Alliance of Women Film Journalists Awards 2016

I am proud to be a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and proud of our awards for 2016. We give out traditional awards for the best of what we saw this year and also the EDA awards for the best and worst treatment of female filmmakers and characters.

Best Film: Moonlight

Best Director: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight

Best Screenplay, Original: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan

Best Screenplay, Adapted: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins

Best Documentary: 13th – Ava DuVernay

Best Animated Film: Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush

Best Actress: Ruth Negga – Loving

Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis – Fences

Best Actor: Casey Affleck – Manchester By The Sea

Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director: Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez

Best Cinematography: Moonlight – James Laxton

Best Editing: Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders

Best Non-English-Language Film: The Handmaiden – Park Chan-Wook

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

These awards honor WOMEN only.

Best Woman Director: Ava DuVernay -13th

Best Woman Screenwriter: Kelly Reinhardt – Certain Women

Best Animated Female (tie):

Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin

Moana in Moana – Auli’i Cravalho

Best Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga – Loving

Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry:

Ava DuVernay – For 13th and raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

Actress Defying Age and Ageism (tie):

Annette Bening – 20th Century Women

Isabelle Huppert – Elle and Things to Come

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award : Rules Don’t Apply – Warren Beatty (b. 1937) and Lily Collins (b. 1989)

Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent: Jennifer Aniston – Mother’s Day and Office Christmas Party

Bravest Performance: Isabelle Huppert – Elle

Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t have been Made: Ben Hur

AWFJ Hall of Shame Award: Sharon Maguire and Renee Zellwegger for Bridget Jones’s Baby

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS: AWFJ, a not-for-profit corporation, is an international association of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to raising the volume on women’s voices in the film community by broadening opportunities for women who write about film and supporting films by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting EDA awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies.

ABOUT THE EDA AWARDS: The AWFJ presents EDA Awards to honor women’s achievements in front of and behind the cameras. In addition to the annual end of the year awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards for Best Female-Directed Films at select film festivals,including IDFA, Whistler Film Festival, DOXA. Edinburgh Film Festival. St. Louis International Film Festival and others. The EDAs are named in honor of AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, Eda Reiss Merin, a stage, film and screen actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. A dedicated foot soldier in the industry, Eda was one of the founders of AFTRA and a long standing member of AMPAS.