Celebrating the cinematic achievements of 2020.
Official 2020 Selections
___________________
Best Film - Drama
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Shaka King
Warner Bros.
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, Darrell Britt-Gibson, Lil Rel Howery, Algee Smith, Dominique Thorne, Martin Sheen
Screenplay: Will Berson, Shaka King
Producers: Charles D. King, Ryan Coogler, Shaka King
Cinematography: Sean Bobbitt
Nominees:
MINARI
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
SOUND OF METAL
___________________
Best Film - Comedy or Musical
SOUL
Pete Docter
Walt Disney Studios
Voice Cast: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Graham Norton, Rachel House, Alice Braga, Richard Ayoade, Phylicia Rashad, Donnell Rawlings, Questlove, Angela Bassett
Screenplay: Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers
Producer: Dana Murray
Nominees
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
EMMA.
EMMA.
LOVE AND MONSTERS
PALM SPRINGS
PALM SPRINGS
___________________
ACTING AWARDS
Best Actor - Drama
Chadwick Boseman
MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
Nominees
Riz Ahmed - SOUND OF METAL
Anthony Hopkins - THE FATHER
Lakeith Stanfield - JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Steven Yeun - MINARI
Best Actress - Drama
Elisabeth Moss
THE INVISIBLE MAN
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Nominees
Viola Davis - MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
Sofia Loren - THE LIFE AHEAD
Frances McDormand - NOMADLAND
Carey Mulligan - PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
___________________
Best Actor - Comedy or Musical
___________________
Andy Samberg
PALM SPRINGS
Nominees
Sacha Baron Cohen - BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Lin Manuel Miranda - HAMILTON
Keanu Reeves - BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
Vince Vaughn - FREAKY
Best Actress - Comedy or Musical
Anya Taylor-Joy
EMMA.
EMMA.
Nominees
Rachel McAdams - EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
Cristin Milioti - PALM SPRINGS
Rosamund Pike - I CARE A LOT
Margot Robbie - BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)
Best Supporting Actor
Delroy Lindo
DA 5 BLOODS
Nominees
Sacha Baron Cohen - THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Leslie Odom Jr. - ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Daniel Kaluuya - JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Paul Raci - SOUND OF METAL
Best Supporting Actress
Maria Bakalova
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Nominees
Olivia Colman - THE FATHER
María Mercedes Coroy - LA LLORONA
Amanda Seyfried - MANK
Yuh-jung Youn - MINARI
___________________
Best Ensemble
Aldis Hodge, Leslie Odom Jr., Kingsley Ben-Adir, Eli Goree
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Nominees
Bacurau
Da 5 Bloods
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
The Trial of the Chicago 7
___________________
Best Voice Acting/Motion Capture Performance
Bruce Davis
THE VAST OF NIGHT
Nominees
Tina Fey - SOUL
Jamie Fox - SOUL
Chris Pratt - ONWARD
Eva Whittaker - WOLFWALKERS
__________________
Breakthrough Performance
Alan S. Kim
MINARI
Maria Bakalova - BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Bárbara Colen - BACURAU
Ariana Greenblatt - LOVE AND MONSTERS
Ibrahima Gueye - THE LIFE AHEAD
__________________
SKILL & TECHNICAL AWARDS
Best Director
Regina King
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Nominees
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Nominees
Lee Isaac Chang - MINARI
Shaka King - JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
Christopher Nolan - TENET
Leigh Wannell - THE INVISIBLE MAN
___________________
Best Screenplay - Original
Lee Isaac Chung
MINARI
Nominees
Brandon Cronenberg - POSSESSOR
Pete Docter, Mike Jones, Kemp Powers - SOUL
Emerald Fennell - PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Andy Siara - PALM SPRINGS
___________________
Best Screenplay - Previously Published or Historic Material
Will Berson, Shaka King
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH
[Based on historical events]
Nominees
Jack Fincher [Based on historical events] - MANK
Kemp Powers [Based on One Night in Miami by Kemp Powers] - ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Ruben Santiago-Hudson [Based on Ma Rainey's Black Bottom by August Wilson] - MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
Florian Zeller, Christopher Hampton [Based on Le Père by Florian Zeller] - THE FATHER
__________________
Best Art Direction/Visual Design
Production Design: Donald Graham Burt
Nominees
Set Decoration: Jan Pascale
MANK
Nominees
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
THE INVISIBLE MAN
MULAN
TENET
___________________Best Cinematography
Erik Messerschmidt
MANK
Nominees
EMMA.
THE INVISIBLE MAN
TENET
THE VAST OF NIGHT
___________________
Best Costumes
Anna B. Sheppard
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
EMMA.
MANK
MULAN
THE VAST OF NIGHT
___________________
Best Editing
Andy Canny
THE INVISIBLE MANNominees
THE FATHER
POSSESSOR
SOUND OF METAL
TENET
___________________Best Make-Up & Hair
Deborah La Mia Denaver, Adruitha Lee, Vincent Van Dyke
BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN
Nominees
EMMA.
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
MANK
MULAN
___________________
Best Music - Score
Benjamin Wallfisch
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Nominees
MANK
MINARI
SOUL
TENET
___________________
Best Music - Song
“Husavik (My Hometown”
Music and Lyric by Rickard Göransson, Fat Max Gsus, and Savan Kotecha
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
Nominees
“Double Trouble” - EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
“Running with the Wolves” - WOLFWALKERS
"Speak Now" - ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
“Wuhan Flu” - BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
___________________
Best Music - Song Score or Soundtrack
Nominees
___________________
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)
MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Best Sound Design
Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Philip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, and Michelle Couttolenc
SOUND OF METAL
Nominees
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
THE VAST OF NIGHT
___________________
Best Stunts
George Cottle (Stunt Coordinator), Jackson Spidell (Fight Coordinator)
TENET
Nominees
BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)
DA 5 BLOODS
MULAN
WONDER WOMAN 1984
___________________
Best Visual Effects
Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Max Solomon, David Watkins
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
Nominees
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
THE INVISIBLE MAN
LOVE AND MONSTERS
TENET
___________________
FILM CATEGORIES
Best Action/Adventure Film
LOVE AND MONSTERS
Michael Matthews
Nominees
BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)
DA 5 BLOODS
MULAN
TENET
___________________
Best Animated Feature Film
WOLFWALKERS
Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Nominees
ONWARD
OVER THE MOON
SOUL
WEATHERING WITH YOU
___________________
Best Blockbuster Film
BIRDS OF PREY (AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN)
Cathy Yan
MULAN
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
TENET
WONDER WOMAN 1984
___________________
Best Documentary
Pippa Ehrlich
James Reed
Nominees
BOYS STATE
CRIP CAMP
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
THE SPEED CUBERS
___________________
Best Foreign Language Film
BACURAU
BACURAU
Kleber Mendonça Filho, Juliano Dornelles
Brazil
Nominees
Denmark - ANOTHER ROUND
Italy - THE LIFE AHEAD
Guatemala - LA LLORONA
Spain - THE PLATFORM
___________________Best Horror or Thriller Film
THE INVISIBLE MAN
Leigh Whannell
Nominees
FREAKY
HOST
POSSESSOR
SAINT MAUD
___________________Best Independent or Limited Release Film
MINARI
Lee Isaac Chung
Nominees
PALM SPRINGS
POSSESSOR
SOUND OF METAL
THE VAST OF NIGHT
___________________
Best Science Fiction or Fantasy Film
THE VAST OF NIGHT
Andrew Patterson
Nominees
Special Recognition
Animated Short Film
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU
___________________
BACURAU
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
___________________
Special Recognition
Animated Short Film
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS I LOVE YOU
Will McCormack
Michael Govier
HAMILTON
Thomas Kail
The following films did not win any Essential Film Awards but are noteworthy for their cinematic contributions in 2020:
ANOTHER ROUND
BILL & TED FACE THE MUSIC
BOYS STATE
COLOR OUT OF SPACE
CRIP CAMP
THE FATHER
FREAKY
THE GENTLEMEN
HOST
I CARE A LOT
I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
THE LIFE AHEAD
LA LLORONA
MALCOLM AND MARIE
NOMADLAND
ONWARD
OVER THE MOON
THE PLATFORM
POSSESSOR
SAINT MAUD
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
THE SPEED CUBERS
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
WEATHERING WITH YOU
