Another year of incredible cinema culminates this weekend with the final, and most prestigious awards of them all: the ICON Awards.
This year, the ICON Awards are celebrating five years of not only praising the Blueprint’s favourite films of the year; but also our fight to right the wrongs of award bodies snubbing obvious great work; and honouring the components of the past year in films that, though seemingly less prestigious and/or serious, made us enjoy our film watching experience so much more.
In our fifth year, we are prouder than ever to celebrate everything that makes us love films. Because recognising good cinematography, and admiring the kisses framed by it, are not mutually exclusive.
Here are the nominees for the fifth annual ICON Awards.
BEST ANIMAL
Frodo the cat in A Quiet Place: Day One
Robbie Williams in Better Man
Dondus in Gladiator II
Cat in Flow
Fink in The Wild Robot
The Rats in Nosferatu
MOST ELIGIBLE BOYFRIEND
Joe Keery – Finally Dawn & Marmalade
Mike Faist as Art in Challengers
Joseph Quinn as Eric in A Quiet Place: Day One
Glen Powell in Twisters
Jonathan Bailey in Wicked
Andrew Garfield in We Live in Time
MOST ELIGIBLE GIRLFRIEND
Zendaya – Dune: Part Two
Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters
Mikey Madison in Anora
Elle Fanning in A Complete Unknown
Kristen Stewart in Love Lies Bleeding
Rachel Zegler in Y2K
NOT ELIGIBLE BUT REALLY HOT
Josh O’Connor in Challengers
Dev Patel in Monkey Man
Josh Hartnett in Trap
Margaret Qualley in The Substance
Kyle Gallner & Willa Fitzgerald in Strange Darling
Drew Starkey in Queer
SCENE STEALER
Anthony Head in Upgraded
Michael Shannon in The Bikeriders
Jesse Plemons in Civil War
Joseph Quinn & Fred Hechinger in Gladiator II
Aubrey Plaza in Megalopolis
Jonathan Bailey in Wicked
BIGGEST SURPRISE
Marmalade
Smile 2
Thelma
Better Man
Late Night with the Devil
Red One
BEST CHEMISTRY
Zendaya & Mike Faist & Josh O’Connor in Challengers
Glen Powell and Adria Arjona in Hit Man
Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones in Twisters
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande in Wicked
Willa Fitzgerald & Kyle Gallner in Strange Darling
Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh in We Live in Time
BEST KISS
Joe Keery & Camilla Morrone – Marmalade
Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart in Love Lies Bleeding
Zendaya & Mike Faist & Josh O’Connor in Challengers
Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You
Glen Powell and Adria Arjona in Hit Man
Joe Keery and Rebecca Antonaci in Finally Dawn
ONE TO WATCH
Brittany Snow as director
Osgood Perkins
Sean Wang
Zoe Kravitz as director
Anna Kendrick as director
BEST USE OF MUSIC
Challengers
Sometimes I Think About Dying
Anora
Better Man
A Complete Unknown
Queer
BEST COSTUMING
Lisa Frankenstein
Challengers
Wicked
The Substance
Nosferatu
Queer
BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING
Lisa Frankenstein
Wicked
The Substance
Nosferatu
The Apprentice
A Different Man
BIGGEST OSCAR SNUB
Challengers for Best Original Score
Daniel Craig for Queer
Challengers for Best Original Screenplay
Sing Sing for Best Picture
Nickel Boys for Best Cinematography
La Chimera in Every Category
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Dune: Part Two
His Three Daughters
Wicked
Anora
Saturday Night
Conclave
BEST BREAKOUT PERFORMANCE
Katy O’Brian in Love Lies Bleeding
Adria Arjona in Hit Man
Izaac Wang in Didi
Ethan Herisse & Brandon Wilson in Nickel Boys
Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing
Lily-Rose Depp in Nosferatu
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Dune: Part Two
Challengers
Strange Darling
Nosferatu
Nickel Boys
Maria
BEST SCREENPLAY
Challengers
Anora
The Substance
A Real Pain
Nickel Boys
La Chimera
BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE
Joan Chen in Didi
Yura Borisov in Anora
Ariana Grande in Wicked
Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown
Adam Pearson in A Different Man
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor in Nickel Boys
Clarence Maclin in Sing Sing
Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain
BEST DIRECTOR
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
Luca Guadagnino – Challengers & Queer
Rose Glass – Love Lies Bleeding
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Sean Baker – Anora
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
BEST LEAD PERFORMANCE
Zendaya in Challengers
Demi Moore in The Substance
Willa Fitzgerald in Strange Darling
Naomi Scott in Smile 2
Sebastian Stan in A Different Man & The Apprentice
Mikey Madison in Anora
Colman Domingo in Sing Sing
Fernanda Torres in I’m Still Here
PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Challengers
Didi
Wicked
The Substance
A Different Man
Anora
I’m Still Here
Queer
Nickel Boys
La Chimera
Congratulations to all the above nominees for their part in a truly spectacular year of cinema.
Each year the ICONs also award the coveted ICON of the Year award, wherein one individual’s contribution to cinema and the world throughout this past year is recognised. This too will be announced alongside our winners this Sunday, March 2nd, before the Oscars, right here on the Blueprint.
Happy ICONs week!
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