Inaugural Aceys Award Nominees and Winners
All films released in 2015, winners in bold

 

Best Performance In A Major Role

• Abraham Atta, Beasts Of No Nation
• Cate Blanchett, Carol
• Cate Blanchett, Truth
• Steve Carell, The Big Short
• Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant
• Brie Larson, Room
• Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
• Will Smith, Concussion
• Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
• Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina

Best Performance In A Supporting Role

• Idris Elba, Beasts Of No Nation
• Christian Bale, The Big Short
• Louis C.K., Trumbo
• Benicio Del Toro, Sicario
• Paul Giamatti, Straight Outta Compton
• Tom Hardy, The Revenant
• Oscar Isaac, Ex Machina
• Rooney Mara, Carol
• Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
• Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Performance by a New or Overlooked Talent

• Idris Elba, Beasts Of No Nation
• Abraham Atta, Beasts Of No Nation
• Domhnall Gleeson, Ex Machina
• Michael B. Jordan, Creed
• Jason Mitchell, Straight Outta Compton
• Daisy Ridley, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens
• Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Tangerine
• Alassane Sy, Mediterranea
• Lily Tomlin, Grandma
• Mae Whitman, The DUFF
• Jacob Tremblay, Room

Best Performance By An Ensemble

• Beasts Of No NationThe Big Short
• Carol
• Hateful Eight
• Spotlight
• Tangerine

Excellence in Cinematic Beauty

• The Assassin, Ping Bin Lee
• Beasts Of No Nation, Cary Joji Fukunaga
• Carol, Edward Lachman
• Ex Machina, Rob Hardy
• The Hateful Eight, Robert Richardson
• Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale
• The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
• Sicario, Roger Deakins

Excellence in Cinematic Technical Achievement

• Creed, Maryse Alberti
• Ex Machina, Rob Hardy
• It Follows, Michael Gioulakis
• Mad Max: Fury Road, John Seale
• The Revenant, Emmanuel Lubezki
• Sicario, Roger Deakins
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Daniel Mindel
• Tangerine, Radium Cheung
• Victoria, Sturla Brandth Grøvlen

Excellence In Sound Recording

• Carol, Geoff Maxwell
• Grandma, Vincent Schelly & Tom Curley
• Hateful Eight, Mark Ulano
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Ben Osmo, Derek Mansvelt, & Chris Ward
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Stuart Wilson, Amanda Beggs,
• Nikita Budash, Ryan Cole, Steve Morris, Johnathan Null, Owen Spencer, & Tim White

Excellence In Sound Design & Mix

• Kingsman: The Secret Service, Wayne Lemmer, Danny Sheehan,
• Martin Cantwell, & Matthew Collinge
• The Look Of Silence, Henrik Garnov & Martin Lind
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Mark Mangini, Chuck Michael, Julian Slater, & David White
• Sicario, Alan Robert Murray, Tom Ozanich, & William Sarokin
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, David Acord, Ben Burtt, Will FIles,
• Gary Rydstrom, Robert Stambler, Matthew Wood, Andy Nelson, Tom Lalley
• What Happened, Miss Simone?, Daniel Timmons & Tony Volante

Excellence In Music Score or Original Song

• Beasts Of No Nation, Dan Romer
• The End of The Tour, Danny Elfman
• Hateful Eight, Ennio Morricone
• Kingsman: The Secret Service, Henry Jackman, & Matthew Margeson
• People Places Things, Mark Orton
• “Flashlight” – Pitch Perfect 2, Sia Furler, Christian Guzman, Jason Moore, & Sam Smith
• “Chhil Gaye Naina”- NH10, Rakesh Kumar, Sanjeev Rathod, & Darshan Rathod

Excellence In Music Soundtrack

• Amy
• Chi-Raq
• Dope
• The Hateful Eight
• Minions
• Sicario
• Straight Outta Compton
• What Happened, Miss Simone?

Excellence in Production Design & Art Direction

• The Assassin, Wen-Ying Huang
• Beasts Of No Nation, Inbal Weinberg
• Brooklyn, François Séguin
• Carol, Judy Becker
• Ex Machina, Mark Digby
• The Hateful Eight, Yohei Taneda
• The Revenant, Jack Fisk
• Tomorrowland, Scott Chambliss

Excellence In Costume Design & Wardrobe

• Beasts Of No Nation, Jenny Eagan
• Brooklyn, Odile Dicks-Mireaux
• Carol, Sandy Powell
• Chi-Raq, Ruth E. Carter
• The Dressmaker, Marion Boyce & Margot Wilson
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Jenny Beavan
• Slow Learners, Rita Squitiere

Excellence in Hair & Makeup

• Carol, Jerry DeCarlo & Patricia Regan
• Chi-Raq, Suzi Ostos & Cheryl Pickenback
• The Danish Girl, Carmel Jackson
• The Revenant, Sharon Toohey & Robert A. Pandini
• What We Do In The Shadows, Dannelle Satherley, Roger Murray, & Don Brooker

Best Analog or Digital FX

• Ant-Man, Daniel Sudick, Dinesh K. Bishnoi,  & Jon Capelton
• Ex Machina, John Lockwood, Andrew Whitehurst, & Richard Conway
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Dan Oliver, Andy Williams, Andrew Jackson, David Nelsonand Katherine Rodtsbrooks
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Chris Corbould, Ben Morris, & Michael Mulholland
• Tomorrowland, Mike Vézina, Huseyin Caner, Craig Hammack, John Knoll, & Eddie Pasquarello

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble

• Everest, Jamie Edgell
• Furious 7, Spiro Razatos
• Mad Max: Fury Road, Guy Norris
• Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, Wade Eastwood
• The Revenant, Scott J. Ateah
• Sicario, Keith Woulard

Excellence in Editing: Documentary

• Amy, Chris King
• Heart Of A Dog, Melody London & Katherine Nolfi
• Listen To Me Marlon, Stevan Riley
• The Look Of Silence, Nils Pagh Andersen
• The Russian Woodpecker, Chad Gracia & Devin Tanchum
• (T)ERROR, Jean-Philippe Boucicaut, Nyneve Laura Minnear, & David Felix Sutcliffe

Excellence in Editing: Narrative

• Beasts Of No Nation, Pete Beaudreau & Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
• The Big Short, Hank Corwin
• Dope, Lee Haugen
• The Hateful Eight, Robert Richardson
• The Revenant, Stephen Mirrione
• Sicario, Joe Walker
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Maryann Brandon & Mary Jo Markey

Best Original Film Concept or Story

• Chi-Raq
• Ex Machina
• 52 Tuesdays
• Heart Of A Dog
• The Hateful Eight
• Inside Out
• It Follows
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Mend
• Tangerine
• Taxi Teheran

Best Screenplay Adaptation of Work of Fiction or Nonfiction

• Ant-Man, Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, Adam McKay, Paul Rudd
• Beasts Of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga
• The Big Short, Charles Randolph & Adam McKay
• Black Mass, Mark Mallouk & Jez Butterworth
• Carol, Phyllis Nagy
• Embrace Of The Serpent, Ciro Guerra, Theodor Koch-Grunberg
• End Of The Tour, Donald Margulies
• The Martian, Drew Goddard
• Room, Emma Donahue
• Spotlight, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, and Michael Arndt

Best Original Screenplay

• Tangerine, Sean Baker & Chris Bergoch
• Spotlight, Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy
• Results, Andrew Bujalski
• Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven & Alice Winocour
• Inside Out, Meg LeFauve, Josh Cooley, Pete Docter
• Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino
• Ex Machina, Alex Garland
• Dope, Rick Famuyiwa

Excellence In Directorial Debut

• Advantageous, Jennifer Phang
• Ex Machina, Alex Garland
• 52 Tuesdays, Sophie Hyde
• Mediterranea, Jonas Carpignano
• Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
• Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Chloé Zhao

Excellence In Direction: Overlooked or Alternative

• Advantageous, Jennifer Phang
• Beasts Of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga
• Dope, Rick Famuyiwa
• Finding Hope, Julian Grant
• Heart Of A Dog, Laurie Anderson
• It Follows, David Robert Mitchell
• Sicario, Denis Villeneuve
• Spring, Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
• Stuff, Suzanne Guacci
• Tangerine, Sean Baker
• Taxi Teheran, Jafar Panahi

Best Director

• Beasts Of No Nation, Cary Fukunaga
• The Big Short, Adam McKay
• Carol, Todd Haynes
• Creed, Ryan Coogler
• Ex Machina, Alex Garland
• Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino
• Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
• Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven
• The Revenant, Alejandro Iñarritu
• Sicario, Denis Villeneuve
• Spotlight, Tom McCarthy

Lifetime Achievement In Film
Honoring a living legend for contributions to film.

• Danny Boyle
• Tim Burton
• Joan Chen
• Ethan & Joel Coen
• Doris Day
• Jean-Luc Godard
• Ron Howard
• Jim Jarmusch
• Jean-Pierre Jeunet
• Alejandro Jodorowsky
• Kathleen Kennedy
• Ang Lee
• Spike Lee
• Steven Spielberg

Best Animated Film

• Anomalisa, Duke Johnson, Charlie Kaufman, Dino Stamatopoulos, & Rosa Tran
• The Good Dinosaur, Denise Ream
• Hotel Transylvania 2, Michelle Murdocca
• Inside Out, Jonas Rivera
• Shaun The Sheep, Paul Kewley & Julie Lockhart
• World Of Tomorrow, Don Hertzfeldt

Outstanding Film: Short or Experimental

• Laika’s Lullaby, Julia Oldham
• Heart of a Dog, Laurie Anderson & Dan Janvey
• World Of Tomorrow, Don Hertzfeldt
• Dylan, Melissa Kelly & Steve Simmons
• Damnation: The Flashback, Reno Dakota, Felicia Jamieson, Ian McAlpin, & Bruce Pross

Outstanding Film: Documentary

• Amy, James Gay-Rees
• Best of Enemies, Robert Gordon & Morgan Neville
• The Birth of Sake, Masako Tsumura
• Cartel Land, Matthew Heineman & Tom Yellin
• Crocodile Gennadiy, Danny Yourd
• Democrats, Henrik Veileborg
• Heart Of A Dog, Laurie Anderson & Dan Janvey
• The Jinx, Andrew Jarecki & Marc Smerling
• Listen To Me Marlon, John Battsek, George Chignell, & R.J. Cutler
• The Look Of Silence, Signe Byrge Sørensen
• The Russian Woodpecker, Ram Devineni & Mike Lerner
• (T)ERROR, Lyric R. Cabral, Christopher St. John, & David Felix Sutcliffe
• What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby, Jayson Jackson, & Justin Wilkes
• The Wolfpack, Hunter Gray, Crystal Moselle, Alex Orlovsky, & Izabella Tzenkova

Outstanding Film: Comedy

• Appropriate Behavior, Cecilia Frugiuele
• Diary Of A Teenage Girl, Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, & Madeline Samit
• Dope, Nina Yang Bongiovi & Forest Whitaker
• Night Owls, Seth Goldsmith & Charles Hood
• Slow Learners, Tommy Joyner, Jamie Lokoff, Brian O’Connor, & Tammy Tiehel-Stedman
• Spy, Peter Chernin, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, & Jenno Topping
• Trainwreck, Judd Apatow & Barry Mendel
• What We Do In The Shadows, Emanuel Michael, Taika Waititi, & Chelsea Winstanley

Outstanding Film: Musical or Music Subject

• Amy, James Gay-Rees
• Pitch Perfect 2, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Brooks, & Max Handelman
• Straight Outta Compton, Matt Alvarez, Scott Bernstein, Dr. Dre, F. Gary Gray,
• Ice Cube, & Tomica Woods-Wright
• Roy, Divya Khosla, Bhushan Kumar, & Krishan Kumar
• What Happened, Miss Simone?, Liz Garbus, Amy Hobby, Jayson Jackson, & Justin Wilkes

Outstanding Film: Art House Or Limited Release

• Carol, Elizabeth Karlsen, Tessa Ross, Christine Vachon, & Stephen Woolley
• Diary of a Teenage Girl, Miranda Bailey, Anne Carey, Bert Hamelinck, & Madeline Samit
• Heart of a Dog, Laurie Anderson & Dan Janvey
• I’ll See You in My Dreams, Rebecca Green, Brett Haley, & Laura D. Smith
• Listen To Me Marlon, John Battsek, George Chignell, & R.J. Cutler
• The Mend, Myna Joseph, John Magary, & Michael Prall
• Mustang, Charles Gillibert
• Son Of Saul, Gábor Rajna & Gábor Sipos
• Spring, Justin Benson, David Lawson, Jr., Luca Legnani, & Aaron Moorhead
• Tangerine, Sean Baker, Karrie Fox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou
• Taxi Teheran, Jafar Panahi
• The Tribe, Miroslav Slaboshpitsky & Valentyn Vasyanovych
• What We Do In The Shadows, Emanuel Michael, Taika Waititi, & Chelsea Winstanley

Artistic Achievement In Film (Top Prize)

• Advantageous, Robert M. Chang, Ken Jeong, Jacqueline Kim, & Moon Molson
• Beasts Of No Nation, Idris Elba, Cary Joji Fukunaga, Amy Kaufman, Riva Marker, & Daniela Taplin Lundberg
• The Big Short, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Arnon Milchan, & Brad Pitt
• Carol, Elizabeth Karlsen, Tessa Ross, Christine Vachon, & Stephen Woolley
• The Hateful Eight, Richard N. Gladstein, Shannon McIntosh, & Stacey Sher
• The Revenant, Steve Golin, Arnon Milchan, Keith Redmon, & James W. Skotchdopole
• Sicario, Basil Iwanyk, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, & Molly Smith
• Songs My Brothers Taught Me, Mollye Asher, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Angela C. Lee, Forest Whitaker, & Chloé Zhao
• Spotlight, Blye Pagon Faust, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin, & Michael Sugar
• Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk, & Kathleen Kennedy
• Tangerine, Sean Baker, Karrie Fox, Marcus Cox, Darren Dean, Shih-Ching Tsou
• Mustang, Charles Gillibert
• The Russian Woodpecker, Ram Devineni & Mike Lerner