If you want taste, you turn to the queers! GALECA just announced their annual crop of nominees for the Dorian Awards, and they mentioned some favorites that may have missed at this year’s other major awards. In addition to Best Film, the Dorian Awards has some specialty categories like Most Visually Striking Film, Best LGBTQ Film, and Campiest Flick. This is the only awards race where Malignant will square off against Lady Gaga’s House of Gucci.
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog led the field with 9 nominations, but Passing, West Side Story, and Flee all came in seconds with 5 nominations each. Last year, Nomadland took home three honors, including Best Film, Director, and Most Visually Striking Film. I was thrilled to see Colman Domingo, Robin de Jesús, Ann Dowd, and Martha Plimpton gain some notice.
Please see below for this year’s announcement and nominees!
February 21, 2022 – Hollywood, California – Adding some zest to the film awards season, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics has announced its Dorian Award nominations for the best in movies, mainstream to LGBTQ. Jane Campion’s volatile period drama The Power of the Dog leads the pack with nine nods, including for best film, LGBTQ film, director and three for acting. Coming in a few rungs lower with five nominations each: The 1920s-set racial drama Passing, the unusual animated refugee documentary Flee, and Steven Spielberg’s vibrant reimagining of West Side Story.
Dog and Story contend for Best Film along with three films that received four Dorian nominations each in all: The bittersweet Japanese relationship drama Drive My Car, Norway’s acerbic romantic comedy The Worst Person in the World and Tick, Tick. . .Boom!, the poignant musical about the too-short life of Rent creator Jonathan Larson.
In the studio numbers race, Netflix itself was top dog with 23 nominations for its titles. Neon did well with 18, and Disney / 20th Century Studios scored nine.
GALECA, comprised of over 350 journalists and critics covering film and TV accessible in the U.S., had some surprises up its collective sleeve. Campion, Spielberg and Drive My Car helmer Ryusuke Hamaguchi are joined in the director ring by Denis Villeneuve—whose epic Dune redux only garnered visual and music nods here—and Julia Ducournau, mastermind of the dynamic French thriller Titane.
In the gender-neutral Best Film Performance category, bold turns by Nicolas Cage (Pig), Simon Rex (Red Rocket) and Renate Reinsve (Worst Person) appear in GALECA’s expanded short list of ten slots. Edgy titles Zola, Benedetta and Shiva Baby also landed nominations. And in the running for the Society’s special Wilde Artist accolade: Campion, Lil Nas X, Jennifer Coolidge, Pedro Almodóvar and Tick, Tick’s first-time director Lin-Manuel Miranda.
In the inaugural Best Animated Film category, Flee is up against the sci-fi fantasy Belle, Disney charmers Encanto and Luca, and Netflix’s invading-robots tale The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Also new: The Dorian award for Best Film Music. Encanto, with original songs by the aforementioned Miranda and an ambitious score by Disney glass ceiling breaker Germaine Franco and Spencer, featuring a haunting score by Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, are among the nominees there.
It’s all women vying for GALECA’s Rising Star award: Story breakouts Ariana DeBose and Rachel Zegler, Licorice Pizza find Alana Haim, actress-comedian Patti Harrison (Together Together) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream, TV’s Yellowjackets).
“You could say the movies and performances chosen by our Society’s members are a reflection of what appeals to the entire trendsetting Queer and Trans community,” said GALECA President Monika Estrella Negra. “As our representation grows in the industry and beyond, expect the Dorian Awards to continue to shine light on the importance, and excitement, of having diverse critical eyes on cinema. There is much work to be done in advancing a variety of voices and images that often go unheard and unseen.”
As for the group’s trademark Campiest Flick honor, members dared to nominate the notsa fantastico fashion biz drama House of Gucci (starring past Dorian Award winner Lady Gaga), the stylized Adam Driver musical Annette, horror lark Malignant and M. Night Shyamalan’s beach-that-makes-people-crave-prunes tale, Old. Disney’s cheeky, over-the-top 101 Dalmatians sequel Cruella rounds things out.
Full list of Dorian Film Award nominations and counts below. Winners, including recipients of the group’s special Timeless Star (career achievement) and LGBTQIA+ Trailblazer honors, will be announced March 17.
Formed in 2009, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics’ Dorian Awards go to the best in film and TV, mainstream to queer+, at separate times of the year. GALECA consists of critics, journalists and broadcasters who work for some of the most prominent and influential media outlets in the United States, Canada, Australia and the U.K. A nonprofit professional organization, the Society—via its televised Toast awards specials, panels and 10 Best lists—strives to remind bigots, bullies and our own at-risk youth that the world loves the Q eye on great and unique entertainment.
GALECA is a core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media, an alliance of underrepresented entertainment journalists organizations. See CGEMCritics.org for more information.
Entertainment fans who appreciate the Society’s missions and would like to keep up with its doings are encouraged to subscribe to GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics YouTube channel, where they can watch those star-studded Dorians specials and more. Follow us @DorianAwards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Find more information at GALECA.org.
DORIAN AWARD NOMINATIONS—FULL LIST
BEST FILM
Drive My Car (Janus)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
The Worst Person in the World (Neon)
Tick, Tick. . .Boom! (Netflix)
West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
BEST LGBTQ FILM
Benedetta (IFC Films)
Flee (Neon, Participant)
Parallel Mothers (Sony Pictures Classics)
Shiva Baby (Utopia)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM
Drive My Car (Janus)
Flee (Neon, Participant)
Parallel Mothers (Sony Pictures Classics)
The Worst Person in the World (Neon)
Titane (Neon)
BEST UNSUNG FILM
Mass (Bleecker Street)
Passing (Netflix)
Shiva Baby (Utopia)
The Green Knight (A24)
Zola (A24)
BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Julia Ducournau, Titane (Neon)
Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car (Janus Films) (Janus)
Steven Spielberg, West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Denis Villeneuve, Dune (Warner Bros.)
BEST SCREENPLAY
Drive My Car (Janus) – Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe (adapted)
Passing (Netflix) – Rebecca Hall (adapted)
The Lost Daughter (Netflix) – Maggie Gyllenhaal (adapted)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix) – Jane Campion (adapted)
The Worst Person in the World (Neon) – Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier (original)
BEST FILM PERFORMANCE
Nicolas Cage, Pig (Neon)
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye (Searchlight)
Olivia Colman, The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Penelope Cruz, Parallel Mothers (Sony Pictures Classics)
Andrew Garfield, Tick, Tick. . . Boom! (Netflix)
Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World (Neon)
Simon Rex, Red Rocket (A24)
Kristen Stewart, Spencer (Neon)
Tessa Thompson, Passing (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Robin de Jesús, Tick, Tick. . . Boom! (Netflix)
Colman Domingo, Zola (A24)
Ann Dowd, Mass (Bleecker Street)
Kirsten Dunst, The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Mike Faist, West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Troy Kotsur, CODA (Apple)
Ruth Negga, Passing (Netflix)
Martha Plimpton, Mass (Bleecker Street)
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Flee (Neon, Participant)
Procession (Netflix)
Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It (Roadside Attractions)
Summer of Soul (Searchlight, Hulu)
The Rescue (Greenwich Entertainment, National Geographic)
The Velvet Underground (Apple)
BEST LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY
Ailey (Neon)
Flee (Neon, Participant)
My Name is Pauli Murray (Amazon Studios)
Pray Away (Netflix)
Wojnarowicz: F**k You F*ggot F***er (Kino Lorber, World of Wonder)
MOST VISUALLY STRIKING FILM
Dune (Warner Bros.)
Nightmare Alley (Searchlight)
Passing (Netflix)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
West Side Story (20th Century Studios)
Titane (Neon)
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Belle (GKids)
Encanto (Disney)
Flee (Neon, Participant)
Luca (Disney)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Netflix, Sony)
BEST FILM MUSIC
Dune (Warner Bros.)
Encanto (Disney)
Spencer (Neon)
The Power of the Dog (Netflix)
Tick, Tick. . .Boom! (Netflix)
“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR
Ariana DeBose
Alana Haim
Patti Harrison
Jasmin Savoy Brown
Rachel Zegler
WILDE ARTIST
(to a truly groundbreaking force in film, theatre and/or television)
Pedro Almodóvar
Jane Campion
Jennifer Coolidge
Lil Nas X
Lin-Manuel Miranda
CAMPIEST FLICK
Annette (Amazon Studios)
Cruella (Disney)
House of Gucci (United Artists)
Malignant (Warner Bros.)
Old (Universal)
FILMS RECEIVING MORE THAN ONE DORIAN FILM AWARD NOMINATION
The Power of the Dog (Netflix) – 9
Flee (Neon, Participant) – 5
Passing (Netflix) – 5
West Side Story (20th Century Studios) – 5
Drive My Car (Janus) – 4
The Worst Person in the World (Neon) – 4
Tick, Tick. . . Boom! (Netflix) – 4
Dune (Warner Bros.) – 3
Mass (Bleecker Street) – 3
Parallel Mothers (Sony Pictures Classics) – 3
Titane (Neon) – 3
Encanto (Disney) – 2
Shiva Baby (Utopia) – 2
Spencer (Neon) – 2
The Lost Daughter (Netflix) – 2
Zola (A24) – 2
NUMBER OF DORIAN FILM AWARD NOMINATIONS PER STUDIO
Netflix: 23
Neon: 18
Disney / 20th Century Studios: 9
A24: 4
Janus: 4
Warner Bros: 4
Bleecker Street: 3
Searchlight: 3
Sony Pictures Classics: 3
Amazon Studios: 2
Apple: 2
Utopia: 2
GKids: 1
Greenwich Entertainment: 1
Hulu: 1
IFC Films: 1
Kino Lorber: 1
National Geographic: 1
Participant: 1
Roadside Attractions: 1
Sony: 1
United Artists: 1
World of Wonder: 1
“The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.”
— Oscar Wilde
