I'm no longer president of the Southeastern Film Critics Association (SEFCA). Hurrah for me.
Don't misunderstand. It was an honor to serve for four years. It was also a huge hassle, especially in December when we conduct our annual vote. I'd lose the better part of two days tabulating ballots. But I didn't do that this year. I just voted. (So did Karen Martin, who is also a member of the organization.)
And now the votes have been tabulated. And the 53 members -- "all film journalists working in print, radio and online media in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia" -- have decided that Moonlight, Barry Jenkins' poetic depiction of a gay black man as a child, teenager and adult, is the best film of the year.
I'm OK with that.
Moonlight earned multiple awards, including Best Supporting Actor for Mahershala Ali, Best Ensemble, Best Adapted Screenplay and a tie for Best Director with Damien Chazelle of La La Land. Moonlight was also the runner-up in the categories for Best Supporting Actress (for Naomie Harris), Best Cinematography and the Wyatt Award for the Spirit of the South.
Here's some stuff from the news release (which I didn't have to write):
"At a time when expensive, heavily-marketed 'popcorn movies' dominate the cultural conversation about cinema, the ability of a small, quiet and personal film like Moonlight to break through can give film fans hope for the future," says SEFCA president Curt Holman.
"Casey Affleck won Best Actor for his performance as a grieving handyman returning to his hometown under tragic circumstances in Manchester by the Sea. Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her turn as first lady Jacqueline Kennedy dealing with her husband's assassination in Jackie. Viola Davis won Best Supporting Actress for Fences, reprising a role for which she'd already received a Tony Award for her Broadway performance.
"Other winners include Manchester by the Sea for Best Original Screenplay, the portrait of James Baldwin I Am Not Your Negro for Best Documentary, the twisty Gothic romance The Handmaiden for Best Foreign Language film, the humorous but surprisingly relevant Zootopia for Best Animated Film and the splashy musical homage La La Land for Best Cinematography.
"Loving, writer/director Jeff Nichols' exploration of the Supreme Court's "Loving v. Virginia" decision, won the Wyatt Award in recognition of a film that best embodies the spirit of the South.
"The association's 25th annual awards saw ballots from 53 members ... .
"We'd like to dedicate the 2016 awards to the memories of Jim Ridley and Ken Hanke, SEFCA members who passed away this year, 'They will be missed.'"
Here are the results of the poll. I'm saving my Top 10 list for Sunday, and Karen's for a little later on, but how we voted in the other categories are indicated by our initials.
TOP TEN FILMS
- Moonlight 2. Manchester by the Sea 3. La La Land 4. Hell or High Water 5. Loving 6. Arrival 7. (Tie) Fences and Jackie 8. Nocturnal Animals 9. Hidden Figures
BEST ACTOR
Winner -- Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)
Runner-up -- Denzel Washington (Fences)
PM: Affleck, Colin Farrel, The Lobster
KM: Joel Edgerton (Loving), Affleck
BEST ACTRESS
Winner -- Natalie Portman (Jackie)
Runner-up -- Ruth Negga (Loving)
PM: Negga, Portman
KM: Negga, Portman
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner -- Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)
Runner-up -- Jeff Bridges (Hell or High Water)
PM: Ali, Bridges
KM: Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals), Ali
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner -- Viola Davis (Fences)
Runner-up -- Naomie Harris (Moonlight)
PM: Sandrine Kiberlain, Being 17, Michelle Williams, Manchester by the Sea
KM: Harris, Julianne Moore (Maggie's Plan)
BEST ENSEMBLE
Winner -- Moonlight
Runner-up -- Manchester by the Sea
PM: Certain Women, Captain Fantastic
KM: Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner (tie) -- Damien Chazelle, (La La Land)
Winner (tie) -- Barry Jenkins (Moonlight)
PM: Jeff Nichols, Loving, Jenkins
KM: Nichols, Tom Ford (Nocturnal Animals)
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner -- Manchester by the Sea
Runner-up -- Hell or High Water
PM: The Lobster, Manchester by the Sea
KM: Loving, Moonlight
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner -- Moonlight
Runner-up -- Arrival
PM: Love & Friendship, Toni Erdmann
KM: Elle, A Bigger Splash
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner -- I Am Not Your Negro
Runner-up -- OJ: Made in America
PM: Kate Plays Christine, Two Trains Running
KM: Command & Control, Zero Days
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Winner -- The Handmaiden
Runner-up -- Elle
PM: Rams, Being 17
KM: Being 17, Elle
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Winner -- Zootopia
Runner-up -- Kubo and the Two Strings
PM: Zootopia, The Red Turtle
KM: Zootopia, Moana
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner -- La La Land
Runner-up -- Moonlight
PM: Nocturnal Animals, Moonlight
KM: Moonlight, Loving
The GENE WYATT AWARD
Winner -- Loving
Runner-up -- Moonlight
PM: Loving, Two Trains Running
KM: Loving, Moonlight
Email:
pmartin@arkansasonline.com
blooddirtangels.com
MovieStyle on 12/23/2016