Moonlight tops the list of winners of the 10th annual Alliance of Women Film Journalists EDA Awards. The dramatic film snagged Best Film, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Ensemble Cast wins. It also earned the Best Cinematography and Best Editing awards from the members of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Critically acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay picked up three awards from the group, including a win in the Best Documentary category for her outstanding work on 13th.
Oscar favorite Casey Affleck won the Best Actor award for his outstanding performance in Manchester by the Sea, which also won in the Best Original Screenplay category.
Commenting on this year’s awards, EDA Awards and AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin stated, “This year has brought heightened awareness of the impact movies and cinema culture have on setting our social norms. The need for gender parity and greater diversity in the movie industry is patently clear. These goals are fundamental to AWFJ’s mission and core values. I’m thrilled that in our 10th anniversary awards season AWFJ members voted to honor such a diverse array of talent representing such a broad spectrum of perspectives, making the 2016 EDA Awards particularly relevant at a time when art — and film, in particular — must be the vanguard of social progress.”
2016’s Alliance of Women Film Journalists Winners:
Best Film: Moonlight
Best Director: Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Best Screenplay, Original: Manchester by the Sea – Kenneth Lonergan
Best Screenplay, Adapted: Moonlight – Barry Jenkins
Best Documentary: 13th – Ava DuVernay
Best Animated Film: Zootopia – Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Best Actress: Ruth Negga – Loving
Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Viola Davis – Fences
Best Actor: Casey Affleck – Manchester by The Sea
Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Best Ensemble Cast – Casting Director: Moonlight – Yesi Ramirez
Best Cinematography: Moonlight – James Laxton
Best Editing: Moonlight – Joi McMillon and Nat Sanders
Best Non-English-Language Film: The Handmaiden – Park Chan-Wook
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
These awards honor WOMEN only.
Best Woman Director: Ava DuVernay – 13th
Best Woman Screenwriter: Kelly Reinhardt – Certain Women
Best Animated Female (tie): Judy in Zootopia – Ginnifer Goodwin and Moana in Moana – Auli’i Cravalho
Best Breakthrough Performance: Ruth Negga – Loving
Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry:
Ava DuVernay – For 13th and raising awareness about the need for diversity and gender equality in Hollywood
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Actress Defying Age and Ageism (tie): Annette Bening – 20th Century Women and Isabelle Huppert – Elle and Things to Come
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award: Rules Don’t Apply – Warren Beatty (b. 1937) and Lily Collins (b. 1989)
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent: Jennifer Aniston – Mother’s Day and Office Christmas Party
Bravest Performance: Isabelle Huppert – Elle
Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t have been Made: Ben Hur
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award: Sharon Maguire and Renee Zellwegger for Bridget Jones’s Baby
