‘Parasite,’ ‘1917’ top Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) winners

The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) have chosen Parasite as the best film of 2019, also rewarding the South Korean darkly comedic thriller Best Director (Bong Joon Ho), Best Original Screenplay (Bong and Jin Wan Han), Best Film Editing (Jinmo Yang) and International Feature.

1917 was another big winner, sweeping the techs including Production & Set Design, Cinematography, Sound and Score. Little Women took Adapted Screenplay and Knives Out was selected as the Best Ensemble.

The acting prizes took some unique turns from what many critics groups have given us. While they stayed in the Brad Pitt lane for supporting actor, Awkwafina was named best actress for The Farewell.

Puerto Rican-American actress Jennifer Lopez is the recipient of this year’s Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award. Best known for her breakout role as the title character in the 1997 biopic Selena, Lopez has worked on countless films and TV shows in the last 34 years, including Gregory Nava’s My Family, Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight and on the NBC crime drama Shades of Blue.  This year, Lopez made a huge splash in the film Hustlers, a role that earned her a win in the group’s Best Supporting Actress category.

Winning LEJA’s Latino Activism Award this year is Mexican-American actress, producer, director, businesswoman, and activist Eva Longoria. Longoria is best known for her role on eight seasons of the hit ABC TV show Desperate Housewives. This year, she was seen on the big screen in Dora and the Lost City of Gold. Along with her work in Hollywood, Longoria has been active in a number of worthy causes throughout her career, including immigration rights and reform, Latino voting and migrant labor conditions. In 2017, Longoria spearheaded the first “Latinas Who Lunch” meeting that saw Latinas in Hollywood come together on a monthly basis to talk about how to support each other in the industry and create more opportunities for Latinas in TV and film.

This year, LEJA’s Breakout Award goes to Cuban actress Ana de Armas for her lead role in the hit whodunit thriller Knives Out. In the film, de Armas plays Marta Cabrera, the caretaker of a patriarch whose mysterious death points back to many of his family members who had a motive for murder. Before Knives Out, De Armas, who is originally from Santa Cruz del Norte, Cuba, starred in such films as War Dogs and Blade Runner 2049.

Founded in 2018, LEJA provides a much-needed opportunity for journalists from the United States to have their works amplified and heard in the areas of film, television, music, theatre, and the arts. Accepting of all backgrounds and identities, LEJA embraces anyone who identifies as Latino, Latina, Latinx, Hispanic, Afro-Latino, Afro-Latina, Latin@, Spanish, or any inclusive and progressive description that champions and accelerates the voices of our culture from around the world.

The full list of winners of the 2019 Latino Entertainment Journalists Association Film Awards are listed below.

Best Picture 

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Pippa Harris, Callum McDougall, Sam Mendes, Jay-Ann Tenggren
• “The Farewell” (A24) – Daniele Melia, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng, Lulu Wang, Anita Gou
• “Hustlers” (STX Films) – Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Jennifer Lopez
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Martin Scorsese, Robert DeNiro, Jane Rosenthal, Gaston Pavlovich, Randall Emmett, Emma Tillinger Koskoff
• “Marriage Story” (Netflix) – Noah Baumbach, David Heyman, Craig Shilowhich
• “Monos” (NEON) – Fernando Epstein, Alejandro Landes, Cristina Landes, Santiago A. Zapata
• “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – Quentin Tarantino, David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh
• “Pain and Glory” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Agustín Almodóvar
• “Parasite” (NEON) – Young-Hwan Jang, Kwak Sin-ae – WINNER
• “The Two Popes” (Netflix) – Dan Lin, Jonathan Eirich, Tracey Seaward

Best Director

• Pedro Almodovar, “Pain and Glory” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite” (NEON) – WINNER
• Fernando Meirelles, “The Two Popes” (Netflix)
• Sam Mendes, “1917” (Universal Pictures)
• Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman” (Netflix)
• Lulu Wang, “The Farewell” (A24)

Best Actor

• Antonio Banderas, “Pain and Glory” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Leonardo DiCaprio, “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures)
• Adam Driver, “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
• Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker” (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
• Juan Pablo Olyslager, “Temblores” (Film Movement)
• Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems” (A24)

Best Actress

• Awkwafina, “The Farewell” (A24) – WINNER
• Ana de Armas, “Knives Out” (Lionsgate)
• Gabriela Cartol, “The Chambermaid” (Kino Lorber) 
• Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
• Lupita Nyong’o, “Us” (Universal Pictures)
• Renée Zellweger, “Judy” (Roadside Attractions)

Best Supporting Actor

• Moises Arias, “Monos” (NEON)
• Willem Dafoe, “The Lighthouse” (A24)
• Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes” (Netflix)
• Al Pacino, “The Irishman” (Netflix)
• Joe Pesci, “The Irishman” (Netflix)
• Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – WINNER

Best Supporting Actress

• Laura Dern, “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
• Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers” (STX Films) – WINNER
• Fernanda Montenegro, “Invisible Life” (Amazon Studios)
• Margot Robbie, “Bombshell” (Lionsgate)
• Taylor Russell, “Waves” (A24)
• Zhao Shuzhen, “The Farewell” (A24)

Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance

• Tony Hale, “Toy Story 4” (Pixar)
• Tom Hanks, “Toy Story 4” (Pixar)
• Shirley Henderson, “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Walt Disney Pictures)
• Rosa Salazar, “Alita: Battle Angel” (20th Century Fox) – WINNER
• Will Smith, “Aladdin” (Walt Disney Pictures)
• Danny Trejo, “Dora and the Lost City of Gold” (Paramount Pictures)

Best Animated Feature

• “Frozen II” (Pixar) – Peter Del Vecho, Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck
• “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” (DreamWorks Animation) – Dean DeBlois, Bonnie Arnold, Brad Lewis 
• “I Lost My Body” (Netflix) – Jérémy Clapin
• “Klaus” (Netflix) – Sergio Pablos 
• “Missing Link” (Laika) – Chris Butler, Travis Knight, Arianne Sutner
• “Toy Story 4” (Pixar) – Jonas Rivera – WINNER

Best International Feature

• “The Chambermaid” (Mexico)
• “Invisible Life” (Brazil)
• “Monos” (Colombia)
• “Pain and Glory” (Spain)
• “Parasite” (South Korea) – WINNER
• “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” (France)

Best Documentary Feature

• “American Factory” (Netflix)
• “Apollo 11” (NEON)
• “Edge of Democracy” (Netflix)
• “Knock Down the House” (Netflix) – WINNER
• “One Child Nation” (Amazon Studios)
• “Midnight Family” (1091)

Best Original Screenplay

• Lulu Wang, “The Farewell” (A24)
• Rian Johnson, “Knives Out” (Lionsgate)
• Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story” (Netflix)
• Pedro Almodovar, “Pain and Glory” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han, “Parasite” (NEON) – WINNER
• Issa Lopez, “Tigers Are Not Afraid” (Videocine)

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Lorene Scafaria, “Hustlers” (STX Films)
• Steven Zaillian, “The Irishman” (Netflix)
• Karim Ainouz, Ines Bortagaray, Murilo Hauser, “Invisible Life” (Amazon Studios)
• Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, “Joker” (Warner Bros.)
• Greta Gerwig, “Little Women” (Sony Pictures) – WINNER
• Anthony McCarten, “The Two Popes” (Netflix)

Best Ensemble Casting

• “Hustlers” (STX Films) – Gayle Keller
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Ellen Lewis
• “Knives Out” (Lionsgate) – Mary Vernieu – WINNER
• “Monos” (NEON) – Eyde Belasco, Alexis Dos Santos, Daniela Schneider
• “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – Victoria Thomas
• “Parasite” (NEON) – Nominee(s) TBA

Best Production & Set Design

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Dennis Gasner, Lee Sandales – WINNER
• “Invisible Life” (Amazon Studios) – Rodrigo Martirena
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Bob Shaw, Regina Graves
• “Knives Out” (Lionsgate) – David Crank, David Schlesinger
• “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – Barbara Ling, Nancy Haigh
• “The Two Popes” (Netflix) – Mark Tildesley, Véronique Melery

Best Cinematography

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Roger Deakins – WINNER
• “Birds of Passage” (The Orchard) – David Gallego
• “Ford v Ferrari” (20th Century Fox) – Phedon Papamichael
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Rodrigo Prieto
• “Joker” (Warner Bros.) – Lawrence Sher
• “Monos” (NEON) – Jasper Wolf

Best Costume Design

• “Birds of Passage” (The Orchard) – Catherine Rodriguez
• “Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix) – Ruth E. Carter – WINNER
• “Hustlers” (STX Films) – Mitchell Travers
• “Little Women” (Sony Pictures) – Jacqueline Durran
• “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – Arianne Phillips
• “Rocketman” (Paramount Pictures) – Julian Day

Best Film Editing

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Lee Smith
• “Ford v Ferrari” (20th Century Fox) – Michael McCusker
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Thelma Schoonmaker
• “Parasite” (NEON) – Jinmo Yang – WINNER
• “The Two Popes” (Netflix) – Fernando Stutz
• “Uncut Gems” (A24) – Ben Safdie, Ronald Bronstein

Best Hair & Makeup

• “Bombshell” (Lionsgate) – Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan, Vivian Baker – WINNER
• “Dolemite Is My Name” (Netflix) – Debra Denson, Carla Farmer, Vera Steimberg Moder, Stacey Morris
• “Hustlers” (STX Films) – Margot Boccia, Angel De Angelis
• “Invisible Life” (Amazon Studios) – Rosemary Paiva
• “Joker” (Warner Bros.) – Nicki Ledermann, Kay Georgiou
• “Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood” (Sony Pictures) – Janine Rath, Heba Thorisdottir

Best Sound Design

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Stuart Wilson, Scott Millan, Mark Taylor, Oliver Tarney – WINNER
• “Ad Astra” (20th Century Fox) – Tom Johnson, Gary Rydstrom, Mark Ulano, Grant Elder
• “Ford v Ferrari” (20th Century Fox) – Richard Bullock, Jr., Paul Massey, Steven Morrow, Donald Sylvester
• “The Irishman” (Netflix) – Tom Fleischman, Tod A. Maitland, Phillip Stockton, Eugene Gearty
• “Monos” (NEON) – Eduardo Castillo, Lena Esquenazi, Javier Farina, Javier Umpierrez
• “Tigers Are Not Afraid” (VideoCine) – Mark Allen, Martin Hernandez, Maluz Orozco, Alejandro Quevedo

Best Visual Effects

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Guillaume Rocheron, Greg Butler, Dominic Tuohy
• “Ad Astra” (20th Century Fox) – 
• “Alita: Battle Angel” (20th Century Fox) – 
• “Avengers: Endgame” (Marvel Studios) – Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Kelly Port, Daniel Sudick – WINNER
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (Walt Disney Pictures) – Roger Guyett, Dominic Tuohy
• “Tigers Are Not Afraid” (VideoCine) – Alejandra García Zúñiga, Raul Prado

Best Stunts

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Nominees TBA
• “Avengers: Endgame” (Marvel Studios) – Nominees TBA – WINNER
• “Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (Universal Pictures) – Nominees TBA
• “Ford v Ferrari” (20th Century Fox) – Nominees TBA
• “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (Lionsgate) – Nominees TBA
• “Terminator: Dark Fate” (Paramount Pictures) – Nominees TBA

Best Score

• “1917” (Universal Pictures) – Thomas Newman – WINNER
• “Joker” (Warner Bros.) – Hildur Guðnadóttir
• “Little Women” (Sony Pictures) – Alexandre Desplat
• “Marriage Story” (Netflix) – Randy Newman
• “Monos” (NEON) – Mica Levi
• “Us” (Universal Pictures) – Michael Abels

Best Song

• “Speechless” from “Aladdin” (Walt Disney Pictures) – Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
• “Into the Unknown” from “Frozen II” (Pixar) – Music and Lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez
• “Stand Up” from “Harriet” (Focus Features) – Music and Lyrics by Cynthia Erivo,Joshuah Brian Campbell, Will Wells, Gabe Fox-Peck
• “Yo Soy el Fuego” from “La Flor” (Grasshopper Film) – Music by Gabriel Chwojnik; Lyrics by Mariano Llinás
• “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” (Paramount Pictures) – Music and Lyrics by Elton John and Bernie Taupin – WINNER
• “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from “Wild Rose” (NEON) – Music and Lyrics by Mary Steenburgen, Caitlyn Smith, Kate York

Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award

• Jennifer Lopez

Latino Activism Award

• Eva Longoria

Latino Breakout Award

• Ana de Armas

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

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.

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