The Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Critics Choice have all come and gone, and at this point in the film awards season, there’s only one major ceremony left to go: the ICON Awards. Our very own show!
The ICON Awards were designed to award our favourite movies of the year, rectify major voting bodies’ snubs, and honour elements not given categories as well as the ‘sillier’ things that we think should be appreciated in cinema.
In its first year hosted on The Blueprint, here are the nominees for the Second Annual ICON Awards:
ICON OF THE YEAR
For the first time, the ICON Awards are awarding one individual with the soon to be prestigious ICON of the Year Award. This award is designed to recognise someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the world of cinema over the past year and prior to it.
The inaugural winner will be announced alongside our winners.
CUTEST ANIMAL
A cute animal can bring a huge spark of joy to a film if it’s happy and break everyone’s hearts if it’s not. So much so that there are literal websites dedicated to people needing to know if the animal lives until the end of a film. We think that’s fair enough.
The nominees are…
Monchi the Dog from The Mitchells vs the Machines
Odi the Dog from Aftermath
Peter the Cat from The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
Punch the Cat from The Woman in the Window
Sebastian the Rat from The Suicide Squad
MOST ELIGIBLE BOYFRIEND
If you’re not watching every film through a lens of sourcing which characters you can fantasise over, then what are you doing?
The nominees are…
David Alvarez in West Side Story
Jon Bernthal in King Richard/ Those Who Wish Me Dead
Joe Keery in Free Guy
Joel Kinnaman in The Suicide Squad
Herbert Nordrum in The Worst Person in the World
Jason Segel in Our Friend
MOST ELIGIBLE GIRLFRIEND
If you’re still not watching every film through a lens of sourcing which characters you can fantasise over, then what are you doing?
The nominees are…
Jodie Comer in Free Guy
Ariana DeBose in West Side Story
Vanessa Kirby in The World to Come
Léa Seydoux in No Time to Die
Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World
Meng’er Zhang in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
SCENE STEALER
These are the performances that stole all the attention for themselves in every moment of their screen time of their respective films. They might not have the most dialogue or time on our screens, but when done right we can remember them as though they were the leads.
The nominees are…
Richard Ayoade in The Souvenir: Part II
Timothée Chalamet in Don’t Look Up
Bradley Cooper in Licorice Pizza
Daniela Melchior in The Suicide Squad
Jason Momoa in Dune
Rita Moreno in West Side Story
Florence Pugh in Black Widow
BEST PERFORMANCE BY A CHILD
A lot of “prestigious” awards groups often overlook youth performances, for whatever reason. Some manage to break through, but there’s a lot to be sad for the wisdom and authenticity a child can bring to a role. And when they’re good, they’re fantastic.
The nominees are…
McKenna Grace as Phoebe in Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Jude Hill as Buddy in Belfast
Jack Nielen as William in Spencer
Woody Norman as Jesse in C’mon C’mon
Joséphine and Gabriella Sanz in Petite Maman
BIGGEST SURPRISE
These are the films that weren’t necessarily at the top of our ‘Most Anticipated’ lists but ended up being ranked amongst our favourites of the year, or surprised us by bending genres and exceeding our personal expectations for them.
The nominees are…
CODA
Language Lessons
Malignant
The Novice
Our Friend
Red Rocket
BEST MOVIE PARENT
A good movie mum or dad can change the dynamic of a movie. It can make you reflect on your own relationships with your parents or as a parent, and there’s usually some pretty good life lessons in there too for us to grab a hold of.
The nominees are…
Leto Atreides in Dune
Linda Mitchell from The Mitchells vs the Machines
Oracene Price from King Richard
Frank Rossi from CODA
Diana Spencer from Spencer
Vincent from Titane
BEST CHEMISTRY
Chemistry can be something impossible to manufacture: here’s the acting duos that worked well together and created that necessary spark that makes their on-screen partnerships unforgettable.
The nominees are…
Lauren Ridloff and Barry Keoghan in Eternals
Sebastian Stan and Denise Gough – Monday
Bradley Cooper and Cate Blanchett in Nightmare Alley
Daniel Craig and Léa Seydoux in No Time to Die
David Alvarez and Ariana DeBose in West Side Story
ONE TO WATCH
The following nominees are five filmmakers with early work released in 2021 that proves they are only at the start of great careers. We can’t wait to see them flourish in the years to come and hopefully continue to recognise them at the ICON Awards.
The nominees are…
Janicza Bravo
Nia DaCosta
Lauren Hadaway
Sian Heder
Fran Kranz
BEST USE OF SONG
While other awards bodies have categories celebrating original music and scores, a lot of iconic movie moments utilise existing music in new ways, whether it be a cover version or just using it to accentuate a moment.
The nominees are…
Both Sides Now from CODA
Bye Bye Bye from Red Rocket
Downtown from Last Night in Soho
Every Letter from Cyrano
Somewhere from West Side Story
Why from Tick Tick Boom
BEST COSTUMING
Platform Pleasers, baroque period dress and dalmatian coats: here are five films with exceptional costuming that impressed us this year.
The nominees are…
Cruella
Cyrano
Spencer
West Side Story
Zola
BIGGEST SNUB
A performance so obviously worthy of awards recognition, that largely wasn’t across this year’s film award season. Some of these were contenders and some just should’ve been, but all of them will live on with us.
The nominees are…
Mike Faist in West Side Story
Jennifer Hudson in Respect
Emilia Jones in CODA
Everyone from Mass
Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World
Tessa Thompson in Passing
BEST SCENE
An impactful, stand out moment from a film is often a good talking point and can often be a good indicator of a movie’s quality. Here are some of our standout moments from films in 2021.
The nominees are…
Stargazing Scene in CODA
Rope Scene in The Power of the Dog
Opening Flashback in A Quiet Place Part II
Candlelight Soldier Scene in Spencer
‘America’ in West Side Story
Party Scene in The Worst Person in the World
MOST OVERLOOKED PERFORMANCE
Different to Biggest Snub, this award is dedicated to those performances that may not have even been considered for awards traction. Besties, the ICONs have got you covered.
The nominees are…
Ben Affleck in The Last Duel
Bradley Cooper in Nightmare Alley
Jodie Comer in The Last Duel
Ashley Greene in Aftermath
Rebecca Hall in The Night House
Riley Keough in Zola
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Showcasing excellent casting, cohesive direction and united performances.
The nominees are…
CODA
Dune
Mass
West Side Story
Zola
BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
A brand new star making a huge impact in their debut, marking their territory in the industry and promising us long and fruitful careers on the screen.
The nominees are…
Alana Haim in Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones in CODA
Daniela Melchior in The Suicide Squad
Agathe Rousselle in Titane
Rachel Zegler in West Side Story
Meng’er Zhang in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sometimes, a single image can encapsulate a film’s iconography. Think Drew Barrymore on the phone in Scream or Heath Ledger holding the mask at the beginning of The Dark Knight. The way a film is shot can tell so many different stories and we think these are some of the best 2021 had to offer.
The nominees are…
Dune
Passing
Spencer
The Tragedy of Macbeth
West Side Story
Zola
BEST SCREENPLAY
When a film is written well, you tend to remember. Whether it’s a brilliant plot twist or development or a specific line of dialogue, or even just the writer’s style, there’s something in each of these nominees that stood out to us.
The nominees are…
C’mon C’mon
Licorice Pizza
Mass
The Power of the Dog
The Worst Person in the World
Zola
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
The really great supporting performances could probably carry their own movies as the leads, but it can be their sporadic appearances that make them special, and you come to crave their screen time.
The nominees are…
Ariana DeBose in West Side Story
Mike Faist in West Side Story
Troy Kotsur in CODA
Vincent Lindon in Titane
Ruth Negga in Passing
Park Yoo-Rim in Drive My Car
BEST DIRECTOR
The director is the heart of a film. Everything connects to them, every department working tirelessly to collaborate and carry out their vision. When a film works well, it means the director has done their job and assembled a team who can craft something truly special together.
The nominees are…
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Julia Ducournau – Titane
Joanna Hogg – The Souvenir Part II
Denis Villeneuve – Dune
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Lead actors often bear the responsibility of being a large part of whether the film works are not. If your lead isn’t cast correctly, it can turn the entire film on its head. These are some of the ones that worked best for us.
The nominees are…
Isabelle Fuhrman in The Novice
Andrew Garfield in Tick Tick Boom!
Renate Reinsve in The Worst Person in the World
Simon Rex in Red Rocket
Kristen Stewart in Spencer
Tessa Thompson in Passing
FILTY
The FILTY is the most prestigious award of the ICONs. Each nominee is a Film we Loved This Year.
The nominees are…
CODA
C’mon C’mon
Dune
Licorice Pizza
Mass
The Souvenir: Part II
Spencer
Titane
West Side Story
The Worst Person in the World
With some revisions and expansions from last year, that’s twenty two exciting categories celebrating the best of last year in film! Here’s a breakdown of all the nominated films:
West Side Story: 14
CODA: 9
Spencer: 7
The Worst Person in the World: 7
Dune: 6
Licorice Pizza: 5
Titane: 5
Zola: 5
Mass: 4
Passing: 4
The Suicide Squad: 4
C’mon C’mon: 3
The Power of the Dog: 3
Red Rocket: 3
The Souvenir: Part II: 3
Aftermath: 2
Cyrano: 2
Free Guy: 2
King Richard: 2
The Mitchells vs the Machines: 2
No Time to Die: 2
Our Friend: 2
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: 2
Tick, Tick… Boom!: 2
The following films each have one nomination:
Belfast, Black Widow, Cruella, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, Eternals, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Language Lessons, The Last Duel, Last Night in Soho, Malignant, Monday, The Novice, The Night House, Nightmare Alley, The Novice, Petite Maman, A Quiet Place: Part II, Respect, To Those Who Wish Me Dead, The Tragedy of Macbeth, The Woman in the Window, The World to Come.
West Side Story is clearly leading the way in the nominations, but what will happen? Who will win? The ICON Awards winners for the 2021 film year will be announced on Sunday 27th March, before the Flop Oscars.
We’re so thankful to be back celebrating another exciting year of film, and on our own site for the first time too. Make sure to follow the Blueprint on Twitter for updates, and let us know your favourites to win – they will not influence us at all, but it’s all good fun guessing!
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