If you were paying attention to yesterday’s BAFTAs nominations – and the Best Directors category, in particular – you’d be forgiven for thinking that not much is changing in the world of British film. There were all the usual shocking-but-not-surprising omissions for the female filmmakers that everyone had tipped for recognition in another majority male line-up, with Celine Song’s ‘Past Lives’ and Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ the two biggest snubs.
But there’s another story in British filmmaking and it’s told eloquently by today’s line-up of nominees for this year’s Girls on Film Awards. The annual gongs dished out each year by Britain’s biggest feminist film podcast also made space to shine a light on female talent involved in ‘Scrapper’, ‘Polite Society’ and ‘Saltburn’, among other 2023 releases.
This positive moment for female filmmaking, British and international, is best captured in a trio of Best Feature Film nominees – ‘Anatomy of a Fall’, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Past Lives’ – that acknowledge three major female-led success stories.
The awards, which reward ‘excellence in women-focused films in the fields of diversity, inclusion and the representation of women and people of marginalised genders, also include categories for ‘Female Friendship Award’, ‘Ensemble Cast Award’, ‘Girls On Film Ally Award’ and the big one, ‘Female Orgasm Award’. You don’t get that at the BAFTAs, either.
Here are the nominees in full:
Fiction Feature Award
ANATOMY OF A FALL
BARBIE
PAST LIVES
Documentary Feature Award
ANOTHER BODY
KOKOMO CITY
THE ETERNAL MEMORY
Female Friendship Award
HOW TO HAVE SEX
NYAD
POLITE SOCIETY
Ensemble Cast Award
BARBIE
BOTTOMS
HOW TO HAVE SEX
Girls On Film Ally Award
DAVY CHOU, RETURN TO SEOUL
WILLIAM OLDROYD, EILEEN
PARIS ZARCILLA, RAGING GRACE
Composer Award
LAURA KARPMAN, AMERICAN FICTION
MICA LEVI, THE ZONE OF INTEREST
EMILIE LEVIENAISE-FARROUCH, ALL OF US STRANGERS
Cinematography Award
ASHLEY CONNOR, POLITE SOCIETY
MOLLY MANNING WALKER, SCRAPPER
ARI WEGNER, EILEEN
Production Design Award
SARAH GREENWOOD & KATIE SPENCER, BARBIE
SHONA HEATH & JAMES PRICE, POOR THINGS
TAMARA DEVERELL, PRISCILLA
SUZIE DAVIES & CHARLOTTE DIRICKX, SALTBURN
Costume Design Award
HOLLY WADDINGTON, POOR THINGS
JACQUELINE DURRAN, BARBIE
STACEY BATTAT, PRISCILLA
Activist Impact Award
RECLAIM THE FRAME
TAPE COLLECTIVE
WE ARE PARABLE
Female Orgasm Award
PHOEBE DYNEVOR with Alden Ehrenreich, FAIR PLAY
STEPHANIE HSU with Alexander Hodge, JOY RIDE
ALISON OLIVER with Barry Keoghan, SALTBURN
EMMA STONE with Emma Stone, POOR THINGS
The Girls On Film Awards take place on February 20 at London’s Regent Street Cinema.
The most anticipated movies coming out in 2024.
The 100 best feminist movies you need to watch.