1st North Dakota Film Society Awards
BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN
The inaugural North Dakota Film Society Awards celebrate the best in cinema from 2019.
Announced last week, Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood earned the most nominations of any film. After the final round of voting, the tribute to the Tinsel Town of the late-60s received three wins, including Best Picture. Robert Eggers’ The Lighthouse also received three wins, including Best Supporting Actor for Willem Dafoe.
North Dakota Film Society was the first major voting body to nominate Honeyland in both the Documentary Feature and International Feature categories. The Academy followed suit by nominating the Macedonian film in the same categories this year, a first in Oscar history. The NDFS celebrated the film’s achievements by awarding it the Documentary Feature prize.
Sam Mendes’ 1917 was elected to receive a Special Achievement Award. Due to its wide release, many of the society’s members were unable to see the film prior to voting for nominations, but felt it deserved acknowledgement.
Established in 2019, the North Dakota Film Society includes filmmakers, educators, exhibitors, and journalists based in cities across North Dakota. In 2020, the group has plans to host special film screenings throughout North Dakota, support film-related events like the Fargo Film Festival, and will continue to expand its membership to include unique voices who promote the art of film through teaching, exhibition, journalism, and filmmaking.
For more about the awards selection process, click here. To see the full list of nominations, click here. Category eligibility was based on the consideration listings per each studio/film.
Best Picture
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino, David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, producers
Best Director
Bong Joon Ho
Parasite
Best Actress
Florence Pugh
Midsommar
Best Actor
Joaquin Phoenix
Joker
Best Supporting Actress
Laura Dern
Marriage Story
Best Supporting Actor
Willem Dafoe
The Lighthouse
Best Screenplay
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
Written by Quentin Tarantino
Best Cinematography
The Lighthouse
Jarin Blaschke
Best Production Design
Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood
Production Design: Barbara Ling
Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
Best Editing
The Lighthouse
Louise Ford
Best Original Score
Joker
Hildur Gu∂nadóttir
Best Original Song
”Glasgow (No Place Like Home)”
Wild Rose
Mary Steenburgen, Caitlin Smith, Kate York
Best International Feature
Parasite
(South Korea)
Best Documentary Feature
Honeyland
Ljubo Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska, Atanas Georgiev
Best Animated Feature
I Lost My Body
Jérémy Clapin, Marc du Pontavice
Special Achievement
1917 - Due to the release date of Sam Mendes’ 1917, many society members were unable to view the film in time for nomination or consideration. The society has voted to acknowledge the film with a Special Achievement Award.
