The 2020 Essential Film Awards

Celebrating the cinematic achievements of 2019.

Official 2019 Selections

 

 

 

 

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Best Film - Drama

PARASITE

Bong Joon-ho

CJ Entertainment

Cast:  Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Chang Hyae-jin

Screenplay: Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won

Producers: Kwak Sin-ae, Moon Yang-kwon, Bong Joon-ho, Jang Young-hwan

Cinematography: Hong Kyung-pyo

Nominees:

1917

THE IRISHMAN
MARRIAGE STORY

UNCUT GEMS

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Best Film - Comedy or Musical

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Quentin Tarantino

Sony Pictures

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Austin Butler, Dakota Fanning, Bruce Dern, Al Pacino, Luke Perry

Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino

Producers:  David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino

Cinematography: Robert Richardson

Other Nominees

BOOKSMART
THE FAREWELL

JOJO RABBIT
KNIVES OUT

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ACTING AWARDS

Best Actor - Drama

Joaquin Phoenix

JOKER

Other Nominees

Antonio Banderas - PAIN AND GLORY
Adam Driver - MARRIAGE STORY
Robert Pattinson - THE LIGHTHOUSE
Adam Sandler - UNCUT GEMS
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Best Actress - Drama

Lupita Nyongo
US

Other Nominees

Scarlett Johansson - MARRIAGE STORY
Florence Pugh - MIDSOMMAR
Charlize Theron - BOMBSHELL
Renée Zellweger - JUDY

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Best Actor - Comedy or Musical

Leonardo DiCaprio

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Other Nominees

Daniel Craig - KNIVES OUT
Roman Griffin Davis - JOJO RABBIT
 Taron Egerton - ROCKETMAN
Eddie Murphy - DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
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Best Actress - Comedy/Musical

Jessie Buckley
WILD ROSE

Other Nominees

Ana de Armas - KNIVES OUT
Awkwafina - THE FAREWELL
Kaitlyn Devyn - BOOKSMART
Beanie Feldstein - BOOKSMART
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Best Supporting Actor

Brad Pitt
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Other Nominees

Willem DaFoe - THE LIGHTHOUSE
Tom Hanks - A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Al Pacino - THE IRISHMAN
Joe Pesci - THE IRISHMAN
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Best Supporting Actress

Laura Dern
MARRIAGE STORY

Other Nominees
Scarlett Johansson - JOJO RABBIT
Jennifer Lopez - HUSTLERS
Florence Pugh - LITTLE WOMEN
Margot Robbie - BOMBSHELL

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Best Ensemble

Song Kang-ho, Lee Sun-kyun, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Park So-dam, Lee Jung-eun, Chang Hyae-jin
PARASITE

Other Nominees

THE IRISHMAN
KNIVES OUT
LITTLE WOMEN
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

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Best Voice Acting/Motion Capture Performance

Jake Gyllenhal
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

Other Nominees

Josh Brolin - AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Chiwetel Ejiofor - THE LION KING
Jason Schwartzman - KLAUS
Tony Hale - TOY STORY 4

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SKILL & TECHNICAL AWARDS

Best Director

Sam Mendes
1917

Other Nominees

Bong Joon Ho - PARASITE
Martin Scorsese - THE IRISHMAN
Quentin Tarantino - ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
Lulu Wang - THE FAREWELL

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Best Screenplay - Original

Bong Joon-ho
Han Jin-won

PARASITE

Other Nominees

Noah Baumbach - MARRIAGE STORY
Rian Johnson - KNIVES OUT
Quentin Tarantino - ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
Jordan Peele - US

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Best Screenplay - Adapted

Taika Waititi
JOJO RABBIT

Other Nominees

Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster - A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Greta Gerwig - LITTLE WOMEN
Lulu Wang - THE FAREWELL
Steven Zaillian - THE IRISHMAN

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Best Art Direction/Visual Design

Production Design: Barbara Ling

Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

Other Nominees:

AD ASTRA
JOKER
THE LIGHTHOUSE
MIDSOMMAR
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Best Cinematography

Roger Deakins

1917

Other Nominees

A HIDDEN LIFE
JOKER
THE LIGHTHOUSE
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

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Best Costumes

Jacqueline Durran

LITTLE WOMEN

Nominees
JOJO RABBIT
JOKER
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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Best Editing

Ronald Bronstein
Benny Safdie
UNCUT GEMS

Nominees
FORD V FERRARI
THE IRISHMAN
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
PARASITE
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Best Make-Up & Hair

Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker
BOMBSHELL

Nominees
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
JOKER
JUDY
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD

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Best Music - Score

James Newton Howard
A HIDDEN LIFE

Nominees
1917
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
JOKER
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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Best Music - Song

“Glasgow (Ain’t No Place Like Home)”
Writers: Mary Steenburgen, Caitlin Smith, Kate York
Performer: Jessie Buckley
WILD ROSE

Nominees
“I Won’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” - TOY STORY 4
“I'm Gonna Love Me Again" - ROCKETMAN
“Into the Unknown” - FROZEN II
“Speechless” - ALADDIN

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Best Music - Song Score or Soundtrack

WILD ROSE

Nominees
FROZEN II
JUDY
ONCE UPON A TIME... IN HOLLYWOOD
ROCKETMAN
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Best Sound Design

AD ASTRA

Nominees
1917
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
FORD V FERRARI
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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Best Stunts

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM

Nominees
1917
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW
FORD V FERRARI

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Best Visual Effects

AVENGERS: ENDGAME

Nominees
AD ASTRA
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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FILM CATEGORIES

Best Action/Adventure Film

1917
Sam Mendes

Nominees
FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW
FORD V FERRARI
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

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Best Animated Feature Film

KLAUS
Sergio Pablos

Nominees

FROZEN II
HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD
THE LION KING
TOY STORY 4

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Best Blockbuster Film

AVENGERS: ENDGAME
Joe Russo
Anthony Russo

Nominees

CAPTAIN MARVEL
JOKER
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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Best Documentary

AMERICAN FACTORY
Steven Bognar
Julia Reichert

Nominees
APOLLO 11
THE EDGE OF DEMOCRACY
HONEYLAND
KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE

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Best Foreign Language Film

PARASITE
Bong Joon-ho
South Korea

Nominees
ATLANTICS
THE FAREWELL
PAIN AND GLORY
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
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Best Horror or Thriller Film

THE LIGHTHOUSE
Robert Eggers

Nominees
DOCTOR SLEEP
MIDSOMMAR
READY OR NOT
US
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Best Independent or Limited Release Film

WILD ROSE

Tom Harper

Nominees
CLIMAX
A HIDDEN LIFE
THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
THE LIGHTHOUSE
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Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Film

AD ASTRA
James Gray

Nominees
ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
SHAZAM!
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER

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Special Recognition

Best Animated Short Film
KITBULL
Rosana Sullivan

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The following films did not win any Essential Film Awards but are noteworthy for their cinematic contributions in 2019:

ATLANTICS
A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
BOOKSMART

DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
THE FAREWELL
FORD V FERRARI
HUSTLERS
JUDY
KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE
MIDSOMMAR
PAIN AND GLORY
ROCKETMAN
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
THE TWO POPES