IFJA Announces 2022 Award Winners!
The Indiana Film Journalists Association has voted “Everything Everywhere All at Once” as the Best Film of 2022. The fantasy comedy/drama centered on a Chinese-American woman fighting a multi-dimensional battle won a total of four honors including Ke Huy Quan for Best Supporting Performance, Paul Rogers for Best Editing and the Original Vision Award, which recognizes a film that is especially distinct and innovative.
Indian action/musical “RRR” was the runner-up for Best Film and also won Best Foreign Language Film and the new category of Best Stunt/Movement Choreography.
Eight other films were voted Finalists for Best Film. Along with the winner and runner-up, they represent the IFJA’s selection as the top 10 movies of the year.
Cate Blanchett won Best Lead Performance playing a complex, abusive musical director in “TÁR.” For the first time, IFJA has combined its leading and supporting acting awards into single gender-neutral categories.
“TÁR” also earned Best Director and Best Original Screenplay awards for Todd Field.
Sarah Polley won the Best Adapted Screenplay award for “Women Talking,” which was also recognized for Best Ensemble Acting.
Best Animated Film went to “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On,” which also took the Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance award for Jenny Slate. “I Didn’t See You There” won Best Documentary.
Charlotte Wells took Breakout of the Year honors for her mature, layered debut as the writer-director of “Aftersun.” Michael Giacchino earned Best Musical Score for “The Batman.” Hoyte Van Hoytema won Best Cinematography for “Nope.”
The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award, which goes to a film or filmmaker with Indiana ties, went to Joshua Hull, co-writer of the horror film “Glorious.”
IFJA members issued this statement for the Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award:
“Joshua Hull is the rare Hoosier filmmaker who proved you don’t have to leave Indiana to make movies. He’s seen his career rise steadily as a writer, director and producer with local productions like “Chopping Block.” With the release of “Glorious,” Hull has broken out with mainstream success in a highly inventive film that blurs the line between horror, fantasy and character study. The IFJA looks forward eagerly to his next efforts.”
In addition to the winner, IFJA recognizes a runner-up in each category (with one exception, noted below). Here is a complete list:
Best Picture
Winner: “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Runner-up: “RRR”
Finalists: (listed alphabetically)
“After Yang”
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
“Decision to Leave”
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
“Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
“TÁR”
“Top Gun: Maverick”
“Women Talking”
Best Animated Film
Winner: “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
Runner-up: “Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio”
Best Foreign Language Film
Winner: “RRR”
Runner-up: “Decision to Leave”
Best Documentary Film
Winner: “I Didn't See You There”
Runner-up: “Bad Axe”
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Todd Field, “TÁR”
Runner-up: Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: Sarah Polley, “Women Talking”
Runner-up: Kogonada, “After Yang”
Best Director
Winner: Todd Field, “TÁR”
Runner-up: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Lead Performance
Winner: Cate Blanchett, “TÁR”
Runner-up: Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Best Supporting Performance
Winner: Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Runner-up: Brendan Gleeson, “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance
Winner: Jenny Slate, “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
Runner-up: Isabella Rossellini, “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”
Best Ensemble Acting
Winner: “Women Talking”
Runner-up: “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery”
Best Musical Score
Winner: Michael Giacchino, “The Batman”
Runner-up: M.M. Keeravani, “RRR”
Breakout of the Year
Winner: Charlotte Wells (writer-director, “Aftersun”)
Runner-up: Jane Schoenbrun (writer-director, “We're All Going to the World's Fair”)
Best Cinematography
Winner: Hoyte Van Hoytema, “Nope”
Runner-up: Claudio Miranda, “Top Gun: Maverick”
Best Editing
Winner: Paul Rogers, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Runner-up: Kim Sang-bum, “Decision to Leave”
Best Stunt/Movement Choreography
Winner: Vicky Arora (action design and weapons trainer/stunt coordinator) and Raicho Vasilev (fight choreographer/stunt coordinator), and Prem Rakshith (dance choreographer), “RRR”
Runner-up: Daniel Hernandez (stunt coordinator/fight coordinator), Grant Powell (stunt coordinator), and Jénel Stevens (fight choreographer), “The Woman King”
Original Vision Award
Winner: “Everything Everywhere All At Once”
Runner-up: “Marcel the Shell With Shoes On”
The Edward Johnson-Ott Hoosier Award*
Winner: Joshua Hull (“Glorious”)
*As a special honor, no runner-up is named for the Hoosier Award. It is named after founding IFJA member and longtime NUVO Newsweekly critic Edward Johnson-Ott.
What is the Indiana Film Journalists Association?
Established in 2009 by a dedicated group of six Indiana journalists, the Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) is a growing organization of Indiana-based journalists and broadcasters who specialize in film criticism and commentary. All major dailies, weeklies and a variety of other print and electronic outlets are represented. IFJA was established to promote the art of film criticism in the Hoosier state, to support Indiana’s growing film industry and to promote quality film criticism in Indiana.
In addition to presenting our Annual Awards and Top Ten List, members of the Indiana Film Journalists Association stay active throughout the year serving on film festival juries, attending and sponsoring special screenings, appearing at film and genre-specific conferences, and speaking to civic groups, schools, media outlets and many other places.
Every year in mid-December, the IFJA presents awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Animated Film, Best Documentary Feature and Best Foreign Language Film. In 2011, IFJA added a category for Best Original Score! Additionally, IFJA has two extra special awards presented each year, the “Edward Johnson Ott Hoosier Award” and the “Original Vision” Award.
IFJA’s “Hoosier Award” is meant to recognize a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with Indiana roots. As a special award, no runner-up is declared. In 2021, the "Hoosier Award" has been renamed to celebrate the legacy of charter IFJA member and longtime Indy film critic Edward Johnson Ott. The award is now called the "Edward Johnson Ott Hoosier Award."
IFJA’s “Original Vision Award” recognizes a cinematic achievement that is extraordinarily innovative or represents outstanding achievement in experimental and/or original filmmaking.
IFJA Bylaws
Updated January 2022
Members are expected to abide by our bylaws. Violation of bylaws can result in probationary membership (with conditions to be determined) or expulsion upon a majority vote of the entire membership.
Private Screenings Discouraged: One of the primary reasons IFJA was formed was to use our collective influence to combat the dwindling number of screenings provided in the Indianapolis market. As such, we want to discourage studios from scheduling screenings for a single critic. Any IFJA member offered a restricted screening must request that it be opened to all members: "Invite one, invite all" is our motto. If the request is denied, the member is free to attend the screening, but only after a good-faith effort to include everyone.
Production: Prospective and existing members are expected to produce consistent, professional film reviews or commentary in any medium. This shall consist of no less than 24 substantial published pieces per year, which can include articles in print or online, speaking appearances at film-related events, broadcasts or podcasts. Mini reviews (e.g., printed/online reviews of 200 words or less) will be considered at a 25% equivalent to a full review/podcast/broadcast. That is to say four such mini-reviews would constitute one full entry toward the minimum production goal of 24. Broadcast/podcast cameos (e.g., appearances that take up insubstantial or negligible portions of a broadcast/podcast) will not count toward a production goal. Content that appears only in status updates on social media sites or Letterboxd also will not count toward a production goal.
Members are encouraged to produce work for more than a single outlet if possible so as to avoid a large concentration of voting membership from a small number of outlets. If requested, a member shall produce evidence of production (e.g., links/clips).
Junkets/Gifts: The IFJA has no specific policy prohibiting members from accepting junket trips from studios. However, our critics are expected at all times to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with professional journalistic standards: There will be no agreement, implied or otherwise, for a positive review/coverage in exchange for access or payment. There will be no acceptance of lavish gifts. There should be no boasting about screeners or promotional materials received — up to and including posting pictures of screeners or promotional materials on social media. You also must not agree to have prewritten quotes attributed to your name. Any additional behavior that could be considered inconsistent with professional journalistic standards will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Awards: The IFJA gives out annual awards to recognize the best and brightest of each movie year. Members must endeavor to watch as much of the field of potential nominees as possible. Participation is required in the balloting process in early- to mid-December. If a member is unable to attend the yearly meeting at least in part, they must submit an absentee ballot and be readily available on the day of our vote for tie-breaking votes.
Behavior: Members will engage with each other in a manner that is respectful and collegial, especially in forums where their interactions are public and in their published/recorded/broadcast reviews. They will also show appropriate behavior when attending any public events as part of or on behalf of the IFJA. Members must also display professionalism when attending public film-related events or functions they are not attending as part of or on behalf of the IFJA — as their comments and/or behavior could still be considered representative of the group.
Exemptions, Hiatuses, Probationary or Emeritus status: The IFJA understands that life events can intrude on our ability to produce consistently, including such issues as health, employment and personal/family developments. Members may be granted an exemption to the production rule or request a hiatus from voting membership — contingent on sufficient, specific and timely communication of any such requests ahead of each year’s voting deadline. New or non-compliant members may also be assigned non-voting probationary status until such time as the issue is resolved. Veteran members (no less than five years served) who wish to step away from day-to-day duties for the long term may request emeritus status with awards voting privileges. All of these actions require a majority vote of the entire membership.
Dues: All IFJA members are required to support the organization with nominal contributions in support of the agency's annual expenses including website, domain, and the Edward Johnson Ott Hoosier Award. The current annual contribution amount is approximately $15 annually. This is subject to change according to variations in expenses and membership. IFJA members will be informed of this amount annually during the organization's annual membership and awards meeting.
For media or general IFJA inquiries, please contact Christopher Lloyd.
For information on IFJA's annual awards, please contact Evan Dossey.
For information on membership, please contact Brent Leuthold.
For website inquiries, please contact Richard Propes.