As lovers of film, we here at Carbon Arc look at Oscar night with a certain amount of respect. It's a night dedicated to celebrating films, some of which would not get widespread attention otherwise. Carbon Arc's programming often overlaps with the Academy's picks; we recently screened Best Foreign Language Film nominee Tanna, and this Friday, March 3rd we will show another of the nominees at 7pm, Sweden's A Man Called Ove.
However, some of our favourite films go overlooked by the Academy each year. Thus, we have decided to take matters into our own hands for the first time! A small team of Carbon Arc's programmers, writers, volunteers, and all around cinephiles consisting of Chris Campbell, Carsten Knox, Nick Malbeuf, Zack Miller, and Hillary West teamed up to create our own awards, deemed the Arc-ademy Awards. After a round of nominations, the five of us cast our votes on a list ranging from the typical Oscar categories, and a few bonus slots. The final results reflect a slightly more eccentric taste in film to complement the movies honored by the real Academy. We hope you find some agreement with us, or use this list as a point of recommendation. So, without further ado, here are the nominees and winners from our very first Arc-ademy Awards:
Best Picture
American Honey
Cameraperson
Green Room
Lemonade
The Lobster
The Love Witch
Paterson
Things to Come
The Witch
WINNER: Moonlight
The much beloved film Moonlight took home Best Picture from us and the Oscars
Best Carbon Arc Screening
Chevalier
The Fits
The Love Witch
Mustang
WINNER: Cameraperson
Best Foreign Film
Embrace of the Serpent
Mustang
Neruda
Things to Come
WINNER: Toni Erdmann
Best Documentary Film
13th
Fire at Sea
Kate Plays Christine
Weiner
WINNER: Cameraperson
Kirsten Johnson's debut documentary feature Cameraperson screened in our fall season of films in 2016. We liked it enough to honor it with our Best Documentary, Best Carbon Arc Screening, and Best Editing awards.
Best Animated Film
Finding Dory
My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea
Window Horses
Zootopia
WINNER: Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Canadian Film
Maudie
Operation Avalance
We Can’t Make the Same Mistake Twice
Window Horses
WINNER: Werewolf
The story of a relationship struggling under the stress of a shared methadone addiction, local film Werewolf was our favourite Canadian film of the year. Join us Friday, March 3rd at 9:30pm for a screening of the film, fresh out of Berlinale. Writer/director Ashley McKenzie will be present for a Q&A.
Best Director
Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann
Anna Biller – The Love Witch
Pablo Larrain – Jackie/Neruda/The Club
Jeremy Saulnier – Green Room
WINNER: Barry Jenkins - Moonlight
Best Original Screenplay
Efthymis Filippou, Yorgos Lanthimos – The Lobster
Mia Hansen-Love – Things to Come
Jim Jarmusch - Paterson
Taylor Sheridan – Hell or High Water
WINNER: Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann
Best Adapted Screenplay
Xavier Dolan – It’s Only the End of the World
Eric Heisserer – Arrival
Whit Stillman – Love & Friendship
August Wilson – Fences
WINNER: Barry Jenkins, Tarell Alvin McCraney – Moonlight
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Annette Bening – 20th Century Women
Sasha Lane – American Honey
Ruth Negga – Loving
Natalie Portman – Jackie
WINNER: Isabelle Huppert – Things to Come
Although the Academy nominated Isabelle Huppert for her work in Elle, we preferred her performance in Mia Hansen-Løve's Things to Come.
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Adam Driver – Paterson
Colin Farrell – The Lobster
Daniel Radcliffe – Swiss Army Man
Trevante Rhodes – Moonlight
WINNER: Denzel Washington - Fences
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Viola Davis – Fences
Golshifteh Farahani – Paterson
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Janelle Monae – Moonlight/Hidden Figures
WINNER: Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Alden Ehrenreich – Hail, Caesar!
Ralph Fiennes – A Bigger Splash
John Goodman – 10 Cloverfield Lane
John Hurt – Jackie
WINNER: Mahershala Ali - Moonlight
Best Ensemble Cast
American Honey
A Bigger Splash
Hail, Caesar!
The Witch
WINNER: Moonlight
Best Cinematography
Jarin Blaschke - The Witch
Natasha Braier – Neon Demon
James Laxton – Moonlight
Bradford Young – Arrival
WINNER: Chung-hoon Chung – The Handmaiden
Park Chan-Wook's gorgeous romantic period thriller was shut out of the Oscars technical categories, but we couldn't resist it's cinematography.
Best Editing
Joi McMillon, Nat Sanders – Moonlight
Sebastian Sepulveda -Jackie
Joe Walker – Arrival
WINNER (TIE):
Nels Bangerter - Cameraperson
Louise Ford – The Witch
Best Original Score
Beyoncé – Lemonade
Nicholas Britell – Moonlight
Mark Korven – The Witch
Dario Marianelli – Kubo & the Two Strings
WINNER: Mica Levi – Jackie
Best Costume Design
Madeline Fontaine – Jackie
Linda Muir – The Witch
Eimer Ní Mhaoldomhnaigh – Love & Friendship
Mary Zophres – Hail, Caesar!
WINNER: Anna Biller – The Love Witch
While writing, directing, producing, editing, scoring, and set designing, The Love Witch's Anna Biller also found time to design our favourite costumes of the year. The film had a special Halloween screening at our cinema last fall.
Best Hair & Make-up
Jackie
The Love Witch
Star Trek Beyond
Swiss Army Man
WINNER: Hail, Caesar!
George Clooney breaks the fourth wall in the Coen brothers underappreciated film Hail, Caesar!
Best Production Design
Anna Biller – The Love Witch
Dante Ferretti – Silence
Craig Lathrop - The Witch
Jean Rabasse – Jackie
WINNER: Jess Gonchor – Hail, Caesar!
Best Visual Effects
Arrival
The Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Star Trek Beyond
WINNER: Kubo and the Two Strings
Best Sound Editing
Arrival
The Fits
Jackie
Moonlight
WINNER: The Witch
Best Sound Mixing
10 Cloverfield Lane
The Handmaiden
La La Land
Moonlight
WINNER: Arrival
Best Original Song
“Able” – Hidden Figures
“Audition” – La La Land
“Equal Rights” – Popstar
“How Far I’ll Go” – Moana
WINNER: “I’m So Humble” - Popstar
Best “That Guy” Appearance (Best Character Actor)
Adam Driver – Midnight Special
Billy Crudup – Jackie/20th Century Women
WINNER: John Carroll Lynch – The Invitation/The Founder/Jackie
We hope you enjoyed our picks for the year! If not, we are always happy to discuss at our Friday night screenings!