Zero Dark Thirty has scooped eight prizes at the EDA Awards, hosted by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ).

Kathryn Bigelow’s manhunt thriller won Best Film and Best Director while Mark Boal, Jessica Chastain and William Goldenberg & Dylan Tichenor were recognized for Screenplay, Actress and Editing respectively.

Bigelow and Chastain took home further accolades in the Female Focus awards. Bigelow was named as Best Woman Director and Chastain took the Female Icon Award and Unforgettable Moment.

Other significant nods went Daniel Day Lewis as Best Actor for Lincoln, Anne Hathaway was named Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables and Philip Seymour Hoffman’s performance in ‘The Master saw him named Best Supporting Actor.

Dame Judi Dench was named as the Actress Defying Age and Ageism for her performance in Skyfall.

The EDA Awards recognise the work done by women in film both in front and behind the camera. Inspired by AWFJ founder Jennifer Merin’s mother, actress Eda Reiss Merin, the EDA’s are an acronym for the qualities held by Merin and AWFJ members - Excellent Dynamic Activism. 

ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

2012 EDA Awards Winners

AWFJ EDA ‘BEST OF’ AWARDS

Best Film: “Zero Dark Thirty”  

Best Director:  Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”   

Best Screenplay, Original:  Mark Boal – “Zero Dark Thirty” 

Best Screenplay, Adapted:  Chris Terrio – “Argo”   

Best Documentary:  “Searching For Sugar Man”          

Best Animated Film:  “ParaNorman”   

Best Actress:  Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”   

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:  Anne Hathaway – “Les Miserables”  

Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis – “Lincoln”   

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:  Phillip Seymour Hoffman – “The Master”   

Best Ensemble Cast:  “Silver Linings Playbook”  

Best Editing:  William Goldenberg, Dylan Tichenor – “Zero Dark Thirty”  

Best Cinematography:  Claudio Miranda – “Life of Pi” 

Best Film Music or Score:  Dan Romer, Benh Zeitlin – “Beasts of the Southern Wild” 

Best Non-English-Language Film:  “Amour”  

EDA FEMALE FOCUS AWARDS

These awards honor WOMEN only.

Best Woman Director:  Kathryn Bigelow – “Zero Dark Thirty”   

Best Woman Screenwriter:  Lucy Alibar (and BenhZeitlin) – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”                

Kick Ass Award For Best Female Action Star:  Jennifer Lawrence – “The Hunger Games”  

Best Animated Female:  Merida (Kelly Macdonald) – “Brave” 

Best Breakthrough Performance:  Quvenzhané Wallis – “Beasts of the Southern Wild”   

Actress Defying Age and Ageism:  Judi Dench – “Skyfall”  

AWFJ Award for Humanitarian Activism – Female Icon Award, presented to an actress for the portrayal of the most positive female role model, or for a role in which she takes personal and/or career risks to plumb the female psyche and therefore gives us courage to plumb our own, and/or for putting forth the image of a woman who is heroic, accomplished, persistent, demands her rights and/or the rights of others:

Jessica Chastain – “Zero Dark Thirty”   

This Year’s Outstanding Achievement By A Woman In The Film Industry,presented only when warranted to a female who has had a banner–making, record–breaking, industry–changing achievement during any given year:

Women Documentary Filmmakers – including Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady (“Detropia”), Lauren Greenfield (“Queen of Versailles”), Alison Klayman (“Ai Weiwei Never Sorry”) and Sarah Burns (“The Central Park Five”). 

EDA SPECIAL MENTION AWARDS

AWFJ Hall Of Shame:  “That’s My Boy”   

Actress Most in Need Of A New Agent (Tie): 

Katherine Heigl – “One For The Money”  
Reese Witherspoon – “This Means War”  

Movie You Wanted To Love But Just Couldn’t:  “Anna Karenina”                       

Unforgettable Moment (Tie): 

Anne Hathaway,as Fantine. singing “I Dreamed A Dream” – “Les Miserables”
Jessica Chastain as Maya, saying, “I’m the mother…” – “Zero Dark Thirty”

Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction:  Helen Hunt and John Hawkes – “The Sessions”                             

Sequel or Remake That Shouldn’t Have Been Made (Tie): 

”Red Dawn”   
“Total Recall”   

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest:  

Denzel Washington and Kelly Reilly…and Nadine Velazquez – “Flight“