‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire,’ ‘Never Rarely Sometimes Always’ are big winners at 27th Chlotrudis Awards

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film has chosen Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire as Best Movie for their 27th annual awards, also giving the film their Best Cinematography prize to Claire Mathon.

Eliza Hittman’s Never Rarely Sometimes Always was the big winner, with three top prizes: Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for Hittman and Best Actress for newcomer Sidney Flanigan. Said a group member in their review of the film, “NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS could have been a maudlin film about teenager dealing with an unwanted pregnancy. But it’s not – thanks to the mesmerizing performance of the lead actress, Sidney Flanigan. It’s hard to believe that this is her debut role, but it is. Her ability to keep her innermost feelings hidden until she has to let them go, speaks to her restrained performance. We get to know her not through her words, but rather her revealing eyes and emotional facial expressions. Count on seeing Sidney Flanigan again.”

There was a tie in Best Actor between Oscar nominee Riz Ahmed in Sound of Metal and Levan Gelbakhiani for And Then We Danced. “Young, first-time actor/dancer Levan Gelbakhiani is outstanding as Merab. He conveys so much physicality in his dancing and his movements; and his expressive face and body language show his full emotional range, from determination to rage, to disappointment, to unfettered joy, to crushing disappointment. It’s all right out there on his sleeve in a manner that is heartbreaking and so open,” said the org.

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film is a non-profit organization that teaches audiences to view films actively, helps people experience the world through independent film, and encourages discussion and discourse about film and the world.

Here is the full list of nominations and winners in bold.

Best Movie
And Then We Danced
First Cow
Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (WINNER)
Sound of Metal

Buried Treasure
Cat in the Wall
Ghost Tropic (TIE-WINNER)
Light from Light (TIE-WINNER)
Marona’s Fantastic Tale
Song Without a Name
The Whistlers

Best Director
Kantemir Balagov for Beanpole
Eliza Hittman for Never Rarely Sometimes Always (WINNER)
Darius Marder for Sound of Metal
Kelly Reichardt for First Cow
Céline Sciamma for Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Actress
Tsai Chin for the role of Grandma in Lucky Grandma
Sidney Flanagan for the role of Autumn in Never Rarely Sometimes Always (WINNER)
Adèle Haenel for the role of Héloïse in Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Aubrey Plaza for the role of Allison in Black Bear
Eliza Scanlen for the role of Milla in Babyteeth
Evan Rachel Wood for the role of Old Dolio in Kajillionaire

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed for the role of Ruben in Sound of Metal (TIE-WINNER)
John Boyega for the role of Leroy Logan in Red, White and Blue
Levan Gelbakhiani for the role of Merab in And Then We Danced (TIE-WINNER)
Delroy Lindo for the role of Paul in Da 5 Bloods
John Magaro for the role of Cookie in First Cow
Mads Mikkelsen for the role of Martin in Another Round

Best Supporting Actress
Jane Adams for the role of Jane in She Dies Tomorrow
Toni Colette for the role of Mother in I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Hannah Mosqueda for the role of Jenny in Gutterbug
Vasilisa Perelygina for the role of Masha in Beanpole (WINNER)
Ramona Edith Williams for the role of Frances in Saint Frances
Debra Winger for the role of Theresa in Kajillionaire

Best Supporting Actor
Christopher Abbott for the role of Gabe in Black Bear
Orlin Asenov for the role of Jojo in Cat in the Wall (WINNER)
Oswin Benjamin for the role of D in The Forty-Year-Old Version
Ben Mendelsohn for the role of Henry in Babyteeth
Paul Raci for the role of Joe in Sound of Metal
David Thewlis for the role of Father in I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Best Original Screenplay
Farewell Amor, screenplay by Ekwa Msangi
Kajillionaire, screenplay by Miranda July
Never Rarely Sometimes Always, screenplay by Eliza Hittman (WINNER)
Sorry We Missed You, screenplay by Paul Laverty
Sound of Metal, screenplay by Darius Marder and Abraham Marder, story by Darius Marder and Derek Cianfrance

Best Adapted Screenplay
I’m Thinking of Ending Things screenplay by Charlie Kaufman, based on book by Ian Reid
Mouthpiece screenplay by Patricia Rozema based on Amy Nostbakken, Norah Sadava play
Shirley screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based on the book by Susan Scarf Merrell (WINNER)
Words on Bathroom Walls screenplay by Nick Naveda, based on the book by Julia Walton

Best Use of Music in a Film
And Then We Danced – Zviad Mgebry, Music Supervisor (TIE-WINNER)
I’m No Longer Here – Javier Nuño and Joe Rodriguez, Music Supervisors
Lovers Rock – Mica Levi, Composer; Ed Bailie and Abi Leland, Music Supervisors (TIE-WINNER)
Nobody Knows I’m Here – Carlos Cabezas, Music Supervisor
Sylvie’s Love – Fabrice Lecomte, Composer; Frankie Pine, Music Supervisor; Steven Argila, Music Producer

Best Editing
Robert Frazen, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Chris Dickens and Steve McQueen, Lovers Rock
Gabriel Rhodes, Time
Matthew Rankin, The Twentieth Century
Andrew Patterson, The Vast of Night (WINNER)

Best Cinematography
Mauro Herce, Fire Will Come
Benjamin Cracun, Monsoon
Claire Mathon, Portrait of a Lady on Fire (WINNER)
Katelin Arizmendi, Swallow
M.I. Littin-Menz, The Vast of Night

Best Production Design
Sergey Ivanov, Beanpole (WINNER)
Anthony Gasparro, First Cow
Molly Hughes and Merissa Lombardo, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Thomas Grézaud, Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Julien Tremblay, The Twentieth Century
Adam Dietrich, The Vast of Night

Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast
Another Round
Blow the Man Down
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Kajillionaire (WINNER)
Lovers Rock
Sorry We Missed You

Best Documentary
Boys State
Crip Camp
Dick Johnson is Dead
The Rabbi Goes West
Time (WINNER)

Images courtesy of NEON and Focus Features