The Woman King and Aftersun triumphed at the second annual Girls On Film Awards, rewarding exceptional women in cinema.
Actor Sheila Atim attended the ceremony at London’s The Garden Cinema to accept two awards for The Woman King: for Best Ensemble sponsored by Netflix, and Best Female Friendship On Screen. Director Gina Prince-Bythewood said of the award: “Thank you, Girls On Film, for this very cool honour. We are so, so proud of this film, not only because it shows how women have this innate warrior within them, but also shows the incredible power of sisterhood”.
The Woman King star Viola Davis was also awarded the Feminist Superhero award, given to a disruptor of inequality in the entertainment industry who has changed the landscape of the film industry. In the year that The Woman King was overlooked by the Academy Awards, Girls On FIlm is proud to have recognised this remarkable feature, as well as nominating another omission from the Oscar list: Chinonye Chukwu’s extraordinary Till.
Aftersun director Charlotte Wells followed her BAFTA win with the award for Best Feature Film Sponsored by EON Productions, while the Aftersun publicity team also won Best Publicity Campaign.
The Wonder featured in two winning categories: Best Cinematographer for Ari Wegner (also for her work on The Power of the Dog) as well as the The Girls On Film Ally Award sponsored by IMDb, for director Sebastián Lelio. Meantime exec producer Lucy Pullin picked up the award for Sinead O’Connor documentary Nothing Compares. Its director Kathryn Ferguson said, “We just want to say a humongous thank you for this award, we are very thrilled and honoured […] I want to thank Sinead O’Connor, she has been an inspiration to me since I was a young Irish girl”.
Girls On Film is committed to representation and activism, and the winner of the Diversity Badge of Honour was Akua Gyamfi, for her tireless longtime work with The British Blacklist and beyond. Commended for their work on representation were film and TV critic Ashanti Omkar and sound editor and activist Emma Butt. The climax of the night was the coveted Best Female Orgasm sponsored by Intimacy on Set. Emma Corrin, who is non-binary but plays a female character, was highly commended for their work in Lady Chatterley’s Lover. “We commend them for their exquisite work as an actor and also for their activism,” said hosts Anna Smith and Hedda Archbold of Corrin.
The overall winner of the Orgasm award was for the film Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, performed by Emma Thompson with co-star Daryl McCormack. Writer Katy Brand said of the win, “We talked a lot about Nancy’s orgasm in the redrafting of the film… [asking]… should she even have an orgasm? Should she have it with Leo?… And in the end, it seemed that she ought to have this orgasm as a moment of just purely private pleasure, just for her. And that felt really right. And so I’m really glad that you agree.”
The ceremony on 23 February 2023 was sponsored by EON Productions, IMDb, Intimacy on Set and Netflix. Sponsors in kind were The Garden Cinema and Head Gear Films sponsored the reception. Media partners were Deadline.com, Time Out, Scala Rado and British Cinematographer magazine. Guests included Kave Quinn, who won the new award for production designer for Catherine Called Birdy; composers Nainita Desai and Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch; directors Philippa Lowthorpe, Waad al-Kateab and Charlotte Colbert; and actors Kerry Fox and Afi Okaidja (Rocks).
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The winners are:
Best Cinematographer:
Ari Wegner ASC for The Wonder and The Power of the Dog
Best Female Friendship On Screen:
The Woman King, Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
Best Documentary Feature:
Nothing Compares, Directed by Kathryn Ferguson
Best Production Design:
Kave Quinn for Catherine Called Birdy
Best Composer:
Hildur Guðnadóttir for Women Talking and Tár
Ensemble Acting Sponsored by Netflix:
The Woman King, Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
The Girls On Film Ally Award sponsored by IMDb:
Sebastián Lelio for The Wonder
Best Feature Film Sponsored by EON Productions:
Aftersun, Directed by Charlotte Wells
Best Publicity Campaign:
Aftersun, MUBI with Organic for Theatrical & Awards Publicity and DDA for Awards Publicity
Diversity Badge of Honour:
Akua Gyamfi – Founder, The British Blacklist
Feminist Superhero:
Viola Davis, Actress and activist
Best Female Orgasm sponsored by Intimacy on Set:
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Emma Thompson (with Daryl McCormack)
The ceremony will be podcast on Girls On Film soon after the event and can be found at podfollow.com/girls-on-film. Below are full details including citations.
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Best Cinematographer – WINNER Ari Wegner ASC for The Wonder and The Power of the Dog
(new category)
Citation: Our voters said that the work of Ari Wegner has gone from strength to strength. She is nominated for The Wonder and The Power of the Dog, in which she uses moody, intimate yet bold imagery. She can take the viewer effortlessly from a dark, draughty attic with a dying girl, to sweaty, opium-induced dreams of loss, to a brassy, frost-bitten Irish countryside, whilst retaining a unity within the film. She has an exquisite eye for tone and composition.
Nominees:
Autumn Durald Arkapaw ASC for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Hélène Louvart AFC for Nezouh and Mother and Son
Kate McCullough ISC for The Quiet Girl
Polly Morgan ASC BSC for The Woman King
Ari Wegner ASC for The Wonder and The Power of the Dog
Rina Yang BSC for Nanny
Mandy Walker AM ASC ACS for Elvis
Best Female Friendship On Screen – WINNER The Woman King, Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
(previous year’s winner: Booksmart)
Citation: The Woman King is a powerful film that shows a tangible connection between many female characters, and two women in particular, who have been through a great deal together in life and who support each other through unimaginable challenges with grace and humour. It is a rare historical film that shows female sensitivity, bonding and friendship, that feels ground-breaking and unprecedented in its depiction of strong, complex, multi-generational Black women fighting for each other – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Nominees:
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – directed by Ryan Coogler.
With Letitia Wright and Lupita Nyong’o as Shuri and Nakia
Girl Picture aka Girls Girls Girls (Tytöt tytöt tytöt) – directed by Alli Haapasalo.
*Commended
With Aamu Milonoff, Eleonoora Kauhanen, Linnea Leino as Mimmi, Rönkkö and Emma
She Said – directed by Maria Schrader.
With Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan as Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor
The Silent Twins – directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska.
With Letitia Wright and Tamara Lawrance as June and Jennifer Gibbons
The Swimmers – directed by Sally El Hosaini.
With Nathalie Issa as Yusra Mardini and Manal Issa as Sara Mardini
The Woman King – directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
With Viola Davis and Sheila Atim as Nanisca and Amenza
Best Documentary Feature – WINNER Nothing Compares, Directed by Kathryn Ferguson
(previous year’s winner: For Sama)
Citation: This year’s crop delivered an incredible selection of documentaries. Girls On Film adored all these films but there was one that clearly moved the voters especially deeply. Nothing Compares is an inspiring and moving feminist documentary about activism. The jury was impressed by filmmakers’ sensitive treatment of this untold story of a musical icon. It was edited with flair to create a poignant story relevant to today.
Nominees:
All The Beauty And The Bloodshed – directed by Laura Poitras
Fadia’s Tree – directed by Sarah Beddington
Fire of Love – directed by Sara Dosa
Last Flight Home – directed by Ondi Timoner
Nothing Compares – directed by Kathryn Ferguson
Best Production Design – WINNER Kave Quinn for Catherine Called Birdy
(new category)
Citation: For Catherine Called Birdy, Kave Quinn has built a world rich in detail and as spirited and colourful as the film’s protagonist. The vibrancy of the locations echoes the playful, anarchic spirit of the film as a whole, and you get a real sense of how life may have been in its period. The house expresses dimensions of the protagonist’s personality, and imagination, as they evolve throughout this entertaining and delightfully feminist film.
Nominees:
Katie Byron for Don’t Worry Darling
Ruth de Jong for Nope
Catherine Martin & Karen Murphy for Elvis
Florencia Martin for Babylon and Blonde
Kave Quinn for Catherine Called Birdy
Best Composer – WINNER Hildur Guðnadóttir for Women Talking and Tár
(previous year’s winner: Nainita Desai)
Citation: Hildur Guðnadóttir wrote not one but two scores this year, which could not be more different. In Tár, she proves herself a mistress of understated suspense, in Women Talking, her music develops complex issues of trauma, reconciliation with the past, and the freedom to move on to a brighter future. In both, she demonstrates the courage and versatility to deal with complex subjects and psychologically intense dramas. There is a lack of sentimentality and an intellectual heft to her work in film that marks her out.
Nominees:
Chanda Dancy for Devotion and I Wanna Dance With Somebody
Hildur Guðnadóttir for Women Talking and Tár
Emilie Levienaise-Farrouch for Living
Aska Matsumiya for After Yang
Amelia Warner for Mr Malcolm’s List
Ensemble Acting Sponsored by Netflix – WINNER The Woman King
(previous year’s winner: Rocks)
Citation: The Woman King features an incredible central cast, some of whom have been guests on the Girls On Film podcast before. They were perfectly cast and worked tirelessly on this project to make it a hugely successful collaboration. The phenomenal cast don’t shy away from the action; instead, they embrace it, not only to show insurmountable strength but heart and empathy among their varied roles. The voters felt this was a beacon of what can be achieved with a majority of women behind the camera as well as in front of it, giving us a dazzling display of the strength and power of women who work together and support each other emotionally and in this case, physically.
Nominees:
Causeway – Jennifer Lawrence, Brian Tyree Henry, Linda Emond, Jayne Houdyshell
Gangubai Kathiawadi – Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn, Shantanu Maheshwari, Vijay Raaz
She Said – Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Samantha Morton, Jennifer Ehle, Patricia Clarkson
Triangle of Sadness – Charlbi Dean Kriek, Harris Dickinson, Woody Harrelson, Dolly De Leon
The Woman King – Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, John Boyega
Women Talking – Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, Rooney Mara, Ben Whishaw, Frances McDormand
The Girls On Film Ally Award sponsored by IMDb Awarded to a male screenwriter/director for a complex female screen character – WINNER Sebastián Lelio for The Wonder.
(previous year’s winner: Bo Burnham)
Citation: Sebastián Lelio is a writer/director who has proven over time to have a real commitment to the portrayal of complex female characters which evidence a deep understanding of the inner emotional lives of women. He also frequently works with talented female writers and has proven himself a true collaborator and ally of women in the industry, not least with the exceptional film The Wonder.
Nominees:
Colm Bairéad for The Quiet Girl
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once
Sebastián Lelio for The Wonder
Jordan Peele for Nope
Best Feature Film Sponsored by EON Productions – WINNER Aftersun, Directed by Charlotte Wells
(previous year’s winner: Booksmart)
Citation: Aftersun director Charlotte Wells announces herself as one of the most striking cinema voices of our times. She re-energises the word ‘evocative’ – this is cinema that magically allows each viewer to imprint their own experiences onto it. It is skilfully crafted, especially in its devastating final 15 minutes where the director alchemises all of the film’s images, sounds, and fractured moments into something utterly sublime and heartbreaking. It is an intimate masterpiece.
Nominees:
Aftersun – directed by Charlotte Wells
Ali & Ava – directed by Clio Barnard
Corsage – directed by Marie Kreutzer
Till – directed by Chinonye Chukwu
The Woman King – directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
The Wonder – directed by Sebastián Lelio
Best Publicity Campaign – WINNER Aftersun, MUBI with Organic for Theatrical & Awards Publicity and DDA for Awards Publicity
(previous year’s winner: Misbehaviour)
Citation: The win for Aftersun in this category represents a real collaboration between different companies, to bring a very deserving debut film into the spotlight. Our voters also loved that the campaign reflected the personal nature of the film.
Nominees:
Aftersun – MUBI with Organic for Theatrical & Awards Publicity and DDA for Awards Publicity
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande – Lionsgate with WDW Entertainment
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery – Netflix with Organic Publicity
Till – Universal Pictures with Organic Publicity
Triangle of Sadness – Curzon, Lionsgate and Charles McDonald
Diversity Badge of Honour – WINNER Akua Gyamfi – Founder, The British Blacklist
(previous year’s joint winners: Michaela Coel and Ruth Madeley)
Citation: Akua Gyamfi has tirelessly worked industry-wide for many years. She has advocated for representation and opportunities for Black British Talent, giving so much of her time and energy for a passion project that has become an industry movement. Her commitment to the cause is inspiring and has shown real results, with much more to come.
Nominees:
Emma Butt – Sound Editor and activist
*Commended
Akua Gyamfi – Founder, The British Blacklist
Ashanti Omkar – Journalist
*Commended
Gina Prince-Bythewood, Director – The Woman King
Ben Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of the British Film Institute (BFI)
Agnieszka Smoczyńska – Director – The Silent Twins
Feminist Superhero – WINNER Viola Davis, Actress, producer and activist
(previous year’s winner: Mia Bays)
Citation: Viola Davis has a deep commitment to feminism. She expresses it in every role she chooses, in the films she chooses to produce, and in her powerful and rousing speeches on equal rights. The youngest and first Black American EGOT, she is one of the smartest women in the business. She’s always been a powerhouse but she has emerged as a real feminist superhero, whether delivering a toweringly physical performance or speaking out against endemic racism and colourism in the film industry. If you haven’t seen her rousing speech at the Women’s March in LA, seek it out now.
Nominees:
Viola Davis, Actress and activist
Ita O’Brien, Founder of Intimacy on Set
*Commended
Sarah Polley, Director, Women Talking
Emma Thompson, Actress and activist
Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, journalists and authors
Best Female Orgasm sponsored by Intimacy on Set – WINNER Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, Emma Thompson (with Daryl McCormack)
(previous year’s winner: I’m Your Man)
Citation: ”The word ‘brave’ is overused when we talk about women showing sexuality on screen, especially older women”. So said one of the voters for Good Luck To You, Leo Grande. It is so rare to see scenes of female pleasure that are utterly about them. The intimate scenes were not played for laughs or titillation, but showed that the deep joy of sex can happen at any age. The writing allowed the actress to explore her nascent sexuality in her own unique way, which was a delight to watch, and Emma Thompson simply owned this performance, bringing tenderness and authenticity to it.
In Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, the orgasm is the fulfilment of the protagonist’s development that we follow throughout the film, and is the culmination of an internal emotional shift for her. The film also features a couple relationship that starts as a transactional one and deepens toward an equal partnership. It’s empowering and bracingly refreshing.
Nominees:
Don’t Worry Darling – Florence Pugh (with Harry Styles)
Girl Picture aka Girls Girls Girls (Tytöt tytöt tytöt) – Linnea Leino with Aamu Milonoff
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande – Emma Thompson (with Daryl McCormack)
Lady Chatterley’s Lover – Emma Corrin (with Jack O’Connell)
*Commended
Piggy aka Cerdita – Laura Galán with Laura Galán
The Wonder – Florence Pugh (with Tom Burke)
