2016 International Cinephile Society (ICS) Awards Love Carol
The 13th International Cinephile Society‘s Best Picture of 2015 has been awarded to Carol, Todd Haynes’ gorgeous and evocative drama of forbidden love of two women in the 1950s based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel and adapted by Phyllis Nagy. Carol won five awards overall, an all-time high for a single film in the ICS’s 13-year history. Along with Best Picture it won Best Director (Todd Haynes), Best Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay (Phyllis Nagy) and Best Original Score (Carter Burwell).
Gaspard Ulliel’s mesmerizing turn at Yves Saint Laurent in Saint Laurent earned him the Best Actor prize and the supporting categories were won by Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria (which also won Original Screenplay and a place in the top 5 films of the year) and Oscar Isaac for Ex Machina.
Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s immersive tale of moral choices, The Assassin, leapt high atop the list for best film not in the English language, while also winning honors for its stunning cinematography by Mark Lee Ping Bin and for production designer Wen-Ying Huang’s sumptuous recreation of medieval China.
Here is the FULL list of winners and runners-up (where applicable) of the 13th International Cinephile Society Awards.
02. The Assassin
03. Mad Max: Fury Road
04. Clouds of Sils Maria
05. 45 Years
06. Li’l Quinquin
07. Inside Out
08. The Duke of Burgundy
09. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
10. Arabian Nights
11. Tangerine
Todd Haynes for Carol
Runner-up:
Hou Hsiao-Hsien for The Assassin
Rooney Mara for Carol
Runner-up:
Charlotte Rampling for 45 Years
Gaspard Ulliel for Saint Laurent
Runner-up:
Géza Röhrig for Son of Saul
Kristen Stewart for Clouds of Sils Maria
Runner-up:
Mya Taylor for Tangerine
Oscar Isaac for Ex Machina
Runner-up:
Walton Goggins for The Hateful Eight
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem
Runner-up:
Spotlight
Phyllis Nagy for Carol
Andrew Haigh for 45 Years
Olivier Assayas for Clouds of Sils Maria
Runner-up:
Jessica Hausner for Amour Fou
Margaret Sixel for Mad Max: Fury Road
Matyas Fekete for The Duke of Burgundy
Carter Burwell for Carol
Runner-up:
Rich Vreeland a.k.a. Disasterpeace for It Follows
Heart of a Dog
Runner-up:
In Jackson Heights
Inside Out
Runner-up:
When Marnie Was There
02. Li’l Quinquin
03. A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence
04. Arabian Nights
05. Jauja
06. Son of Saul
07. Amour Fou
08. Phoenix
09. Hard to Be a God
10. Saint Laurent
11. La Sapienza
Honorable Mentions: In a great year for non-English language films, four made our Best Picture list, and the competition for slots on the non-English language list was truly fierce. This year it took many more votes to make it than in prior years. So we include here four honorable mentions: outstanding films that just missed, yet were passionately loved by a minority and certainly deserved this accolade.
• Horse Money
• Mustang
• Timbuktu
• The Tribe
Mark Lee Ping Bin for The Assassin
Runner-up:
Ed Lachman for Carol
Wen-Ying Huang for The Assassin
Runner-up:
Judy Becker for Carol
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2025 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTOR (November) - November 15, 2024
- Nicole Kidman to Receive International Star Award for ‘Babygirl’ from Palm Springs International Film Awards - November 15, 2024
- Conan O’Brien to Host 2025 Oscars: “America Demanded It!” - November 15, 2024
From ‘Alien’ to ‘Gladiator,’ How Ridley Scott Uses His Own Legacy to Elevate IP Cinema 
2025 Oscar Predictions: BEST ACTOR (November) 
Nicole Kidman to Receive International Star Award for ‘Babygirl’ from Palm Springs International Film Awards 
‘Red One’ Review: The North Pole Has Fallen For Johnny Storm and The Rock