2023 IFJA Awards

 

The Indiana Film Journalists Association has named “Poor Things” the best film of 2023, a strong showing that also included Best Lead Performance for Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo for Best Supporting Performance, Best Director for Yorgos Lanthimos, Best Adapted Screenplay (Tony McNamara), Original Vision and Best Ensemble Acting. 

Its seven wins is the most ever in the 15 years of the IFJA awards.

“Oppenheimer,” which was named runner-up for Best Film, also was runner-up in four other categories: directing, lead and supporting performance, and ensemble acting. It notched three wins: Cinematography, Editing and Musical Score. 

Eight other films were voted Finalists for Best Film. Along with the winner and runner-up, they represent the IFJA’s selection as the Top 10 movies of the year. 

“The Zone of Interest” was awarded Best Foreign Language Film and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” won Best Animated Film. “Kokomo City” was named Best Documentary.

David Hemingson took the Best Original Screenplay award for “The Holdovers.” Writer/director Celine Song earned the Breakout of the Year Award for her debut film, “Past Lives.”

The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award, which goes to a film or filmmaker with Indiana ties, went to Sam Mirpoorian, director of the documentary “Greener Pastures.”

IFJA members issued this statement for the Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award:

 

“Sam Mirpoorian has shown that an Indiana-based filmmaker can make major waves across the cinematic landscape. His documentary ‘Greener Pastures’ is a powerful look at the lives of independent farmers shot over several years, traveling alongside them before and during Covid, observing their struggles with depression and substance abuse but always demanding we see their intrinsic dignity as those who nourish us. Mirpoorian has rendered those who were largely invisible indelible in our eyes and hearts.”

 

In addition to the winner, IFJA recognizes a runner-up in each category (with one exception, noted below). Here is the complete list:

Best Picture

Winner: Poor Things

Runner-up: Oppenheimer

 

Other Best Film Finalists: (listed alphabetically)

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.

Barbie

The Holdovers

John Wick: Chapter 4

Killers of the Flower Moon

May December

Past Lives

Robot Dreams

 

Best Animated Film

Winner: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Runner-up: Robot Dreams

 

Best Foreign Language Film

Winner: The Zone of Interest

Runner-up: Godzilla Minus One

 

Best Documentary Film

Winner: Kokomo City

Runner-up: 20 Days in Mariupol

 

Best Original Screenplay

Winner: David Hemingson, The Holdovers

Runner-up: Samy Burch (screenplay/story) and Alex Mechanik (story), May December

 

Best Adapted Screenplay

Winner: Tony McNamara, Poor Things

Runner-up: Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie

 

Best Director

Winner: Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things

Runner-up: Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer

 

Best Lead Performance

Winner: Emma Stone, Poor Things

Runner-up: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer

 

Best Supporting Performance

Winner: Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things

Runner-up: Robert Downey, Jr., Oppenheimer

 

Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance

Winner: Hailee Steinfeld, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Runner-up: Shameik Moore, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

 

Best Ensemble Acting

Winner: Poor Things

Runner-up: Oppenheimer

 

Best Musical Score

Winner: Ludwig Göransson, Oppenheimer

Runner-up: Robbie Robertson, Killers of the Flower Moon

 

Breakout of the Year

Winner: Celine Song, Past Lives

Runner-up: Charles Melton, May December

 

Best Cinematography

Winner: Hoyte van Hoytema, Oppenheimer

Runner-up: Dan Laustsen, John Wick: Chapter 4

 

Best Editing

Winner: Jennifer Lame, Oppenheimer

Runner-up: Thelma Schoonmaker, Killers of the Flower Moon

 

Best Stunt/Movement Choreography

Winner: Jeremy Marinas (fight coordinator), Scott Rogers (stunt coordinator) and Stephen Levy (stunt choreographer), John Wick: Chapter 4

Runner-up: Jennifer White (choreographer) and Lisa Welham (associate choreographer), Barbie

 

Original Vision Award

Winner: Poor Things

Runner-up: Barbie

 

The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award*

Winner: Director Sam Mirpoorian, Greener Pastures

*As a special honor, no runner-up is named for the Hoosier Award. It is named after founding IFJA member and longtime NUVO Newsweekly critic Edward Johnson-Ott.

About IFJA: The Indiana Film Journalists Association was established in 2009 to celebrate cinema and promote quality film criticism in the Hoosier State. To be eligible for our awards, a film must have had a general release on any platform during the current calendar year, screened to IFJA critics in advance of a following year release date, or play in a major Indiana film festival.

 

http://indianafilmjournalists.com