Alliance of Women Film Journalists 2022 Winners: Banshees, Everything, and Women Talking Tie with Most Wins

The Banshees of Inisherin
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson in ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Photo Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures © 2022 20th Century Studios)

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists* spread the wealth, awarding The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Women Talking three wins each. The AWFJ EDA Awards recognize the best in films overall, as well as films driven by women.

“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 2022, the Alliance of Women Film Journalists counted 500+ “EDA Award-eligible femme-helmed and/or femme-centric films.”

Alliance of Women Film Journalists Nominees and Winners

Best Film
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) Sarah Polley – WOMEN TALKING
• Gina Prince-Bythewood – THE WOMAN KING
• Steven Spieiberg – THE FABELMANS
• Charlotte Wells – AFTERSUN

Best Screenplay, Original
• AFTERSUN – Charlotte Wells
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) WOMEN TALKING – Sarah Polley and Miriam Toews
• THE WONDER – Alice Birch, Emma Donoghue, Sebastian Lelio

Best Documentary
• ALL THAT BREATHES – Shaunak Sen
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Best Actress in a Supporting Role (tie)
• Angela Bassett – BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER
• Jessie Buckley – WOMEN TALKING
• Hong Chau – THE WHALE
• (WINNER) Kerry Condon – THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN
• (WINNER) Jamie Lee Curtis – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE
• Janelle Monae – GLASS ONION

Best Actor
• Austin Butler – ELVIS
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) 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
• BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER – Sarah Finn
• THE WOMAN KING – Aisha Coley
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) TOP GUN: MAVERICK – Claudio Miranda
• (WINNER) THE WOMAN KING – Polly Morgan

Best Editing
• ELVIS – Jonathan Redmond and Matt Villa
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) DECISION TO LEAVE
• HAPPENING
• (WINNER) RRR
• SAINT OMER

EDA Female Focus Awards
These awards honor WOMEN only

Best Woman Director
• Chinoye Chukwu – TILL
• Marie Kreutzer – CORSAGE
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) Connie – Isabella Rossellini – MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON
• Izzy – Keke Palmer – LIGHTYEAR
• Kat – Lyric Ross – WENDELL & WILD
• Kitty Softpaws – Salma Hayek – PUSS IN BOOTS: LAST WISH
• Mei – Rosalyn Chiang- TURNING RED
• Ming – Sandra Oh – TURNING RED

Best Woman’s Breakthrough Performance
• Frankie Corio – AFTERSUN
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) Emma Thompson
• Michelle Yeoh

Most Egregious Lovers’ Age Difference Award
• CONFESS FLETCH – Jon Hamm born 1971 and Lorenza Izzo born 1989
• (WINNER) 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.)
• (WINNER) Ana de Armas for BLONDE
• Bryce Dallas Howard for JURASSIC 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
• (WINNER) Emma Thompson – GOOD LUCK TO YOU, LEO GRANDE
• Michelle Yeoh – EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE

Time Waster Remake or Sequel Award
• FIRESTARTER
• HALLOWEEN ENDS
• (WINNER) 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
• (WINNER) Harvey Weinstein for everything and forever

* – I am a member of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists