Ok, so it’s that time of the year again. Every January and early February, we enter the frantic era of awards season for the film industry. Every Sunday night you’re likely to turn on the TV and see some kind of gala celebrating the best films of the year, whether it's the Screen Actors Guild awards, or the Golden Globes, or the Critics’ Choice, or the- you get the point. All of these leading up to the big event of the season, The Oscars. Many (including myself) find this time to be one of both excitement and anguish. Will my favorite movie get nominated? How is the academy gonna vote this year? If blah di blah got nominated for the Globe but was snubbed at the SAG awards, will they make it into the nominated five? Yeah, it’s a mess. But a fun one nonetheless. This year, however, things are looking different than they would on a normal year, for many obvious reasons. COVID-19 being the major one, the other one being the impending death of physical media with the replacement of online streaming.
A lot of these award shows will still be broadcast, but in a very different style than their usual presentation. I’m sure a lot of them will be broadcast like the Emmys were back in September (nominees joined in through zoom while a host and other presenters performed live on a stage in front of an empty audience). They will also be a couple months later than they should be. For example, the Globes will be held on February 28th of this year, but were held on January 5th last year. The Oscars will be held on April 25th this year, as opposed to the much earlier date of February 9th last year. These timing changes mixed with the fact that the majority of films up for nomination were released over streaming and not in theaters, makes for a very interesting awards season. I hope that this guide will help with the understanding of each ceremony preceding The Oscars, and what the prospects look like for this year.
The Globes
When?: February 28th
What does it celebrate?:
The Golden Globes celebrate excellence in the film and television of the past year. You can think of it as a hybrid of the Oscars and the Emmys, but with way less categories than both combined. Film categories are split up into two separate sections: Dramas and Musical-Comedies (there is often heavy disagreement with the placement of certain movies a la “The Martian” being placed in the Musical-Comedy category). There is a category for film score, but besides that, not any technical categories for film. The TV side is split into three categories: Drama, Musical-Comedy, and Miniseries. Similarly to film, it doesn’t capture any of the technical achievements of TV shows either. The voters are a non-profit group called the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.
Who are the leading contenders for awards this year?:
The film with the most nominations this year is David Fincher’s “Mank,” and the TV show with the most nominations is “The Crown” (both reviewed in our last issue!). Other major contenders for films are “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Promising Young Woman,” and “Nomadland.” Other major contenders for TV are “Ozark,” “The Great,” and “Normal People.”
Notable snubs: One notable snub was the absence of the TV show “I May Destroy You,” which was received incredibly well by both critics and audiences and dealt with incredibly important and topical issues like sexual assault. This snub was met with even more backlash when it was realized that the show “Emily in Paris” was nominated. “Emily in Paris,” while fun, doesn’t really have anything substantial to say and was panned by critics as more fluff than substance.
Screen Actors Guild
When?: April 4th
What does it celebrate?: As one can imagine, the SAG awards celebrate the best the year has to offer in terms of acting and performances on screen. This means that there are no awards celebrating best film, director, or screenplay, only best actors. It awards both television and film performances, and is voted on only by members of the Screen Actors Guild. It is deemed as a way for actors in the industry to celebrate other actors in the industry. Instead of an overall best film category, there is a best ensemble category that highlights the film with the best ensemble cast and awards all of them billed with an award.
Who are the leading contenders for awards this year?: For film, the movie with the most nominations was “Minari” as well as “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The TV shows with the most nominations are “The Crown” and “Ozark.” A major record breaker as well this year was that the late Chadwick Boseman got nominated in 4 different categories: Best supporting actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and best actor for “Da 5 Bloods,” as well as getting nominated in the best ensemble category for both films.
Notable snubs: One notable snub for films this year was “Mank,” which received one nomination for Best Actor for Gary Oldman. The film was expected to receive at least 3 nominations, with the film boasting an impressive cast that would secure it for Best Ensemble, and Amanda Seyfried receiving critical acclaim for her terrific performance as Marion Davies would have locked her in for supporting actress. One major surprise from these nominations was that Riz Ahmed received a nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the film “Sound of Metal,” a very well-received indie movie that is adored by film fans, but was assumed to be mostly overlooked by awards shows. Ahmed was nominated for not only the SAG Award, but the Golden Globe as well.
Critics’ Choice Awards
When?: March 7th
What does it celebrate?: The Critics’ Choice Awards celebrate the best of the past year in film and television. It is annually presented by the American-Canadian Broadcast Film Critics Association, which is made up of both prominent and local critics across both countries. The categories that are presented are very similar to the Oscars, with some additions that highlight certain achievements that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. For example, there is a category for “Best Young Actor/Actress” and “Best Sci-fi/Horror Movie.”
Who are the leading contenders for awards this year?: This year, the leading contenders in film are “Mank,” with 12 nominations, and “Minari,” with 10 nominations. This is no surprise based upon both critical acclaim of both of these pictures, as well as prior awards recognition. For TV, the leading contenders mirror the SAG Awards with “The Crown” and “Ozark” leading the pack. Trailing those two are “Mrs. America” and “Schitt’s Creek.”
Notable snubs and surprises: One notable snub this year at the Critics’ Choice Awards is the film “The Father,” a critically acclaimed drama starring Anthony Hopkins as an old man suffering with Alzheimer's disease, and Olivia Coleman as his daughter. While the film was rightfully nominated in the Best Actor and Supporting Actress categories, it missed out on best picture and best director, which some had been predicting for it. One major surprise was that Zendaya was nominated in the Best Actress category for the recent Netflix film “Malcolm and Marie,” which received mediocre reviews. While the opinions of critics doesn’t always measure a film’s quality or success, many sources were not predicting it would get nominated for any major awards.