OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE

Adam Driver as Paterson in "PATERSON"
Colin Farrell as David in "THE LOBSTER"
Viggo Mortensen as Ben in "CAPTAIN FANTASTIC"
Peter Simonischek as Winfried Conradi alias Toni Erdmann in "TONI ERDMANN"
Nilbio Torres as Young Karamakate in "EMBRACE OF THE SERPANT"

AND THE WINNER IS:

ADAM DRIVER AS PATERSON IN "PATERSON"

This is the first win and first individual nomination for Adam Driver. He wins for his performance as Paterson in Jim Jarmusch's Paterson and was previously nominated with the ensemble of Frances Ha (2013).

Adam Driver has quickly become of my favourite actors since I first came to know him as the loveable Adam on HBO's Girls. He then took on many supporting roles in some of the my favourite films including Frances Ha and Llwyen Davis. After hitting mainstream with Star Wars last year he is no properly on top and now with his performance in Paterson I hold him at an even higher level. Driver is perfect anchor for a Jarmusch movie being a quiet poetic man in a world of little drama. Driver puts his natural charisma to the test by allowing to the camera to capture his minutiae details of performance. His voiceover also adds to his performance as he makes the many poems his character writes captivating. Driver's work might not have the dramatic shifts I would've expected to be a favourite of mine however the less he does the more he conveys and the more I respect his work. This performance really makes me more excited for what he will do in the decades to follow post Girls and Star Wars.