The Films of 2020. The 21st annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
PICTURE | ACTING | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS - YOU ARE HERE | SPECIAL | SCENES
AND THE NOMINEES ARE...
Best Actress in a Limited Performance, Cameo
or Voice Only Role discuss |
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Winsome Brown "Anna Leonberger" NEWS OF THE WORLD |
Elizabeth Marvel "Gannett" NEWS OF THE WORLD |
Veronica Ngo "Hanoi Hannah " DA 5 BLOODS |
Abby Quinn
"Tulsey Town Girl #3" I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS |
Fiona Shaw
"Elizabeth Philpot" AMMONITE |
This Obie winning theater actress offers a pained snapshot of hardened life on the frontier... and her bitter grief about her sister. | This stage icon expertly conjures complex backstory and what this relationship with Captain Kidd is like from thin air. (Also fine in Swallow) | Ngo shows us why she's a star in Vietnam with her fierce radio addresses. She makes you want a full biopic and could deliver the iconicity. | Both weirdly unsettling and quite sympathetic at the Tulsey Town window with skin rash and intense fearful eyes. | Shaw is a giant always, even in bit roles. She steals the movie in her brief scenes, telling us so much about what Mary (Winslet) is like to love. |
Finalists: Semi-Finalists: |
Mathieu Amalric "Richard Berger" SOUND OF METAL |
Matthew MacFadyen "Human Resources" THE ASSISTANT |
Christian Magby "Jamaal" ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI |
Jamie McShane "Sheley Metcalf" MANK |
Lance Reddick "Kareem X" ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI |
The ever-reliable French star does incisive work, showing us what this father thinks of both his daughter's return and her lost lover. | The Assistant's horror is mostly inferred and overheard but MacFadyen drives home the systemic rot in the most upsetting (and best) scene. | Amusingly starstruck and endearingly real as a new bodyguard and convert without much of a filter... yet. | Mank is overcrowded and a bit unfocused which is a pity because each actor is doing fine work, including McShane as filmmaker who sells his soul for a break. | Wonderfully stone-faced, pious, and formidable. His wariness / judgment about Malcolm's social circle is particularly well-etched |
Finalists: Semi Finalists: |
Breakthrough PerformerThe basic criteria is being a) early in movie career and b) making us |
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Radha Blank THE 40 YEAR-OLD VERSION |
Orion Lee FIRST COW |
Leah Lewis THE HALF OF IT |
Taylour Paige MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM |
Toby Wallace BABYTEETH |
The savviest artists are the ones who make opportunities for themselves. Best known as a writer (stage & tv) she wrote herself a hugely enjoyable star vehicle and aced the leading role of a writer at a career crossroads. Next up: Unknown | Like many a non-famous working actor he's had a lot of "scientist" "barman" and "Tired GI #1" type parts (though TV has been kinder). But hopefully his turn as "King-Lu" in this critical darling will shift the conversation. Next up: the horror film Cassette | What a heartfelt nuanced leading performance she gave in this rom-com Cyrano-styled showcase. We especially loved her lower-than-you'd-think voice and gloriously smart vibe. What's next? Next up: She's currently on the TV show "Nancy Drew" | So funny and fetching... and yes, sexy, too. Paige stole her scenes in Ma Rainey (no small task w/ Viola and Chadwick). Next up: We hear she's also fabulous in Zola, which premiered at Sundance a whole year ago but got pushed to 2021. | He's been working in Australia for awhile but it'd be totally unjust if his beautifully nuanced charismatic junkie with a good heart turn didnt bring him major international opportunities. Next up: Unknown |
Finalists: Two pairs I couldn't split up Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina from Beanpole and Sidney Flanigan and Talia Ryder from Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Impressive debuts from all. Semi Finalists: Kelli O'Connor in Saint Frances, Dominique Fishback Project Power, Ariana Debose in The Prom NOTE: I would have loved to included Haley Bennett here for Swallow but she's been in movies regularly for 13 years already, sometimes in lead roles. But... wow. Talk about taking your career to the next level. |
Best Ensemble Performance |
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BABYTEETH | MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM | MINARI | ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI | TRUE HISTORY OF THE KELLY GANG |
Scanlen, Wallace, Davis, Mendelsohn, Barclay, Gilfedder What intricate nuanced playing, rich in detail, eccentricity, and soul. Each vignette comes with its own unique flavors. |
Davis, Boseman, Domingo, Turman, Potts, Shamos, Coyne, Paige, Brown For meeting the theatrical text head on, for delicious line readings, reaction shots, and lopsided group dynamics. |
Yeun, Han, Youn, Kim, Cho, Patton A sublime group illustration of a family in crises. Plus their humor and heart, too. |
Ben-Adir, Goree, Hodge, Odom Jr, Reddick, Magby, etc... For the sparks of chemistry and giving life to the rich ideas. For raising each other's game, just as the characters are doing. |
Mackay, Davis, Hoult, Hunnam, Crowe, Keenan, Schwerdt, McKenzie, etc... For their volatile unpredictability, each of them contributing to this dangerous world and in conversation or absolutely not with each other. |
Finalists: Another Round Mads Mikkelsen is the star but all three friends and to a lesser extent the students and family deepen this journey, the delightful comedy of Emma meets a game cast. Semi-Finalists: The Boys in the Band, The Father, The Personal History of David Copperfield, And Then We Danced, and Mank |
Best Casting |
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Leli Miminoshvili |
Julia Kim MINARI |
Kimberly R Hardin ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI |
Allison Jones PALM SPRINGS |
Nikki Barrett |
This can't have been an easy assignment finding skilled dancers who were also exceptionally natural onscreen and willing to do a gay film in a homophobic country | Kim crafts a wholly believable family unit around star player Steven Yeun. Yeri Han is undersung in the reviews and the discoveries for the child roles are wonderful. | Just the right mix of stars and stars paired with challenging iconic roles that they're eager to do justice to. One mistake in casting could have undone the quartet. | An unusual but perfect romantic comedy star combo, and a joyful diverse array of supporting and tertiary players with comic gifts. | Barrett fills this challenging film chalk full of stars -- but never for their stardom alone -- and justly rising talent. So many imposing faces for this chaotic tapestry |
Finalists: Francine Maisler for finding so many era-perfect faces for News of the World, Jessica Ronane for the fresh big comic cast of Emma Semi Finalists: What on earth were the auditions like with Lindsay Graham and Mary Venieu for Promising Young Woman, Sarah Crowe eclectic cast gathering for Personal History of David Copperfield, Lucy Bevan, Aisha Coley, and Salah Benchegra for assembling the international superheroes of The Old Guard, Kerry Barden & Paul Schnee for the suffocating couples of Shirley, and Kim Coleman for a good mix of newbies and Spike regulars in Da 5 Bloods |
The Films of 2020. The 21st annual FiLM BiTCH Awards
PICTURE | ACTING | VISUALS | AURALS | EXTRAS - YOU ARE HERE | SPECIAL | SCENES