Welcome to the 2020 Birth.Movies.Death Alternate Oscars! We’re now in the third annual incarnation of this new tradition, in which the BMD staff pick nominees from the films Oscar ignored, and readers vote for the winners. There are plenty of good films nominated in the “real” Oscars, but this is our chance - and yours - to give some lovin’ to the films that were too small, too weird, or too early in the year for the Academy to recognise.
We’ll have a new set of nominees up every Wednesday, leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony itself, and each week we’ll reveal the winners from the previous salvo of categories. So place your votes, and may the best movies win.
Last week, we voted on the visual crafts. Ad Astra scored its second Alternate Oscar, in the Visual Effects category. The Lighthouse’s filthy setting won it the Production Design award, and its filthy people won Best Makeup & Hair. The stunning ‘70s duds of Dolemite Is My Name took out Costume Design, while Midsommar’s sun-bleached horror was crowned with the wreath of Best Cinematography. And finally, the relentlessly-paced Uncut Gems justifiably brought home Best Editing. This week, we look at writing and acting - categories that will undoubtedly pose some difficult decisions
Thanks for voting! We’ll have those winners next week, and - due to the shortened Oscar season this year - we’ll jump straight to Best Director and the overall awards for Best Picture, Documentary, Animated Film, and International Feature. Feel free to expound on your choices - or mourn our own omissions - in the comments below.