BANSHEES wins Best Film, but Sarah Polley scores best Director for WOMEN TALKING. In our Female Focus sections, Viola Davis gets the nod for Outstanding Achievement and Danielle Deadwyler’s turn in TILL is designated the Breakthrough Performance of 2022. Emma Thompson takes AWFJ’s Grand Dame title and is honored for the bravest performance for GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE. The talented Ana de Armas is deemed most deserving of a new agent to get her roles in better projects than BLONDE.

AWFJ has presented annual EDA Awards for 16 years, representing professional women critics’ collective perspectives on movies and cinema culture in the movie awards arena, where female critics and critical opinion are still greatly underrepresented. AWFJ honors female creatives in non-gender specific awards categories and in unique Female Focus categories designated for women only.  

“We are particularly proud that this year’s member-determined roster of nominees included a goodly number of female contenders in non-gender specific categories. and that we have female winners in those categories, as well, including Sarah Polley who receives the EDA Award for Best Director for the multi-nominated and awarded WOMEN TALKING.” said Jennifer Merin, President of the 95 members AWFJ. “We hope to see similar results at this year’s Oscars and various guild awards. as well as with other critics awards groups.” 

In preparation for the awards season, AWFJ tracks femme-helmed and femme-centric films released throughout the year. The 2022 list of EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films includes more than 500 titles. Many of these female made movies are small budget productions that receive neither wide distribution nor critical consideration. This staggering number of independently produced films indicates the high level of female filmmaker proactivity in contradiction to the grim statistics consistently reported in major studies about female film production. AWFJ advocates for acknowledgment of these films and recognition for their filmmakers. 

Note: PopLifeSTL.com Managing Editor and Founder Lynn Venhaus has been a member of AWFJ since 2014, along with St. Louis colleagues Martha Baker, Diane Carson and Cate Marquis and former St. Louisan Michelle (McCue) Hannett, , managing editor of We Are Movie Geeks.

AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS

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

Best Film

• THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
• THE FABELMANS
• TAR
• THE WOMAN KING
• WOMEN TALKING

Best Director

• The Daniels – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Martin McDonagh – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
• Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
• Steven Spieiberg – THE FABELMANS
• Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN

Best Screenplay, Original

• AFTERSUN – Charlotte Wells
• THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Martin McDonagh
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – the DANIELS
• THE FABELMANS – Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner
• TAR – Todd Field
• THE WOMAN KING – Dana Stevens and Maria Bello

Best Screenplay, Adapted

• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT – Edward Berger, Lesley Patterson, Ian Stokell
• GLASS ONION – Rian Johnson
• SHE SAID – Rebecca Lenkiewicz
• THE WHALE – Samuel D. Hunter
• WOMEN TALKING – Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews
• THE WONDER – Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue, Sebastian Lelio

Best Documentary

• ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen
• ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED – Laura Poitras
• DESCENDANT – Margaret Brown
• FIRE OF LOVE – Sara Dosa
• GOODNIGHT OPPY – Ryan White
• THE JANES – Tia Lessen and Emma Pildes

Best Animated Film

• GDT’S PINOCCHIO – Guillermo del Toro and Mark Gustafson
• MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON – Dean Fleischer-Camp
• PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH – Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado
• THE SEA BEAST – Chris Williams
• TURNING RED – Domee Shi
• WENDELL & WILD – Henry Selick

Best Actress

• Cate Blanchett – TAR
• Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
• Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• Vicki Krieps – CORSAGE
• Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
• Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Best Actress in a Supporting Role (tie)

• Angela Bassett – WAKANDA FOREVER
• Jessie Buckley – WOMEN TALKING
• Hong Chau – THE WHALE
• Kerry Condon – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Jamie Lee Curtis – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Janelle Monae – GLASS ONION

Best Actor

• Austin Butler – ELVIS
• Colin Farrell – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Brendan Fraser – THE WHALE
• Paul Mescal – AFTERSUN
• Bill Nighy – LIVING
• Jeremy Pope – THE INSPECTION

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Brendon Gleeson – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Brian Henry Tyree – CAUSEWAY
• Barry Keoghan – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• Eddie Redmayne – THE GOOD NURSE
• Ke Huy Quan – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Ben Wishaw – WOMEN TALKING

Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director

• THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Louise Kiely
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Sarah Finn
• TRIANGLE OF SADNESS – Pauline Hansson
• WAKANDA FOREVER – Sarah Finn
• THE WOMAN KING – Aisha Coley
• WOMEN TALKING – John Buchan and Jason Knight

Best Cinematography (tie)

• BANSHEES OF INISHERIN – Ben Davis
• THE FABELMANS – Janusz Kaminski
• EMPIRE OF LIGHT – Roger Deakins
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Larkin Seiple
• TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Claudio Miranda
• THE WOMAN KING – Polly Morgan

Best Editing

• ELVIS – Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
• EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE – Paul Rogers
• TAR – Monika Willis
• TOP GUN – Eddie Hamilton
• THE WOMAN KING – Terilyn A. Shropshire
• WOMEN TALKING – Christopher Donaldson, Rosalyn Kallop

Best Non-English-Language Film (tie)

• ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT
• BARDO
• DECISION TO LEAVE
• HAPPENING
• RRR
• SAINT OMER

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

These awards honor WOMEN only

Best Woman Director

• Chinoye Chukwu – TILL
• Marie Kreutzer – CORSAGE
• Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
• Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
• Maria Schrader – SHE SAID
• Charlotte wells – AFTERSUN

Best Woman Screenwriter

• Alice Birch – THE WONDER and MOTHERING SUNDAY
• Rebecca Lenkiewicz – SHE SAID
• Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews – WOMEN TALKING
• Domee Shi – TURNING RED
• Dana Stevens and Maria Bello – THE WOMAN KING
• Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN

Best Animated Female

• Connie – Isabella Rossellni MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
• Izzy – Keke Palmer – LIGHTYEAR
• Kat – Lyric Ross. WENDELL & WILD
• Kitty Softpaws – Salma Hayed – PUSS IN BOOTS: LAST WISH
• Mei – Rosalyn Chiang- TURNING RED
• Ming – Sandra Oh – TURNING RED

Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance

• Frankie Corio – AFTERSUN
• Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• Stephanie Hsu – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Thuso Mbedu – THE WOMAN KING
• Amber Midthunder – PREY
• Sadie Sink – THE WHALE

Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry

• Viola Davis – For getting THE WOMAN KING made as her lifetime passion project and creating opportunities for other women creatives.
• Nina Menkes and Maria Giese for making BRAINWASHED, analyzing and illustrating the misogynistic representation of women in Hollywood movies.
• Domee Shi for being the first woman to direct a film for Pixar and for becoming Pixar’s VP of Creative
• Jacqueline Stewart for ongoing advocacy of the underrepresented and becoming president of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
• Michelle Yeoh- lifetime achievement award

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

Grand Dame Award for Defying Ageism

• Jamie Lee Curtis
• Viola Davis
• Emma Thompson
• Michelle Yeoh

Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award

• CONFESS FLETCH – Jon Hamm born 1971 and Lorenza Izzo born 1989
• CRIMES OF THE FUTURE – Viggo Mortensen born 1958 and Lea Sedoux born 1985
• DEEP WATER – Ben Affleck born 1972 and Ana de Armas born 1988
• EIFEL – Romain Duris born 1974 and Emma Mackey born 1996

She Deserves A New Agent Award (NOTE: This is not a put down. On the contrary, it suggests that the actor is better than the role she’s been given.)

• Ana de Armas for BLONDE
• Bryce Dallas Howard for JURASIC WORLD DOMINION
• Margot Robbie for BABYLON
• Rebel Wilson for SENIOR YEAR

Most Daring Performance

• Cate Blanchett – TAR
• Viola Davis – THE WOMAN KING
• Danielle Deadwyler – TILL
• Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
• Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award

• FIRESTARTER
• HALLOWEEN ENDS
• JURASSIC WORLD DOMINION
• PINOCCHIO (Disney)

AWFJ Hall of Shame Award (Women and men are eligible)

• Alec Baldwin and the crew of RUST for continuing to deny responsibility for the on set shooting that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The situation is still messy. A wrongful death lawsuit was settled, but the criminal investigation continues. In November, Baldwin sued crew members for giving him the loaded prop gun that killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. News reports say Baldwin also texted Hutchins’s husband, Matthew, saying that the gun was never meant to be fired at a particular camera angle.
• BLONDE and Andrew Dominik
• Will Smith for his behavior at the Oscars and in the aftermath
• Harvey Weinstein for everything and forever

ABOUT THE ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ) is a not-for-profit professional association of highly qualified female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women – both in front of and behind the cameras – through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies. AWFJ was founded in 2006 by Jennifer Merin, Maitland McDonagh, Joanna Langfield and Jenny Halper. In addition to the year end awards, AWFJ presents EDA Awards at partner festivals, keeps an active and interactive record of fiction feature and documentary films by and/or about women, and/or are of particular interest to women because they focus on women’s issues. We welcome information that will allow us to keep our lists updated. Lists are made available to members and the general public on our Web site at AWFJ.org. For further information, contact AWFJ President Jennifer Merin at awfjinc@gmail.com.