The Contrarian: The Anti-Oscars Ballot

Film Critic Jack Hanley Brings You His Annual Anti-Oscars Cinephile Ballot

Each year, HANLEY ON FILM critic Jack Hanley crafts a nominee list in eight categories comprised entirely of often the more deserving films and performances ignored, snubbed, or neglected by the Academy Awards nomination committee. We select the year’s most compelling and brilliant performances and films IGNORED by the official ballot. You won’t find the usual cloying, middle-America, Studio-padded Oscar-fodder here- only the best of the year in cinema.

Best Documentary Feature

My Undesirable Friends: Part I- Last Air in Moscow (Dir. Julia Loktev)

Afternoons of Solitude (Dir. Albert Serra)

Predators (Dir. David Osit)

2000 Meters to Andriivka (Dir. Mstyslav Chernov)

Cover-Up (Dir. Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus)

Best International Film

No Other Choice (Dir. Park Chan-wook) S. Korea

Sound of Falling (Dir. Mascha Schilinski) Germany

My Father’s Shadow (Dir. Akinola Davies Jr.) Nigeria

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (Dir. Rungano Nyoni) Zambia

April (Dir. Dea Kulumbegashvili) Georgia

Best Actor In A Supporting Role

David Jonsson (The Long Walk)

Austin Abrams (Weapons)

Michael Cera (The Phoenician Scheme)

Adam Sandler (Jay Kelly)

Archie Madekwe (Lurker)

Best Actress In A Supporting Role

Tânia Maria (The Secret Agent)

Odessa A’zion (Marty Supreme)

Elizabeth Chisela (On Becoming A Guinea Fowl)

Sally Hawkins (Bring Her Back)

Regina Hall (One Battle After Another)

Best Actor In A Leading Role

Abou Sangaré (Souleymane's Story)

Jesse Plemons (Bugonia)

Lee Byung-hun (No Other Choice)

Benicio del Toro (The Phoenician Scheme)

Guillaume Marbeck (Nouvelle Vague)

Best Actress In A Leading Role

Amanda Seyfried (The Testament of Ann Lee)

Chase Infiniti (One Battle After Another)

Kathleen Chalfant (Familiar Touch)

Susan Chardy (On Becoming A Guinea Fowl)

Jennifer Lawrence (Die My Love)

Best Director

Rungano Nyoni (On Becoming A Guinea Fowl)

Kleber Mendonça Filho (The Secret Agent)

Jafar Panahi (It Was Just An Accident)

Mascha Schilinski (The Sound Of Falling)

Park Chan-wook (No Other Choice)

Best Picture

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl

Sorry Baby

The Phoenician Scheme

No Other Choice

Souleymane's Story

Sound of Falling

Sirât

It Was Just an Accident

Nouvelle Vague

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Jack Hanley is a film scholar, podcaster, and critic based in Boulder, CO. He is a programmer with the Chicago Underground Film Festival, Slamdance's Indies Awards, and the Boulder International Film Festival. He is one-half of Blindspotting: A Film Discovery Podcast and the founder of the Reel Horrors Short Film Festival. Find him at Kinophilia on Medium and at HanleyOnFilm.com