Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2022

 

The WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE PAULINE KAEL JURY AWARDS 2022

 

BEST FEMALE ACTION HERO 

Keke Palmer, Alice

 

 

BEST DIRECTRESS: COURAGE IN FILMMAKING

Olivia Wilde, Don't Worry Darling

 

 

COURAGE IN ACTING  

[Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen]

Danielle Deadwyler, Till 

Anamaria Vartolomei, Happening

WOMEN'S WORK - BEST ENSEMBLE CAST 

The Woman King

 

 

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD
[Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]

Charmaine Bingwa, Emancipation

 

 

BEST KEPT SECRET - Overlooked Challenging Film Gems

Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, Rickshaw Girl

Nana Mensah, Queen Of Glory

WOMEN SAVING THEMSELVES AWARD

The Janes

MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR 

Blonde, Julianne Nicholson as Gladys

HALL OF SHAME 

'Unique, provocative and stylishly opinionated'...Fasten your seat belts!

[Individual WFCC Member Picks] 

*The Gotham Awards. For removing the category Best Actress, in the further erasing of women.

*Anatomy Citation. “It doesn't matter how much I do, I'm still not going to get paid as much as that guy, because of my vagina." - Jennifer Lawrence speaks out against the continuing literal shortchanging of actresses - regarding Lawrence paid five million dollars less than Leonardo DiCaprio for Don't Look Up, and less than the male cast Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner for American Hustle.

*Cringe Citation. Harvey Weinstein's shameful audiotape recordings. And being reminded of them/him in 'She Said.'

*Too Much Information Citation: Emma Thompson, for Good Luck To You, Leo Grande.

*Blonde. For depicting only the worst fantasies about Marilyn Monroe, and none of her beauty, grace and intelligence.

*More Blonde. A film that re-exploited Marilyn Monroe and made me feel bad for her. She never had a chance in a man's world, and this film exploited her again through the unnecessary explicit scenes. 

*And More Blonde. An overrated actress romping through the film exposing herself. And why the constant showing of embryos, is it to champion pro-lifers.

*Even More Blonde. Completely inaccurate. The portrayal of the actress is shallow and cliched, and the part of the speaking embryo comes across as a disquieting anti-abortionist statement. My review... 

*She Said. A drama about the NY Times investigation into the sex charges against Harvey Weinstein, 'She Said' comes off more as a self-congratulatory promo for the NY Times, than emphasis on its victims. And intimating a kind of damage control there for its own numerous scandals - the weapons of mass destruction hoax, and most recently calling for the release of Julian Assange -  without an apology for the paper's media participation in orchestrating his incarceration.

*The Cannes Film Festival. For disrespecting credentialed Deadline critic and distinguished WFCC member Valerie Complex, treating her with racist implications as an intruder there. On Being Black At Cannes: How Microaggressions Marred My Festival Experience

* Shame On DOC NYC. For announcing then scrubbing the name off their public list, secretly inviting as guest of honor a cinematographer from the Ukraine Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, Dmytro Kozatsky. Who sports Nazi tattoos, and is fond of creating photographs of swastika carved pizzas. While dragging out from the premises a young woman protesting the event.

The Women Film Critics Circle And WFCC Special Jury Award Winner Acceptance Speeches!

 

BEST KEPT SECRET - Overlooked Challenging Film Gems

Director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury for Rickshaw Girl

"When I am making films , I never think about how people will perceive it or the awards that may come. The pleasure of making films is in playing with light and shadow, and creating emotion out of it . But whenever an award comes my way, it gives me inspiration for creating more cinema . Rickshawgirl is not just a film for me, it’s my journey to understand and celebrate the multitude of courageous and resilient Bangladeshi girls who fight for a dignified survival everyday. Thank you Jury board for this appreciation. Thank you, my beautiful Naima ,Novera Rahman, my producers and team for riding with me in the Rickshawgirl journey."

Amitabh Reza Chowdhury

Film director

 

 

 

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Directress Gina Prince-Blythwood for The Woman King

"On behalf of our extraordinary ensemble, thank you for honoring us with THE WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE PAULINE KAEL JURY AWARD 2022 for BEST ENSEMBLE CAST. This is a group of artists who all share the desire to be great, and that fostered an incredible set dynamic. Their passion to honor these real-life warriors, and their love and respect for each other fueled their inspiring work. They showed up for each other and it was profound to witness."

GPB

 

 

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Directresses Tina Lessin, Emma Pildes For The Janes

"We give thanks to the Women Film Critics Circle for recognizing “The Janes” with this honor. As women and as filmmakers, the story of Jane reinforced for us the power of decency, sisterhood and resistance. We hope that the film inspires audiences to join the fight to restore equitable access to safe abortion care for tens of millions who have had this fundamental right taken away." –Tia Lessin & Emma Pildes

 

 

 

 

Rae Dawn Chong Receives WFCC Award 2021

 THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD [Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]

Danielle Deadwyler as Cathay Williams, The Harder They Fall

Rae Dawn Chong, The Sleeping Negro

 

 

"Thank you WFCC,

This character epitomizes an invisible woman. Thank you for seeing her. I am truly honored. I once was reviewed by Ms. Kael and she was supportive and liked what I had done in a movie, so there is deep symmetry here. I love our movie The Sleep Negro and feel its message and heart are "right on time". THANK YOU from my heart for seeing her. Thank you for giving the invisible woman her due. WE need to be noticed. She needs to be seen."

 

Love,

Rae Dawn Chong

 

And this is the second awarded film this year, in addition to The Unforgivable, about the unlawful eviction of women and their families - in this case the elderly character 'Black Woman' dumped on the street by the sheriff, with only her walker and portable oxygen.

WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE SPECIAL PAULINE KAEL JURY AWARDS 2021

 UNIQUE, PROVOCATIVE AND STYLISHLY OPINIONATED….

 

 

'Criticism is the only thing that stands between the audience and advertising.' - Pauline Kael

BEST FEMALE ACTION HERO

Sandra Bullock, The Unforgivable

Sandra Oh, The Chair

 

 

 COURAGE IN FILMMAKING

Julia Ducournau, Titane

Sian Heder, CODA

COURAGE IN ACTING [Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen]

Halle Berry, Bruised

Sandra Bullock, The Unforgivable

WOMEN'S WORK: BEST ENSEMBLE CAST

Kathryn Hunter as The Three Witches, The Tragedy Of Macbeth 

King Richard

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD [Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored]

Danielle Deadwyler as Cathay Williams, The Harder They Fall

Rae Dawn Chong, The Sleeping Negro

WOMEN SAVING THEMSELVES AWARD

A Quiet Place Part II

Holler

BEST KEPT SECRET - Overlooked Challenging Gems

Mama Weed, Director Jean-Paul Salomé

Small Time, Directress Niav Conty

 

 

 

              Mama Weed - Isabelle Huppert

 

 

OUTSTANDING SERIES [Television or Streaming]

Lovecraft Country

The Handmaid's Tale

MOMMIE DEAREST - WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR 

Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter

HALL OF SHAME [Individual Member Picks]

Free Guy - for giving us a kickass, lead female gamer, only to take her away by making her a manic pixie dream girl who just wants a boyfriend. 

Zola - for turning a true cautionary tale about sex trafficking into a dangerous sex farce for the male gaze.

Benedetta - a film about an early church feminist played as softcore porn

Being the Ricardos  - for taking a beloved female icon and turning her intelligence, talent and work ethic against her as a harping shrew, and the deeply flawed men around her as downtrodden male saviors.

Edgar Wright - for the disappointing third act twist in which the male predators are turned into victims in Last Night in Soho

Hollywood's attempt to cut Scarlett Johansson's payments for her work - and though the actress won the lawsuit, the Hollywood cost cutting trend now is to downsize actors in movies by maximizing documentaries as the cheap alternative - including sensationalistic reality tv style and tabloid docs.

Rita Moreno, writing about and talking about mistreatment as a Puerto Rican .but defending Lin-Manuel's lack of Afro-Latino representation with In the Heights - and becoming a media darling. Yet, because of an irresponsible statement made against the LGBTQ+ community by J.K. Rowling, she has been canceled in spite of all the work she has done for the black community and women's rights. Was this what Dave Chappelle was referring to?