Every year, the TFCA which I am a member of sit down and debate the best of the best in all the various film categories.  It is an exhaustive voting and nomination process.  The debates are always lively though they can get quite heated as well.

My main concern is that not every member has seen all the good films to vote.  My favorite two films this year LES MISERABLES and 1917 was were not nominated for this very reason.  Nothing one can do about that, so as they say, it is what it is.  

The best film is PARASITE afar a lively debate between it and THE IRISHMAN.

Christmas sees a release of a dozen or so more films, many not on the prize winning list.  BOMBSHELL, CATS, RICHARD JEWELL are late entries that again, missed the nominations.

Below is the complete list of 2019 nominees and winners.  The Winners are indicted with an asterisk.

 

BEST PICTURE:

The Irishman

Marriage Story

Parasite ***

 

BEST ACTOR:

Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory

Adam Driver, Marriage Story   ***

Adam Sandler, Uncut Gems

 

BEST ACTRESS:

Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Lupita Nyong’o, Us 

Renee Zellweger, Judy

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Willem Dafoe, The Lighthouse

Joe Pesci, The Irishman 

Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood    ***

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Laura Dern, Marriage Story   ***

Julia Fox, Uncut Gems 

Florence Pugh, Little Women

 

BEST DIRECTOR:

Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story

Bong Joon-ho, Parasite    ***

Martin Scorsese, The Irishman 

 

BEST SCREENPLAY:

The Irishman   ***

Marriage Story 

Parasite 

 

BEST FIRST FEATURE:

Atlantics 

Booksmart  ***

Queen & Slim 

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: (there was a tie for 3rd)

How to Train Your Dragon…

Frozen 2

Missing Link   ***

Toy Story 4 

 

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM:

Pain and Glory

Parasite    ***

Portrait of a Lady on Fire 

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE:

American Factory

Apollo 11   ***

The Cave