Monday, December 16, 2019

“Marriage Story” tops 2019 Indiana Film Journalists Association awards


Here are the yearly awards from the critics group I belong to, the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA). Each year, the IFJA honors a wide-ranging group of films, and I am always proud to be a part of the process. I like to wait a little longer for my own personal top ten list, but I can safely say this year will feature the most crossover between the two lists since I became a member of the IFJA back in 2010. "Marriage Story" is an excellent top choice, but I am particularly proud of our inclusion of "Parasite" and "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" in our top ten. "Parasite" also picked up Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho. I can't stress enough that these two films are simply great, no matter what language they are in. I am especially proud of "For Sama" winning Best Documentary, and I recommend everyone watch this heart-rending film when you get a chance.



“Marriage Story,” a humanistic drama that depicts the painful process of a cross-country divorce, took three prizes at the 2019 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) awards — including Best Film, Best Actor for Adam Driver and Best Original Screenplay for Noah Baumbach. 

“Parasite” was named Runner-Up for Best Film, in addition to taking the prizes for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director for Bong Joon-ho. Eight additional films were named Best Film Finalists, collectively representing the group’s picks for the 10 best films of the year.

“Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde won Breakout of the Year. Her film also placed as a Best Picture finalist.

Lupita Nyong'o was named Best Actress for her dual performance in Us while the film’s composer, Michael Abels, won for Best Musical Score.

Other winners included:

  • Willem Dafoe as Best Supporting Actor for The Lighthouse

  • Jennifer Lopez as Best Supporting Actress for Hustlers

  • Knives Out for Best Ensemble Acting

  • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World for Best Animated Film

  • For Sama for Best Documentary


Jason Liles, Alan Maxson and Richard Dorton won the IFJA’s Best Vocal / Motion-Capture Performance award for their collective work to embody Ghidorah the Three-Headed Monster in Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

The IFJA's Original Vision Award, given to a film with innovative and distinct storytelling, went to Robert Eggers for The Lighthouse, a unique horror tale told using period-specific language.

The Hoosier Award, which recognizes a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with roots in Indiana or a film that depicts Hoosier State locales and stories, went to Jason Keller for his work co-writing the script for Ford v Ferrari.

IFJA members issued this Hoosier Award statement: “It may have been a decade ago that Indianapolis native Jason Keller began working on the screenplay to ‘Ford v Ferrari,’ but he fondly invokes the inspiration of his inaugural visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a young boy. Keller’s work on the screenplay brings out the excitement of auto racing and gives vivid life to the actual historical figures who were part of the Ford Racing Team’s initial journey to Le Mans.”

Below is a complete list of winners and runners-up in all IFJA categories:

BEST FILM 
Winner: “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: “Parasite”

Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
“Booksmart”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Knives Out”
“The Lighthouse”
“Little Women”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Runner-Up: “I Lost My Body”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM 
Winner: “Parasite”
Runner-Up: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner: “For Sama”
Runner-Up: “Apollo 11”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: Robert Eggers & Max Eggers, “The Lighthouse” 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women.”
Runner-Up: Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”

BEST DIRECTOR 
Winner: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
Runner-Up:  Céline Sciamma, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”

BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Lupita Nyong'o, “Us”
Runner-Up: Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Runner-Up: Taylor Russell, “Waves”

BEST ACTOR
Winner: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Willem Dafoe, “The Lighthouse”
Runner-Up: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”

BEST VOCAL / MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE 
Winner: Jason Liles, Alan Maxson and Richard Dorton, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters”
Runner-Up: Rosa Salazar, “Alita: Battle Angel”

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Winner: Knives Out
Runner-Up: Little Women

BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Winner: Michael Abels, “Us”
Runner-Up: Cavern of Anti-Matter, “In Fabric”

BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Olivia Wilde, “Booksmart” (director)
Runner-Up: Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit” (actor)

ORIGINAL VISION AWARD
Winner: Robert Eggers, “The Lighthouse”
Runner-Up: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”

HOOSIER AWARD
Winner: Jason Keller, “Ford v Ferrari” (screenwriter)
(As a special award, no runner-up is declared in this category.)

About the IFJA: The Indiana Film Journalists Association was established in February 2009. Members must reside in the Hoosier State and produce consistent, quality film criticism or commentary in any medium.



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