‘Nomadland’ Strikes Big with Alliance of Women Film Journalists

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists announced their nominees today for their annual EDA Awards. Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland landed the most nominations with nine, followed closely by Regina King’s One Night in Miami… and Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman, with eight each.

The Best Director category only featured one man, Aaron Sorkin, who directed The Trial of the Chicago 7. Mank and David Fincher continued to underperform on the critic’s circuit, garnering only four nominations, one of which being a nomination for the Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award.

The EDA Awards has a special mentions subsection, with categories such as the aforementioned Age Difference Award, She Deserves A New Agent Award, and the AWFJ Hall of Shame Award. The Hall of Shame Award this year calls out Christopher Nolan’s theatrical demands in the middle of the pandemic, Shia LeBoeuf’s abusive behavior, and Cinestates sexual harassment and abuse coverup, maybe the best example of a rat race this whole season thus far.

Read the full list of nominees below…

AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS

(These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration)

Best Film

“Minari” (A24)

“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features)

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Best Director 

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Kelly Reichardt, “First Cow” (A24)

Aaron Sorkin, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)

Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)

Delroy Lindo, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)

Best Actress 

Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)

Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix)

Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role 

Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Bill Murray, “On the Rocks” (A24/Apple TV Plus)

Leslie Odom Jr, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)

Ellen Burstyn, “Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix)

Amanda Seyfried, “Mank” (Netflix)

Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari” (A24)

Best Screenplay, Original 

“Mank” (Netflix) – Jack Fincher

“Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Emerald Fennell

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Aaron Sorkin

Best Screenplay, Adapted

“First Cow” (A24) – Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Chloé Zhao

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Kemp Powers

Best Animated Film

“Over the Moon” (Netflix)

“Soul” (Pixar)

“Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)

Best Cinematography 

“Mank” (Netflix) – Erik Messerschmidt

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Joshua James Richards

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Tami Reiker

Best Editing 

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Tariq Anwar

“Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Chloé Zhao

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Alan Baumgarten

Best Documentary 

“All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios)

“Athlete A” (Netflix)

“Crip Camp” (Netflix)

“The Painter and the Thief” (Neon)

“Time” (Amazon Studios)

Best Non-English-Language Film

“Another Round” – Denmark

“Beanpole” – Russia

“The Mole Agent” – Chile

“The Painted Bird” – Czech Republic

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director

“Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – Kim Coleman

“One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Kimberly Hardin

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Francine Maisler

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS 

(These awards honor WOMEN only)

Best Woman Director 

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Eliza Hittman, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features)

Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)

Channing Godfrey Peoples, “Miss Juneteenth” (Vertical Entertainment)

Kelly Reichardt, “First Cow” (A24)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Woman Screenwriter 

Radha Blank, “The Forty-Year-Old Version” (Netflix)

Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Eliza Hittman, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features)

Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Animated Female 

“22” in “Soul” (Pixar) – portrayed by Tina Fey

“Mebh Óg MacTíre” in “Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS) – portrayed by Eva Whittaker

“Robyn Goodfellowe” in “Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS) – portrayed by Honor Kneafsey

Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance 

Radha Blank, “The Forty-Year-Old Version” (Netflix)

Sidney Flanigan, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features)

Helena Zengel, “News of the World” (Universal Pictures)

Outstanding Achievement by a Woman in the Film Industry 

All female heads of film festivals who successfully transitioned from live to online events to sustain festival culture through the pandemic.

All indie female writers and directors who normalized abortion as a vital element in the cultural conversation in films such as “Saint Frances,” “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Sister of the Groom,” “Once Upon a River,” The Glorias” and others.

Emerald Fennell for creating a film that forces empathy to put an end to the toxic sexist rape culture pervasive through modern history.

Sophia Loren for a brilliant comeback at age 86 in “The Life Ahead,” the latest in her record-setting career. Loren won a Best Actress Oscar in 1962 for “Two Women” and was the first actor to win for a foreign language movie. She was also nominated in 1965 for “Marriage Italian Style.” If she’s nominated in 2021, it will be a 56-year span between her two most recent nominations – the current record is held by Henry Fonda, who had a 41-year gap between nominations.

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

Grand Dame Award for defying ageism.

Ellen Burstyn, “Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix)

Tsai Chin, “Lucky Grandma” (Good Deed Entertainment)

Sophia Loren, “The Life Ahead” (Netflix)

Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award 

“The Burnt Orange Heresy” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Elizabeth Debicki and Claes Bang (23 years)

“Devil All the Time” (Netflix) – Riley Keough and Jason Clarke (20 years)

“Mank” – Amanda Seyfried and Charles Dance (39 years), Gary Oldman (27 years)

“Tenet” – Elizabeth Debicki and Kenneth Branagh (30 years)

She Deserves A New Agent Award 

Rose Byrne, “Like a Boss” (Paramount Pictures)

Tiffany Haddish, “Like a Boss” (Paramount Pictures)

Katie Holmes, “Dare to Dream” (Gravitas Ventures)

Uma Thurman, “The War with Grandpa” (101 Studios)

Most Daring Performance Award 

Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ (Amazon Studios)

Haley Bennett, “Swallow” (IFC Films)

Vanessa Kirby, “Pieces of a Woman” (Netflix)

Elisabeth Moss, “The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures)

Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award 

“The Croods: A New Age” (DreamWorks Animation)

“Doolittle” (Universal Pictures)

“Rebecca” (Netflix)

AWFJ Hall of Shame Award 

Shia LeBoeuf for his ongoing abusive behavior

Christopher Nolan for insisting that “Tenet” be screened exclusively in theaters during a pandemic.

Dallas Sonnier and Adam Donaghey at Cinestate for sexual harassment, abuse and cover-up.