The love fest for “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Lady Bird” continues. The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) has announced nominees for the 11th annual EDA Awards, and “Three Billboards” scored the most nods, with “Lady Bird” coming in a close second. The former is up for eight awards and the latter seven.
As a press release explains, the EDA Awards are divided into three sections:
“the standard ‘Best Of’ section, the Female Focus awards, and the irreverent EDA Special Mention awards — including Actress Most in Need of a New Agent and the AWFJ Hall of Shame Award.” Nominees are determined by AWFJ members.
Both “Three Billboards” and “Lady Bird” are up for Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Director. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards” stars Frances McDormand as a woman seeking justice for her daughter, who was raped and murdered. “Lady Bird” is loosely inspired by writer-director Greta Gerwig’s own experiences of growing up in Sacramento, and features Saorise Ronan in the title role.
Other films to receive lots of nods include unconventional romance “The Shape of Water” and Dee Rees’ underappreciated Southern epic “Mudbound,” with six and five nominations each. While “Mudbound” scored rave reviews, it’s largely been absent from the awards conversation, so it’s great to see it get some much-deserved recognition.
Rising stars Tiffany Haddish (“Girls Trip”), Brooklynn Prince (“The Florida Project”), and Florence Pugh (“Lady Macbeth”) are up for Best Breakthrough Performance.
Best Woman Director nominees include “Detroit’s” Kathryn Bigelow, “Wonder Woman’s” Patty Jenkins, and “Professor Marston and The Wonder Women’s” Angela Robinson.
McDormand, Annette Bening (“Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool”), and Agnes Varda (“Faces, Places”) are being celebrated for “defying age and ageism.”
Check out all of the nominees below. List courtesy of AWFJ.
AWFJ BEST OF AWARDS
These awards are presented to women and/or men without gender consideration.
Best Film
- CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
- GET OUT
- LADY BIRD
- THE SHAPE OF WATER
- THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
Best Director
- Guillermo del Toro –THE SHAPE OF WATER
- Greta Gerwig — LADY BIRD
- Martin McDonagh — THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- Christopher Nolan — DUNKIRK
- Jordan Peele — GET OUT
Best Screenplay, Original
- GET OUT — Jordan Peele
- LADY BIRD — Greta Gerwig
- THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI — Martin McDonagh
Best Screenplay, Adapted
- CALL ME BY YOUR NAME — James Ivory
- MOLLY’S GAME — Aaron Sorkin
- MUDBOUND — Dee Rees
Best Documentary
- DAWSON CITY FROZEN IN TIE
- FACES, PLACES
- JANE
- KEDI
- STEP
Best Animated Film
- THE BREADWINNER
- COCO
- LOVING VINCENT
Best Actress
- Sally Hawkins — THE SHAPE OF WATER
- Frances McDormand — THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- Margot Robbie — I, TONYA
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
- Mary J. Blige — MUDBOUND
- Allison Janney — I, TONYA
- Laurie Metcalf — LADY BIRD
Best Actor
- Timothee Chalamet — CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
- Daniel Kaluuya — GET OUT
- Gary Oldman — DARKEST HOUR
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
- Willem Dafoe –PROJECT FLORIDA
- Sam Rockwell — THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- Michael Stuhlbarg — CALL ME BY YOUR NAME
Best Ensemble Cast — Casting Director
- MUDBOUND — Billy Hopkins and Ashley Ingram
- THE POST — Ellen Lewis
- THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI — Sara Finn
Best Cinematography
- Roger Deakins — BLADE RUNNER 2049
- Hoyte van Hoytema — DUNKIRK
- Dan Laustsen — THE SHAPE OF WATER
Best Editing
- Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss — BABY DRIVER
- Lee Smith — DUNKIRK
- Sidney Wolinsky– THE SHAPE OF WATER
Best Non-English-Language Film
- BPM
- FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER
- THE SQUARE
EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS
These awards honor WOMEN only.
Best Woman Director
- Kathryn Bigelow — DETROIT
- Greta Gerwig — LADY BIRD
- Patty Jenkins — WONDER WOMAN
- Angelina Jolie — FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER
- Dee Rees — MUDBOUND
- Angela Robinson — PROFESSOR MARSTON AND THE WONDER WOMEN
- Agnes Varda — FACES, PLACES
Best Woman Screenwriter
- Greta Gerwig — LADY BIRD
- Liz Hannah and Josh Singer — THE POST
- Dee Rees and Virgil Williams — MUDBOUND
Best Animated Female
- Mama Imelda — COCO
- Marguerite Gachet — LOVING VINCENT
- Parvana — THE BREADWINNER
Best Breakthrough Performance
- Tiffany Haddish –GIRL’S TRIP
- Brooklynn Prince — THE FLORIDA PROJECT
- Florence Pugh — LADY MACBETH
Outstanding Achievement by A Woman in The Film Industry
- Greta Gerwig for LADY BIRD
- Patty Jenkins for WONDER WOMAN
- Angelina Jolie for FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER and THE BREADWINNER
- Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd and all who spoke out against sexual harrassment
EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS
Actress Defying Age and Ageism
- Annette Bening — FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL
- Frances McDormand –THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- AGNES VARDA — FACES, PLACES
Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Lead and The Love Interest Award
- I LOVE YOU, DADDY — Chloe Grace Moretz and John Malkovich
- MOTHER! — Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem
- THE MUMMY and AMERICAN MADE — Tom Cruise with Annabelle Wallis and Sarah Wright, respectively
Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent (name actress and film)
- Dakota Johnson for 50 SHADES DARKER
- Jennifer Lawrence for MOTHER!
- Kate Winslet for WONDER WHEEL and THE MOUNTAIN BETWEEN US
Bravest Performance
- Sally Hawkins — THE SHAPE OF WATER
- Frances McDormand — THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
- Margot Robbie — I, TONYA
Remake or Sequel That Shouldn’t Have Been Made
- BAYWATCH
- THE MUMMY
- MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
AWFJ Hall of Shame Award
- Darren Aronovsky and all associated with MOTHER!
- Louis CK and all associated with I LOVE YOU, DADDY
- Showbiz Sexual Tormentors: Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Brett Ratner, et al.