Now that the crisp winter air has arrived and films are trotted out for Oscar consideration, I highly recommend these spectacular performances by female actors in film.
BEST ACTRESS
Cate Blanchett in Blue Jasmine. Blanchett’s turn as Jasmine, a fictional Ruth Madoff-like character, is virtuosic. She doesn’t shy away from showing us the ugly, manipulative quality to Jasmine’s histrionics, leaving the viewer in awe.
Julie Delpy in Before Midnight. In the third installment of Richard Linklater’s series that started with Before Sunrise, Delpy’s Celine stresses about her relationship with her stepson and childrearing in the face of making a career mark. A true contemporary scene of a Gen X marriage.
Amy Adams in American Hustle. Adams’ Sydney Prosser, Christian Bale’s con artist wingwoman, is all original. Adams sheds her fresh-faced, girl-next-door persona and turns in a career-defining performance.
Kathryn Hahn in Afternoon Delight. Jill Soloway’s film follows the sexual exploration of Rachel, a bored mother in Los Angeles. Hahn skillfully navigates comedic scenes of school fundraisers and heartbreaking drunken revelations. Her frazzled Rachel is a portrait of hipster motherhood.
Danai Gurira in Mother of George. Gurira’s Adenike is a pitch-perfect representation of an African woman in America caught between the reality of her infertility and the expectations of a culture that confers respect to couples able to produce big families.
Lindsay Burdge in A Teacher. Burdge gives a committed performance to the downward spiral of Diana, an emotionally unstable high school teacher who has an affair with a student.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Sally Hawkins in Blue Jasmine. Hawkins turns in a great supporting performance as Ginger, Jasmine’s poorer sister.
Octavia Spencer in Fruitvale Station.The film is based on the last day of Oscar Grant, who was shot by San Francisco BART officers. Spencer portrays Wanda, Oscar’s mother who goes from celebrating her birthday with her son to the hospital where he dies.
Scarlett Johansson in Her. Johansson’s voice artistry should not go unnoticed since her performance (as the Samantha OS) sustains the movie through long talking scenes with only one other character.
nywift
Related Posts
Meet the New NYWIFT Member: Chicava Roslyn Tate
Welcome to NYWIFT, Chicava Roslyn Tate! Chicava is a burlesque artist, actor, producer, and leading scholar of Black women in burlesque. For more than 15 years, she served as Creative Producer of New York City's Brown Girls Burlesque, developing political and theatrical shows across the United States and internationally. She holds an MFA from Goddard College, where her studies focused on Black burlesque herstory, Taoism, and sacred sexuality. Chicava’s work spans performance, film, and scholarship, including directing The Skin I’m In, co-writing and directing Becoming Betty Page, and developing the docu-series Black Bombshells, which explores the history and cultural legacy of Black women in burlesque and pinup. As an actor, she has appeared in Chock Full Till Empty, Nicole Franklin’s Title VII, and Spike Lee’s film She Hate Me. In our interview, Chicava reflected on her creative journey, the overlooked history of Black women in burlesque, and the projects she is developing to preserve and celebrate this cultural legacy.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Nicole Murray
Welcome to NYWIFT, Nicole Murray! Nicole is a producer, writer, actor, and co-founder of Svelte Dog Productions. She has produced and acted in various productions, including the feature films Tim Travers and the Time Traveler’s Paradox and Death Perception, both receiving distribution this year. Under the Svelte Dog umbrella, she has also produced, co-wrote, and starred in the award-winning short 3 Easy Steps and the short Run Out Groove, which premiered in the Platinum Showcase at Outfest. Svelte Dog prioritizes representation in film, and both projects consisted of a team of an entirely women and non-binary cast and crew. Nicole comes from a science background, with years of research experience in the addiction and individual differences fields. Get to know her in our latest interview!
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Alyssa Lomuscio
Welcome to NYWIFT, Alyssa Lomuscio! Alyssa Lomuscio is a TV editor, story producer, and assistant director based in NYC. Her work as a story producer has earned her two Daytime Emmy award nominations in the Outstanding Lifestyle Program category. She is also a science fiction writer of short stories, novels and screenplays under the pen name A.M. Lomuscio. A 2019 Clarion writer’s workshop alum, her short fiction can be found in Apex magazine and Uncharted. In our interview, Alyssa discussed her time balancing being an AD and a writer and shared stories of working in TV.
READ MOREMeet the New NYWIFT Member: Aurora Caruso
Welcome to NYWIFT, Aurora Caruso! Italian-Belgian artist and former journalist and production assistant Aurora Caruso works with video to explore the relationship between reality and art. After several years in the Italian film industry, she is currently studying Communication and Art & Design at John Cabot University, an American university in Rome. Driven by her passion for cinema, she moved to New York to continue her studies at The New School and has just returned to Italy after a semester there, with the goal of finding work in the United States. She aims to become a director, and her work is shaped by innovation, curiosity, and critical thinking.
READ MORE
