Marriage Story Leads 2019 Indiana Film Journalists Association Awards
Marriage Story, a humanistic drama that depicts the painful process of a cross-country divorce, took three prizes at the 2019 Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) awards - including Best Film, Best Actor (Adam Driver), and Best Original Screenplay (Noah Baumbach).
Parasite was named runner-up for Best Film, in addition to taking the prizes for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director (Bong Joon-ho). Eight additional films were named Best Film finalists, collectively representing IFJA's picks for the 10 best films of 2019.
Lupita Nyong'o was named Best Actress for her dual performance in Us, while the film's composer, Michael Abels, took home the prize for Best Musical Score.
The Hoosier Award, which recognizes a significant cinematic contribution by a person or persons with roots in Indiana or a film that depicts Hoosier State locales and stories, went to Jason Keller for his work co-writing the script for Ford v Ferrari.
IFJA members issued this Hoosier Award statement: “It may have been a decade ago that Indianapolis native Jason Keller began working on the screenplay to Ford v Ferrari, but he fondly invokes the inspiration of his inaugural visit to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as a young boy. Keller’s work on the screenplay brings out the excitement of auto racing and gives vivid life to the actual historical figures who were part of the Ford Racing Team’s initial journey to Le Mans.”
Below is a complete list of winners and runners-up in all IFJA categories:
BEST FILM
Winner: “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: “Parasite”
Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):
“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
“Booksmart”
“Ford v Ferrari”
“Knives Out”
“The Lighthouse”
“Little Women”
“Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
“Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
Winner: “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
Runner-Up: “I Lost My Body”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Winner: “Parasite”
Runner-Up: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Winner: “For Sama”
Runner-Up: “Apollo 11”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Noah Baumbach, “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: Robert Eggers & Max Eggers, “The Lighthouse”
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Winner: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women.”
Runner-Up: Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
BEST DIRECTOR
Winner: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
Runner-Up: Céline Sciamma, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
BEST ACTRESS
Winner: Lupita Nyong'o, “Us”
Runner-Up: Scarlett Johansson, “Marriage Story”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Winner: Jennifer Lopez, “Hustlers”
Runner-Up: Taylor Russell, “Waves”
BEST ACTOR
Winner: Adam Driver, “Marriage Story”
Runner-Up: Adam Sandler, “Uncut Gems”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Winner: Willem Dafoe, “The Lighthouse”
Runner-Up: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood”
BEST VOCAL / MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Winner: Jason Liles, Alan Maxson and Richard Dorton, “Godzilla, King of the Monsters”
Runner-Up: Rosa Salazar, “Alita: Battle Angel”
BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
Winner: Knives Out
Runner-Up: Little Women
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Winner: Michael Abels, “Us”
Runner-Up: Cavern of Anti-Matter, “In Fabric”
BREAKOUT OF THE YEAR
Winner: Olivia Wilde, “Booksmart” (director)
Runner-Up: Roman Griffin Davis, “Jojo Rabbit” (actor)
ORIGINAL VISION AWARD
Winner: Robert Eggers, “The Lighthouse”
Runner-Up: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
HOOSIER AWARD
Winner: Jason Keller, “Ford v Ferrari” (screenwriter)
(As a special award, no runner-up is declared in this category.)
About the IFJA: The Indiana Film Journalists Association was established in February 2009. Members must reside in the Hoosier State and produce consistent, quality film criticism or commentary in any medium.
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 “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.
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 December 2019
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.
For media or general IFJA inquiries, please contact Christopher Lloyd.
For information on membership or annual awards, please contact Evan Dossey.
For website inquiries, please contact Richard Propes.