‘The Favourite,’ ‘Roma,’ and ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ top Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) nominations

Another superb year for great films comes to a close and the diverse members of the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) have selected which achievements are among the year’s best.

“We expect nothing but the best from our members, and this year certainly doesn’t disappoint,” said Wesley Lovell, who alongside Nguyen Le and Bavner Donaldo runs the organization as part of its Governing Committee.

Yorgos’ Lanthimos’ biting period satire, “The Favourite,” led the nominations with eight citations, including three for its cast (Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, and Rachel Weisz) as well as director and writing.

Alfonso Cuarón’s intimate love letter to Mexico and to cinema, “Roma,” pulled in seven nominations including director, writing, and star Yalitza Aparicio in the lead actress category. Barry Jenkins’ tender exploration of personal strength in an unjust world, “If Beale Street Could Talk,” was nominated in six categories including director, supporting actress Regina King, and adapted screenplay.

Joining Lanthimos, Cuarón, and Jenkins in the directing category were Spike Lee, whose blistering look at race relations in America, “BlacKkKlansman,” was also nominated for best picture along with star John David Washington in the lead category, Adam Driver in support, and writing; and Lynne Ramsay for her crime thriller “You Were Never Really Here,” which also earned nominations for lead actor Joaquin Phoenix and best picture.

The other nominees for Best Picture are “Annihilation,” “Eighth Grade,” “First Reformed,” “Hereditary,” “A Star Is Born,” and “Suspiria.”

“It’s going to be thrilling, considering how many filmmakers and performers this year possess such a distinct and statement-making print,” Le said. 

Recent OFCS Best Picture winners include “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Moonlight,” and “Get Out.” Winners of the 22nd Online Film Critics Society Awards will be announced on January 2, 2019. 

The Online Film Critics Society, composed of 284 film critics whose works appear mainly on the internet, was founded in 1997 to support online critics and provide them a unified voice in the then-dominant culture of print journalism.

“Collectively, our members represent thousands of years of experience in film journalism and our passion for movies brought us together from various walks of life.” Lovell noted. “With a wide array of interests, backgrounds, and regional and cultural viewpoints, we have one of the broadest and most far-reaching networks of film writers in the world with each bringing their own diversity and voice to their work.”

Here is the full list of nominations for the 22nd Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) awards.

BEST PICTURE
Annihilation
BlacKkKlansman
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
First Reformed
Hereditary
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma
A Star Is Born
Suspiria
You Were Never Really Here

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Incredibles 2
Isle of Dogs
Mirai
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

BEST DIRECTOR
Alfonso Cuarón – Roma
Barry Jenkins – If Beale Street Could Talk
Yorgos Lanthimos – The Favourite
Spike Lee – BlacKkKlansman
Lynne Ramsay – You Were Never Really Here

BEST LEAD ACTOR
Christian Bale – Vice
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
Ethan Hawke – First Reformed
Joaquin Phoenix – You Were Never Really Here
John David Washington – BlacKkKlansman

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Yalitza Aparicio – Roma
Toni Collette – Hereditary
Olivia Colman – The Favourite
Regina Hall – Support the Girls
Lady Gaga – A Star Is Born

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali – Green Book
Adam Driver – BlacKkKlansman
Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Michael B. Jordan – Black Panther
Steven Yeun – Burning

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Elizabeth Debicki – Widows
Regina King – If Beale Street Could Talk
Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie – Leave No Trace
Emma Stone – The Favourite
Rachel Weisz – The Favourite

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Eighth Grade
The Favourite
First Reformed
Roma
Sorry to Bother You

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
BlacKkKlansman
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
If Beale Street Could Talk
Leave No Trace
Widows

BEST EDITING
The Favourite
First Man
Mission: Impossible – Fallout
Roma
Widows

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Cold War
The Favourite
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Roma

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Black Panther
First Man
If Beale Street Could Talk
Isle of Dogs
Suspiria

BEST DEBUT FEATURE
Ari Aster – Hereditary
Bo Burnham – Eighth Grade
Bradley Cooper – A Star Is Born
Carlos López Estrada – Blindspotting
Boots Riley – Sorry to Bother You

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Burning
Cold War
Roma
Shoplifters
Zama

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Shirkers
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

About the Online Film Critics Society
Established in 1997, the Online Film Critics Society continues to support and champion the best of global online film criticism. With an international membership, work is published in over 15 languages and covers cinema from around the world. More information can be found at www.ofcs.org.