2019 British Independent Film Award (BIFA) Nominations

Winners announced December 1st:

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Bait
For Sama
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose

BEST DIRECTOR
Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts "For Sama"
Oliver Hermanus "Moffie"
Joanna Hogg "The Souvenir"
Mark Jenkin "Bait"
Asif Kapadia "Diego Maradona"

BEST SCREENPLAY
Joanna Hogg "The Souvenir"
Armando Iannucci and Simon Blackwell "The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Paul Laverty "Sorry We Missed You"
Peter Strickland "In Fabric"
Nicole Taylor "Wild Rose"

BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley "Wild Rose"
Holliday Grainger "Animals"
Sally Hawkins "Eternal Beauty"
Vicky Night "Dirty God"
Renee Zellweger "Judy"

BEST ACTOR
Sam Adewumni "The Last Tree"
Tom Burke 'The Souvenir"
Kris Hitchen "Sorry We Missed You"
Josh O'Connor "Only You"
Dev Patel "The Personal History of David Copperfield"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Jessica Barden "Scarborough"
Ruthxijiah Bellenea "The Last Tree"
Elizabeth Debicki "Vita and Virginia"
Tilda Swinton "The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Julie Walters "Wild Rose"
JESSICA BARDEN Scarborough

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
CHiwetel Ejiofor "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"
Hugh Laurie "The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Edlison Manuel Olbera Nunez "Yuli - The Carlos Acosta Story"
Peter Mullan "The Vanishing"
Bluey Robinson "Dirty God"

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD (DEBUT DIRECTOR)
Will Becher and Richard Phelan "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon"
Fyzal Boulifa "Lynn + Lucy"
Ninian Doff "Boyz in the Wood"
Chiwetel Ejiofor "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind"
Hary Wootliff "Only You"

BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCER
Finn Bruce "Tucked"
Kate Byers and Lynn Waite "Bait"
Joy Gharoro-Akpojotor "Blue Story"
Becky Read "Three Identical Strangers"
Jack Sidey "Moffie"

DEBUT SCREENWRITER
Kiernan Hurley "Beats"
Lisa Owens "Days of the Bagnold Summer"
Nicole Taylor "Wild Rose"
Emma Jane Unsworth "Animals"
Harry Wootliff "Only You"

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Sam Adewumni "The Last Tree"
Vicky Knight "Dirty God"
Lorn MacDonald "Beats"
Roxanne Scrimshaw "Lynn + Lucy"
Honor Swinton Byrne "The Souvenir"

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Coup 53
Diego Mardona
For Sama
Seahorse
Tell Me Who I Am

THE RAINDANCE DISCOVERY AWARD
A Bump Along the Way
Children of the Snow Land
Here for Life
Muscle
The Street

BEST BRITISH SHORT FILM
Anna
Boiling Point
The Devil's Harmony
Goldfish
Serious Tingz

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Ash is the Purest White
Marriage Story
Monos
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

BEST CASTING
In Fabric
The Last Tree
Only You
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Wild Rose

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Beats
In Fabric
Judy
Moffie
The Personal History of David Copperfield

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
In Fabric
Judy
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
Wild Rose

BEST EDITING
Bait
Diego Maradona
For Sama
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir

BEST EFFECTS
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
In Fabric
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon

BEST MAKE UP & HAIR DESIGN
Dirty God
In Fabric
Judy
The Personal History of David Copperfield
Wild Rose

BEST MUSIC
Beats
Diego Maradona
For Sama
In Fabric
Wild Rose

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
In Fabric
Judy
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Souvenir
The White Crow

BEST SOUND
Beats
Diego Maradona
Gwen
In Fabric
Wild Rose

2019 IFP Gotham Award Nominations

Best Feature
The Farewell
Hustlers
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems
Waves

Best Actor
Willem Dafoe “The Lighthouse”
Adam Driver “Marriage Story”
Aldis Hodge “Clemency”
Andre Holland “High Flying Bird”
Adam Sandler “Uncut Gems”

Best Actress
Awkwafina “The Farewell”
Elisabeth Moss “Her Smell”
Mary Kay Place “Diane”
Florence Pugh “Midsommar”
Alfre Woodard “Clemency”

Breakthrough Actor
Julia Fox “Uncut Gems”
Aisling Franciosi “The Nightingale”
Chris Galust “Give Me Liberty”
Noah Jupe “Honey Boy”
Jonathan Majors “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Taylor Russell “Waves”

Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award
Laure De Clermont-Tonnerre “The Mustang”
Kent Jones “Diane”
Joe Talbot “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Olivia Wilde “Booksmart”
Phillip Youmans “Burning Cane”

Best Screenplay
Ari Aster “Midsommar”
Noah Baumbach “Marriage Story”
Jimmie Fails, Joe Talbot, and Rob Richert “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
Tarell Alvin McCraney “High Flying Bird”
Lulu Wang “The Farewell”

Best Documentary
American Factory
Apollo 11
The Edge of Democracy
Midnight Traveler
One Child Nation

Breakthrough Series – Long Form
Chernobyl
David Makes Man
My Brilliant Friend
Unbelievable
When They See Us

Breakthrough Series – Short Form
Pen15
Ramy
Russian Doll
Tuca & Bertie
Undone

The 35th Annual IDA Award Nominations

Best Feature Nominees
Advocate
American Factory
Apollo 11
The Biggest Little Farm
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
Midnight Family
One Child Nation
Sea of Shadows

Best Short Nominees
A Love Song for Latasha
After Maria
America
Los Comandos
Easter Snap
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl)
Sam and the Plant Next Door
The Nightcrawlers
Valley of the Rulers

Best Director 
Petra Costa "The Edge of Democracy"
Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche "Advocate"
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert "American Factory"
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov "Honeyland"
Waad al-Kateab and Edward Watts "For Sama"

Best Curated Series
American Experience
BBC Storyville
Dokumania
POV
AJE Witness

Best Episodic Series
Abstract: The Art of Design
Finding Justice
Kids Behind Bars: Life Or Parole
Living Undocumented
Our Planet

Best Multi-Part Documentary
Chasing the Moon
Leaving Neverland
Lorena
Surviving R. Kelly
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men

Best Short Form Series 
A Cure for Fear
A Moment in Mexico — The New York Times Op-Docs
Guardian Documentaries
POV Shorts
The F Word

Best Audio Documentary
Gladiator: The Aaron Hernandez Story
Headlong: Running from COPS
Heavyweight — Episode: “Skye”
Latino USA — Episode: “The Return”
A Sense of Quietness

Best Music Documentary
Amazing Grace
Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé
The Apollo
The Gift: The Journey of Johnny Cash
Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men

David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award 
All That Remains
Beyond the North Winds: A Post Nuclear Reverie
Brewed in Palestine
Follow the Sun
In the Wake

Best Cinematography
Dark Suns
Gods of Molenbeek
Honeyland
Midnight Family
When Lambs Become Lions

Best Editing 
American Factory
Apollo 11
Diego Maradona
Human Nature
Midnight Family
When Lambs Become Lions

Best Music Score
Apollo 11
Human Nature
Sea of Shadows
The Biggest Little Farm
The Raft

Best Writing
Always in Season
Dark Suns
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
The Great Hack

Pare Lorentz Award 
Honeyland

Honorable Mention - Anthropocene: The Human Epoch

First 2020 Golden Globe Television Nomination Predictions

Best Drama Series
Big Little Lies
The Crown
Game of Thrones
The Morning Show
Succession

Best Comedy Series
Barry
Fleabag
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Politician
Russian Doll

Best Actor in a Drama Series
Steve Carell "The Morning Show"
Brian Cox "Succession"
Kit Harington "Game of Thrones"
Tobias Menzies "The Crown"
Billy Porter "Pose"

Best Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston "The Morning Show"
Olivia Colman "The Crown"
Jodi Comer "Killing Eve"
Nicole Kidman "Big Little Lies"
Sandra Oh "Killing Eve"

Best Actor in a Comedy Series
Ted Danson "The Good Place"
Michael Douglas "The Kominsky Method"
Ricky Gervais "After Life"
Bill Hader "Barry"
Ben Platt "The Politician"

Best Actress in a Comedy Series
Rachel Brosnahan "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Kirsten Dunst "On Becoming a God in Central Florida"
Julia Louis-Dreyfus "Veep"
Natasha Lyonne "Russian Doll"
Phoebe Waller-Bridge "Fleabag"

Best TV Movie/Limited Series
Chernobyl
El Camino
Fosse/Verdon
Unbelievable
When They See Us

Best Actor in a TV Movie/Limited Series
Mahershala Ali "True Detective"
Jared Harris "Chernobyl"
Jharrel Jerome "When They See Us"
Aaron Paul "El Camino"
Sam Rockwell "Fosse/Verdon"

Best Actress in a TV Movie/Limited Series
Toni Collette "Unbelievable"
Joey King "The Act"
Helen Mirren "Catherine the Great"
Merritt Wever "Unbelievable"
Michelle Williams "Fosse/Verdon"

Best Supporting Actor
Peter Dinklage "Game of Thrones"
Josh O'Connor "The Crown"
Andrew Scott "Fleabag"
Tony Shalhoub "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
Stellan Skarsgard "Chernobyl"

Best Supporting Actress
Patricia Arquette "The Act"
Helena Bonham Carter "The Crown"
Laura Dern "Big Little Lies"
Jessica Lange "The Politician"
Meryl Streep "Big Little Lies"

Celebrating a Decade of The Awards Psychic: Top 100 Films of 2009-2019, Part VII

40. The Shape of Water (2017) - The Shape of Water was an unusual choice for Academy voters a few years ago. It was essentially science fiction/fantasy. It has an inter-species romance, and its main character was a mute. It was an unusual choice on paper, but once voters and audiences saw the film, those doubts were erased. That is because Guillermo Del Toro and his team elevate the premise (as he does with all of his films), and made it a film deemed worthy of the Best Picture of the Year. That is because at its center it is a human story. Don't worry, like all of Del Toro's films, this is a technical masterpiece. By combining historical setting with fantasy elements, we got to see an amazing array of costumes, masterwork camera shots, sets, and visual effects. But at its center are its characters, and their stories and their struggles make The Shape of Water an emotional powerhouse, as well as a visual stunner. Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, and Octavia Spencer all are fantastic in their supporting roles. But it is Sally Hawkins amazing performance that really is the heart and soul of the film. It is a difficult role, and it takes an actor with incredible skill to pull it off. Sally Hawkins didn't just pull it off, she took it and ran away with it, and was simply mesmerizing.

39. The King's Speech (2010) - Boy has The King's Speech taken a beating over the years. I agree that the best film of 2010 was The Social Network (as you will soon see), but I have never understood why film buffs always take their ire out on the other film that won just because their favorite lost. You know the Academy, and you know what they like. Is it really still so shocking that The King's Speech won? The answer should be no. It is right up the Academy's alley. It is a period drama about the Royal Family, and it makes you feel good. It also was a great film, and in all of the crap, it is important to remember that fact. It is well-made by Tom Hooper and his production team. It has an emotional, funny, and well-paced script by David Seidler. What really sets it apart though is its amazing cast. Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush both play their roles with gusto. But it is Colin Firth at its center that is why The King's Speech is such an endearing film. His vulnerability as a king with a disability, and then his ultimate strength because of his friend and wife, is a great journey to watch, and Firth earn a well-earned Academy Award for this triumph of a role.

38. Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - I said in an earlier post that my favorite Wes Anderson movie of the last ten years was Moonrise Kingdom. I think it is his sweetest film to date. Sure it has all of the Wes Anderson trademarks: quirky characters, outlandishly creative production design, a unique and fantastic script, an amazing cast. It it is the cast in particular that really shine, including a nice mix of Andeson favorites, and newcomers as well including Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, and Lucas Hedges. But unlike some of the darker humor of films like The Grand Budapest Hotel, Moonrise Kingdom is a quietly effective film about first love. It is endearing, heartwarming, hilarious, and incredibly accessible. Anderson sometimes gets a bit too esoteric for me, and I can sometimes have trouble connecting with his films, even if I respect what he is doing. Moonrise Kingdom was a notable exception, and a film I still love to this day.

37. Spotlight (2015) - I really like Tom McCarthy as a director, especially some of his feel good dramedies like The Station Agent and Win Win. This was a big change for the director, tackling a straight historical drama and it paid off. Not only did he become an Oscar winner, but he led the film to a Best Picture Oscar. Spotlight is not a splashy film. It does have a few mesmerizing climatic moments, thanks to the efforts of Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams, both of whom received well-deserved Oscar nominations for their roles. But other than that, this is an even tempo type film. It doesn't sensationalize. It lets the story unfold, it focuses on the victims and the reports, the stories that deserved to be told. It is led by an amazing ensemble, solid direction, and a pitch-perfect script. It is still odd that this film won Best Picture. Normally, quiet films like this get ignored for flashier efforts. But it is also a great choice for the Academy. It is an excellent film, and it is an important, albeit hard to watch, story that deserved this quality of film and deserved the recognition it got.

36. The Big Sick (2017) - Kumail Nanjiani had been a hardworking, up and coming comedian for a long time before he hit it big in 2017 with The Big Sick. He decided to take his own story, and the story of his wife's illness, and put it up on the screen. It was a magnificent move. First and foremost, Nanjiani is a talented writer, and is funny as hell. The Big Sick is a comedy first, and it shows in both his witty script, and his breakthrough lead performance. But The Big Sick manages to balance the humor, with the heart. Nanjiani manages to take a two-hour comedy movie, and add in a medical emergency with a family struggle, cultural relevance that honors his own heritage and his decision to break from it, and a fabulous ensemble piece with the likes of Holly Hunter, Zoe Kazan, and Ray Romano. But at its heart and soul, The Big Sick is so well done because it is so personal. He and his wife Emily Gordon penned their own story, and it is that connection and that personal touch that make The Big Sick the best romantic comedy in ages.

35. Logan (2017) - Unlike Martin Scorsese (who I adore and respect), I am not a superhero movie hater. I do get tired of the same recycled stories, but I have been pleasantly surprised in recent years as studios have started to take risks when it comes to telling these stories. One of the biggest risks, with one of the best rewards, was James Mangold's Logan. It was so impressive that it became the first and only superhero movie in history to receive an Oscar nomination for screenplay. Logan is the antithesis of a superhero movie. Its a violent fugitive thriller, an almost post-apocalyptic western-esque nightmare, and an emotional swan song for two beloved characters. Led by terrific performances from Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart, we finally get to see these talented actors fully flesh out these characters that they had been playing for almost two decades. Mangold has incredible command of this film, and it is sharp and pulse pounding. It all leads up to a sad, yet satisfying conclusion that truly gives one of our favorite heroes the proper send off. Note to Marvel and DC: make more films like this.

34. Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018) - This is a film that over the last year has just continued to grow and grow on me. I loved it the first time I saw it, and have watched it over and over again and it just gets richer with every viewing. Lee Israel is not a lovable character. She is an ornery criminal with the personality of a fire ant. She lied and forged, and never really showed much remorse. So how the hell did a movie about her become such a charming, energetic, funny, and memorable outing? It is because of four incredibly talented individuals. The young, up and coming filmmaker Marianne Heller has an incredible eye, and now apparently is 3/3, with her latest already receiving rave reviews. Nicole Holfcener's script is so sharp, so witty, so perfectly balanced, you can tell why she is one of the best in the game. Finally, the dynamic duo at the film's center are so damn good, you can't take their eyes of them. Richard E. Grant has been fantastic for years, and to see him get such a nice role this late in his career was welcomed. But at the center of this is Melissa McCarthy. She was just jaw-dropping in this role. Unlikable, yet endearing. Funny, yet sad. McCarthy proved that she is one of the finest actresses working today, and has incredible range beyond her comedy roots.

33. Inglourious Basterds (2009) - I don't think, at the time, that the world was really ready for the insane brilliance of Quentin Taratino's Inglourious Basterds. Since then, we have seen two new incantations of his revisionist history films. But in 2009, this was new territory. From that brilliant opening sequence where we are introduced to Christoph Waltz's absolutely jaw-dropping performance as Hans, to the finale where we get to see Hitler get obliterated by a machine gun. Everything about this film is ridiculous. It is loud, brash, historically inaccurate, and way too long. But of course, all of this is what makes it such a miraculous gamble as well, and the gamble paid off. The ensemble, also including Melanie Laurent, Diane Kruger and Brad Pitt, are fantastic. The direction is bold and visionary, and the script is the perfect representation of Tarantino's gift as a screenwriter, particularly the dense, yet fascinating dialogue. Inglourious Basterds should not have worked. But because of talent both behind, and in front of the camera, it went from being a ridiculous idea to a brilliant film.

32. Nebraska (2013) - I really am an Alexander Payne junkie. I just love the guys films. They are emotional, funny, and most of all, they are innately human. Nebraska is a quirky, funny, dry comedy with a great black and white aesthetic. It combines all of the best of Alexander Payne's instincts as a director, and a screenwriter, and has an amazing cast to boot, particularly Bruce Dern and June Squibb, who both are just mesmerizing and hilarious on screen. But at its core, Nebraska is so much more than a funny dark comedy. It is a story about fathers and sons, about family, about forgotten dreams, about the struggle that we all face as we watch our parents and grandparents age. Nebraska is funny, but at its heart there is a lot of pain. It is a pain that comes from understanding the truth of the task it takes to simply be human. No director working today understands this better than Alexander Payne, and Nebraska is a perfect example of that humanity and talent.

31. First Man (2018) - First Man won two awards in my end year Awards Psychic Awards. I feel its best to simply reiterate my sentiments from a few months ago. First, my comments on Ryan Gosling, who won Best Actor: "Ryan Gosling got no credit this year for First Man, and I really cannot understand why. Gosling learned so much about Neil Armstrong from his readings and meeting those who knew him. He learned that he was a no-nonsense, technically driven man, whose personal losses caused him to shut down emotionally. It is a lot harder than it looks to maintain that kind of control of a character, and Gosling nailed it. The children of Neil Armstrong praised Gosling and the film saying it was a perfect representation of who their father was. But Gosling's performance was not just accurate, it was a quietly stunning triumph." Finally, my thoughts on the film's Best Visual Effects win: "First Man, the underrated film of 2018, had a lot of practical production design, combined with its brilliant cinematography, that its visual effects might not seem as spectacular or obvious as say Avengers, Mary Poppins, or Ready Player One, all fine work. What I love about the visual effects in First Man is that you don't really know they are there, but their impact is immeasurable. The brilliant space walking scene showcased not only Chazelle's talent as a director, but the talent of these visual effects artists to make us feel the realism as if we were there. The Academy always loves to reward the most, which I understand, but sometimes its the subtlest of contenders that show the true master of the craft."

The Oscar Narrative: First 2020 Golden Globe Film Nomination Predictions

Best Picture - Drama
The Irishman
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Best Picture - Comedy/Musical
The Farewell
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Rocketman
The Two Popes

Best Actress - Drama
Cynthia Erivo "Harriet"
Scarlett Johansson "Marriage Story"
Helen Mirren "The Good Liar"
Saoirse Ronan "Little Women"
Renee Zellweger "Judy"

Best Actor - Drama
Christian Bale "Ford v. Ferrari"
Robert DeNiro "The Irishman"
Leonardo DiCaprio "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Adam Driver "Marriage Story"
Joaquin Phoenix "Joker"

Best Actor - Comedy/Musical
Daniel Craig "Knives Out"
Taron Egerton "Rocketman"
Eddie Murphy "Dolemite is My Name"
Jonathan Pryce "The Two Popes"
Adam Sandler "Uncut Gems"

Best Actress - Comedy/Musical
Awkwafina "The Farewell"
Kaitlyn Dever "Booksmart"
Beanie Feldstein "Booksmart"
Charlize Theron "Bombshell"
Emma Thompson "Late Night"

Best Supporting Actor
Tom Hanks "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood"
Anthony Hopkins "The Two Popes"
Al Pacino "The Irishman"
Joe Pesci "The Irishman"
Brad Pitt "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"

Best Supporting Actress
Annette Bening "The Report"
Laura Dern "Marriage Story"
Jennifer Lopez "Hustlers"
Margot Robbie "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Shuzhen Zhou "The Farewell"

Best Director
Noah Baumbach "Marriage Story"
Bong Joon Ho "Parasite"
Sam Mendes "1917"
Quentin Tarantino "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Martin Scorsese "The Irishman"

Best Screenplay
Steve Zaillian "The Irishman"
Taika Wahiti "Jojo Rabbit"
Noah Baumbach "Marriage Story"
Quentin Tarantino "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood"
Jin Won Han and Bong Joon Ho "Parasite"

The 4th Annual Critics Choice Documentary Award Nominations

Best Documentary Feature
American Factory (Netflix)
Apollo 11 (Neon)
The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
The Cave (National Geographic)
Honeyland (Neon)
The Kingmaker (Showtime)
Knock Down the House (Netflix)
Leaving Neverland (HBO)
Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
One Child Nation (Amazon Studios)
They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)

BEST DIRECTOR
Waad Al-Kateab and Edward Watts, For Sama (PBS)
Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, American Factory (Netflix)
John Chester, The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
Feras Fayyad, The Cave (National Geographic)
Peter Jackson, They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)
Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 (Neon)
Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang, One Child Nation (Amazon Studios)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ben Bernhard and Victor Kossakovsky, Aquarela (Sony Pictures Classics)
John Chester, The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
Fejmi Daut and Samir Ljuma, Honeyland (Neon)
Nicholas de Pencier, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Kino Lorber)
Muhammed Khair Al Shami, Ammar Suleiman, and Mohammad Eyad, The Cave (National Geographic)
Richard Ladkani, Sea of Shadows (National Geographic)

BEST EDITING
Georg Michael Fischer and Verena Schönauer, Sea of Shadows (National Geographic)
Todd Douglas Miller, Apollo 11 (Neon)
Jabez Olssen, They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)
Amy Overbeck, The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
Lindsay Utz, American Factory (Netflix)
Nanfu Wang, One Child Nation (Amazon Studios)

BEST SCORE
Jeff Beal, The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
Matthew Herbert, The Cave (National Geographic)
Matt Morton, Apollo 11 (Neon)
Plan 9, They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)
H. Scott Salinas, Sea of Shadows (National Geographic)
Eicca Toppinen, Aquarela (Sony Pictures Classics)

BEST NARRATION
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Kino Lorber)

 Alicia Vikander, narrator
   Jennifer Baichwal, writer

The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
   John Chester and Molly Chester, narrators
   John Chester, writer

The Edge of Democracy (Netflix)

   Petra Costa, narrator
   Petra Costa, Carol Pires, David Barker and Moara Passoni, writers

The Elephant Queen (Apple)

   Chiwetel Ejiofor, narrator

   Mark Deeble, writer

For Sama (PBS)

   Waad Al-Kateab, narrator

   Waad Al-Kateab, writer

Joseph Pulitzer: Voice of the People (First Run)

   Adam Driver, narrator

   Oren Rudavsky and Bob Seidman, writers

One Child Nation (Amazon Studios)

   Nanfu Wang, narrator

   Nanfu Wang, writer

Western Stars (Warner Bros.)

   Bruce Springsteen, narrator
   Bruce Springsteen, writer

BEST FIRST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Midge Costin, Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound (Matson Films)
A.J. Eaton, David Crosby: Remember My Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
Pamela B. Green, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist Films)
Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, Honeyland (Neon)
Richard Miron, For the Birds (Dogwoof)
Garret Price, Love, Antosha (Lurker Films)

BEST ARCHIVAL DOCUMENTARY
Amazing Grace (Neon)
Apollo 11 (Neon)
Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
Mike Wallace is Here (Magnolia)
Pavarotti (CBS Films)
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Netflix)
They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)
What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (HBO)

BEST BIOGRAPHICAL DOCUMENTARY
David Crosby: Remember My Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Kingmaker (Showtime)
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (Greenwich)
Love, Antosha (Lurker Films)
Mike Wallace is Here (Magnolia)
Pavarotti (CBS Films)
Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am (Magnolia)

BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
Amazing Grace (Neon)
David Crosby: Remember My Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (Greenwich)
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool (Abramorama)
Pavarotti (CBS Films)
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Netflix)
Western Stars (Warner Bros.)

BEST POLITICAL DOCUMENTARY
American Factory (Netflix)
The Edge of Democracy (Netflix)
Hail Satan? (Magnolia)
The Kingmaker (Showtime)
Knock Down the House (Netflix)
One Child Nation (Amazon Studios)

BEST SCIENCE/NATURE DOCUMENTARY
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Kino Lorber)
Apollo 11 (Neon)
Aquarela (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Biggest Little Farm (Neon)
The Elephant Queen (Apple)
Honeyland (Neon)
Penguins (Disney)
Sea of Shadows (National Geographic)

BEST SPORTS DOCUMENTARY
Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (Entertainment Studios)
Diego Maradona (HBO)
Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
Rodman: For Better or Worse (ESPN)
The Spy Behind Home Plate (Ciesla Foundation)
What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali (HBO)

MOST INNOVATIVE DOCUMENTARY
Aquarela (Sony Pictures Classics)
Cold Case Hammarskjöld (Magnolia)
Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese (Netflix)
Screwball (Greenwich)
Serendipity (Cohen Media)
They Shall Not Grow Old (Warner Bros.)

BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY
The Chapel at the Border (Atlantic Documentaries)

   (Director and Producer: Jeremy Raff)

Death Row Doctor (The New York Times Op-Docs)

   (Director: Lauren Knapp)

In the Absence (Field of Vision)

   (Director: Yi Seung-Jun. Producer: Gary Byung-Seok Kam)

Lost World
   (Director and Producer: Kalyanee Mam. Producers: Adam Loften and Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee)

Mack Wrestles (ESPN)

   (Directors and Producers: Taylor Hess and Erin Sanger. Producers: Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby)

Period. End of Sentence. (Netflix)

   (Director: Rayka Zehtabchi. Producers: Melissa Berton, Garrett K. Schiff and Lisa Taback)

The Polaroid Job (The New York Times Op-Docs)

   (Director: Mike Plante)

Sam and the Plant Next Door (The Guardian)

   (Director and Producer: Ömer Sami)

The Unconditional
   (Director and Producer: Dave Adams. Producers: Adam Soltis, Renee Woodruff Adams, Josie Swantek Heitz, and Chris Tuss)

The Waiting Room (The Guardian)

   (Director and Producer: Victoria Mapplebeck)

MOST COMPELLING LIVING SUBJECTS OF A DOCUMENTARY (HONOR)
Dr. Amani Ballor – The Cave (National Geographic)
David Crosby – David Crosby: Remember My Name (Sony Pictures Classics)
Tracy Edwards – Maiden (Sony Pictures Classics)
Imelda Marcos – The Kingmaker (Showtime)
Hatidze Muratova – Honeyland (Neon)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, and Paula Jean Swearengin – Knock Down the House (Netflix)
Linda Ronstadt – Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice (Greenwich)
Dr. Ruth Westheimer – Ask Dr. Ruth (Hulu)

International Documentary Association (IDA) Shortlists

Winners announced December 7th! Visit https://www.documentary.org/awards2019 for more information.

Features Shortlist
Advocate (Israel, Canada, Switzerland. Directors and Producers: Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche. Producers: Paul Cadieux and Joelle Bertossa)

Amazing Grace (USA / NEON. Producers: Alan Elliot, Tirrell D. Whittley, Sabrina V. Owens, Joe Boyd, Rob Johnson, Chiemi Karasawa, Spike Lee, Angie Seegers and Joseph Woolf)

American Factory (USA / Netflix. Directors and Producers: Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert. Producers: Jeff Reichert and Julie Parker Benello)

Apollo 11 (USA / NEON and CNN Films. Director and Producer: Todd Douglas Miller. Producers: Thomas Petersen and Evan Strauss)

Aquarela (UK, Germany, Denmark / Sony Pictures Classics. Director: Victor Kossakovsky. Producers: Aimara Reques, Heino Deckert and Sigrid Dyekjær)

Black Mother (USA / Grasshopper Film. Director and Producer: Khalik Allah. Producer: Leah Giblin)

Cunningham (USA, Germany / Magnolia Pictures. Director and Producer: Alla Kovgan. Producers: Helge Albers, Ilann Girard, Elizabeth Delude-Dix, Kelly Gilpatrick and Derrick Tseng)

Dark Suns (Canada / Dogwoof. Director and Producer: Julien Elie)

Diego Maradona (UK / HBO. Director: Asif Kapadia. Producers: James Gay-Rees and Paul Martin)

EARTH (Austria / KimStim. Director and Producer: Nikolaus Geyrhalter. Producers: Michael Kitzberger, Markus Glaser and Wolfgang Widerhofer)

For Sama (UK, Syria / PBS Distribution, Channel 4, FRONTLINE. Director and Producer: Waad al-Kateab. Director: Edward Watts)

Hail Satan? (USA / Magnolia Pictures. Director: Penny Lane. Producer: Gabriel Sedgwick)

Honeyland (Macedonia / NEON. Director: Tamara Kotevska. Director and Producer: Ljubomir Stefanov. Producer: Atanas Georgiev)

Kabul, City in the Wind (Netherlands, Afghanistan, Germany. Director: Aboozar Amini. Producer: Jia Zhao)

Lemebel (Chile, Colombia / Compañía de Cine. Director and Producer: Joanna Reposi Garibaldi. Producer: Paula Sáenz-Laguna)

Midnight Family (Mexico, USA / 1091. Director and Producer: Luke Lorentzen. Producers: Kellen Quinn, Daniela Alatorre and Elena Fortes)

Midnight Traveler (USA, UK, Qatar / Oscilloscope Laboratories. Director: Hassan Fazili. Producers: Su Kim and Emelie Coleman Mahdavian)

One Child Nation (USA / Amazon Studios. Directors and Producers: Nanfu Wang and Jialing Zhang. Producers: Christoph Jörg, Julie Goldman, Christopher Clements and Carolyn Hepburn)

Our Time Machine (China / POV, Da Xiang. Directors and Producers: Yang Sun and S. Leo Chiang)

Present.Perfect. (USA, Hong Kong / Burn The Film. Director: Shengze Zhu. Producer: Zhengfan Yang)

Roll Red Roll (USA / POV. Director and Producer: Nancy Schwartzman. Producers: Steven Lake and Jessica Devaney)

Sea of Shadows (USA, Austria / National Geographic. Director: Richard Ladkani. Producers: Walter Kohler and Wolfgang Knopfler)

The Apollo (USA / HBO. Director and Producer: Roger Ross Williams. Producers: Lisa Cortés, Jeanne Elfant Festa and Cassidy Hartmann)

The Biggest Little Farm (USA / NEON, LD Entertainment. Director and Producer: John Chester. Producer: Sandra Keats)

The Cave (USA, Syria, Denmark / National Geographic. Director: Feras Fayyad. Producers: Kirstine Barfod and Sigrid Dyekjaer)

The Edge of Democracy (USA, Brazil / Netflix. Director and Producer: Petra Costa. Producers: Joanna Natasegara, Shane Boris and Tiago Pavan)

The Feeling of Being Watched (USA / POV. Director: Assia Boundaoui. Producer: Jessica Devaney)

The Hottest August (USA, Canada / Grasshopper Film. Director and Producer: Brett Story. Producer: Danielle Varga)

The Proposal (USA / Oscilloscope Laboratories. Director: Jill Magid. Producers: Charlotte Cook, Laura Coxson and Jarred Alterman)

This is Not a Movie (Germany, Canada / National Film Board of Canada. Director: Yung Chang. Producers: Anita Lee, Allyson Luchak, Nelofer Pazira and Ingmar Trost)

Shorts Shortlist
30 for 30 Shorts: Mack Wrestles (USA / ESPN. Directors and Producers: Taylor Hess and Erin Sanger. Producers: Erin Leyden and Gentry Kirby)
A Love Song for Latasha (USA. Director and Producer: Sophia Nahli Allison. Producers: Janice Duncan and Fam Udeorji)

After Maria (USA / Netflix. Director: Nadia Hallgren. Producer: Lauren Cioffi)

All Inclusive (Switzerland / Some Shorts. Director: Corina Schwingruber Ilić. Producer: Stella Händler)

America (USA / Aubin Pictures. Director: Garrett Bradley. Producers: Lauren Domino and Catherine Gund)

Black to Techno (USA / Frieze. Director: Jenn Nkiru)

Easter Snap (USA. Director and Producer: RaMell Ross. Producers: Joslyn Barnes and Su Kim)

In the Absence (USA, Korea / Field of Vision. Director: Yi Seung-Jun. Producer: Gary Byung-Seok Kam)

La Bala de Sandoval (Ecuador / Vtape. Director and Producer: Jean-Jacques Martinod)

Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (if you're a girl) (UK, USA, Afghanistan / Lifetime Films, A&E IndieFilms. Director: Carol Dysinger. Producer: Elena Andreicheva)

Lost and Found (USA, Myanmar / National Geographic. Director: Orlando von Einsiedel. Producers: Mark Bauch, Harri Grace and Dan Lin)

Marielle and Monica (Brazil, UK / The Guardian. Director: Fabio Erdos. Producer: Marina Costa)

Sam and the Plant Next Door (UK / The Guardian. Director and Producer: Omer Sami)

Scenes from a Dry City (USA / Field of Vision. Directors and Producers: Simon Wood and Francois Verster)

Show Me the Way (USA / Topic.com. Director and Producer: Kate Kunath)

St. Louis Superman (USA / MTV Documentary Films, Al Jazeera Witness and Meralta Films. Directors and Producers: Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan. Producer: Poh Si Teng)

The Love Bugs (USA. Directors and Producers: Allison Otto and Maria Clinton)

The Nightcrawlers (USA, Philippines / National Geographic. Director: Alexander Mora. Producers: Joanna Natasegara, Doireann Maddock and Abigail Anketell-Jones)

The Separated (USA / The Atlantic. Director and Producer: Jeremy Raff)

The Unconditional (USA. Director and Producer: Dave Adams. Producers: Adam Soltis, Renee Woodruff Adams, Josie Swantek Heitz and Chris Tuss)

Valley of the Rulers (Serbia, Israel. Director: Efim Graboy. Producer: Dejan Petrovic)