Nominations for the 28th annual Chlotrudis Awards were finalized by the film group’s nominating committee this past weekend, ahead of its March 20th awards ceremony which the society will hold once again as a fully virtual event via Zoom. Films helmed by women had a spectacular showing among the 47 films included: 43 nominations were earned by films directed by women. All 16 of the categories had at least one female-led film among its list of finalists.
The heavy hitter among competitors, topping the list with eight nominations, was Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG. A quartet of films tied in second place, each pulling down 5 nominations: Asghar Farhadi’s A HERO; THE LOST DAUGHTER, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut; the Polish satire NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN, and QUO VADIS, AIDA?, a searing drama from Bosnia.
More than half of the nominations this year went to films made outside the US. Besides the expected strong showings from France and the UK, several other countries had multiple nominations including Germany, Mexico and Canada. It was an extraordinary year for two countries, Lesotho and Malta, with their first Chlotrudis nominations, for THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, BUT A RESURRECTION and LUZZU, respectively. Both made the cut as Buried Treasure finalists, the Society’s most prestigious category. The rest of the nominees are: the haunting, melancholic drama DIMLAND; THE FEVER, featuring Brazil’s indigenous community; Mexico’s IDENTIFYING FEATURES, and THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS, an animated drama from France.
The Buried Treasure is the only category with specific requirements. In pre-pandemic years, nominated films had to have earned less than $250,000 in its U.S. theatrical run. This rule was waived for 2020 and 2021. Members submitted 1 film they felt strongly was given distributional short shrift and deserve a wider audience. Once the final ballot is set, all members voting in the category must verify that they have watched at least 5 of the nominated films.
This year the Society voted to add an additional category to its nominations slate, that of SOUND DESIGN, in recognition of the specific contribution of aural effects within film, which may or may not include songs or music. The decision was an outgrowth of our last added category, USE OF MUSIC IN A FILM, and is a testament to the increasing sophistication, skill and variety shown by filmmakers in this area.
The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film highlights its commitment to independent and foreign film in style, holding its CHLOTRUDIS AWARDS ceremony in early spring. Its 28th celebration & ceremony will be presented on Zoom, 5pm EDT on Sunday March 20th. The public is invited to join Chlotrudis members, nominees and special guests in the fun. Please sign up for a free registration at our website.
Here follows the complete list of the nominations for the 28th Annual Chlotrudis Awards:
Best Movie
The Card Counter
The Killing of Two Lovers
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Red Post on Escher Street
Titane
Buried Treasure
Dimland
The Fever
Identifying Features
Luzzu
The Summit of the Gods
This is Not a Burial, But a Resurrection
Best Director
Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog
Asghar Farhadi for A Hero
Maggie Gyllenhaal for The Lost Daughter
Sion Soro for Red Post on Escher Street
Jasmila Zbanic for Quo Vadis, Aida?
Best Actress
Paula Beer for Undine
Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter
Jasna Djuricic for Quo Vadis, Aida?
Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza
Kiawentiio for Beans
Magdalena Kolensik for Sweat
Best Actor
Nicolas Cage for Willy’s Wonderland
Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog
Amir El-Masry for Limbo
Udo Kier for Swan Song
Luke Kirby for No Man of God
Alec Utgoff for Never Gonna Snow Again
Best Supporting Actress
Jessie Buckley for The Lost Daughter
Ann Dowd for Cowboys
Ann Dowd for Mass
Cici Lau for Los Lobos
Martha Plimpton for Mass
Juno Temple for Palmer
Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Abbott for The World to Come
Vikash Bhai for Limbo
Michael Chieffo for Fully Realized Humans
Jesse Plemons for The Power of the Dog
Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog
Mohsen Tanabandeh for A Hero
Best Original Screenplay
A Hero written by Asghar Farhadi
The Killing of Two Lovers written by Robert Machoian
Never Gonna Snow Again written by Michal Englert & Malgorzata Szumowska
Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time written by Lili Horvat
Shiva Baby written by Emma Seligman
Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy written by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Best Adapted Screenplay
CODA adapted by Sian Heder
The Father adapted by Florian Zeller
The Lost Daughter adapted by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Passing adapted by Rebecca Hall
The Power of the Dog adapted by Jane Campion
Quo Vadis, Aida? adapted by Jasmila Zbanic
Best Use of Music in a Film
Annette
Licorice Pizza
The Lost Daughter
Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised…)
The Summit of the Gods
Best Editing
A Hero
I Carry You With Me
The Power of the Dog
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Red Post on Escher Street
Best Sound Design
Gunda
The Humans
Identifying Features
Never Gonna Snow Again
Tragic Jungle
Best Cinematography
Atlantis
I Carry You With Me
The Power of the Dog
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Red Post on Escher Street
Best Production Design
John and the Hole
Lapsis
Passing
The Power of the Dog
Willy’s Wonderland
Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
A Hero
Never Gonna Snow Again
Red Post on Escher Street
Rocks
Shiva Baby
Best Documentary
Playing with Sharks: The Valerie Taylor Story
Some Kind of Heaven
Summer of Soul: (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised…)
The Truffle Hunters
The Velvet Underground