ACE EDDIE AWARDS: MAD MAX AND THE BIG SHORT ADVANCE IN OSCAR RACE

It was a done deal, lbr. Hank Corwin for The Big Short and Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road both won ACE Eddie awards yesterday, cementing their position as joint frontrunners in the Oscar Best Editing race. That award will be tougher to call, though, with potential spoiler The Revenant right at their heels. Check out the American Cinema Editors' nominations at this link, and their winners below:

Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)

Margaret Sixel (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Edited Feature Film (Comedy)

Hank Corwin (The Big Short)

Best Edited Animated Feature Film

Kevin Nolting (Inside Out)

Best Edited Documentary (Feature)

Chris King (Amy)

SPANNER, MEET WORKS: THE BIG SHORT WINS PGA

Here's the confirmation you needed - this Oscar race could go any which way from here. Beating Critics' Choice champ Spotlight and Golden Globe winner The Revenant, The Big Short takes the top prize from the Producers Guild of America. It's an important win for the film, as it failed - like last year's winner, Birdman - to win the Comedy / Musical Globe earlier this month, and because no PGA winner has missed the Best Picture Oscar since the two groups simultaneously expanded their lineups and adopted a preferential ballot seven years ago. Check out the PGA nominees at this link, and the award winners below:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures

The Big Short (Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt)

Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures

Inside Out (Jonas Rivera)

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures

Amy (James Gay-Rees)

CAROL TAKES THE LOT AT GALECA'S DORIAN AWARDS

Why cry when you can laugh? And why laugh when you can laugh in the faces of Oscar voters, secure in the knowledge that you have far better taste than they do, and are thus far better people? Carol smacks down the competition at the 2015 Dorian Awards, winning in all but one of the categories in which it was nominated, and serving as proof that we're better than you, AMPAS. Oh, and, we're coming for you. Here were the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association's nominations, and here are their award winners:

Film of the Year

Carol

Director of the Year

Todd Haynes (Carol)

Performance of the Year - Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Performance of the Year - Actress

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Screenplay of the Year

Phyllis Nagy (Carol)

Documentary of the Year

Amy

Foreign Language Film of the Year

Son of Saul

LGBTQ Film of the Year

Carol

Campy Flick of the Year

Magic Mike XXL

Visually Striking Film of the Year (honouring a production of stunning beauty, from art direction to cinematography)

Mad Max: Fury Road

Unsung Film of the Year

Tangerine

Wilde Artist of the Year (honouring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theatre and/or television)

Todd Haynes

The 'We're Wilde About You' Rising Star Award

Alicia Vikander

Wilde Wit of the Year (honouring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)

Amy Schumer

Timeless Award

Jane Fonda

IOWA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS: SPOTLIGHT WINS BEST FILM

As we approach Thursday's Oscar nominations announcement, the mainstream American critics groups enter their final phase. The Iowa Film Critics Association is next, naming Spotlight their favourite film of 2015; it takes three of their 11 awards. After her shock Golden Globe win yesterday, Kate Winslet makes it a double, winning only her second award for Steve Jobs, and her screen partner Michael Fassbender also takes home an award from the IFCA. Check out their top three picks across each of their categories below:

Best Film

1. Spotlight

2. Mad Max: Fury Road

3. Steve Jobs

Best Director

1. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight)

2. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

3. Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs)

Best Actor

1. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

2. Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

3. Bryan Cranston (Trumbo)

Best Actress

1. Brie Larson (Room)

2. Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

3. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Best Supporting Actor

1. Mark Ruffalo (Spotlight)

2. Sylvester Stallone (Creed)

3. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Best Supporting Actress

1. Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

2. Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl / Ex Machina)

3. Rooney Mara (Carol)

Best Score

1. Ennio Morricone (The Hateful Eight)

2. Howard Shore (Spotlight)

3. Michael Brook (Brooklyn)

Best Song

1. 'See You Again' (Furious 7)

2. 'One Kind of Love' (Love & Mercy)

3. 'Simple Song #3' (Youth)

Best Animated Film

1. Inside Out

2. Anomalisa

3. Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Documentary

1. Amy

2. Where to Invade Next

3. Listen to Me Marlon

Best Film yet to Open in Iowa

45 Years

NORTH TEXAS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION CHOOSES THE MARTIAN AS BEST PICTURE OF 2015

Ridley Scott's The Martian continues to prove its place in awards season 2015-16 with top award wins from the North Texas Film Critics Association. Although it doesn't take any other titles from the group's admittedly limited slate, the sci-fi / comedy / drama / thriller / who-knows-what-genre did pick up both Best Picture and Best Director. Check out their choices below:

Best Picture

The Martian

Best Director

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Best Actor

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Best Actress

Brie Larson (Room)

Best Supporting Actor

Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation)

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight)

Best Cinematography

Emmanuel Lubezki (The Revenant)

Best Animated Feature

Inside Out

Best Documentary

Amy (Asif Kapadia)

Best Foreign Film

Son of Saul (Nemes Laszlo)

SPOTLIGHT WINS NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AWARD

The National Society of Film Critics shocked Oscar watchers today by announcing Tom McCarthy's Spotlight the best film of 2015. NSFC published its vote counts for its top three in each category, highlighting those unequivocal winners like Charlotte Rampling, Mark Rylance and Kristen Stewart in the acting categories, and the much closer races. Particularly tight was the Best Director race, while low figures in Best Actor go to show just how uncertain that category has been this year. There were welcome citations, like 2nd place for The Assassin's Lee Ping Bin in Cinematography, and less welcome ones, like Amy winning yet another Documentary prize with a no-show for The Look of Silence. Amy's win and Spotlight's were unusually mainstream picks for the normally arthouse-friendly society - last year, it chose Jean-Luc Godard's Goodbye to Language 3D. Have a look at all their picks for 2015 below:

Best Picture

1. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy) - 23
2. Carol (Todd Haynes) - 17
3. Mad Max: Fury Road (George Miller) - 13

Best Director
1. Todd Haynes (Carol) - 21
2. Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) - 21*
3. George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road) - 20

Best Actor

1. Michael B. Jordan (Creed) - 29
2. Rohrig Geza (Son of Saul) - 18
3. Tom Courtenay (45 Years) - 15

Best Actress

1. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) - 57
2. Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) - 30
3. Nina Hoss (Phoenix) - 22

Best Supporting Actor

1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) - 56
2. Michael Shannon (99 Homes) - 16
3. Sylvester Stallone - (Creed) - 14

Best Supporting Actress

1. Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria) - 53
2. Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) - 23
3. Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy) - 17
=  Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs) - 17

Best Screenplay

1. Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight) - 21
2. Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa) - 15
=  Adam McKay and Charles Randolph (The Big Short) - 15

Best Cinematography

1. Edward Lachman (Carol) - 25
2. Lee Ping Bin (The Assassin) - 22
3. John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road) - 12

Best Non-Fiction Film
1. Amy (Asif Kapadia) - 23
2. In Jackson Heights (Frederick Wiseman) - 18
3. Seymour: An Introduction (Ethan Hawke) - 15

Best Foreign Language Film
1. Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako) - 22
2. Phoenix (Christian Petzold) - 20
3. The Assassin (Hou Hsiao Hsien) - 16

Film Heritage Award
Association Chaplin (for supervising the digital restoration of Charlie Chaplin's Essanay Films)
The Criterion Collection and L'Immagine Ritrovata (for the restoration and packaging of the reconstructed version of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray)
Film Society of Lincoln Center, Michelle Materre and Jake Perlin (for the series Tell It Like It Is: Black Independents in New York, 1968-1986)

Special Citation
One Floor Below (Radu Muntean)

*Lower placement due to featuring on fewer ballots

VFCC VOTES SPOTLIGHT BEST FILM OF 2015

The Vancouver Film Critics Circle has spoken, and chimed in with their counterparts across North America by declaring Spotlight the Best Film of 2015. Their uncontroversial choices include a Best Actor win for Steve Jobs' Michael Fassbender and a Best Actress win for Brie Larson in Room; Lenny Abrahamson's film is nominated in six categories with the VFCC's Canadian awards, the winners of which are due to be revealed at a ceremony on the 6th of January. For the group's nominations, click here, and for their international award winners, see below:

Best Film

Spotlight

Best Director

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Actor

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Best Actress

Brie Larson (Room)

Best Supporting Actor

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Best Supporting Actress

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Best Screenplay

Charlie Kaufman (Anomalisa)

Best Documentary

Amy

Best Foreign Language Film

The Assassin

LONDON CRITICS CIRCLE FILM AWARDS: CAROL LEADS AMONG CONTROVERSY

The London Critics' Circle has often defined its local film awards as 'British', despite featuring Irish talent in these categories. Following today's nominations announcement, in which Todd Haynes' Carol leads all nominees with seven mentions, the circle made an adjustment, and renamed these categories. About time too. The nominees are pretty impressive, however, with Best Film mentions for two documentaries, and a brilliant slate of Foreign Language contenders (as ever from this group). A gala ceremony will be held on Sunday the 17th of January during which the award winners will be announced. Check out their choices below:

Film of the Year

45 Years

Amy

Carol

Inside Out

The Look of Silence

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Director of the Year

Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)

Andrew Haigh (45 Years)

Todd Haynes (Carol)

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Ridley Scott (The Martian)

Actor of the Year

Tom Courtenay (45 Years)

Paul Dano (Love & Mercy)

Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)

Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs)

Tom Hardy (Legend)

Actress of the Year

Cate Blanchett (Carol)

Brie Larson (Room)

Rooney Mara (Carol)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Supporting Actor of the Year

Benicio del Toro (Sicario)

Tom Hardy (The Revenant)

Oscar Isaac (Ex Machina)

Michael Keaton (Spotlight)

Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies)

Supporting Actress of the Year

Olivia Colman (The Lobster)

Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria)

Tilda Swinton (Trainwreck)

Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina)

Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs)

Screenwriter of the Year

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Phyllis Nagy (Carol)

Aaron Sorkin (Steve Jobs)

Technical Achievement Award

Carter Burwell (Carol)

Wade Eastwood (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation)

Colin Gibson (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Elliot Graham (Steve Jobs)

Edward Lachman (Carol)

Tom Ozanich (Sicario)

Sandy Powell (Cinderella)

John Seale (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Alistair Sirkett and Markus Stemler (Macbeth)

Andrew Whitehurst (Ex Machina)

Documentary of the Year

Amy

Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief

The Look of Silence

Palio

A Syrian Love Story

Foreign-Language Film of the Year

Eden

Hard to Be a God

The Look of Silence

The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

The Tribe

British / Irish Film of the Year

45 Years

Amy

Brooklyn

The Lobster

London Road

British / Irish Actor of the Year

Michael Caine (Kingsman: The Secret Service / Youth)

Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation / Second Coming)

Colin Farrell (The Lobster / Miss Julie)

Michael Fassbender (Macbeth / Slow West / Steve Jobs)

Tom Hardy (Legend / London Road / Mad Max: Fury Road / The Revenant)

British / Irish Actress of the Year

Emily Blunt (Sicario)

Carey Mulligan (Far from the Madding Crowd / Suffragette)

Charlotte Rampling (45 Years / The Forbidden Room)

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn / Lost River)

Kate Winslet (The Dressmaker / A Little Chaos / Steve Jobs)

Breakthrough British / Irish Filmmaker

Tom Browne (Radiator)

Mark Burton and Richard Starzak (Shaun the Sheep Movie)

Emma Donoghue (Room)

Alex Garland (Ex Machina)

John MacLean (Slow West)

Young British / Irish Performer

Asa Butterfield (X+Y)

Milo Parker (Mr. Holmes / Robot Overlords)

Florence Pugh (The Falling)

Liam Walpole (The Goob)

Maisie Williams (The Falling)

British / Irish Short Film

Directed by Tweedie (Duncan Cowles)

Leidi (Simon Mesa Soto)

Over (Jorn Threlfall)

Rate Me (Fyzal Boulifa)

Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary)

SPOTLIGHT WINS FOUR AWARDS FROM DETROIT CRITICS

The Detroit Film Critics Society sure knew what they liked this year! After a three-way tie saw seven nominees for Best Film, voters most decidedly chose Spotlight as their film of 2015; it won three other awards too! And Alicia Vikander picked up two prizes: Supporting Actress and Breakthrough. Check out their nominees here, and their winners below:

Best Film

Spotlight

Best Director

George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)

Best Actor

Michael Caine (Youth)

Best Actress

Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)

Best Supporting Actor

Liev Schreiber (Spotlight)

Best Supporting Actress

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Best Screenplay

Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer (Spotlight)

Best Ensemble

Spotlight

Best Documentary

Amy

Best Breakthrough

Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl / Ex Machina)

PGA BEST DOCUMENTARY NOMINEES ANNOUNCED

So this is it... sort of. The Producers Guild of America is one of the most prestigious film industry guilds in the world, and they unofficially kicked off awards season 2015-16 today with the announcement of their Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture nominees. Acclaimed titles all five of them, with some high profile names among them. They'll reveal their nominees for other categories, alongside the specific credits for this category, on the 5th of January, and their awards ceremony will take place on the 23rd of January. All the deets below:

Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Picture

Amy

The Hunting Ground

The Look of Silence

Meru

Something Better to Come

NOMINEES AND FIRST WINNERS ANNOUNCED FOR 2015 INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION AWARDS

Creative recognition awards have been announced for the International Documentary Association's 2015 slate, alongside nominations for Best Feature and Best Short and a variety of other awards. Widely seen and acclaimed titles make up the Best Feature lineup, though the IDA voters have given a few mentions to some lesser-known docs. The ceremony will take place on the 5th of December, to be hosted by comedian Tig Notaro. All the nominations below.

Best Feature
Amy (James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia)
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution (Laurens Grant and Stanley Nelson)
Listen to Me Marlon (John Battsek and Stevan Riley)
The Look of Silence (Signe Byrge Sorensen and Joshua Oppenheimer)
The Russian Woodpecker (Chad Gracia and Mike Lerner)
What Happened, Miss Simone? (Liz Garbus)

Best Writing
Peter Ettedgui and Stevan Riley (Listen to Me Marlon)

Best Cinematography
Artem Ryzhykov (The Russian Woodpecker)

Best Editing
Joe Beshenkovsky and Brett Morgen (Cobain: Montage of Heck)

Best Music
Jonathan Kirkscey (Best of Enemies)

ABC News VideoSource Award
(T)ERROR (Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe)
Best of Enemies (Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville)
Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (John Pirozzi)
Night Will Fall (Andre Singer)
What Happened, Miss Simone? (Liz Garbus)

Career Achievement Award
Gordon Quinn

Pioneer Award
Ted Sarandos

Amicus Award
Tony Tabatznik and the Bertha Foundation

Emerging Filmmaker Award sponsored by the Archibald Family Foundation
Lyric R. Cabral and David Felix Sutcliffe

Courage Under Fire Award
Matthew Heineman

David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award
The Archipelago (Benjamin Huguet)
The Blue Wall (Michael Milano)
El Cacao (Michelle Aguilar)
In Attla's Tracks (Catharine Axley)
Looking at the Stars (Alexandre Peralta)

Best Short
Body Team 12 (David Darg and Bryn Mooser)
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah (Adam Benzine)
The Face of Ukraine: Casting Oksana Baiul (Philippa Campey and Kitty Green)
Last Day of Freedom (Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman)
Object (Paulina Skibinska)

Pare Lorentz Award
How to Change the World (Jerry Rothwell)

2015 BIFA NOMINATIONS - FILM4 BREAKS STUDIO RECORD

In an impressive performance for the British studio, Film4 backed all five of the Best British Independent Film nominees in today's British Independent Film Award nominations - the BIFA's top award. Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos' The Lobster leads among films with seven nominations, followed by Andrew Haigh's 45 Years and Justin Kurzel's Macbeth, both of which earned mentions for their leads in the acting categories. There, BIFA voters righted what is sure to be a slew of wrongs come awards season in December, as they rejected category fraud by recognising Tom Courtenay, Marion Cotillard and Alicia Vikander (for The Danish Girl) in lead. The 2015 BIFAs will be presented at their ceremony on the 6th of December, where Kate Winslet will receive the Variety Award for Global Achievement. All the nominations below:

Best British Independent Film
45 Years
Amy
Ex Machina
The Lobster
Macbeth

Best Director
Alex Garland (Ex Machina)
Andrew Haigh (45 Years)
Asif Kapadia (Amy)
Justin Kurzel (Macbeth)
Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

Best Actor
Tom Courtenay (45 Years)
Colin Farrell (The Lobster)
Michael Fassbender (Macbeth)
Tom Hardy (Legend)
Tom Hiddleston (High-Rise)

Best Actress
Marion Cotillard (Macbeth)
Carey Mulligan (Suffragette)
Charlotte Rampling (45 Years)
Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn)
Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

Best Supporting Actor
Luke Evans (High-Rise)
Brendan Gleeson (Suffragette)
Domhnall Gleeson (Brooklyn)
Sean Harris (Macbeth)
Ben Whishaw (The Lobster)

Best Supporting Actress
Helena Bonham Carter (Suffragette)
Olivia Colman (The Lobster)
Anne-Marie Duff (Suffragette)
Sienna Miller (High-Rise)
Julie Walters (Brooklyn)

Best Screenplay
Efthymis Filippou and Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)
Alex Garland (Ex Machina)
Andrew Haigh (45 Years)
Nick Hornby (Brooklyn)
Amy Jump (High-Rise)

Best Achievement in Craft
Adam Arkapaw (Macbeth) - cinematography
Mark Digby (Ex Machina) - production design
Chris King (Amy) - editing
Fiona Weir (Brooklyn) - casting
Andrew Whitehurst (Ex Machina) - visual effects

Best Documentary
Amy
Dark Horse
How to Change the World
Palio
A Syrian Love Story

Best Foreign Independent Film
Carol
Force Majeure
Girlhood
Room
Son of Saul

Douglas Hickox Award for Best Debut Director
Ben Blaine and Chris Blaine (Nina Forever)
Corin Hardy (The Hallow)
Paul Katis (Kajaki: The True Story)
John MacLean (Slow West)
Stephen Fingleton (The Survivalist)

Most Promising Newcomer
Agyness Deyn (Sunset Song)
Mia Goth (The Survivalist)
Abigail Hardingham (Nina Forever)
Milo Parker (Mr. Holmes)
Bel Powley (A Royal Night Out)

Raindance Discovery Award
Aaaaaaaah!
Burn Burn Burn
Orion: The Man Who Would Be King
The Return
Winter

Producer of the Year
Andrew de Lotbiniere and Paul Katis (Kajaki: The True Story)
Cecil Dempsey, Ed Guiney, Yorgos Lanthimos and Lee Magiday (The Lobster)
James Gay-Rees (Amy)
Tristan Goligher (45 Years)
David A. Hughes and David Moores (The Violators)

Variety Award
Kate Winslet

Best Short Film
Balcony
Crack
Edmond
Love Is Blind
Manoman