17th International Cinephile Society (ICS) awards: ‘Pain and Glory’ named Best Picture

The international group chose outside the box winner like Vitalina Varela for Best Actress and eclectic doc Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream in three categories

For the 17th annual edition of its awards, ICS has created a brand new format: a single announcement of the winners, runners-up and other finalists. The Best Picture list is now comprised of 25 films released in various countries throughout the world, allowing them to discontinue the Non-English Language list and the Unreleased Films list. They have also added two new categories: Debut Feature and Sound Design.

Pedro Almodóvar’s semi-autobiographical masterwork Pain and Glory took top honors this year, winning best picture and best actor. The film showcases Antonio Banderas in a vulnerable, nuanced turn as the director’s alter ego, struggling with the piss and jasmine of middle age, lost relationships and a lifelong devotion to cinema.

Best director went to Céline Sciamma for her lovely and intelligent Portrait of a Lady on Fire, while Adèle Haenel, as the titular lady, earned the supporting actress prize. Bong Joon Ho’s Parasite was another hot ICS favorite, infiltrating the ranks to nab original screenplay, ensemble and production design awards on its underdog path to the Oscars.

Lead actress winner Vitalina Varela displayed amazing power and grace as a Cape Verde widow learning some hard truths about her deceased husband’s immigrant life in Portugal, as she became the haunted face of Pedro Costa’s Vitalina Varela. The film also won best cinematography thanks to Leonardo Simões’ dark, poetic lensing. And aging gangster Joe Pesci fought off old salt Willem Dafoe to take supporting actor honors for The Irishman.

Speaking of underdogs, Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream, in which obsessive cinephile Frank Beauvais survives depression via an astonishing montage of movie clips, spun heads in the documentary, editing and debut feature categories.

Formed in 2003, the International Cinephile Society is an online group made up of approximately 120 accredited journalists, film scholars, historians and other industry professionals who cover film festivals and events on five continents.

The full list of ICS winners and nominees appears below.

Best Picture
1. Pain and Glory (WINNER)
2. Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
3. Portrait of a Lady on Fire
4. Synonyms
5. Long Day’s Journey Into Night
6. The Irishman
7. Vitalina Varela
8. Marriage Story
9. Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream
10. An Elephant Sitting Still
11. Little Women
12. Transit
13. Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
14. The Image Book
15. Uncut Gems
16. Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo
17. La Llorona
18. I Was at Home, But…
19. La Flor
20. High Life
21. Martin Eden
22. The Souvenir
23. Leto
24. A Hidden Life
25. Ash Is Purest White

Best Debut Feature
Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream (WINNER)
An Elephant Sitting Still (RUNNER-UP)
Atlantique
The Chambermaid
End of the Century
The Last Black Man in San Francisco

Best Director
Cèline Sciamma, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (WINNER)
Pedro Almodovar, Pain and Glory (RUNNER-UP)
Pedro Costa, Vitalina Varela
Bi Gan, Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Nadav Lapid, Synonyms

Best Actress
Vitalina Varela, Vitalina Varela (WINNER)
Zhao Tao, Ash Is Purest White (RUNNER-UP)
Virginie Efira, Sybil
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Lupita Nyong’o, Us
Noemie Merlant, Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Actor
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory (WINNER)
Tom Mercier, Synonyms (RUNNER-UP)
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Luca Marinelli, Martin Eden
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

Best Original Screenplay
Parasite (WINNER)
Pain and Glory (RUNNER-UP)
Marriage Story
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Synonyms

Best Adapted Screenplay
Transit (WINNER)
Little Women (RUNNER-UP)
An Elephant Sitting Still
Asako I & II
The Irishman
Martin Eden

Best Supporting Actor
Joe Pesci, The Irishman (WINNER)
Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse (RUNNER-UP)
Tom Burke, The Souvenir
Asier Etxeandia, Pain and Glory
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Song Kang-ho, Parasite

Best Supporting Actress
Adele Haenel, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (WINNER)
Cho Yeo-jeong, Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Sandra Huller, Sybil
Margarita Kenefic, La Llorona
Fatma Mohamed, In Fabria

Best Animated Picture
I Lost My Body (WINNER)
Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles(RUNNER-UP)
Bombay Rose
Children of the Sea
No. 7 Cherry Lane
Toy Story 4

Best Documentary
Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream (WINNER)
Honeyland (RUNNER-UP)
Apollo 11
For Sama
M
Varda by Agnes

Best Cinematography
Vitalina Varela (WINNER)
Long Day’s Journey Into Night (RUNNER-UP)
1917
Atlantique
The Lighthouse
Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Original Score
A Hidden Life (WINNER)
Pain and Glory (RUNNER-UP)
Ad Astra
Joker
Marriage Story
Uncut Gems

Best Production Design
Parasite (WINNER)
Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (RUNNER-UP)
High Life
The Lighthouse
Little Joe
Pain and Glory

Best Film Editing
Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream (WINNER)
Parasite (RUNNER-UP)
The Image Book
The Irishman
Synonyms
Uncut Gems

Best Sound Design
Ad Astra (WINNER)
Climax (RUNNER-UP)
1917
The Lighthouse
Monos
Uncut Gems

Best Ensemble
Parasite (WINNER)
La Flor (RUNNER-UP)
The Irishman
La Llorona
Little Women
Pain and Glory