin Feige)

“BlacKkKlansman”
(Producers: Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Raymond Mansfield, Jordan Peele and Spike Lee)

“Bohemian Rhapsody”
(Producer: Graham King)

“The Favourite”
(Producers: Ceci Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday and Yorgos Lanthimos)

“Green Book”
(Producers: Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga)

“Roma”
(Producers: Gabriela Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón)

“A Star Is Born”
(Producers: Bill Gerber, Bradley Cooper and Lynette Howell Taylor)

“Vice”
(Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adam McKay and Kevin Messick)

Best Actor
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”

Best Actress
Yalitza Aparicio, “Roma”
Glenn Close, “The Wife”
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Best Supporting Actor
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Sam Rockwell, “Vice”

Best Supporting Actress
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Marina de Tavira, “Roma”
Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Best Director
Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Paweł Pawlikowski, “Cold War”
Yorgos Lanthimos, “The Favourite”
Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Adam McKay, “Vice”

Best Animated Feature
“Incredibles 2,” directed by Brad Bird; produced by John Walker and Nicole Paradis Grindle

“Isle of Dogs,” directed and produced by Wes Anderson; produced by Scott Rudin, Steven Rales and Jeremy Dawson

“Mirai,” directed by Mamoru Hosoda; produced by Yuichiro Saito

“Ralph Breaks the Internet,” directed by Rich Moore and Phil Johnston; produced by Clark Spencer

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman; produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller

Best Animated Short
“Animal Behaviour,” directed and produced by Alison Snowden and David Fine
“Bao,” directed by Domee Shi; produced by Becky Neiman-Cobb
“Late Afternoon,” directed by Louise Bagnall; produced by Nuria González Blanco
“One Small Step,” directed by Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas
“Weekends,” directed and produced by Trevor Jimenez

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
“BlacKkKlansman,” Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott and Spike Lee
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Barry Jenkins
“A Star Is Born,” Eric Roth, Bradley Cooper and Will Fetters

Best Original Screenplay
“The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
“First Reformed,” Paul Schrader
“Green Book,” Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie and Peter Farrelly
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“Vice,” Adam McKay

Best Cinematography
“Cold War,” Łukasz Żal
“The Favourite,” Robbie Ryan
“Never Look Away,” Caleb Deschanel
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón
“A Star Is Born,” Matthew Libatique

Best Documentary Feature
“Free Solo,” directed and produced by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyil; produced by Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill

“Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” directed and produced by RaMell Ross; produced by Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim

“Minding the Gap,” directed and produced by Bing Liu; produced by Diane Quon

“Of Fathers and Sons,” directed by Talal Derki; produced by Ansgar Frerich, Eva Kemme and Tobias N. Siebert

“RBG,” directed and produced by Betsy West and Julie Cohen

Best Documentary Short Subject
“Black Sheep,” directed by Ed Perkins; produced by Jonathan Chinn
“End Game,” directed and produced by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman
“Lifeboat,” directed and produced by Skye Fitzgerald
“A Night at the Garden,” directed and produced by Marshall Curry
“Period. End of Sentence.,” directed and produced by Rayka Zehtabchi

Best Live Action Short Film
“Detainment,” directed and produced by Vincent Lambe; produced by Darren Mahon
“Fauve,” directed by Jeremy Comte; produced by Maria Gracia Turgeon
“Marguerite,” directed by Marianne Farley; produced by Marie-Hélène Panisset
“Mother,” directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen; produced by María del Puy Alvarado
“Skin,” directed and produced by Guy Nattiv; produced by Jaime Ray Newman

Best Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum” (Lebanon)
“Cold War” (Poland)
“Never Look Away” (Germany)
“Roma” (Mexico)
“Shoplifters” (Japan)

Best Film Editing
“BlacKkKlansman,” Barry Alexander Brown
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Ottman
“Green Book,” Patrick J. Don Vito
“The Favourite,” Yorgos Mavropsaridis
“Vice,” Hank Corwin

Best Sound Editing
“Black Panther,” Benjamin A. Burtt and Steve Boeddeker
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” John Warhurst
“First Man,” Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou Morgan
“A Quiet Place,” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“Roma,” Sergio Diaz and Skip Lievsay

Best Sound Mixing
“Black Panther,” Steve Boeddeker, Brandon Proctor and Peter Devlin
“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Paul Massey, Tim Cavagin and John Casali
“First Man,” Jon Taylor, Frank A. Montaño, Ai-Ling Lee and Mary H. Ellis
“Roma,” Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio García
“A Star Is Born,” Tom Ozanich, Dean Zupancic, Jason Ruder and Steve Morrow

Best Production Design
“Black Panther”
Production Design: Hannah Beachler; Set Decoration: Jay Hart

“The Favourite”
Production Design: Fiona Crombie; Set Decoration: Alice Felton

“First Man”
Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Kathy Lucas

“Mary Poppins Returns”
Production Design: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim

“Roma”
Production Design: Eugenio Caballero; Set Decoration: Bárbara Enríquez

Best Original Score
“BlacKkKlansman,” Terence Blanchard
“Black Panther,” Ludwig Goransson
“If Beale Street Could Talk,” Nicholas Britell
“Isle of Dogs,” Alexandre Desplat
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

Best Original Song
“All the Stars” from “Black Panther,” song written by Kendrick Lamar, Solana Rowe (SZA), Mark Spears and Anthony Tiffith

“I’ll Fight” from “RBG,” song written by Diane Warren

“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns,” song written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman

“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born,” song written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando, Andrew Wyatt and Benjamin Rice

“When A Cowboy Trades His Spurs For Wings” from “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” song written by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
“Border,” Göran Lundström and Pamela Goldammer
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Jenny Shircore, Marc Pilcher and Jessica Brooks
“Vice,” Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia DeHaney

Best Costume Design
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs,” Mary Zophres
“Black Panther,” Ruth E. Carter
“The Favourite,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Poppins Returns,” Sandy Powell
“Mary Queen of Scots,” Alexandra Byrne

Best Visual Effects
“Avengers: Infinity War,” Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russell Earl and Dan Sudick

“Christopher Robin,” Christopher Lawrence, Michael Eames, Theo Jones and Chris Corbould

“First Man,” Paul Lambert, Ian Hunter, Tristan Myles and J.D. Schwalm

“Ready Player One,” Roger Guyett, Grady Cofer, Matthew E. Butler and David Shirk

“Solo: A Star Wars Story,” Rob Bredow, Patrick Tubach, Neal Scanlan and Dominic Tuohy

2019 Critics’ Choice Awards: ‘Roma’ is the top winner

January 13, 2019

by Carla Hay

With four prizes, including Best Picture, Alfonso Cuarón’s Spanish-language film “Roma” was the top winner at the 24th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards, which were presented at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on January 13, 2019. The CW network had the U.S. telecast of the show, which was hosted by Taye Diggs. The awards are voted for by the Broadcast Film Critics Association and the Broadcast Television Journalists Association. Cuarón is also the director, writer, cinematographer, as well as one of the editors and producers of Netflix’s “Roma,” which is inspired by his childhood in Mexico and the housekeeper/nanny who helped raise him and his siblings. It’s the first time that a film not in the English language and a film from a streaming service has won Best Picture at the Critics’ Choice Awards. In addition to Best Picture,  “Roma” won the Critics’ Choice Awards for Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Foreign Language Film. The victories weren’t too surprising, since “Roma” has been named Best Picture of 2018 at most of the U.S.-based critics associations.

What was surprising at the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards were ties in two categories: Best Actress in Limited Series or Movie Made for Television, which went to Amy Adams of “Sharp Objects” and Patricia Arquette of “Escape at Dannemora.” Adams insisted that Arquette join her on stage so they could do a joint acceptance speech. The other tie occurred for Best Actress, which went to Glenn Close of “The Wife” and Lady Gaga of “A Star Is Born,” who gave separate acceptance speeches. Lady Gaga was especially emotional, as she tearfully dedicated her award to people affected by addiction, and said in her speech that the real star of “A Star Is Born” are “bravery and perseverance.” Lady Gaga was also one of the winners of the first award given at the ceremony: Best Song, which went to “Shallow” from “A Star Is Born,” a song she co-wrote for the movie.

“The Favourite,” which went into the ceremony with the most nominations (14), ended up winning just two prizes: Best Acting Ensemble and Best Actress in a Comedy (for Olivia Colman). “The Favourite” cast did not attend the show because they were out of the country. The superhero flick “Black Panther,” which had 12 nods, ended up winning three Critics’ Choice Awards: Best Visual Effects, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.

“Vice,” the dark comedy about former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, went into the ceremony with nine nominations and won three prizes: Christian Bale, who plays Cheney in “Vice,” was named Best Actor, as well as Best Actor in a Comedy. “Vice” also won the award for Best Hair and Makeup.  Meanwhile, “Crazy Rich Asians” won Best Comedy; Mahershala Ali of “Green Book” won Best Supporting Actor; and Regina King of “If Beale Street Could Talk” won Best Supporting Actress. Movies that had several nominations but ultimately didn’t win any Critics’ Choice Awards were “BlacKkKlansman,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Mary Poppins Returns.”

In the TV categories, “The Americans” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” triumphed with the most awards (three each). “The Americans” won Best Drama Series; Best Actor in a Drama Series (for Matthew Rhys, who did not attend the award show); Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (for Noah Emmerich). “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” won for Best Comedy Series; Best Actress in a Comedy Series ( for Rachel Brosnahan); and Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (for Alex Borstein), all repeating the same awards at the 2018 Emmy Awards.

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” won two Critics’ Choice Awards: Best Limited Series and Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television (for Darren Criss), which were also two of the numerous Emmy Awards won by the series. Other two-time Critics’ Choice Award winners in the TV categories were “Sharp Objects” and “Barry.” “Sharp Objects” claimed victories for Adams and Patricia Clarkson, who was named Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television. Repeating their wins at the 2018 Emmy Awards, Bill Hader of “Barry” won Best Actor in a Comedy Series, while Henry Winkler of “Barry” won Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Hader and Winkler did not attend the Critics’ Choice Awards. Sandra Oh of “Killing Eve” was named Best Actress in a Drama Series, repeating her 2019 Golden Globe win. Meanwhile, previous Critics’ Choice Award winners “Atlanta” and “The Handmaid’s Tale” were completely shut out and didn’t win any awards this year.

Special non-competitive awards given at the ceremony included the #SeeHer Award (a prize for an actress who plays inspiring characters), which went to Claire Foy this year.  There was also the Creative Achievement Award, which went to Chuck Lorre, the creator/executive producer of numerous hit TV series such as “The Big Bang Theory,” “The Kominsky Method” and “Two and a Half Men.”

Here is the complete list of nominees and winners for the 2019 Critics’ Choice Awards”

*=winner

MOVIES

BEST PICTURE
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“The Favourite”
“First Man”
“Green Book”
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Roma”*
“A Star Is Born”
“Vice”

BEST ACTOR
Christian Bale – “Vice”*
Bradley Cooper – “A Star Is Born”
Willem Dafoe – “At Eternity’s Gate”
Ryan Gosling – “First Man”
Ethan Hawke – “First Reformed”
Rami Malek – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Viggo Mortensen – “Green Book”

BEST ACTRESS
Yalitza Aparicio – “Roma”
Emily Blunt – “Mary Poppins Returns”
Glenn Close – “The Wife”* (tie)
Toni Collette – “Hereditary”
Olivia Colman – “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga – “A Star Is Born”* (tie)
Melissa McCarthy – “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali – “Green Book”*
Timothée Chalamet – “Beautiful Boy”
Adam Driver – “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott – “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant – “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Michael B. Jordan – “Black Panther”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams – “Vice”
Claire Foy – “First Man”
Nicole Kidman – “Boy Erased”
Regina King – “If Beale Street Could Talk”*
Emma Stone – “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz – “The Favourite”

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Elsie Fisher – “Eighth Grade”*
Thomasin McKenzie – “Leave No Trace”
Ed Oxenbould – “Wildlife”
Millicent Simmonds – “A Quiet Place”
Amandla Stenberg – “The Hate U Give”
Sunny Suljic – “Mid90s”

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“Black Panther”
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”*
“Vice”
“Widows”

BEST DIRECTOR
Damien Chazelle – “First Man”
Bradley Cooper – “A Star Is Born”
Alfonso Cuarón – “Roma”*
Peter Farrelly – “Green Book”
Yorgos Lanthimos – “The Favourite”
Spike Lee – “BlacKkKlansman”
Adam McKay – “Vice”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Bo Burnham – “Eighth Grade”
Alfonso Cuarón – “Roma”
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara – “The Favourite”
Adam McKay – “Vice”
Paul Schrader – “First Reformed”*
Nick Vallelonga, Brian Hayes Currie, Peter Farrelly – “Green Book”
Bryan Woods, Scott Beck, John Krasinski – “A Quiet Place”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Ryan Coogler, Joe Robert Cole – “Black Panther”
Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty – “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Barry Jenkins – “If Beale Street Could Talk”*
Eric Roth and Bradley Cooper & Will Fetters – “A Star Is Born”
Josh Singer – “First Man”
Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee – “BlacKkKlansman”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Alfonso Cuarón – “Roma”*
James Laxton – “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Matthew Libatique – “A Star Is Born”
Rachel Morrison – “Black Panther”
Robbie Ryan – “The Favourite”
Linus Sandgren – “First Man”

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Hannah Beachler, Jay Hart – “Black Panther”*
Eugenio Caballero, Barbara Enriquez – “Roma”
Nelson Coates, Andrew Baseman – “Crazy Rich Asians”
Fiona Crombie, Alice Felton – “The Favourite”
Nathan Crowley, Kathy Lucas – “First Man”
John Myhre, Gordon Sim – “Mary Poppins Returns”

BEST EDITING
Jay Cassidy – “A Star Is Born”
Hank Corwin – “Vice”
Tom Cross – “First Man”*
Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Gough – “Roma”
Yorgos Mavropsaridis – “The Favourite”
Joe Walker – “Widows”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexandra Byrne – “Mary Queen of Scots”
Ruth Carter – “Black Panther”*
Julian Day – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Sandy Powell – “The Favourite”
Sandy Powell – “Mary Poppins Returns”

BEST HAIR AND MAKEUP
“Black Panther”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“The Favourite”
“Mary Queen of Scots”
“Suspiria”
“Vice”*

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”*
“First Man”
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”
“Ready Player One”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
“The Grinch”
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”*

BEST ACTION MOVIE
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“Black Panther”
“Deadpool 2”
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”*
“Ready Player One”
“Widows”

BEST COMEDY
“Crazy Rich Asians”*
“Deadpool 2”
“The Death of Stalin”
“The Favourite”
“Game Night”
“Sorry to Bother You”

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Christian Bale – “Vice”*
Jason Bateman – “Game Night”
Viggo Mortensen – “Green Book”
John C. Reilly – “Stan & Ollie”
Ryan Reynolds – “Deadpool 2”
Lakeith Stanfield – “Sorry to Bother You”

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Emily Blunt – “Mary Poppins Returns”
Olivia Colman – “The Favourite”*
Elsie Fisher – “Eighth Grade”
Rachel McAdams – “Game Night”
Charlize Theron – “Tully”
Constance Wu – “Crazy Rich Asians”

BEST SCI-FI OR HORROR MOVIE
“Annihilation”
“Halloween”
“Hereditary”
“A Quiet Place”*
“Suspiria”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Burning”
“Capernaum”
“Cold War”
“Roma”*
“Shoplifters”

BEST SONG
“All the Stars” from “Black Panther”
“Girl in the Movies” from “Dumplin’”
“I’ll Fight” from “RBG”
“The Place Where Lost Things Go” from “Mary Poppins Returns”
“Shallow” from “A Star Is Born”*
“Trip a Little Light Fantastic” from “Mary Poppins Returns”

BEST SCORE
Kris Bowers – “Green Book”
Nicholas Britell – “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Alexandre Desplat – “Isle of Dogs”
Ludwig Göransson – “Black Panther”
Justin Hurwitz – “First Man”*
Marc Shaiman – “Mary Poppins Returns”

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA SERIES
“The Americans” (FX)*
“Better Call Saul” (AMC)
“The Good Fight” (CBS All Access)
“Homecoming” (Amazon)
“Killing Eve” (BBC America)
“My Brilliant Friend” (HBO)
“Pose” (FX)
“Succession” (HBO)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Freddie Highmore – “The Good Doctor” (ABC)
Diego Luna – “Narcos: Mexico” (Netflix)
Richard Madden – “Bodyguard” (Netflix)
Bob Odenkirk – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Billy Porter – “Pose” (FX)
Matthew Rhys – “The Americans” (FX)*
Milo Ventimiglia – “This Is Us” (NBC)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jodie Comer – “Killing Eve” (BBC America)
Maggie Gyllenhaal – “The Deuce” (HBO)
Elisabeth Moss – “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Sandra Oh – “Killing Eve” (BBC America)*
Elizabeth Olsen – “Sorry For Your Loss” (Facebook Watch)
Julia Roberts – “Homecoming” (Amazon)
Keri Russell – “The Americans” (FX)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Richard Cabral – “Mayans M.C.” (FX)
Asia Kate Dillon – “Billions” (Showtime)
Noah Emmerich – “The Americans” (FX)*
Justin Hartley – “This Is Us” (NBC)
Matthew Macfadyen – “Succession” (HBO)
Richard Schiff – “The Good Doctor” (ABC)
Shea Whigham – “Homecoming” (Amazon)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Dina Shihabi – “Jack Ryan” (Amazon)
Julia Garner – “Ozark” (Netflix)
Thandie Newton – “Westworld” (HBO)*
Rhea Seehorn – “Better Call Saul” (AMC)
Yvonne Strahovski – “The Handmaid’s Tale” (Hulu)
Holly Taylor – “The Americans” (FX)

BEST COMEDY SERIES
“Atlanta” (FX)
“Barry” (HBO)
“The Good Place” (NBC)
“The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)*
“The Middle” (ABC)
“One Day at a Time” (Netflix)
“Schitt’s Creek” (Pop)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Hank Azaria – “Brockmire” (IFC)
Ted Danson – “The Good Place” (NBC)
Michael Douglas – “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix)
Donald Glover – “Atlanta” (FX)
Bill Hader – “Barry” (HBO)*
Jim Parsons – “The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
Andy Samberg – “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (Fox)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Rachel Bloom – “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (The CW)
Rachel Brosnahan – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)*
Allison Janney – “Mom” (CBS)
Justina Machado – “One Day at a Time” (Netflix)
Debra Messing – “Will & Grace” (NBC)
Issa Rae – “Insecure” (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
William Jackson Harper – “The Good Place” (NBC)
Sean Hayes – “Will & Grace” (NBC)
Brian Tyree Henry – “Atlanta” (FX)
Nico Santos – “Superstore” (NBC)
Tony Shalhoub – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)
Henry Winkler – “Barry” (HBO)*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Alex Borstein – “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon)*
Betty Gilpin – “GLOW” (Netflix)
Laurie Metcalf – “The Conners” (ABC)
Rita Moreno – “One Day at a Time” (Netflix)
Zoe Perry – “Young Sheldon” (CBS)
Annie Potts – “Young Sheldon” (CBS)
Miriam Shor – “Younger” (TV Land)

BEST LIMITED SERIES
“A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)
“American Vandal” (Netflix)
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)*
“Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
“Genius: Picasso” (National Geographic)
“Sharp Objects” (HBO)

BEST MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
“Icebox” (HBO)
“Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (NBC)*
“King Lear” (Amazon)
“My Dinner with Hervé” (HBO)
“Notes from the Field” (HBO)
“The Tale” (HBO)

BEST ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Antonio Banderas – “Genius: Picasso” (National Geographic)
Darren Criss – “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)*
Paul Dano – “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
Benicio Del Toro – “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
Hugh Grant – “A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)
John Legend – “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (NBC)

BEST ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Amy Adams – “Sharp Objects” (HBO)* (tie)
Patricia Arquette – “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)* (tie)
Connie Britton – “Dirty John” (Bravo)
Carrie Coon – “The Sinner” (USA Network)
Laura Dern – “The Tale” (HBO)
Anna Deavere Smith – “Notes From the Field” (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Brandon Victor Dixon – “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert” (NBC)
Eric Lange – “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime)
Alex Rich – “Genius: Picasso” (National Geographic)
Peter Sarsgaard – “The Looming Tower” (Hulu)
Finn Wittrock – “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
Ben Whishaw – “A Very English Scandal” (Amazon)*

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Ellen Burstyn – “The Tale” (HBO)
Patricia Clarkson – “Sharp Objects” (HBO)*
Penelope Cruz – “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
Julia Garner – “Dirty John” (Bravo)
Judith Light – “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX)
Elizabeth Perkins – “Sharp Objects” (HBO)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES
“Adventure Time” (Cartoon Network)
“Archer” (FX)
“Bob’s Burgers” (Fox)
“BoJack Horseman” (Netflix)*
“The Simpsons” (Fox)
“South Park” (Comedy Central)

#SEE HER AWARD
Claire Foy

CREATIVE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Chuck Lorre

2019 Golden Globe Awards: ‘Bohemian Rhapsody,’ ‘Green Book’ win big

January 6, 2019

by Carla Hay

Golden Globes trophy

“Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Green Book” were the top movie winners at the 76th Annual Golden Globe Awards, which took place at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on January 6, 2019. NBC had the U.S. telecast of the 2019 Golden Globe Awards, which was hosted by Andy Samberg and Sandra Oh. Dick Clark Productions produced the show. The Golden Globe Awards are voted for by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Eligible movies were those with U.S. release dates in 2018, while eligible TV shows were those that televised new episodes in the U.S. in 2018.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” the official biopic of rock band Queen and its lead singer Freddie Mercury, won the two prizes for which it was nominated:  Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama (for Rami Malek, who played Mercury). The victories for “Bohemian Rhapsody” no doubt surprised the many pundits who predicted that the 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born” and its leading actor Bradley Cooper would take those prizes.

Meanwhile, “Green Book,” which told the true story of an unlikely friendship that developed in 1962 between highly educated pianist Don Shirley and blue-collar driver Tony “Lip” Vallelonga, won the most prizes (three) at the 2019 Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy; Best Supporting Actor (for Mahershala Ali, who plays Shirley); and Best Screenplay.

Other multiple winners, with two prizes each, were the Spanish-language drama “Roma”; the miniseries “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”; and the comedy series “The Kominsky Method.” As expected, the Alfonso Cuarón-directed “Roma” won the prizes for Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film.

Besides “Bohemian Rhapsody” taking the top movie drama prize, the other big surprise win in the movie categories was Glenn Close of “The Wife,” who won Best Actress in a  Motion Picture – Drama, instead of the widely predicted Lady Gaga of the 2018 remake of “A Star Is Born.”  In the end, 2018’s “A Star Is Born” won just one Golden Globe: Best Original Song, for “Shallow,” which was co-written by Lady Gaga. “Vice,” which went into the ceremony with the most nominations (six), ultimately won just one Golden Globe: Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, which went to Christian Bale for his portrayal of former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney. Bale had been widely predicted to win the award. Another widely predicted victory was Olivia Colman of “The Favourite,” who won for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.

In the TV categories, first-time Golden Globe winner Richard Madden of “Bodyguard” was a surprise win for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama, instead of the Matthew Rhys of “The Americans,” who won an Emmy for the show’s final season. However, “The Americans” did win the prize for Best Television Series – Drama, as expected. For the prize of Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy, “The Kominsky Method” triumphed over “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” the category’s previous Golden Globe winner. However, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan repeated her Golden Globe win from 2018 to take the prize again for Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.  Meanwhile, Michael Douglas of “The Kominsky Method” won the award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy. “The Kominsky Method” debuted in the second half of 2018, and will be eligible for the Emmy Awards for the first time in 2019.

“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” which won several Emmys in 2018, was the leading TV nominee going into the Golden Globes, with four nominations. As expected, the two Golden Globes it won were for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, while Darren Criss (who played serial killer Andrew Cunanan) won for Best Actor in a Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. Golden Globes co-host Oh of “Killing Eve” won the prize for Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama.

In the non-competitive categories, Jeff Bridges received the Cecil B. DeMille Award for career achievement, while Carol Burnett was the first recipient of the Carol Burnett Award, which is given for outstanding contributions to television.

Presenters at the Golden Globe Awards included Halle Berry, Kristen Bell, Emily Blunt, Chadwick Boseman, Sterling K. Brown, Steve Carell,  Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Bradley Cooper, Kaley Cuoco, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dick Van Dyke, Taron Egerton, Idris Elba, Harrison Ford, Johnny Galecki, Richard Gere, Danai Gurira, Justin Hartley, Amber Heard, Taraji P. Henson, Felicity Huffman, Allison Janney, Michael B. Jordan, Nicole Kidman, Lady Gaga, Lucy Liu, William H. Macy, Chrissy Metz, Mike Myers, Julianne Moore, Bill Murray, Lupita Nyong’o, Gary Oldman, Jim Parsons,  Amy Poehler, Sam Rockwell, Gina Rodriguez, Maya Rudolph, Saoirse Ronan, Octavia Spencer, Ben Stiller, Emma Stone, Taylor Swift, Lena Waithe, Rachel Weisz and Catherine Zeta-Jones

Here is the complete list of  winners and nominations for the 2019 Golden Globe Awards:

*=winner

MOVIES

Best Motion Picture – Drama
“Black Panther”
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”*
“If Beale Street Could Talk”
“A Star Is Born”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Glenn Close (“The Wife”)*

Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”)
Nicole Kidman (“Destroyer”)
Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Rosamund Pike (“A Private War”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”)
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)*
John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”)

Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
“Crazy Rich Asians”
“The Favourite”
“Green Book”*
“Mary Poppins Returns”
“Vice”

Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”)*
Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”)
Charlize Theron (“Tully”)
Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians”)

Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
Christian Bale (“Vice”)*

Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”)
Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man and the Gun”)
John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Amy Adams (“Vice”)
Claire Foy (“First Man”)
Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)*

Emma Stone (“The Favourite”)
Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”)*

Timothée Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”)
Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”)
Sam Rockwell (“Vice”)

Best Director
Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”)
Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”)*
Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”)
Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)

Best Screenplay
Alfonso Cuarón (“Roma”)
Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”)
Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Adam McKay (“Vice”)
Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”)*

Best Animated Film
“Incredibles 2”
“Isle of Dogs”
“Mirai”
“Ralph Breaks the Internet”
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”*

Best Foreign Language Film
“Capernaum”
“Girl”
“Never Look Away”
“Roma”*
“Shoplifters”

Best Original Score
Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”)
Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”)
Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”)
Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”)*
Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”)

Best Original Song
“All the Stars” (“Black Panther”)
“Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”)
“Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”)
“Revelation” (“Boy Erased”)
“Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”)*

TELEVISION

Best Television Series – Drama
“The Americans”*

“Bodyguard”
“Homecoming”
“Killing Eve”
“Pose”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”)
Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)*
Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”)
Keri Russell (“The Americans”)

 Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Stephan James (“Homecoming”)
Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”)*
Billy Porter (“Pose”)
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”)

Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy
“Barry”
“The Good Place”
“Kidding”
“The Kominsky Method”*
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”)
Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”)
Alison Brie (“GLOW”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)*
Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy
Sacha Baron Cohen (“Who Is America?”)
Jim Carrey (“Kidding”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)*
Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)
Bill Hader (“Barry”)

Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
“The Alienist”
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”*
“Escape at Dannemora”
“Sharp Objects”
“A Very English Scandal”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”)
Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”)*
Connie Britton (“Dirty John”)
Laura Dern (“The Tale”)
Regina King (“Seven Seconds”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”)
Daniel Brühl (“The Alienist”)
Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)*
Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”)
Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”)*
Penélope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Thandie Newton (“Westworld”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)
Kieran Culkin (“Succession”)
Édgar Ramírez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”)
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”)*
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)

2018 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards: ‘Roma’ named Best Picture

December 9, 2018

by Carla Hay

“Roma”—filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón’s Spanish-language, black-and-white drama inspired by his 1970s childhood in Mexico—won two prizes, including Best Picture, at the 2018 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, which were announced on December 9. The Korean drama “Burning” and the African-American drama “If Beale Street Could Talk” also won two awards each, including in the categories for Best Supporting Actor (Steven Yeun in “Burning”) and Best Supporting Actress Regina King in “If Beale Street Could Talk”). “Burning” was tied with the Japanese drama “Shoplifters” for Best Foreign-Language Film, while “If Beale Street Could Talk” composer Nicholas Britell took the prize for Best Music/Score.

Debra Granik won the award for Best Director for “Leave No Trace.” Cuarón, who came in second place for the Best Director award, won the prize for Best Cinematography, for “Roma.” In the lead acting categories, Ethan Hawke of “First Reformed” was named Best Actor, while Olivia Colman of “The Favourite” received the prize for Best Actress.

Just like with the 2018 New York Film Critics Circle Awards, the 2018 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards gave prizes to mostly independent art-house films, except in the categories of Best Animated Film (where Sony-owned Columbia Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won the award) and Best Production Design, which went to Disney-owned Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther.” Live-action films from major studios that have been racking up awards elsewhere, such as Warner Bros. Pictures’ “A Star Is Born” and Universal Pictures’ “Green Book,” were completely shut out of winning at this year’s Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

Here is the complete list of winners and runners-up for the 2018 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards:

Best Film: “Roma” (Runner-up: “Burning”)

Best Director: Debra Granik, “Leave No Trace”(Runner-up: Alfonso Cuaron, “Roma”)

Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed” (Runner-up: Ben Foster, “Leave No Trace”)

Best Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” (Runner-up: Toni Collette, “Hereditary”)

Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun, “Burning” (Runner-up: Hugh Grant, “Paddington 2”)

Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Runner-up: Elizabeth Debicki, “Widows”)

Best Screenplay: Nicole Holofcener, Jeff Whitty, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” (Runner-up: Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara, “The Favourite”)

Best Animated Film: “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” (Runner-up: “Incredibles 2”)

Best Foreign-Language Film: “Burning” and “Shoplifters” (tie)

Best Documentary: “Shirkers” (Runner-up: “Minding the Gap”)

Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma” (Runner-up: “If Beale Street Could Talk”)

Best Editing: Joshua Altman and Bing Liu, “Minding the Gap” (Runner-up: Alfonso Cuarón and Adam Gough, “Roma”)

Best Music/Score: Nicholas Britell, “If Beale Street Could Talk” (Runner-up: Justin Hurwitz, “First Man”)

Best Production Design: Hannah Beachler, “Black Panther” (Runner-up: Fiona Crombie, “The Favourite”)

Career Achievement Award: Hayao Miyazaki

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award: “The Green Fog”

New Generation Prize: Chloé Zhao

2018 AFI Awards: 10 best movies and 10 best TV shows announced

December 4, 2018

AFI

The following is a press release from the American Film Institute:

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today the honorees of AFI AWARDS 2018, celebrating the year’s most outstanding achievements in the art of the moving image — with 10 films and 10 television programs deemed culturally and artistically significant.

In addition to the 20 honorees, AFI also recognizes ROMA with an AFI Special Award, designated for a work of excellence outside the Institute’s criteria for American film.

AFI AWARDS honorees are selected based on works that advance the art of the moving image, enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form, inspire audiences and artists alike and make a mark on American society.

AFI MOVIES OF THE YEAR

BLACKKKLANSMAN
BLACK PANTHER
EIGHTH GRADE
THE FAVOURITE
FIRST REFORMED
GREEN BOOK
IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
A QUIET PLACE
A STAR IS BORN

AFI TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

THE AMERICANS
THE ASSASSINATION OF GIANNI VERSACE: AMERICAN CRIME STORY
ATLANTA
BARRY
BETTER CALL SAUL
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
POSE
SUCCESSION
THIS IS US

AFI SPECIAL AWARD

ROMA

Marking the 19th chapter in the American Film Institute’s ongoing almanac of the moving image, the 2018 entries join a notable group of previous AFI AWARDS honorees — works of significance that contribute to the rich cultural legacy and define the state of the art form. View all past AFI AWARDS honorees here.

AFI AWARDS selections are made through a jury process where AFI Trustees, scholars, artists and critics determine the year’s most outstanding achievements and provide contextual rationales for each selection.

This year’s juries — one for film and one for television — were chaired by AFI Board of Trustees Vice Chairs Tom Pollock (former Vice Chairman of MCA, Chairman of Universal Pictures) for film and Richard Frank (former Chairman of Walt Disney Television, President of Walt Disney Studios, President of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences) for television. The juries featured acclaimed artists such as David Benioff, Joan Chen, Courtney B. Vance and Alfre Woodard; renowned authors and scholars representing prestigious universities with recognized motion picture arts and television programs; film historian Leonard Maltin; the AFI Board of Trustees; and film and television critics from media outlets such as the Los Angeles Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, Variety and The Washington Post.

Honorees will gather on January 4, 2019, for recognition at the annual AFI AWARDS private luncheon in Los Angeles, CA — an event favored by the entertainment community for its informal intimacy and its inclusive acknowledgement of excellence. At the luncheon, AFI will present jury rationales providing artistic and cultural context for the selection of each honoree.

The AFI AWARDS luncheon will be sponsored by Audi, a supporter of AFI and its programs for the past 15 years. The AFI AWARDS luncheon is also sponsored by American Airlines, the official airline of AFI.

About the American Film Institute
The American Film Institute was established by presidential proclamation in the White House Rose Garden, and launched its national mandate on June 5, 1967 — to preserve the heritage of the motion picture, to honor the artists and their work and to educate the next generation of storytellers. AFI’s founding Trustees included Chairman Gregory Peck, Vice Chairman Sidney Poitier, Francis Ford Coppola, Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Jack Valenti and George Stevens, Jr., as Director.

About Audi
Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands, delivering about 1.878 million vehicles globally in 2017. In the U.S., Audi of America sold nearly 227,000 vehicles in 2017 and broke all-time company sales records for the eighth straight year. Visit audiusa.com or media.audiusa.com for more information regarding Audi vehicles and business topics.

2018 Hollywood Film Awards: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ stars, Amandla Stenberg, John David Washington to receive breakthrough awards

October 16, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians
“Crazy Rich Asians” team at the Los Angeles premiere of the movie at the TCL Chinese Theatre on August 7, 2018. Pictured from left to right: director Jon M. Chu, Jimmy O. Yang, producer Nina Jacobson, Sonoya Mizuno, Gemma Chan, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina, Henry Golding, Constance Wu, Chris Pang, Nico Santos, Ronny Chieng, Ken Jeong, producer Brad Simpson, executive producer/author Kevin Kwan and producer John Penotti. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau)

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions:

Dick Clark Productions announced today the line-up of stand-out performers and talent who will be recognized at the 22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards. “Crazy Rich Asians” will receive the “Hollywood Breakout Ensemble Award,” Amandla Stenberg will be recognized with the Hollywood Breakout Performance Actress Award for 20th Century Fox’s “The Hate U Give,” while John David Washington will receive the“Hollywood Breakout Performance Actor Award for his role in Focus Features’ “BlacKkKlansman.” Additionally, Felix Van Groeningen will be bestowed the Hollywood Breakthrough Director Award” for Amazon Studios’ “Beautiful Boy,” and Yalitza Aparicio will be given the New Hollywood Award for her performance in Netflix’s “Roma.”

They join previously announced honorees Nicole Kidman, who will receive this year’s Hollywood Career Achievement Award, and Timothée Chalamet and Rachel Weisz, who will receive the Hollywood Supporting Actor Award and Hollywood Supporting Actress Award, respectively.  The 22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards will take place on Sunday, November 4 at The Beverly Hilton.

The Hollywood Film Awards, honoring the most acclaimed films and actors while previewing highly anticipated films and talent for the upcoming year, also acknowledges artists in the categories of Cinematography, Visual Effects, Film Composing, Costume Design, Editing, Production Design, Sound and Makeup & Hairstyling. In its 22-year history, more than 320 of the world’s biggest stars and filmmakers have been highlighted at the Hollywood Film Awards and more than 130 of the honorees have gone on to garner Oscar nominations and/or wins.

ABOUT THE HONOREES

“Crazy Rich Asians” is a contemporary romantic comedy based on the acclaimed worldwide bestseller by Kevin Kwan and featuring an all-Asian starring ensemble, including Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Lisa Lu, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong, Sonoya Mizuno, Chris Pang, Jimmy O. Yang, Ronny Chieng, Remi Hii, and Nico Santos.  The story follows New Yorker Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore.  Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life.  Not only is he the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families, but also one of its most sought-after bachelors.  Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Michelle Yeoh) taking aim.  It soon becomes clear that the only thing crazier than love is family, in this funny and romantic story sure to ring true for audiences everywhere.

Amandla Stenberg can currently be seen in 20th Century Fox’s highly anticipated film “The Hate U Give,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018 to rave reviews.  Additionally, she can currently be seen in Amma Asante’s WWII drama “Where Hands Touch,” which also premiered at TIFF.  Amandla’s other recent film credits include “The Darkest Minds,” “Everything, Everything” and “As You Are,” which won the Special Jury Award at Sundance 2016, “Colombiana,” “Rio 2” and “The Hunger Games.” She has been recognized globally for her crusade towards sparking thoughtful conversation using social media as a platform to spread awareness and knowledge on topics such as cultural appropriation, intersectional feminism, mindfulness, biracial identity, sexual identity, gender and beauty standards to name few.  Amandla has been recognized with Teen Choice Awards, a BET Award and NAACP Image Award for her work.

John David Washington garnered critical acclaim for starring in “BlacKkKlansman,” directed by Spike Lee and produced by Jason Blum and Jordan Peele. The film premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival to a standing ovation and won the Grand Prix. This fall he co-starred in “Monsters and Men” directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green. The script was selected and developed as part of the 2017 Sundance Directors Lab. Earlier this year, he was seen in “Monster,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, starring opposite Jeffrey Wright, ASAP Rocky and Jennifer Hudson. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize. Washington got his start as a child in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” in 1992. Prior to acting, he spent six years playing professional football. Shortly after, he booked his fist-ever audition to play Ricky Jerret in the HBO series “Ballers” with Dwayne Johnson. His performance as Ricky has generated rave reviews with the show currently in its 4th season and it was recently announced that the show will be renewed by HBO for a 5th season.

Yalitza Aparicio was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca in 1993. She holds a degree in education and aspires to become a teacher upon completion of her exams, but also has additional opportunities ahead of her since the film “Roma” has been completed. Aparicio went to her local community center to accompany her sister to the casting call and ended up trying out and being selected. She is very close with another actress from “Roma,” Nancy García, who lives in a nearby town in Oaxaca. Aparicio also developed strong relationships with the child actors that formed her family on set. Aparicio took advantage of working in Mexico City and visited Chapultepec Park and the pyramids of Teotihuacán. She loved being on set and seeing how spaces were transformed. She also enjoyed working with Cuarón and building the relationship of trust they came to share.

Felix Van Groeningen is a Flemish director, screenwriter and producer. This is his first English-language film. His previous film, “Belgica,” premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, where he won the Directing Award (Dramatic World Cinema). Van Groeningen’s internationally acclaimed breakthrough “The Broken Circle Breakdown” earned a 2014 Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and a César for Best Foreign Film. Previously, “The Misfortunates” premiered in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes. Van Groeningen is a graduate of Belgium’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts. He currently resides in Antwerp, Belgium.

Additional honorees for the 22nd Annual Hollywood Film Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.

For the latest news, follow the Hollywood Film Awards on social and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #HollywoodAwards.

Twitter: @HollywoodAwards
Facebook: Facebook.com/HollywoodAwards
Instagram: @hollywoodawards
YouTube: youtube.com/HollywoodAwards

About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most unique and extensive entertainment archive libraries with over 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. DCP is a division of Valence Media, a diversified media company with divisions and strategic investments in premium television, wide release film, specialty film, live events and digital media. For additional information, visit www.dickclark.com.

About The Hollywood Film Awards
The Hollywood Film Awards, founded in 1997, were created to celebrate Hollywood and launch the awards season. The recipients of the awards are selected by an Advisory Team for their body of work and/or a film(s) that is to be released during the calendar year. For additional information, visit www.hollywoodawards.com.

2018 Venice International Film Festival: ‘Roma’ wins the Golden Lion top prize

September 8, 2018

Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival logo

“Roma,” director Alfonso Cuarón’s deeply personal drama inspired by his childhood in Mexico, was awarded the Golden Lion (the top prize) at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival in Venice, Italy. The 75th annual Venice International Film Festival took place from August 29 to September 8, 2018. “Roma” is the first Netflix film to win a top prize at a major film festival. The movie’s release date is to be announced. “Roma” is Cuarón’s first film since his 2013 outer-space drama “Gravity,” which went on to win seven Oscars, including Best Director for Cuarón. “Gravity” also premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2013, but the movie was screened out of competition.

Other winners at the 2018 Venice International Film Festival included Willem Dafoe (who plays Vincent Van Gogh) in “At Eternity’s Gate” for Best Actor; Olivia Colman (who plays Queen Anne in “The Favourite”) for Best Actress; and “The Sisters Brothers” helmer Jacques Audiard for Best Director.

Here is the complete list of winners for the 2018 Venice International Film Festival:

IN COMPETITION

Golden Lion: “Roma,” directed by Alfonso Cuarón

Silver Lion for Best Director: Jacques Audiard, “The Sisters Brothers”

Volpi Cup for Best Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”

Volpi Cup for Best Actor: Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”

Best Screenplay: Joel and Ethan Coen, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”

Special Jury Prize: “The Nightingale” Jennifer Kent

Marcello Mastroianni Award for Young Performer: Baykali Ganambarr “The Nightingale”

HORIZONS (ORIZZONTI)

Best Film: “Manta Ray,” Phuttiphong Aroonpheng

Best Director: Emir Baigazin, “The River”

Special Jury Prize: “The Announcement,” Mahmut Fazil Coskun

Best Actress: Natalya Kudryashova “The Man Who Surprised Everyone”

Best Actor: Kais Nashif “Tel Aviv on Fire”

Best Screenplay: “Jinpa,” Pema Tseden

Best Short Film: “Kado,” Aditya Ahmad

LION OF THE FUTURE

Luigi De Laurentiis Award for Best Debut Film: “The Day I Lost My Shadow,” Soudade Kaadan, Syria

VENICE CLASSICS

Best Documentary on Cinema:  “The Great Buster: A Celebration,” Peter Bogdanovich

Best Restored Film: “The Night of the Shooting Stars,” Paolo and Vittorio Taviani

VIRTUAL REALITY COMPETITION

Best Virtual Reality: 
“Spheres,” Eliza McNitt

Best Virtual Reality Experience: “Buddy VR,” Chuck Chae

Best Virtual Reality Story: “Isle of the Dead,” Benjamin Nuel

2018 New York Film Festival: ‘Roma’ announced as centerpiece film

July 18, 2018

Alfonso Cuarón and Yalitza Aparicio on the set of "Roma"
Alfonso Cuarón and Yalitza Aparicio on the set of “Roma” (Photo by Carlos Somonte/Netflix)

The following is a press release from the Film Society of Lincoln Center:

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announces Alfonso Cuarón’s ROMA as Centerpiece of the 56th New York Film Festival (September 28 – October 14), making its New York premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Friday, October 5, 2018. Produced by Esperanto Filmoj and Participant Media, ROMA is a Netflix release and will launch globally and in theaters later this year.

Secure your seat at Centerpiece with a Festival Pass.

In Alfonso Cuarón’s autobiographically inspired film, set in Mexico City in the early ’70s, we are placed within the physical and emotional terrain of a middle-class family whose center is quietly and unassumingly held by its beloved live-in nanny and housekeeper (Yalitza Aparicio). The cast is uniformly magnificent, but the real star of ROMA is the world itself, fully present and vibrantly alive, from sudden life-changing events to the slightest shifts in mood and atmosphere. Cuarón tells us an epic story of everyday life while also gently sweeping us into a vast cinematic experience, in which time and space breathe and majestically unfold. Shot in breathtaking black and white and featuring a sound design that represents something new in the medium, ROMA is a truly visionary work.

New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones said, “I was absolutely stunned by ROMA from beginning to end—by the craftsmanship and the artistry of everyone involved, by the physical power and gravitational force of the images, by the realization that I was seeing something magical: a story of ongoing life grounded within the immensity and mystery of just being here on this planet. Alfonso Cuarón’s film is a wonder.”

“I am honored ROMA has been selected for the Centerpiece slot at this year’s New York Film Festival,” said Cuarón. “NYFF has a longstanding history of celebrating meaningful and compelling filmmaking and it felt right to return to the festival with ROMA—an incredibly personal, illuminating, and transformative project for me.”

The 17-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The selection committee, chaired by Jones, also includes Dennis Lim, FSLC Director of Programming, and Florence Almozini, FSLC Associate Director of Programming.

Tickets for the 56th New York Film Festival will go on sale to the general public on September 9. Festival and VIP passes are on sale now and offer one of the earliest opportunities to purchase tickets and secure seats at some of the festival’s biggest events, including Centerpiece.


The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from Shutterstock, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Support for the New York Film Festival is generously provided by Official Partners HBO® and The New York Times, Benefactor Partners Dolby and illy caffè, Supporting Partners Warby Parker, MUBI, and Manhattan Portage, and Hospitality Partner Hudson Hotel. JCDecaux, Variety, Deadline Hollywood, WABC-7, WNET New York Public Media, and The Village Voice serve as Media Sponsors.

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