Screen’s group of anonymous Oscar voters explain how they came to the decisions they did, how a Bafta win prompted a rethink and what they make of this year’s awards season.
Marketing and public relations executive, female
What and for whom did you vote for in best film, director, lead actor and actress, and international film?
Elvis for best film. Steven Spielberg for best director [for The Fabelmans]. Although had they been nominated, as they should have been, I might have voted for either Baz Luhrman [Elvis] or Sarah Polley [Women Talking], both of whom took material that could have gone so wrong and created great, albeit very different, works. Having said that I would probably still have voted for Spielberg.
Lead actor was very tough. I was torn between Bill Nighy, Colin Farrell and Austin Butler. Nighy got my Bafta vote and Butler my Ampas vote. Farrell was deserving but was just edged out. I think the other two performances were career-topping (Nighy) and career-making (Butler), just a very small bit more than Farrell’s.
Best actress was a bit easier. Michelle Yeoh got my vote for delivering a multi-layered performance that anchored Everything Everywhere All At Once. I forgot I was watching an actress because I was engrossed in the various personas she created throughout the film. Watching Tar I was always aware I was watching Cate Blanchett pretending to be a conductor and a complicated woman.
If it existed, Ana de Armas should get an honourable mention for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in Blonde.
International film was another tough category. All of these are deserving of the Oscar but I ended up voting for Argentina, 1985 because it took a fresh approach to both history and courtroom drama with touches of wit and humour as well as drama and suspense.
Have you changed your mind over the many months of the awards season about any of the categories?
I went back and forth on my picks for best actor and international film. At the end of the day, for best actor I finally decided to go with what I thought were career-defining portrayals for my picks for the Oscar and Bafta.
For the International film, my selection changed as I saw each one. EO was my early choice because it haunted me and stayed with me, but then I saw All Quiet On The Western Front and that haunted and stayed with me, and the same thing happened as I saw all of the nominees. But the first of the nominated films I saw stayed with me and meant the most to me which is why I ended up voting for Argentina, 1985.
Have any big wins at the Baftas or guild awards encouraged you to take another look at a film or performance?
Yes – I changed my vote for best supporting actor to Barry Keoghan [The Banshees Of Inisherin] after his Bafta win. That win made me look at his performance again and reminded me how deep his work was.
As we near the end, what is your big takeaway from this awards season?
This was a very strong year – so strong that many worthwhile films, directors and performances didn’t make the cut. And sadly this meant that women and people of color were the ones who were mainly shut out. Nominations for film, acting and directing should be opened to the full membership to reflect the diversity that’s growing in our industry. That’s my biggest takeaway.
Just to get it off my chest, my other takeaway is how much I dislike the horse race aspect that dominates the nominations and the prognostications. It’s sad that a lot of Bafta and Ampas voters don’t see enough movies to make thoughtful nominations. There’s no excuse if you’ve been privileged enough to be inducted into one or both of these groups not to try to see as many movies as possible and vote by what you’ve seen, not by what you’ve heard about.
Marketing and distribution executive, female
What and for whom have you voted for in the categories of film, director, lead actor and actress, and international film
It’s never advisable to reveal one’s choices. I always prefer to take the “Darling, you were marvellous!” route and cover my tracks. The performances in all categories are an embarrassment of riches. I would have voted for Viola Davis [for The Woman King] or Danielle Deadwyler [for Till] if I’d had that option. In the end, I went with Cate Blanchett because that’s a stupendous performance. I can’t imagine anyone else playing that part, ever. Austin Butler had my vote because a young actor I never heard of who doesn’t look like Elvis managed to convince me that he actually was Elvis. Uncanny.
My film choices were a mixed bag, featuring donkeys, women, a little girl, flyboys, an indisputable master’s autobiography. I know that some voters choose a favourite film and vote for it across the board, ticking every category it features in. To me, that looks a bit lazy. I spend a long time deciding who should get my support even when I suspect they won’t go the distance. It’s always personal. And in the international category, it was simply stunning to see a first-time film – The Quiet Girl – make it to the final five.
Have you changed your mind over the many months of the awards season about any of the categories?
Not really, except in those instances where something at the top of my list didn’t make it through the last hurdle. I try to see everything as soon as it’s available to me – some films I saw very early on via links or at festivals. I don’t make a list – spectacular filmmaking sticks with you; themes resonate with you; you fall hard for certain performances and you remain loyal to those first impressions. This doesn’t mean that a latecomer can’t eclipse them.
As we near the end, what is your big takeaway from this awards season?
There are some terrific filmmakers out there and awards season is an excellent opportunity for them to introduce themselves. Voters see films they might not have elected to watch without the focus of the prizes but it’s a genuine ‘the journey not the arrival matters’ scenario. From that perspective, everyone wins. Did you ever hear of The Daniels, Stephanie Hsu, Paul Mescal, Austin Butler, Charlotte Wells before now? Me neither.
Marketing and public relations executive, male
What and for whom did you vote for in the best film, director, lead actor and actress, and international film categories?
Everything Everywhere All At Once for best picture, the Daniels for best directing, Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser [for The Whale]. All Quiet On The Western Front for best international feature film.
Have you changed your mind over the many months of the awards season about any of the categories?
Yes – as I’ve seen more of the movies, I have been able to rule out certain movies and people. The Banshees Of Inisherin fell by the wayside. I felt like I was being gaslit when I watched that.
Have any big wins at the Baftas or guild awards encouraged you to take another look at a film or performance?
Each big society, association or guild win have refocused my scrutiny on each nomination in each category.
As we near the end, what is your big takeaway from this awards season?
The awards season is irrelevant to the average consumer and to the monetary business of each picture but it is a necessity to each individual talent in each category on each picture as it helps them to redetermine their rates and the types of projects they want to be working on and associated with.
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