“Mank” Leads the 2nd NDFS Awards Nominations

BY SCOTTIE KNOLLIN

The North Dakota Film Society Awards celebrate the best achievements in cinema of 2020. For eligibility, members of NDFS considered all films released in the calendar year in at least one cinema in North Dakota or on a largely accessible streaming service, in addition to those made available for consideration to members of the society between January 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020.

Of the nominees, David Fincher’s “Mank” received 8 nominations, the most of any film. It failed to earn one of the five Best Picture slots, which went to Kelly Reichardt’s “First Cow”, Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”, Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”, Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland”, and Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman”.

Four of the films nominated for Best Picture were directed by women. Three of those filmmakers also earned Best Director mentions.

Last year, NDFS was the first awards voting body in the world to nominate “Honeyland” for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature. The film went on to earn the same nominations at the Academy Awards, the first time a film earned nominations in both categories in the same year. NDFS has made a similar distinction this year by nominating Romanian film “Collective” in both the Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature categories.

The winners of the 2nd North Dakota Film Society Awards will be announced Friday, January 15, 2020.

Best Picture

A total of 30 films received nominations from members of the society.

FIRST COW
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Produced by Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
Directed by Charlie Kaufman
Produced by Anthony Bregman, Charlie Kaufman, Robert Salerno, Stefanie Azpiazu

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Directed by Eliza Hittman
Produced by Eliza Hittman, Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy

NOMADLAND
Directed by Chloé Zhao
Produced by Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Directed by Emerald Fennell
Produced by Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Ashley Fox

Best Director

A total of 25 directors received nominations from members of the society.

Emerald Fennell
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

David Fincher
MANK

Charlie Kaufman
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS

Kelly Reichardt
FIRST COW

Chloé Zhao
NOMADLAND

Best Actress

A total of 19 actresses received nominations by members of the society.

Viola Davis
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Sophia Loren
THE LIFE AHEAD

Frances McDormand
NOMADLAND

Carey Mulligan
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Kate Winslet
AMMONITE

Best Actor

A total of 24 actors received nominations by members of the society.

Riz Ahmed
SOUND OF METAL

Chadwick Boseman
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

Delroy Lindo
DA 5 BLOODS

Gary Oldman
MANK

Steven Yeun
MINARI

Best Supporting Actress

A total of 22 actresses received nominations by members of the society.

Maria Bakalova
BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM

Ellen Burstyn
PIECES OF A WOMAN

Saoirse Ronan
AMMONITE

Amanda Seyfried
MANK

Yuh-Jung Youn
MINARI

Best Supporting Actor

A total of 27 actors received nominations by members of the society.

Bo Burnham
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

Sacha Baron Cohen
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7

Orion Lee
FIRST COW

Paul Raci
SOUND OF METAL

David Strathairn
NOMADLAND

Best Screenplay

A total of 27 screenplays were nominated by members of the society.

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
Charlie Kaufman

MANK
Jack Fincher

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Eliza Hittman

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Emerald Fennell

SOUND OF METAL
Darius Marder, Abraham Marder (screenplay by)
Darius Marder, Derek Cianfrance (story by)

Best Production Design

A total of 27 productions were nominated by members of the society.

EMMA.
Kave Quinn (production designer)
Stella Fox (set decorator)

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
Molly Hughes (production designer)
Mattie Siegal (set decorator)

MANK
Donald Graham Burt (production designer)
Jan Pascale (set decorator)

NEWS OF THE WORLD
David Crank (production designer)
Elizabeth Keenan (set decorator)

THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD
Cristina Casali (production designer)
Charlotte Dirickx (set decorator)

Best Cinematography

A total of 21 directors of photography were nominated by members of the society.

EMMA.
Christopher Blauvelt

FIRST COW
Christopher Blauvelt

MANK
Erik Messerschmidt

NOMADLAND
Joshua James Richards

TENET
Hoyte Van Hoytema

Best Film Editing

A total of 20 film editors were nominated by members of the society.

I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS
Robert Frazen

MANK
Kirk Baxter

NOMADLAND
Chloé Zhao

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Frédéric Thoraval

TENET
Jennifer Lame

Best Original Score

A total of 25 film scores were nominated by members of the society.

AMMONITE
Dustin O’Halloran, Volker Bertelmann

THE INVISIBLE MAN
Benjamin Wallfisch

MANK
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

SOUL
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross

TENET
Ludwig Göransson

Best Original Song

A total of 22 songs were nominated by members of the society.

BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
”Wuhan Flu”
Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Erran Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Erica Rivinoja, Dan Swimer, Jena Friedman, Jim Russell, Jerry Holleman

MISS AMERICANA
”Only the Young”
Written by Taylor Swift and Joel Little

ON THE ROCKS
”Identical”
Written by Thomas Pablo Croquet, Christian Mazzalai, Laurent Mazzalai, Frederic Jean Joseph Moulin

ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
”Speak Now”
Written by Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth

OVER THE MOON
”Rocket to the Moon”
Written by Christopher Curtis, Marjorie Duffield, Helen Park

Best International Feature

A total of 16 films were nominated by members of the society.

AND THEN WE DANCED
Directed by Levan Akin
(Georgia)

ANOTHER ROUND
Directed by Thomas Vinterberg
(Denmark)

BEANPOLE
Directed by Kantemir Balagov
(Russia)

COLLECTIVE
Directed by Alexander Nanau
(Romania)

THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
Directed by Matthew Rankin
(Canada)

Best Documentary Feature

A total of 22 films were nominated by members of the society.

ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY
Directed by Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortés
Produced by Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortés, Dan Cogan, Stacey Abrams

BOYS STATE
Directed by Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss
Produced by Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss

COLLECTIVE
Directed by Alexander Nanau
Produced byAlexander Nanau, Bianca Oana, Bernard Michaux, Hanka Kastelicová

DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
Directed by Kirsten Johnson
Produced by Katy Chevigny, Marilyn Ness, Kirsten Johnson

TIME
Directed by Garrett Bradley
Produced by Lauren Domino, Kellen Quinn, Garrett Bradley

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS
Directed by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
Produced by Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw

Best Animated Feature

A total of 8 films were nominated by members of the society.

THE CROODS: A NEW AGE
Directed by Joel Crawford
Produced by Joel Crawford, Mark Swift

ONWARD
Directed by Dan Scanlon
Produced by Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae

OVER THE MOON
Directed by Glen Keane; co-directed by John Kahrs
Produced by Glen Keane, Peilin Chou, Gennie Rim

SOUL
Directed by Pete Docter, Kemp Powers
Produced by Peter Docter, Dana Murray

WOLFWALKERS
Directed by Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart
Produced by Tomm Moore, Stéphan Roelants, Nora Twomey, Paul Young