If I Had an Oscar Ballot 2025: A Year of Triumphs Amid Trying Times

As a film critic with over two decades of experience under my belt, I must say that the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards have truly outdone themselves this year! The sheer talent and creativity on display is nothing short of astounding.

Awards Circuit Column: It’s hard out there for iconoclastics hoping to become Oscar contenders.

The turmoil in Hollywood goes beyond just labor conflicts and political stress; it influences how the industry assesses its own productions as well. Last year, which saw a flood of big intellectual properties and musicals, was also shrouded in an ongoing apprehension about Hollywood’s future and the types of stories it would continue to share.

“This year was shit,” a voting member of the Academy told EbMaster bluntly, referring to the overall movie year. However, another voter offered a starkly different take: “An extraordinary year for movies, and there’s more I still need to see.”

2024 has been a year of introspection, marked by events that disrupted production plans and sparked conversations about fair wages. Furthermore, Donald Trump’s re-election fueled debates on cultural identity and artistic activism. In this context, numerous films this year have grappled with issues of power, self-identity, and perseverance – a reflection of life in a deeply divided era.

Delve into Mike Leigh’s latest masterpiece, “Hard Truths,” an unquestionably moving drama that chronicles a British woman’s arduous journey through emotional upheaval. At 81 years old, this esteemed director, recognized for his unscripted filmmaking approach and persuading financiers to back his vision without a written script, broke the mold of traditional production methods to breathe life into his creation.

Nearly everyone agrees that ‘Hard Truths’ is exceptional, earning a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and being hailed as one of the top dramas of the year.

But it’s not just indie filmmakers overcoming the odds – smaller studios are doing what they can to stay on par with streaming companies.

Despite the reputation of A24 as a studio that supports auteur-driven projects, the year presented significant challenges, as movies like the contentious “Civil War” failed to generate substantial box office revenue. However, A24 has garnered Oscar recognition with titles such as Colman Domingo’s “Sing Sing,” which they acquired after its 2023 TIFF premiere, and more recently, Brady Corbet’s $6 million historical epic “The Brutalist” and Luca Guadagnino’s period drama “Queer.” Yet, even these critically acclaimed films failed to achieve commercial success in a market that tends to overlook narratives focused on characters.

I’ve found myself deeply captivated by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio’s “In the Summers”. This Sundance sensation, with its ensemble of emerging talents led by the remarkable René Pérez, took home the Grand Jury Prize. However, its journey to U.S. screens wasn’t smooth sailing; it faced a six-month standstill before Chicago-based Music Box Films came to the rescue. This boutique studio bravely gave the film a limited theatrical release, which was followed by VOD – a more humble debut than expected for a movie that seemed destined for acclaim on the awards circuit.

How can David conquer Goliath in today’s market?

For every headline-grabbing flop like the $200 million “Joker: Folie à Deux,” there sits in the shadows a daring passion project like “Nickel Boys.” The $23 million adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning novel introduced the world to RaMell Ross’ visionary direction and has been embraced by critics. Then there’s Sean Baker’s “Anora,” the $6 million Cannes sensation about a stripper’s entanglement with a Russian oligarch’s son. It won the Palme d’Or, grossed over $25 million, and is a frontrunner for Oscar’s best picture prize.

Filmmakers such as Baker, Ross, and Leigh, along with numerous others who strive to share significant stories, demonstrate that creativity is resilient and hard to suppress. Even in challenging periods, the world of art remains vibrant and flourishing.

As we bid farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025, it’s that time of year when critics share their top (and bottom) films. Following the customary tradition, I’d like to present my hypothetical Oscar ballot if I were a voter. I set aside promotional efforts, eligibility rules for certain categories, and all the other elements that make art so subjective. Of course, many might not agree with these picks, but feel free to create your own list! This compilation includes recognition for casting directors, who will finally shine at the 2027 awards season, as well as deserved acknowledgments for stunts, first-time directors, and breakout performances.

See all Academy Award predictions

EbMaster Awards Circuit: Oscars

Best Picture

“I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics) – WINNERMaria Carlota Fernandes, Walter Salles, Rodrigo Teixeira
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films)
Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney
“The Substance” (Mubi)
Coralie Fargeat, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner
“Daughters” (Netflix)
Justin Benoliel, Laura Choi, James Cunningham, Kathryn Everett, Mindy Goldberg, Victor Kamwendo, Lisa Mazzotta,
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation)
Jeff Hermann
“His Three Daughters” (Netflix)
Azazel Jacobs, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Matt Aselton, Marc Marrie, Mal Ward, Lia Buman, Tim Headington, Jack Selby
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Marc Platt, David Stone
“Sing Sing” (A24)
Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Monique Walton
“September 5” (Paramount Pictures)
Philipp Trauer, Thomas Wöbke, Tim Fehlbaum, Sean Penn, John Ira Palmer, John Wildermuth
“Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman

I’d like to extend a nod to some noteworthy films that have caught my attention: “The Bikeriders” from Focus Features, “Better Man” by Paramount Pictures, “The Brutalist” and “Dune: Part Two,” both from A24 and Warner Bros. respectively, “Emilia Pérez” on Netflix, “The Fire Inside” produced by Amazon MGM Studios, “Hard Truths” from Bleecker Street, “Nosferatu” and “A Real Pain,” offered by Focus Features and Searchlight Pictures respectively, and finally, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” from Neon. These are films I’m looking forward to seeing more of!

Directing

Brady Corbet – “The Brutalist” (A24)
Robert Eggers – “Nosferatu” (Focus Features)
Coralie Fargeat – “The Substance” (Mubi)
Mohammad Rasoulof – “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) — WINNER
RaMell Ross – “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios)

Notable entries include films by Jacques Audiard titled “Emilia Pérez” on Netflix, Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked” from Universal Pictures, Michael Gracey’s “Better Man” at Paramount Pictures, Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” with Focus Features, Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” under Sony Pictures Classics, and Malcolm Washington’s “The Piano Lesson” on Netflix as well. Lastly, Denis Villeneuve’s upcoming sequel “Dune: Part Two” is set to release at Warner Bros.

Actor in a Leading Role

Kieran Culkin – “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures) — WINNER
Colman Domingo – “Sing Sing” (A24)
Sebastian Stan — “A Different Man” (A24)
John David Washington – “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix)
Misagh Zare – “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon)

Notable performances include: Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist” (A24); André Holland in “Exhibiting Forgiveness” (Roadside Attractions); Josh O’Connor in “Challengers” (Amazon MGM Studios); René Pérez in “In the Summers” (Music Box Films). Also, Jesse Plemons for his performance in “Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures).

Actress in a Leading Role

Cynthia Erivo – “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Ariana Grande – “Wicked” (Universal Pictures)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street) – WINNER
Zoe Saldaña – “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
Fernanda Torres – “I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Noteworthy Performances: Nykiya Adams in “Bird” on Mubi, Carrie Coon in “His Three Daughters” on Netflix, Danielle Deadwyler in “The Piano Lesson” on Netflix, Karla Sofía Gascón in “Emilia Pérez” on Netflix, Angelina Jolie and Demi Moore both in “Maria” on Netflix, Margaret Qualley and Saoirse Ronan in “The Substance” on Mubi, Tilda Swinton in “The Room Next Door” on Sony Pictures Classics, and Zendaya in “Challengers” from Amazon MGM Studios.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Tommy Dewey – “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures)
Brian Tyree Henry – “The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Adam Pearson – “A Different Man” (A24)
Sean San José – “Sing Sing” (A24) — WINNER
Jay O. Sanders – “His Three Daughters” (Netflix)

Distinguished mentions: Ray Fisher for “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix), John Magaro in “September 5” (Paramount Pictures), Guy Pearce for his role in “The Brutalist” (A24), Jason Schwartzman featured in “Queer” (A24), Bill Skarsgård in “Nosferatu” (Focus Features), Denzel Washington in “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures)

Actress in a Supporting Role

Michele Austin – “Hard Truths” (Bleecker Street) — WINNER
Monica Barbaro – “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)
Jamie Lee Curtis – “The Last Showgirl” (Roadside Attractions)
Divya Prabha – “All We Imagine as Light” (Janus Films/Sideshow)
Mahsa Rostami – “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon)

Notable entries: Leonie Benesch for “September 5” (Paramount Pictures); Olivia Colman for “Wicked Little Letters” (Sony Pictures Classics); Selena Gomez for “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix); Adriana Paz in “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix); Saoirse Ronan for “Blitz” (Apple Original Films); Isabella Rossellini for “Conclave” (Focus Features)

Original Screenplay

“His Three Daughters” (Netflix) — Azazel Jacobs
“In the Summers” (Music Box Films) — Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio
“Memoirs of a Snail” (IFC Films) – Adam Elliot
“A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures) – Jesse Eisenberg
“The Substance” (Mubi) — Coralie Fargeat — WINNER

Notable mentions: “Tough Realities” (Bleecker Street) – Mike Leigh, “Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures) – Josh Margolin, “Cunning Correspondences” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Jonny Sweet, “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) — Mohammad Rasoulof, “September 5” (Paramount Pictures) — Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David

Adapted Screenplay

“The Bikeriders” (Focus Features) — Jeff Nichols (based on “The Bikeriders” by Danny Lyon)
“I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics) — Murilo Hauser, Heitor Lorega (based on “I’m Still Here” by Marcelo Rubens Paiva) — WINNER
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) — Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington (based on the play by August Wilson)
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — Dana Fox, Winnie Holzman (based on musical “Wicked” by Stephen Schwartz, novel “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire and character from “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum)
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Chris Sanders (based on the series by Peter Brown)

Distinguished mentions: “Conclave” (Focus Features) – Peter Straughan, adapted from Robert Harris’ novel; “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) – Denis Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, based on Frank Herbert’s series; “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) – Jacques Audiard, inspired by Boris Razon’s work “Listen”; “The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM Studios) – Barry Jenkins, derived from Zackary Canepari and Drea Cooper’s “T-Rex”; “Sing Sing” (A24) – Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John “Divine G” Whitfield, based on John H. Richardson and Brent Buell’s works “The Sing Sing Follies” and “Breakin’ the Mummy’s Code”.

Animated Feature

“Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow) — Gints Zilbalodis, Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens, Gregory Zalcman
“Inside Out 2” (Pixar) — Kelsey Mann, Mark Nielsen
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films) — Adam Elliot, Liz Kearney — WINNER
“Transformers One” (Paramount Pictures) — Josh Cooley, Don Murphy, Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Michael Bay, Mark Vahradian
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Chris Sanders, Jeff Hermann

Notable mentions include: “Chicken for Linda!” (Gkids), “The Day the Earth Exploded: A Looney Tunes Film” (Ketchup Entertainment), “Puzzle by Piece” (Focus Features), “That Holiday” (Netflix), and “Wallace & Gromit: The Fowl Revenge” (Netflix).

Production Design

“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) — Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, Patrice Vermette
“Memoir of a Snail” (IFC Films) — Bob Shea
“Nosferatu” (Focus Features) – Craig Lathrop — WINNER
“Queer” (A24) — Stefano Baisi, Monica Sallustio, Lisa Scoppa
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales

Honorable mentions: “The Brutalist” (A24) — Judy Becker; “Maria” (Netflix) — Tom Brown, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Sandro Piccarozzi; “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) — Jess Gonchor, Claudia Bonfe; “September 5” (Paramount Pictures) — Julian R. Wagner; “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) – Raymond Zibach, Ritchie Sacilioc

Cinematography

“Better Man” (Paramount Pictures) – Erik A. Wilson — WINNER
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) – Greig Fraser
“Longlegs” (Neon) — Andrés Arochi Tinajero
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios) – Jomo Fray
“Queer” (A24) — Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

Notable mentions: “Bird” (Mubi) by Robbie Ryan, “I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics) by Adrian Teijido, “Nosferatu” (Focus Features) by Jarin Blaschke, “September 5” (Paramount Pictures) by Markus Förderer, “Stopmotion” (IFC Films/Shudder) by Léo Hinstin, and “The Substance” (Mubi) by Benjamin Kracun.

Costume Design

“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) — Jacqueline West
“Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) — Janty Yates — WINNER
“Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) — Danny Glicker
“The Substance” (Mubi) — Emmanuelle Youchnovski
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — Paul Tazewell

Notable entries include “Better Man” from Paramount Pictures, starring Cappi Ireland; Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez,” featuring Virginie Montel; Warner Bros.’ “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” designed by Jenny Beavan; “Maria” on Netflix, directed by Massimo Cantini Parrini; and “Queer,” dressed by J.W. Anderson from A24.

Film Editing

“Daughters” (Netflix) — Troy Josiah Lewis, Adelina Bichis
“Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) — Nathan Orloff, Shane Reid
“September 5” (Paramount Pictures) — Hansjörg Weißbrich — WINNER
“The Substance” (Mubi) — Coralie Fargeat, Jérôme Eltabet, Valentin Feron
“Will & Harper” (Netflix) — Monique Zavistovski

Notable Mentions: “Better Man” (Paramount Pictures) by Jeff Groth, “Challengers” (Amazon MGM) by Marco Costa, “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) edited by Joe Walker, “A Real Pain” (Searchlight Pictures) by Robert Nassau, and “We Grown Now” (Sony Pictures Classics) assembled by Stephanie Filo.

Makeup and Hairstyling

“A Different Man” (A24) — Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman, Aaron Saucier
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — Julia Floch Carbonel, Simon Livet
“Kinds of Kindness” (Searchlight Pictures) — Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier, Josh Weston
“Maria” (Netflix) — Heike Merker, Adruitha Lee, Pamela Goldammer, Arjen Tuiten
“The Substance” (Mubi) — Pierre-Olivier Persin — WINNER

In my humble opinion as a movie enthusiast, here are some films that deserve a special shout-out in the upcoming season:

Sound

“Nosferatu” (Focus Features) — Damian Volpe, Stephen Little, David Giammarco, Paul Cotterell, Jakub Čech
“The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) — Onnalee Blank, Brian Tarlecki, Ando Johnson, Paul Reed
“Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) — William Files, Lee Gilmore, Tom Ozanich, William Files, Steve Morrow
“Wicked” (Universal Pictures) — Nancy Nugent Title, John Marquis, Andy Nelson, Simon Hayes — WINNER
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Randy Thom, Gary A. Rizzo, Leff Lefferts, Brian Chumney

Notable Recognitions: “A Better Man” (Paramount Pictures) – Will Files, Warren Hendriks, Paul Pirola, Andy Nelson, Luke Schwarzweller, Greg P. Russell, Tom Marks, Guntis Sics; “Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) – Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett, Doug Hemphill; “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures) – Matthew Collinge, Danny Sheehan, Paul Massey, Stéphane Bucher; “The Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM/Orion) – Mark LeBlanc, Tony Volante, Daniel Timmons; “Transformers One” (Paramount Pictures)

Visual Effects

“Better Man” (Paramount Pictures) — Luke Millar
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) – Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer — WINNER
“Stopmotion” (IFC Films/Shudder) — Daniel Karlsson
“Tuesday” (A24) — Andrew Simmonds, Mike Stillwell
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Jeff Budsberg

Notable mentions include: “Deadpool and Wolverine” (Marvel Studios), “Gladiator II” (Paramount Pictures), “Inside Out 2” (Pixar), “Wallace & Gromit: The Fowl Vengeance” (Netflix); also, “Wicked” (Universal Pictures).

Original Score

“The Brutalist” (A24) — Daniel Blumberg
“Dune: Part Two” (Warner Bros.) — Hans Zimmer
“Flow” (Janus Films/Sideshow) — Gints Zilbalodis, Rihards Zalupe
“Queer” (A24) — Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
“The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — Kris Bowers — WINNER

Notable mentions: “IF” (Paramount Pictures) – composed by Michael Giacchino, “Nosferatu” (Focus Features) – music by Robin Carolan, “The Room Next Door” (Sony Pictures Classics) – scored by Alberto Iglesias, “Saturday Night” (Sony Pictures) – featuring Jon Batiste, and “The Substance” (Mubi) – created by Raffertie.

Original Song

“Blitz” (Apple Original Films) — “Winter Coat” by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, and Taura Stinson
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — “El Alegato” by Zoe Saldaña, Clément Ducol and Camille — WINNER
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) – “Mi Camino” by Selena Gomez, Clément Ducol and Camille
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — “Papá” by- Juan Pablo Monterrubio, Karla Sofia Gascón, Clément Ducol and Camille
“Kneecap” (Sony Pictures Classics) — “Sick In The Head” by Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí, Adrian Louis Richard Mcleod, and Toddla T

Notable mentions: “Piece by Piece” (Focus Features) – “It’s Happening” by Pharrell Williams; “Sing Sing” (A24) — “Like a Bird” by Abraham Alexander, Brandon Marcel & Adrian Quesada; “Transformers One” (Paramount Pictures) — “If I Fall” by Brian ‘Are We Dreaming’ Tyler, Quavious ‘Quavo’ Keyate Marshall, Tyrone ‘Ty Dolla $ign’ Griffin Jr. & Nicholas James McGuinn; “The Wild Robot” (DreamWorks Animation) — “Kiss the Sky” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack & Ali Tamposi; “Will & Harper” (Netflix) — “Harper and Will Go West” by Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig & Josh Greenbaum. These are the accompanying songs for each film or series.

Documentary Feature

“Daughters” (Netflix) — Angela Patton, Natalie Rae — WINNER
“The Greatest Night in Pop” (Netflix) — Amit Dey, Larry Klein, Harriet Sternberg, Lionel Richie, Bruce Eskowitz, George Hencken & Julia Nottingham
“No Other Land” (ImmerGuteFilme) — Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal, Rachel Szor, Fabien Greenberg, Bård Kjøge Rønning
“Skywalkers: A Love Story” (Netflix) — Jeff Zimbalist, Maria Bukhonina, Tamir Ardon, Chris Smith, Nick Spicer
“Will & Harper” (Netflix) — Josh Greenbaum, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Chris Leggett, Rafael Marmor

Noteworthy mentions: “Casa Bonita My Love!” (Paramount Pictures), “Frida” (Amazon MGM Studios), “The Porcelain War” (Picturehouse) – by Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, Aniela Sidorska, Paula DuPré Pesmen; “The Extraordinary Life of Ibelin” (Netflix); “Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films) – featuring Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie

International Feature

“The Devil’s Bath” (IFC Films/Shudder) from Austria
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) from France
“Flow” (Janus Films and Sideshow) from Latvia
“I’m Still Here” (Sony Pictures Classics) from Brazil — WINNER
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig” (Neon) from Germany

Notable mentions include “All We Imagine as Light” (distributed by Janus Films/Sideshow, originating from India), “The Girl with the Needle” (streaming on Mubi, hailing from Denmark), and “Kneecap” (distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, originating from Ireland).

Breakthrough Performance

Nykiya Adams – “Bird” (Mubi)
Adria Arjona — “Hit Man” (Netflix)
Monica Barbaro — “A Complete Unknown” (Searchlight Pictures)
Karla Sofía Gascón – “Emilia Pérez” (Netflix)
Fred Hechinger — “Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures)
Clarence Maclin – “Sing Sing” (A24)
René Pérez – “In the Summers” (Music Box Films)
Mikey Madison – “Anora” (Neon) — WINNER
Brandon Wilson — “Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios)
Anjana Vasan – “Wicked Little Letters” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Notable performances: Yura Borisov in “Anora” (Neon), Drew Starkey in “Queer” (A24), Maisy Stella from “My Old Ass” (Amazon MGM Studios), Izaac Wang in “Dìdi” (Focus Features), and Zoe Ziegler as “Janet Planet” (A24)

First-Time Director

Titus Kaphar – “Exhibiting Forgiveness” (Roadside Attractions)
Josh Margolin – “Thelma” (Magnolia Pictures)
Angela Patton and Natalie Rae – “Daughters” (Netflix)
Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio – “In the Summers” (Music Box Films)
Malcolm Washington – “The Piano Lesson” (Netflix) — WINNER

Notable mentions: Annie Baker’s “Janet Planet” (A24); William Goldenberg’s “Unstoppable” (Amazon MGM Studios); Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour” (Netflix); Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie’s “Sugarcane” (National Geographic Documentary Films); Dev Patel’s “Monkey Man” (Universal Pictures); Sean Wang’s “Dìdi” (Focus Features)

Casting

“Anora” (Neon) — Sean Baker
“Emilia Pérez” (Netflix) — Christel Baras, Carla Hool
“The Fire Inside” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Francine Maisler
“Nickel Boys” (Amazon MGM Studios) — Victoria Thomas
“Sing Sing” (A24) — Rita Powers

Notable mentions include: “Mubi’s selection – ‘Bird'”; “Roadside Attractions presents ‘Exhibiting Forgiveness'”; “‘Hard Truths’ from Bleecker Street”; “A24 brings you ‘I Saw the TV Glow'”; and “Sony Pictures Classics’ offering – ‘We Grown Now’

Stunts

“Better Man” (Paramount Pictures) — Nicholas Daines, Isaac Hamon, Slavisa Ivanovic, Chris Weir
“Deadpool & Wolverine” (Marvel Studios) — Colin Follenweider, Liang Yang
“The Fall Guy” (Universal Pictures) — Chris O’Hara
“Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” (Warner Bros.) — Mark Tearle, Tim Wong
“Monkey Man” (Universal Pictures) — Udeh Nans — WINNER

Noteworthy mentions include “Dune: Part Two” (from Warner Bros.), “Gladiator 2” (produced by Paramount Pictures), “Twisters” (released by Universal Pictures), “Unstoppable” (a production of Amazon MGM Studios), and “Wicked” (also distributed by Universal Pictures)

2024-12-19 19:18