OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS

Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts & Neil Corbould for The Creator

Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi & Tatsuji Nojima for Godzilla Minus One

Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland & Neil Corbould for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Mike Lasker, Alan Hawkins, Bret St. Clair & Pawel Grochola for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Josh Head, Leeth Keough, Peter 'Babylon' Owens, Marty Pepper & Jack James Troisi for Talk to Me

AND THE WINNER:

TAKASHI YAMAZAKI, KIYOKO SHIBUYA, MASAKI TAKAHASHI & TATSUJI NOJIMA FOR GODZILLA MINUS ONE

These are the first wins and nominations for Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi & Tatsuji Nojima.

Godzilla Minus One was one of the most exciting films of 2023. The film came out very late in the year and it exploded in a way I was not expecting it to. I was so thankful to experience this incredible film which has been such a success in so many ways. The visual effects of this film were especially stunning given the lack of budget in comparison to more recent Godzilla films and how stunning all the effects looked even better than those other Godzilla films I mentioned. The visual effects team involved the films director and i am just so glad to award the effects team as a whole in this category.

OUTSTANDING ORIGINAL SCORE

Joe Hisaishi for The Boy and the Heron

Thomas Newman for Elemental

Christopher Bear & Daniel Rossen for Past Lives

Daniel Pemberton for Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Mica Levi for The Zone of Interest

AND THE WINNER:

JOE HISAISHI FOR THE BOY AND THE HERON

This is the first win and third nomination for Joe Hisaishi. Hisaishi was previously nominated for Spirited Away (2002) and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2014).

Joe Hisaishi has been such an important film composer of my life over the entirety of it and I'm so glad to award him for his incredible work of his whole filmography but also for his stellar work on The Boy and the Heron. The Boy and the Heron is another great Studio Ghibli produced film and Hisaishi has such a long history of composting all the great films of the past couple decades and with Boy and the Heron he produced yet another uplifting score which assisted the story telling of this incredible feature fllm.

There was so many great original scores this past year but I could look nowhere else other than awarding Joe Hisaishi.

OUTSTANDING PRODUCTION DESIGN

Production Design by Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration by Kris Moran for Asteroid City

Production Design by Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration by Katie Spencer for Barbie

Production Design by John Paul Kelly; Set Decoration by Celia Bobak for A Haunting in Venice

Production Design by James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration by Zsuzsa Mihalek for Poor Things

Production Design by Suzie Davies; Set Decoration by Charlotte Dirickx for Saltburn

AND THE WINNER:

PRODUCTION DESIGN BY SARAH GREENWOOD; SET DECORATION BY KATIE SPENCER FOR BARBIE

These are the fourth wins and nominations for both Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer. They previously won for Pride & Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007) & Anna Karenina (2012).

From the moment I saw the first trailer for Barbie I knew exactly that Barbie was gonna be my production design winner for the film year of 2023. Obviously there were many great films which also came out this year with some beautiful set work but similar to me awarding the film in costume design there is just some instantly iconic work being done here that has to be recognised. Greenwood & Spencer are such a great production design duo and Greta Gerwig their director and collaborator allowing them to stretch their creative juices as far as they did made for some beautiful work.

I'm pretty sure we'll be thinking of the production design of Barbie for decades to come.

OUTSTANDING PERFORMER OF THE YEAR

Colman Domingo (Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, Rustin, The Color Purple)

Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Theater Camp)

Alden Ehrenreich (Fair Play, Cocaine Bear, Oppenheimer)

Issa Rae (American Fiction, Barbie, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse)

Jeffrey Wright (Asteroid City, Rustin, American Fiction)

AND THE WINNER:

AYO EDEBIRI (BOTTOMS, SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM, THEATER CAMP)

No performer has been as influential or as exposed in 2023 as Ayo Edebiri. You would say her major break through can be traced back to the first season release of FX's The Bear where any instantly fell in love with her Sydney role. We are here to discuss her film work and yes having the highly acclaimed second season of The Bear also premiered helps to showcase how stunning she was. Edebiri had a lot of great work to come out this year with a standout leading role, multiple voiceover parts and a great supporting turn in a great feeling comedy.

Ayo Edebiri provided some standout voiceover work in both Spider-Verse and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in the former she voice Glory Grant and the later she played a version of April O'Neil. She was so fun in both regardless of the size of the role she had. In Theater Camp she played Molly a woman who lied her way into a job at the performing summer camp and I certainly found her joyous whenever the film chose to return and focus in on her characters side plot. Bottoms was the major film starring her to come out this year where she was front and centre as one of the two great leads. It didn't matter whether it was a scripted moment or something she improved during the filming it was impressive to experience the brilliance of Edebiri.

With all the great projects she's been involved with this year as well as her continued success on television I see no signs of Edebiri slowing down and with her recent television awards success it is certainly a pleasure to see her get her flowers. We are all just living in Ayo Edebiri's world and what a great one it is.

OUTSTANDING BREAKTHROUGH/DEBUT

Ayo Edebiri (Bottoms)

Abby Ryder Fortson (Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.)

Charles Melton (May December)

Alison Oliver (Saltburn)

Teyana Taylor (A Thousand and One)

AND THE WINNER:

TEYANA TAYLOR (A THOUSAND AND ONE)

Teyana Taylor prior to her outstanding breakthrough film performance in A Thousand and One has been known as a brilliant singer-songwriter and I for one found such pleasure in experiencing this standout performance from the year. Taylor in collaboration with first time director  A.V. Rockwell created such a standout acting moment from the year. Taylor has had small roles in films prior but none has challenged her the way the character of Inez did in A Thousand and One.

I've had the pleasure to watch the film multiple times and have been blown away by Taylor on each occasions that she was bound to be my easy breakthrough performer this year. I hope other great directing talents employ Taylor to play as challenging roles because she has shown on this occasion she is more then capable.

OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL FILM

Anatomy of a Fall (Directed by Justine Triet)

The Eight Mountains (Directed by Felix van Groeningen & Charlotte Vandermeersch)

Godland (Directed by Hlynur Pálmason)

Perfect Days (Directed by Wim Wenders)

The Zone of Interest (Directed by Jonathan Glazer)

AND THE WINNER:

ANATOMY OF A FALL (DIRECTED BY JUSTINE TRIET)

This is the first win and nomination for Justine Triet.

I was lucky enough to first see Anatomy of a Fall all the way back in May of 2023 when I got the opportunity yet again to attend three days of the Cannes Film Festival. I had seen Triets previous film Sibyl when I attended Cannes in 2019 and was a fan of that film even with some reservations but her latest Anatomy is so beyond brilliant I just adored the experience of watching it. Anatomy is a film not solely in one language with many scenes being performed in English, French and German with Sandra Hüller the films lead most of the time talking in those multiple languages. It really is impressive how fast paced this film is and even when I rewatched the cinema months later when it came out in UK cinemas I had such a wonderful time and found the film just as exciting.

OUTSTANDING COSTUME DESIGN

Jacqueline Durran for Barbie

Trish Summerville for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Jacqueline West for Killers of the Flower Moon

Khadija Zeggaï for Passages

Holly Waddington for Poor Things

AND THE WINNER:

JACQUELINE DURRAN FOR BARBIE

This is the fifth win and ninth nomination for Jacqueline Durran. She previously won for Pride and Prejudice (2005), Atonement (2007), Anna Karenina (2012) & Little Women (2019). She was also nominated for Vera Drake (2004), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Macbeth (2015) & Spencer (2021).

When it comes to iconic 2023 costuming it doesn't get more memorable and knowable then the work done on 2023's Barbie. Not only are the costume designs memorable but when it came to the initial release of the film the film going experience inspired many fans to dress in pink outfits and Barbie like looks simply to attend the film. There are so many great looks in the film whether they are accurate Barbie recreations or newer designs which Durran and her magnificent costume team made.

I can't even list a favourite look I was majorly impressed by everything Durran and her team created. Simply this is the most impressive designs of the year and it's nice always to award a more contemporary looking film which Barbie truly is.

OUTSTANDING MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

Ivana Primorac for Barbie

Thomas Nellen, Sian Grigg & Kay Georgiou for Killers of the Flower Moon

Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier & Josh Weston for Poor Things

Jo-Ann MacNeil & Cliona Furey for Priscilla

Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver & Montse Ribé for Society of the Snow

AND THE WINNER:

NADIA STACEY, MARK COULIER & JOSH WESTON FOR POOR THINGS

This is the first win and nomination for Josh Weston. Nadia Stacey wins for the first time having been previously nominated for Tyrannosaur (2011) & The Favourite (2018). Mark Coulier wins for the fifth time having previously won for The Fifth Element (1997), The Iron Lady (2011), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014) & Suspiria (2018). Coulier was also nominated for Rush (2013) & Stan & Ollie (2018). This hair and makeup team win for their work on Poor Things.

With each passing year I try not to go for the most flashy prosthetic makeup work and while Poor Things does have some standout prosthetic makeup there is enough more subtle work and really great hairstyling which easily made it the top film I was gonna award in this category. Whether it is Bella Baxter's long dark hair which wasn't a wig but mostly great designed hair upon Emma Stone's head or if it where the multiple great face hairstyling on the men in this movie it was a pleasure to see each new character show up and experience how individually they would be designed.

OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY

Ruben Impens for The Eight Mountains

Maria von Hausswolff for Godland

Hélène Louvart for La Chimera

Linus Sandgren for Saltburn

Łukasz Żal for The Zone of Interest

AND THE WINNER:

ŁUKASZ ŻAL FOR THE ZONE OF INTEREST

This is the first win and nomination for Łukasz Żal.

While cinematographer Łukasz Żal has had the pleasure of receiving two career Oscar nominations for his work with Polish director Paweł Pawlikowski this marks the first time I have come close to awarding the brilliant photography work of his year. Zone of Interest was one of my most anticipated films of the year from the very beginning and I was lucky enough to see the film at Cannes 2023. From the first time I got to see it I was impressed especially by the photography and how both traditional and up ending expectations the photography is throughout the film.

I hope now that the film is being released worldwide many check out this brilliant film as it is one of the best of the year and another hit from director Jonathan Glazer who sadly rarely makes films but manages to with each new film to make something special and spectacular.

OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE OF THE YEAR

Barbie (Margot Robbie, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Alexandra Shipp, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Dua Lipa, Nicola Coughlan, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, John Cena, America Ferrera, Ariana Greenblatt, Rhea Perlman, Helen Mirren, Will Ferrell, Michael Cera, Connor Swindells, Ann Roth)

Bottoms (Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, Nicholas Galitzine, Miles Fowler, Marshawn Lynch, Dagmara Domińczyk, Punkie Johnson, Zamani Wilder, Summer Joy Campbell, Virginia Tucker, Wayne Péré)

Joy Ride (Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu , Sabrina Wu , Ronny Chieng, Meredith Hagner, David Denman, Annie Mumolo, Timothy Simons, Daniel Dae Kim, Desmond Chiam, Baron Davis, Lori Tan Chinn, Alexander Hodge, Chris Pang)

Killers of the Flower Moon (Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser, Cara Jade Myers, JaNae Collins, Jillian Dion, Jason Isbell, William Belleau, Louis Cancelmi, Scott Shepherd, Brent Langdon, Everett Waller, Talee Redcorn, Yancey Red Corn, Tatanka Means, Tommy Schultz, Sturgill Simpson, Ty Mitchell, Gary Basaraba, Charlie Musselwhite, Pat Healy, Steve Witting, Steve Routman)

Theatre Camp (Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro, Caroline Aaron, Ayo Edebiri, Nathan Lee Graham, Owen Thiele, Amy Sedaris, Patti Harrison, Bailee Bonick, Kyndra Sanchez, Donovan Colan, Vivienne Sachs, Alan Kim, Alexander Bello, Luke Islam, Jack Sobolewski, Quinn Titcomb, Madisen Lora, Susie Essman)

AND THE WINNER:

BARBIE (MARGOT ROBBIE, ISSA RAE, KATE MCKINNON, ALEXANDRA SHIPP, EMMA MACKEY, HARI NEF, SHARON ROONEY, ANA CRUZ KAYNE, RITU ARYA, DUA LIPA, NICOLA COUGHLAN, RYAN GOSLING, SIMU LIU, KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR, NCUTI GATWA, SCOTT EVANS, JOHN CENA, AMERICA FERRERA, ARIANA GREENBLATT, RHEA PERLMAN, HELEN MIRREN, WILL FERRELL, MICHAEL CERA, CONNOR SWINDELLS, ANN ROTH)

Clearly director Greta Gerwig has a skill at creating and employing some of the greatest film ensemble's because for the third time now she has led another truly impressive ensemble. Barbie maybe isn't as focused on a small set of characters as her previous two films were but there are so many stellar casting choices here as well as smart performances that make it the standout ensemble of the year.

Whether it was the multiple versions of Barbie and Ken featured or the human characters who interact with those from Barbie land there were countless great performances that I still feel like I'm leaving important cast members off the list of cast I've listed. Truly Barbie was a major film moment this year and Greta Gerwig should be happy with the work she did with her cast.

OUTSTANDING DOCUMENTARY

20 Days in Mariupol (Directed by Mstyslav Chernov)

Beyond Utopia (Directed by Madeleine Gavin)

Four Daughters (Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania)

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed (Directed by Stephen Kijak)

The Stroll (Directed by Kristen Lovell & Zackary Drucker)

AND THE WINNER:

20 DAYS IN MARIUPOL (DIRECTED BY MSTYSLAV CHERNOV)

This is the first win and nomination for Mstyslav Chernov.

2023 was a strong year for documentary film making with a wide variety of successful documentaries being released that there were many great films I could've listed in this category. In the end it came down to five brilliant films but one 20 Days in Mariupol being my easy top favourite of the year. This documentary is heartbreaking both in film making and subjects covered and I certainly found the experience of watching so difficult but also at the same time a necessary watch.

The film like most of the best documentaries is honest in the current subjects it is depicting and I am impressed believing this to be a major documentary of the year in terms of capturing the current events that have rocked the world in 2023.

OUTSTANDING FEMALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Sakura Andō as Saori Mugino in "MONSTER"

America Ferrera as Gloria in “BARBIE”

Rachel McAdams as Barbara Simon in “ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME MARGARET.”

Cara Jade Myers as Anna Brown in “KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON”

Rosamund Pike as Lady Elspeth Catton in “SALTBURN”

AND THE WINNER:

AMERICA FERRERA AS GLORIA IN "BARBIE"

This is the first win and nomination for America Ferrera. She wins for her performance as Gloria in Barbie. Ferrera was previously nominated for breakthrough/debut for her work in Real Women Have Curves (2002).

This year was full of so many great supporting actress performances which has lead me to look at many choices to nail down who would make my top five but also who would end up being my top choice of the year. I can't say when I first watched Barbie in July that I thought America Ferrera would be my winning supporting actress choice but with all the films I've seen and all these months later I've not been able to stop thinking about her brilliant work.

Ferrera plays Gloria the real world mother at the centre of Barbie who is responsible for basically all of the films events by playing honestly with the Stereotypical Barbie that Robbie plays in the film. Ferrera is so charming in this role with many relatable moments throughout which work as a great build up to her major moment which is the Woman speech which has become so famous since the films initial release. The monologue isn't easy to deliver and Ferrera performs it so naturally and honestly that it made the scene stand out so much and surely be one of the most memorable acting moments from this past year.

Gerwig is just such a brilliant actors director and I'm so happy to award Ferrera here with her being the first Gerwig directed performance that I've actually given a top prize to.

OUTSTANDING MALE ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

Robert Downey Jr. as Rear Admiral Lewis Strauss in “OPPENHEIMER”

Milo Machado Graner as Daniel Male ski in “ANATOMY OF A FALL”

John Magaro as Arthur in “PAST LIVES”

Charles Melton as Joe in “MAY DECEMBER”

Ben Whishaw as Martin in “PASSAGES”

AND THE WINNER:

CHARLES MELTON AS JOE IN "MAY DECEMBER"

This is the first win and nomination for Charles Melton. He wins for his performance as Joe in May December.

Having watched May December a total of four times as of this original posting I have had a lot of time to both experience and sit with Melton's incredible performance. In the great Todd Haynes directed film Melton plays Joe the father and preyed upon child at the centre of the films couple that Natalie Portman's Elizabeth is visiting to study the lives of. Melton's performance grows and grows throughout the film as we the audience get to experience how truly sad the life of this individual has been.

Melton gives himself fully into this role and under the assured direction of Todd Haynes he turns in a stunning performance that with each revisit I gave to the film I discovered even more love for his work. It's the journey of Joe that is most effecting as the film explores how paused in many ways Joe is by his past, present and future. With many incredible scenes Melton is among the top thoughts and positive feelings I have towards the film.

I cannot say I was very familiar with Melton's work prior to this film but being as big a fan as I was of him in May December I only hope for equally as great work to follow from his critically lauded work in May December.

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

The Boy and the Heron (Directed by Hayao Miyazaki)

Nimona (Directed by Nick Bruno & Troy Quane)

Robot Dreams (Directed by Pablo Berger)

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers & Justin K. Thompson)

Suzume (Directed by Makoto Shinkai)

AND THE WINNER:

THE BOY AND THE HERON (DIRECTED BY HAYAO MIYAZAKI)

This is the fourth win and nomination for Hayao Miyazaki. He previously won Animated Feature film for Spirited Away (2002), Howl’s Moving Castle (2005) & The Wind Rises (2013).

It doesn't get more iconic and legend in the field of film animated than Hayao Miyazaki. With each new film we get from the brilliant director we must treasure it as you never know if the film will be the final one from the great director. The Boy and the Heron isn't just a great late career film by Miyazaki but also a pretty brilliant film all it's own. It took far too long into the year for me to actually see the film but once I saw it I understood it's brilliance and why many including myself have fallen head over heels in love with the film.

I am just so happy to express my love of this film by giving this award to Hayao Miyazaki and really thank the great director for being such an integral part of my love of film animation and how it has grown as I myself have grown.

28th "An Irish Person" FILM Awards ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

To everyone new and old welcome to my blog. For the next 3 weeks I will be posting what I consider to be the best of cinema from 2023. I will present 23 separate categories as a sort of the lead up to the 96th Academy Awards on the 10th of March. I want to make a disclaimer before I start announcing nominees and winners starting tomorrow. I have seen a total of 223 films released in 2023 in the United States. That may seem like a large number which it is but sadly there were a couple of films I have not seen yet whether it's that I missed it during its release or the film hasn't become available for me to see it. This year some of those films include Menus Plaisirs – Les Troisgros, Occupied City, The Taste of Things & a few others that weren't as acclaimed during the year. I'm sure I will see these films at some point in the future but to keep in time with the Academy Awards I have to start announcing my favourites in film now.

I am excited to get into the greatness of cinema from the past year so ends my announcement. Tomorrow I'll start by announcing my nominees and winner for the category of "OUTSTANDING ANIMATED FEATURE FILM".