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.
Copyright 2016 Plan B Entertainment
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
Copyright 2016 Disney
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.
#8 Nora Charles (Myrna Loy in the “Thin Man” series)
Movies love to tell us stories about falling in love: the rush of emotion, the fear of intimacy, the exquisite romantic thrill. And it is not hard to find a movie about the agony of love, the anguish of betrayal, the pain of loss. But it is very rare to see a movie about being in love, and almost impossible to find a single film, much less a series, where the lead characters are a married couple who do not just love each other and support each other – they get a genuine kick out of each other. They make marriage seem sexy and fun.
Only one couple in movie history fits that category: the witty, glamorous, but down-to-earth Nick and Nora Charles in the “Thin Man” series of six films about a debonair detective and his society wife. Myrna Loy played Nora opposite her 14-time co-star William Powell, and there has never been a better on-screen match for impeccable comic timing and romantic chemistry.
As the first film begins, they are near-newlyweds. After marrying the wealthy Nora, Nick has retired from detecting and they seem to be living a life of champagne and caviar. Nick is asked to help an old friend find her missing father (the “thin man” of the title, not Nick). Nora is a game girl, whatever is up, whether it is matching Nick by downing a half-dozen martinis or hosting an elegant party for low-lifes and crooks. “Oh, Nicky. I love you because you know such lovely people,” she says, and she means it. She is confident in herself and their marriage. When she sees him hugging the girl he is helping, she is not at all jealous – they make faces at each other over the girl’s shoulder, communicating to themselves and to us their instinctive understanding. Their relationship is never in question.
Dashiell Hammett based the character in part on his long-time love, playwright Lillian Hellman. She described Nick and Nora as “maybe one of the few marriages in modern literature where the man and woman like each other and have a fine time together.” And we have a fine time watching them.
#33 Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn in “Roman Holiday)
Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is the princess of a small, highly civilized country on a diplomatic tour. She is to be unfailingly polite and gracious, promoting trade relations with her always-uncontroversial elegance. Her activities are limited to receptions, photo ops, various ceremonies and speeches like “youth and progress.” “Everything we do is so wholesome,” she sighs.
She is a Cinderella-in-reverse, losing her shoe at the beginning of the story. She has been standing so long in a receiving line, greeting an endless line of dignitaries, that she discreetly takes her sore foot out of her high heel to stretch it, and accidentally knocks it over so she cannot find it again without revealing her indiscretion. That night, she rebels and is given medicine to help her sleep and advice to so “exactly what you wish for a while.” While under the power of the drug, she runs away and ends up falling asleep in the apartment of an American journalist (Gregory Peck).
Ann seems to have everything and so she is an unlikely heroine. But she gets our sympathy because of her wish for the simplest of pleasures – to sleep in pajamas, to get her hair bobbed, to buy an ice cream, to walk around without handlers or photographers, to talk to someone who does not know she is a princess. Hepburn, who would win an Oscar for her first lead role, is enchanting as the princess who longs for the joys of a commoner. Seeing her discover them for the first time makes us rediscover them for ourselves.
#48 Tess McGill (Melanie Griffith in “Working Girl”)
Tess (Melanie Griffith) wants to believe that being smart and working hard will make it possible for her to realize her dream of becoming an investment banker. But the sexist jerks she works for as a secretary will not take her seriously. And her new boss, a woman (Sigourney Weaver), pretends to support her but steals her idea. A boyfriend betrayal and a Valium later, she is stealing her boss’s dress, cutting off her Staten Island poof hairdo (“You want to be taken seriously, you need serious hair”), and pretending to be in the job she wishes she had.
Way too many movie heroines have destiny-changing makeovers. But there is no trying-on-outfits montage here. Yes, she looks ravishing in her boss’s glamorous cocktail dress. But it turns out she has made a mistake. Dress for the event is business attire. She is still out of place.
And yet, looking different brings her to the attention of Jack (Harrison Ford, terrific in a highly unusual supporting role). When they meet in “her” office the next day, he is as won over by her “head for business” as by her “body for sin.”
In a crucial moment, Tess is able to show that the business idea her boss has stolen is hers by owning her intelligence, hard work, judgment – and her roots, acknowledging that it was reading one of the “lower class” newspapers led her to the idea that is going to be worth a great deal of money to her company and its client. She shows us and herself that it is her Staten Island savvy as well as her Wall Street ambition that make her indispensible to Jack, to her new employer, and to us.
Wloszczyna wrote:
*Among the most popular types of characters, based on how they are primarily portrayed onscreen, few are mainly defined by their relationship to a man or a child. There are six action heroes; five journalists/writers/editors; five girls in their teens and younger; four upper-class/socialite/royalty types; two housewives, one mother and one mail-order bride and mother; two office workers; two waitresses; two teachers; two business owners; and two law enforcers.
*18 of the characters resulted in acting Oscars for the actresses who played them, with many more leading to Academy Award nominations. In other words, if you build great female characters, they will likely be noticed and rewarded.
*Only three films that produced worthy Wonder Women had female directors—the 1994 version of “Little Women,” “Whale Rider” and “Winter’s Bone.” However, 18 out of the 55 characters—almost a third—were conceived wholly or in part by women screenwriters and/or authors. “I don’t think men can’t write great parts for women, since we have many on our list,” Ferdinand says. “However, the insight that women can bring to these characters and their lives is self-evident in the results. We know when something feels true and right to us.”
We will let AWFJ’s own Wonder Woman, founder Merin, have the last word. “These characters represent our good friends,” she says. “This is a list of films that every mother will want their daughters (and their sons) to see. It could serve as a primer for a course on women’s images in film through the years.”
Be sure to check out the whole list and watch all the movies! Let me know of any you think we left out. Remember, these are fictional characters — we hope to do a list based on real-life characters like Helen Keller, Tina Turner, and Erin Brockovich next.
I’m honored, as always, to be a part of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and proud to announce our awards for 2013
AWFJ EDA ‘BEST OF’ AWARDS
Best Film
12 Years a Slave
Best Director (Female or Male)
Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave
Best Screenplay, Original
Her – Spike Jonze
Best Screenplay, Adapted
John Ridley – 12 Years a Slave
Best Documentary
Stories We Tell – Sarah Polley
Best Animated Film
The Wind Rises – Hayao Miyazaki
Best Actress
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave
Best Actor
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
Best Ensemble Cast
American Hustle
Best Editing
Gravity – Alfonso Cuaron and Mark Sanger
Best Cinematography
Gravity – Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Film Music Or Score
Inside Llewyn Davis – T-Bone Burnett
Best Non-English-Language Film
The Hunt – Thomas Vinterberg – Denmark
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS These awards honor WOMEN only.
Best Woman Director
Nicole Holofcener – Enough Said
Best Woman Screenwriter
Nicole Holofcener – Enough Said
Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Best Animated Female
Anna (Kristen Bell) in Frozen
Best Breakthrough Performance
Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years A Slave
Actress Defying Age and Ageism
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
AWFJ EDA Female Icon Award (Presented to an actress for the portrayal of the most positive female role model, or for a role in which she takes personal and/or career risks to plumb the female psyche and therefore gives us courage to plumb our own, and/or for putting forth the image of a woman who is heroic, accomplished, persistent, demands her rights and/or the rights of others.)
Angelina Jolie for continued commitments to humanitarian causes, and for promoting awareness about breast cancer.
This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry (Presented only when warranted to a female who has had a banner-making, record-breaking, industry-changing achievement during any given year.)
Haaifa Al-Mansour for challenging the limitations placed on women within her culture by making the film Wadjda.
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award
The Counselor – Ridley Scott
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent
Cameron Diaz for The Counselor
Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn’t Award
The Counselor
Unforgettable Moment Award
12 Years A Slave – Solomon Northrup hanging
Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction Award
Her – Scarlett Johansson and Joaquin Phoenix for their digital lovemaking.
Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award (Tie)
Carrie
Oz, Great and Powerful
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest Award
More awards are rolling in as we get ready for the big three — this week’s Critics Choice Movie Awards this Thursday night on VH1 (Twitter hashtag #ccma), the Golden Globes on Sunday, and of course the Oscars coming next month on February 26. I’m honored to be a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists and very proud of this year’s honorees. “The Artist” continues to build momentum for the top award but the unusual number of tie votes shows that in many of the categories, the competition is very tough. I love the AWFJ’s categories like “best animated female character” and “most egregious love interest.” Be sure to read through to the end!
Best Film:
The Artist
Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist
Best Screenplay, Original:
Midnight in Paris – Woody Allen
Best Screenplay, Adapted: (TIE)
The Descendants – Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash
Moneyball – Steven Zallian and Aaron Sorkin
Best Documentary:
Buck
Best Animated Film:
Rango
Best Actress:
Viola Davis as Abileen in The Help
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: (TIE)
Janet McTeer as Hubert Page in Albert Nobb and Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson in The Help
Best Actor:
Michael Fassbender as Brandon Sullivan in Shame
Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christopher Plummer as Hal Fields in Beginners
Best Ensemble Cast:
Bridesmaids
Best Editing:
Hugo – Thelma Schoonmaker
Best Cinematography:
The Tree of Life – Emmanuel Lubezki
Best Film Music Or Score: (TIE)
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo – Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Original Score
Hanna – The Chemical Brothers, Original Score
Best Non-English-Language Film:
A Separation – Ashgar Farhadi, Iran
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
Best Woman Director:
Lynne Ramsey – We Need To Talk About Kevin
Best Woman Screenwriter:
Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo – Bridesmaids
Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star: (TIE)
Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander in Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and Saoirse Ronan as Hanna in Hanna
Best Animated Female:
Isla Fisher as Beans in Rango
Best Breakthrough Performance:
Elizabeth Olsen as Martha in Martha Marcy May Marlene
Female Icon Award:
Glenn Close as Albert Nobbs in Albert Nobbs
Actress Defying Age and Ageism:
Helen Mirren as Rachel Singer in The Debt
This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry:
Jessica Chastain for performances in four highly acclaimed films
AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism:
Angelina Jolie for UN work and making In The Land of Blood and Honey to raise awareness about genocide.
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
AWFJ Hall Of Shame Award:
The Hollywood Reporter for failing to invite any women to join the Directors Roundtable
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent:
All actresses in New Year’s Eve
Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn‘t:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Unforgettable Moment Award:
The Artist – The sound of the glass clinking on the table.
Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction: (TIE)
Melancholia – Justine in the moonlight and Shame – Opening sequence on the subway train.
Sequel Or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made Award:
The Hangover Part II
Most Egregious Love Interest Age Difference Award: (TIE)
Albert Nobbs – Glenn Close (64) and Mia Wasilkowska (22)
Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part I – Bella (18) and Edward (Over 100)
* * * * * * * * * * * *
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists is very grateful to our 2011 sponsors for their ongoing support of the EDA Awards and our organization.
More Awards — Nominations from the Online Critics and the Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Posted on December 26, 2011 at 10:42 am
I have the honor and challenge of voting in both of these. Be sure to check out some of the off-beat and very satisfying special categories for the AWFJ.
