Daily Archives: December 19, 2020

Sandra Goldmark is a triple-, or possibly quadruple-threat, but not in the conventional song and dance way. She is director of Campus Sustainability at Barnard College, and also a theater professor, set designer, and repair shop proprietor. Oh, and an author; Goldmarks book Fixation: How to Have Stuff Without Breaking the Planet is a short but substantive and enjoyable dive into the relationship between humans and stuff, based on her own sustainability journey and passion for repair.

I first met Goldmark in 2014 at the Columbia Greenmarket, which I was managing at the time. She and her husband Michael, both seasoned theater professionals accustomed to fixing things at work, periodically brought their pop-up repair shop to the farmers market at 114th and Broadway, staying for three or four weeks at a time. They would spread the word that they were there for a week and then the next week theyd collect a stream of broken items from the community. A couple of weeks later, theyd bring them back fixed.

Goldmarks experience with the repair shop made a lasting impression on her. She discovered that its not just less wasteful to repair things; it also makes people feel good. Most of the people she interacted with at the shop werent getting items repaired because they wanted to be eco-friendly; they were doing it because of their attachment to the item. They didnt want to replace itthey wanted that particular thing to work again.

In Fixation, Goldmark outlines how stuff is a really essential part of who we are as humans; we couldnt survive without it, and it also gives us pleasure. She delves deep into our very troubled relationship to stuff and our insatiable appetite for it, and the consequences these have had for our planet. You can read an excerpt here.

I caught up with her to ask her some questions on our podcast, Pod of the Planet, and you can read a condensed version of our conversation below. Weve also put together a list of recommendations of shops and organizations that can help you on your journey to a more sustainable lifestyle at the end of the interview.

Sandra (sitting center) and her Fixit pop-up colleagues at a New York City Greenmarket.

You started as a set designer and professor for the Barnard College theater department. How did you come to your current position as director of Campus Sustainability?

As a set designer for many years, my job was to work with stuff to create meaning on stage with space and the objects in it. Another big part of the job of a set designer, unfortunately, is creating a lot of waste. Almost every design that you make goes, sooner or later, into the Dumpster.

My work in theater led me down this path of thinking about questions of consumption, of waste, and their roles in climate change, and eventually of circularity as a solution. Somewhere over the past 10 to 12 years, I got really fired up about that and I came up with circular economy solutions for our theater practices. I started the repair shops, which were a kind of like a real-world example of the same thing.

All of that ultimately fed back into this work of thinking about climate action on campus. Having worked across these disciplines for so many years, it made me feel very strongly that its good to have people working on these things from all different departments and perspectives. That has really fed into my work at Barnard. Were looking at climate action from as many angles as we can, with as many people in the room as we can.

Can you talk a little more about the repair shop? Do you have a favorite repair from your time in the repair shop, or one that is particularly memorable?

My husband and I and our colleagues started running these little short-term repair shops all over New York City, and we called ourselves Fixit. People would bring us all kinds of broken items. We accepted everything from lamps and appliances and furniture to toys and textiles and ceramics. As you mentioned, there were a lot of really specific objects. Twenty-five hundred of them, to be exact, that came through our shops.

It was an experiment into this question of whether people would pay for these services. How much would they pay? How could we tinker and disrupt the traditional business model of repair to make it sustainable and viable in New York, a very expensive city?

The Fixit workshop.

We ran these short-term shops for seven years. We did more than a dozen shops and dozens of educational events. It was funny because on the one hand, there did come to be a pattern, a repetitiousness of another lamp, another broken blender. But in another funny way, every little object was unique and told a story.

I really loved the paint touchups. Within set design, I really quite love scenic painting, so I love touching up things like ceramics or wood stains or jewelry. I remember one item, it was a yellow kids stool with a painting of a tiger on the top. We fixed the leg, but then the paint was all chipped, so I touched up the top.

Those jobs were really satisfying. First of all, its very soothing for me. Its a hard job that for me is easy, which is always fun. Theres something really satisfying about like the kind of invisibility of the mend when youre done. Some people in the repair world love visible mending, which can be very cool and very beautiful, but I think my theater illusionist heart really loves it when you hold up the bowl and the crack is completely camouflaged.

In your book you discuss a broad range of topics from sustainable agriculture, to set design, to furniture production, to waste cycles, to world religions. Can you talk a bit about the common threads running through the book? What ties it all together?

I guess the obvious common thread is stuff or consumption, whichever term you prefer. The reason I have so many threads is I really felt like after all these years in the repair shop, we needed to look at stuff as the incredibly complex and rich topic that it is. You can talk about it from a climate change perspective and talk about all the damage that were doing, and that is in the book. But I felt like in order to talk about solutions or a way out, you have to understand the problem from all the different perspectives. You have to really see and understand stuff, and what its doing in our lives. Because if you look around, its everywhere. Like right now, wherever you are, whoever you are, I guarantee you youre surrounded by objects made by humans.

Stuff, the things we make that are the products of our hands, is so central to who we are as a species, to who we are as individuals. And its also really central to the climate change problem because it is so monumental.

What Im trying to do in the book is acknowledge the vastness and the complexity of this topic on the personal level, on a business level, on a scientific climate change level, on a policy level. Appreciate the problemI shouldnt call it a problemappreciate this category of our humanity.

We cant really move ahead and try to get past our clogged planet if we dont understand that we need stuff and it is fundamentally a part of who we are as humans. That understanding of or respect for our stuff and the role it plays in our lives is something that I dont see talked about a lot.

I think thats why in my earlier answer, I was shying away from calling stuff a problem. Because while there are a lot of problems with stuff, I think that, just like food, if it becomes stigmatized then were missing part of the equation, which is that it can be a blessing and a source of joy. And its certainly essential to our survival.

Most Americans today are probably dealing with a problem of excess as opposed to a problem of scarcity, because thats where we are. Again, just like food, even at lower socioeconomic levels in this country, theres sometimes more of a problem of an excess of cheap stuff calories as opposed to actual scarcity of calories.

We love food, we love stuff, which is totally natural. But we have built a system that can satisfy every appetite to the nth degree in a heartbeat. The problem were facing today is due to our technological capacity to fulfill our appetites. The appetites themselves are totally normal and sensible and frankly, quite lovely.

How do we build a system that isnt over-satisfying our very natural appetites? Historically and still in certain traditional cultures, it was and is easier to live in balance. But those traditional habits surrounding stuff are being decimated as the U.S. exports its patterns of consumption worldwide, just like traditional languages, just like traditional diets. The traditional ways of living with the physical world are also being diminished by globalization.

When I worked at the Greenmarket, my friends and coworkers at the market and I used to talk about how working at the farmers market is a lifestyle. We were referring not only to the physical necessities of the job, but also to using reusable containers, composting, and reducing waste wherever possible.

Your book hits on a lot of similar aspects to that lifestyle in terms of waste reduction and making it work with what youve got. Can you talk about your personal lifestyle or guiding philosophy a little bit and how youve arrived where you are now?

Its a lifestyle, but theres another layer to it that has to do with habit, and physicalizing or internalizing certain behaviors. For instance, I dont think every time I throw something in the compost now. I just started composting at some point and now it feels weird to not do it. When New York canceled compost at the start of COVID, it was disgusting to me to put my food scraps right in the regular trash. It was so funny how disruptive that change was, and it was not because Im an environmentalist and trying to combat climate change, it was just because it was a break in my habit and it was this physical action that had started to feel really normal and healthy.

I think theres a huge part of the book that is about embracing that and saying theres a way to just begin. Like all habits, you do have to start somewhere, but then it can just become a thing that you do. Im trying to help people see that the steps to deal with stuff more sustainably are not complicated and like food, you can get there over time.

I learned a lot on the food movement in terms of the lifestyle question. The farmers market is a good analogy because the food movement is more advanced than what I call the stuff movement. Its more firmly established in the zeitgeist, or the collective consciousness, that what you eat and how you eat impacts the planet, impacts your health, impacts communities around the world.

I tried to consciously build on that and say, Hey, stuff is just like food, and just like you can have a healthy food way of living, you can have the healthy stuff way of living. Its not a fad diet. Its not a restrictive, horrible thing that youre going to have to change every few days.

Fixing some jewelry.

And so I (on purpose) borrowed from Michael Pollan, the food writer, because I love his work. I wanted to consciously build on his concepts and show people how its similar. Michael Pollan said for food, Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. So in Fixation I lay out these five steps for stuff: Have good stuff (not too much), mostly reclaimed. Care for it. Pass it on. Theres all kinds of details within it, but thats really all you have to remember.

How can we enlighten people so they see the importance of their individual choices within larger systems? In your book you say that not taking individual actions denies each of us a place in the world. If our actions are part of the problem, then they must be part of the solution. Whats your advice for people wanting to make a difference and be a part of the solution?

Im glad you brought this up, because its such an important question. I think in that section of the book that youre quoting, I was reacting what sometimes I see in the kind of climate action movement: this little fight between people saying individual actions dont matter versus individual actions do matter. Or the even more reductive version is to say its all the corporations fault.

Or sometimes Ill hear things like, Well, we dont need to change individual actions, what we need is systemic changeas if theres a dichotomy, or as if the two are not related. That whole thing just leaves me totally cold, because to me its all related. They are all separate levels of detail on the problem. I could zoom way out and talk about a systemic problem. I can zoom way in and talk about an individuals actions. If Im only looking at one, Im missing a part of the picture.

There are a lot of policies and business practices that would make it a lot easier for people to live these low-waste, sustainable lifestyles. Thats really what we need, because we need it to become the default. We need it to become easy. We cant wait around for people to heroically choose to repair their item instead of buying a new oneit does need to become part of the system.

Sandra and the team speaking with a customer at one of the Fixit pop-ups.

But taking individual action is part of getting there. Thats where you build at the community level. You go to the farmers market, you go to the community board, you go to the schools, and thats where you actually get a culture shift. Businesses also have a huge role to play, especially in this particular arena of stuff and consumption. They have to really change their core business models, which is a big ask, but I actually think its doable and believable.

A good example of how individual action and activism matter is the bag ban in New York City. We have this plastic bag policy in New York, which was passed in March. That policy, which is going to have so much impact, was built on a lot of individual actions and a lot of activism and community organizing. It will be supported and scaled and facilitated by businesses figuring out how to make it work from their perspectives. It shows all the spheres of individual, business, and policy.

This is why I get distressed when I hear people saying, Dont talk to individuals. Why not? Why would I only talk to one segment of society?

And of course, individuals make up all segments of society.

Exactly. Who do you think is writing the policies?

Wondering where to get started with healthier consumption habits? Goldmark has provided some recommendations for where to look for secondhand items, get things repaired, and find new homes for unwanted items. Some of these are specific to New York City, but there should be similar options elsewhere around the country. In no particular order:

Happy shopping, and wishing you a sustainable new year!

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Fixing Our Broken Relationship with 'Stuff': A Q&A With Sandra Goldmark - State of the Planet

Viola Davis, Colman Domingo on the Importance of Telling August Wilson's Stories on Screen (Exclusive)

With the arrival of Ma Raineys Black Bottom on Netflix, playwright August Wilsons celebration of Black lives once again takes center stage. The film, produced by Denzel Washington and starring Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman and Colman Domingo, chronicles the day in the life of the legendary blues singer and her backing band as they record music one afternoon in the 1920s. It also marks the second time one of Wilsons award-winning plays has been adapted for the screen. The first, of course, being Fences, which Washington produced, directed and starred in.The two-time Oscar winnerhas also made it his mission to make movie versions of Wilsons 10 plays, known as the Pittsburgh Cycle.

Also referred to as the Century Cycle, nine of the 10plays depict different generations of African Americans living in Pittsburghs Hill District, with the other, Ma Raineys Black Bottom, being set in Chicago and focused on the singer. Overall, Wilsons aim was to bring Black experiences -- not just a singular one -- in America to the stage, with all 10 eventually performed on Broadway.

He wrote vital plays, director Ruben Santiago-Hudson told ET of Wilsons work. Plays that had pulses. They reflected each generation and each time specifically in importance and nature of issues of that era. But things change only so much, the disguise just becomes different. August has a lot of revolution in his plays; its not just survival, theres a lot of revolution.

The last one to make it to Broadway was Wilsons first play, Jitney, which was directed by Santiago-Hudson and starred Andre Holland among an ensemble of Black actors. It opened at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in New York City in 2017, just as Fences was earning accolades, including four Academy Award nominations -- with one being a posthumous nod for Wilson in Best Adapted Screenplay -- and eventually one win, for Best Supporting Actress for Davis performance opposite Washington.

[Audiences] are being exposed to greatness, Davis told ET, when asked about the significance of Wilsons two works being produced for stage and screen at the same time. I think the worst thing is to be that great and to live in any sort of obscurity, because I know I've reaped the benefits of the words and that writing and those characters and those narratives and how much it enriched my life. That's the beauty of it. People are being exposed to the effects of that writing.

She added, Hes no longer unknown. Hes going to be right at the tip of everybody's tongue. It's not going to be August Wilson who?

It's significant because people recognize this extraordinary quality, and it allows the integrity of August Wilson's star to shine so bright right now, Santiago-Hudson also said of the zeitgeist moment, sharing Davis sentiment.

Several years later, Wilson is back in the spotlight as both Ma Raineys Black Bottom and Giving Voice, a documentary produced by Davis and Washington about an annual monologue competition inspired by his work, find their way onto Netflix. The projects also come amid a cultural reckoning in America, as the Black Lives Matter movement not only challenged the systemic and institutionalized racism in all facets of the country but encouraged the importance of Black stories in entertainment.

If director George C. Wolfe had it his way, Ma Raineys Black Bottom would have been released during the height of the movement over the summer. But Washington and others discouraged him from that knee-jerk reaction. Ultimately, the most important thing is that the film is out there, available for audiences to see again and again, unlike the play, which people often only get to see that one time.

People all over the world are going to see it, he tells ET now. I think that feels really kind of thrilling to me simply because all of a sudden, even people who know nothing about him or who have heard of him but havent seen the play will now have his language and his understanding of the world and his characters in their lives.

And what sets Ma Raineys Black Bottom apart from Wilsons other plays, and perhaps what makes it even more resonate as more stories about LGBTQ people of colorare being told, is that it focuses largely on a queer woman. I think thats something that needs to be even celebrated more so, Domingo says, adding that Wilsons plays tend to be very male-centric and normally dont include any gay characters.

But when it comes to Ma, the actor adds, shes a force to be reckoned with, who was an openly gay blues singer who was fighting so many fights in one day. Just to get through the day, she was a woman, she was a Black woman, she was a queer, Black woman in a male-dominated industry.

That diversity within the Black experience is even reflected in Giving Voice, and the new generation of performers who are interpreting and performing Wilsons words in the annual August Wilson Monologue Competition. Every year, thousands of students from across America vie for a chance to perform on Broadway.

And despite Wilsons work being written decades ago, for many of the young competitors, it still relatable to what many are going through today. If this play was written a while ago and this is still happening, we need to do something about it, says Gerardo Navarro, one of the teenage performers in the documentary.

No matter what, with both projects available on the streaming platform, People will now know the majesty of August Wilsons work, Wolfe says.

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Viola Davis, Colman Domingo on the Importance of Telling August Wilson's Stories on Screen (Exclusive) - WUSA9.com

Bonus Slide: Hamilton

Dont let anyone tell you differently: The streaming event of the year was Hamilton on Disney+.

Sadly, its also the hardest to categorize. Was it a Broadway documentary? A TV special? A stand-alone film? Its a little bit of all three, so it belongs on its own bonus slide.

Below are some other honorable mentions:

Honorable Mentions:

10. The Invisible Man

Director: Leigh Whannell

One of my biggest gripes is seeing year-end best lists that include only Oscar bait from late December that most folks havent seen yet. Instead, lets kick off my Top 10 by reaching all the way back to February for a horror remake that actually rivaled the original.

Written and directed by Saw creator Leigh Whannell, The Invisible Man featured a powerful performance byElisabeth Moss, who believes her abusive boyfriend is stalking her as an invisible man. Is she just going crazy? Or is something supernatural actually at play? Boasting #MeToo themes and juicy plot twists, it was one of the few actual blockbusters that we had this year.

9. Palm Springs

Director: Max Barbakow

Imagine a screenwriter entering a room to pitch Groundhog Day meets Wedding Crashers. Thats the basic premise of Palm Springs, which wowed the Sundance Film Festival before streaming on Hulu.

Set in Palm Springs, California, this rom-com fantasy follows a carefree wedding guest (Andy Samberg) and a reluctant maid of honor (Cristin Milioti), who meet at her sisters wedding. Thanks to a magical force in the desert, they cant escape the venue and are forced to relive the chaotic wedding day over and over again.

Equally heartwarming and hilarious, its an inventive take on a gimmick that you thought was played out.

8. Bad Education

Director: Cory Finley

Produced by HBO Films, Bad Education should be competing for the Oscars this year instead submitting for the Emmys in the TV Movie category. Quarantine has shown us that such labels are outdated, as Bad Education isnt episodic content but rather a stand-alone film that should compete against other streamers.

Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney are in top form as Long Island Superintendent Frank Tassone and Assistant Superintendent Pamela Gluckin, who carried out the largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history from 1992 to 2004. In a year where Hollywood stars went to prison for the college admissions scandal, Bad Education is as much a zeitgeist flick as any movie made this year.

7. Mank

Director: David Fincher

Is there a film whose merits have been argued about more this award season than Mank? David Finchers nostalgic biopic to Citizen Kane screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) is not for casual moviegoers, but rather a black-and-white love note to cinephiles who appreciate the significance of Orson Welles masterpiece not only to cinema history, but for its commentary on egomaniacal media moguls.

Mank is not really a making of film at all; its a collection of puzzle pieces in the life of a man on the ground floor of a booming industry who sabotaged his own career with booze and shame for his creative vocation.

6. Da 5 Bloods

Director: Spike Lee

Tied for the No. 6 slot are a pair of movies featuring the final roles of the late Chadwick Boseman.

First isSpike Lees war joint Da 5 Bloods, the much anticipated follow-up to his long overdue Academy Award win for BlacKkKlansman (2018). The June release starred Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Norm Lewis as Vietnam vets searching for the remains of their fallen officer, played in flashbacks by Boseman.

Little did we know that he would pass away just months later, making his role eerily prescient as he returns from the dead in rays of angelic light to say, I forgive you. God is love. Love is God. I died for you, blood.

6. Ma Raineys Black Bottom

Director: George C. Wolfe

Also tied for our No. 6 slot is Chadwick Bosemans posthumous Netflix release, Ma Raineys Black Bottom.

Based on the second of 10 plays in August Wilsons renowned Century Cycle, the story is set on a hot day in 1920s Chicago, where the so-called Mother of the Blues Ma Rainey records her newest album.

Viola Davis is a tour de force as the impossible diva demanding Coca Cola, while showing empathy toward her stuttering nephew. Still, its Boseman who steals the show as brash trumpeter Levee, who carries a chip on his emaciated shoulders. Its hard to watch this beloved man dying before our very eyes, lending a transcendent power to monologues challenging God as if Boseman himself is shouting, Why me? on deaths door.

Just as Troys baseball dreams were stolen in Fences (2018), Levees hopes are dashed here, but Bosemans greatness is forever frozen in time on screen in a final performance that deserves to win a posthumous Oscar.

5. The Trial of the Chicago 7

Director: Aaron Sorkin

In perhaps Netflixs best shot at winning Best Picture, writer/director Aaron Sorkin combines his mastery of politics (The West Wing) and courtroom drama (A Few Good Men) to chornicle thetrue story of seven men arrested during an uprising outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

The deep cast boasts Frank Langella as the judge, Mark Rylance as the defense attorney and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the lead prosecutor, but the real standouts areEddie Redmayne as academic Tom Hayden andSacha Baron Cohen as activistAbbie Hoffman, who dropped f-bombs in a flag shirt in Forrest Gump (1994).

Their clash of ideals explodes as Redmayne confronts Cohen: My problem is that, for the next 50 years, when people think of progressive politics, theyre gonna think of you and your idiot followers passing out daisies to soldiers and trying to levitate the Pentagon. Theyre not gonna think of equality or justice, theyre not gonna think of education or poverty or progress, theyre gonna think of a bunch of stoned, lost, disrespectful, foul-mouthed, lawless losers, so well lose elections.

Cohen gets the last laugh as he takes the stand. Do you have contempt for your government? Gordon-Levitt asks, to which Cohen replies, I think the institutions of our democracy are wonderful things that are right now populated by some terrible people.

4. Sound of Metal

Director: Darius Marder

Sound of Metal was my favorite streaming film at this years hybrid Middleburg Film Festival. The film follows a heavy metal drummer and his lead singer girlfriend, who drive from town to town in their mobile home to perform. However, when he begins losing his hearing, they must decide their future as a band and as a couple.

Riz Ahmed brilliantly expresses emotion with his face, Olivia Cooke is believably torn as his girlfriend and Paul Raci is an Oscar dark horse for Best Supporting Actor as the wise operator of a remote home for deaf folks, teaching sign language through tough love and total immersion.

The filmmaker similarly immerses the audience with his masterful use of sound design from ringing ears to distorted voices. The final shot is perfection, reminding us to block out the noise and enjoy the silence, knowing that true peace is the ability to sit with ones self.

3. One Night in Miami

Director: Regina King

It doesnt arrive until Christmas Day, but One Night in Miami has all the makings of a strong Best Picture contender. While it takes place almost entirely inside a Miami hotel room, Kemp Powers screenplay is surprisingly engaging as it imagines the conversation between Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Cassius Clay (Eli Goree), Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge) and Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) in their real-life meeting in 1964.

As the four very different men discuss the civil rights movement, their personalities shine and clash as they rib each other, question themselves and break down the state of race relations from various perspectives.

Regina King is on fire after her Oscar for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018) and her Emmy for Watchmen (2019), so it should be no surprise that her directorial debut is dynamite, turning an intimate chamber piece into an electric proving ground for symbolism, foreshadowing our heroes doom by filming them behind wooden bars. In the end, Malcolm X closes his eyes as Cooke sings A Change is Gonna Come on national television for his first public political statement. The song swells with the same smooth voice that Odom brought to Hamilton, proving once again in this Miami hotel, its thrilling to be in the room where it happened.

2. Nomadland

Director: Chlo Zhao

In 2017, Chlo Zhao showed indie promise with her poetic rodeo film The Rider. Now, she returns to her favorite canvas of the modern American West in Nomadland, winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival and the Peoples Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival the only film ever to win both.

The film follows Fern, a drifting widow who becomes a van-dwelling nomad after losing her husband, her factory job and her identity during the 2008 Great Recession. Surrounded by real-life nomads, Frances McDormand is utterly vulnerable in a role reminiscent of Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas (1984). She will surely compete for her third Oscar after Fargo (1996) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017).

As for Zhao, shes an early favorite to win Best Director for capturing the plight of Americans displaced by technology and globalization, as Fern works an assembly line at Amazon and stocks shelves at Walmart. It all builds to a trio of silent scenes at an empty Thanksgiving table, an abandoned factory office and a foreclosed home, giving smart viewers credit to decipher Ferns thoughts: its time to let go of her grief and carry on.

1. First Cow

Director: Kelly Reichardt

Its no coincidence that mytop three movies are helmed by female filmmakers whose unique insights offer wise lessons on the human condition. Kelly Reichardts First Cow competed for the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in February and was one of the last films released theatrically in March before the pandemic shut down multiplexes. The rest of us finally got to stream it on-demand in July, quietly discovering a poetic work of art.

Reichardts pacing is blissfully patient as her camera holds for painterly compositions where the natural world exists before and after the humans enter and exit the frame. She opens in present day as a hiker discovers the skeletons of two men side by side in the wilderness, then proceeds to show us how they got there. Set in 1820s Oregon, its a tranquil tale of frontier friendship between a fur-trapping chef (John Magaro) and a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee), who plot to steal milk from the regions first cow to make delicious baked goods to sell.

Will the cows wealthy owner discover their scheme once he tastes the food? Their fate is tragically sealed from the very beginning, but the mens bond endures into eternity. Maybe Im just a sucker for a good Western, or maybe I just love a simple story beautifully told, but I surprised myself to find that this was my favorite of 2020.

WTOP's Jason Fraley salutes the year's best movies (Part 2)

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Best movies of 2020 - WTOP

Photo by Kevin Mohatt2020: The Year That Changed Everything

Coloradans took to the streets this year to fight against police brutality and structural racism. But 2020 didnt make it easy, as advocacy organizations were forced to adjust how they planned protests.

There were plenty of tears in the crowd. They were streaming down Black womens faces until the liquid pain trickled behind their brightly colored face masks. Gathered near the Colorado State Capitol, women took turns telling stories of dead family members, exhaustion, and fearfear for their children, their brothers, their friends, and their partners. In 2020, there were more reasons than ever for the March for Black Women Denver to come together to rally for racial equity. Unfortunately, there were also many reasons not to.

Protesting and organized marching arent new to the Mile High CityDenver hosted one of the countrys largest womens marches in 2017 but the murder of George Floyd, an out-of-control pandemic, and a contentious election cycle have encouraged Coloradans to voice their concerns with more urgency and frequency this year. In years past, however, the March for Black Women Denver would have sounded, looked, and felt very different. Along with all the other changes 2020 has brought with it, this year has also necessarily altered the way protest planners have had to organize their events.

That is, of course, if they even felt comfortable staging in-person events. The Womxns March Denver canceled its October rally and pivoted from rallying in the streets to encouraging a parade to the polls in November. It also set up moderated panels and other smaller eventsmost held in virtual settings.

For some organizations, however, the risks of gathering were far outweighed by the need to capitalize on the national zeitgeist surrounding racial equity. The March for Black Women Denver and Black Lives Matter 5280 had to modify their programming and enforce strict social distancing protocols. Temperatures were taken, masks were required, and hugging was discouragednot only because those measures are widely known to help stop the spread of the virus, but also because COVID-19 has disproportionately affected Black and brown people in Colorado and across the country. Although it pained organizers to scuttle their usual lineup of deejayed dance parties, free food, and a long list of speakers, they dutifully replaced events that engendered too much close togetherness with programming that allowed for social distancing, like quiet reflections, long marches through Denvers streets, and impromptu speeches from members of the community. In the past we have been able to really have community and be in close proximity with each other, says Tiya Trent, one of the organizers of the March for Black Women Denver. Laughing, dancing, huggingwe really didnt get to do a lot of that this year. We wanted to make sure that the people who chose to show up were safe.

COVID-19 wasnt the only safety issue event planners had to think about, though. Considering protesters physical safetyfrom law enforcement, counter-protesters, and random dissentershas always been a priority. That concern was heightened this year. Theres always been a risk in Black women gathering, says Shontel Lewis, another organizer for the March for Black Women, who explains how Black women have long been susceptible to violence, whether through their relationships or at the hands of police. But this is 2020. With all the agitators and antagonists against the movement, we felt that it was best to take a few more safety precautions. The Black women who chose to speak were physically surrounded by Black men and white allies. There was an effort to protect and shield, something Black women have had to live without for a long time, Lewis says.

Black Lives Matter 5280 orchestrated four marches in 2020. But local organizers didnt stop there: They also continued to focus on traditional tacticslike fundraising and community educationthat have always been part of Black Lives Matter 5280s mission. We have been modeling after our ancestors before us and the types of direct actions that they engaged in, whether thats formal protest, or other forms of direct action, like different forms of collective action in fundraising efforts, says Apryl Alexander, a professor at the University of Denver and BLM 5280 Community organizer. I think there are some things that changed with 2020 and a lot of things that didnt change.

What has changed, according to multiple organizers, is the response theyve received to their work. Black Lives Matter 5280 has been able to work with far more people this year than ever before; its marches were heavily attended; and their fundraisers elicited more donations than in previous years. What the tragic events of 2020 havent changed, planners say, is the fight for Black rights. Alexander explains that 2020 has only changed the reactions Americans are having to the movement. And there are upsides and downsides to that: White allies are paying more attention, but white supremacists are becoming more emboldened.

Organizers say theyll deal with the need for increased safety measures and take the good response with the bad so long as the increased interest in social justice doesnt fade away when 2020 comes to an end. My biggest fear is that people forget, because thats happened in movements before, Alexander says. I fear that people wont continue to engage in the action thats needed to abolish systemic and institutional racism.

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How 2020 Changed the Way That Protests Are Organized - 5280 | The Denver Magazine

History repeats itself! Life is cyclical in so many ways, declares Aldis Hodge about how the upcoming One Night in Miami a story set in 1964, is so relevant to the present day. The importance of this film is championed even further given what has happened this year, he says. Watch our exclusive video interview with Hodge above.

One Night in Miami is Oscar and four-time Emmy-winning actress Regina Kings big-screen directorial debut, adapted by writer Kemp Powers from his 2013 stage play of the same name. Hodge co-stars as Jim Brown, the NFL legend considered the greatest running back of all time. The film imagines what would have happened if boxer Cassius Clay a.k.a. Muhammad Ali (Eli Goree), singer Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.), civil rights activist Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir) and football star Brown came together in a Miami hotel room after Clay defeated Sonny Liston in February of 1964. What transpires between these iconic men is a lively and timely discussion set against the backdrop of the tumultuous civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The Amazon Studios film is a strong Oscar contender after it premiered at the Venice Film Festival over Labor Day weekend, where King made history as the first African-American female director invited to show a film there. Critics have praised her deft first-time turn at the helm and have gushed over its the performances of all four of its main cast, with Hodge contending in the supporting actor category alongside Odom and Goree.

The actor is reflective about the films parallels to the convulsive state of American society in 2020, crediting King and Kemp for their ability to tap into the zeitgeist, imbuing the film with a sense of urgency that made it unexpectedly relevant in our current cultural and political landscape. I feel like this film can be a great asset toward the conversation, he explains, referencing the events of the last 6 months in the shadow of the disturbing racial injustice and systemic racism exposed by the deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd and others, which spurred uprisings against white supremacy and anti-Black violence. What we have seen this year is actually not new. The circumstances were new, because everybody had to sit at home and deal with it. We couldnt turn away, we had to watch it, we had to envelope ourselves in what this was.

Hodge was grateful to play a part in a powerful and unique take on how race and violence have shaped America by spotlighting a pivotal moment in time, that he hopes will not only shed light on the social upheaval of the 1960s, but also what is happening right now.I want to see if people actually get it. If they understand why we had to make a film like this. Like, do you finally get it now? he says with a knowing smile. Do you understand? We are not making this up!

SEE One Night in Miami cast on being directed by Oscar-winning actress Regina King

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Aldis Hodge (One Night in Miami): This film can be a great asset toward the conversation about systemic racism and injustice [EXCLUSIVE VIDEO...

The look and feel of our city centres could be about to change significantly, after people took the opportunity this year to flock to the nature on their doorstep however scrubby it might be as never before.

The Covid-propelled flight into wildlife has accelerated a change in attitude to nature that was already occurring and could profoundly change the make-up of urban areas in the next decade.

Green Shoots: i's Guide to Helping the Planet in your Everyday Life

According to Craig Bennett, head of the Wildlife Trusts, the conservation movement is being radically reshaped as the century-old focus on honey pot sites of great natural beauty often in a far and distant land is switching to the more modest wildlife near our houses.

Only a decade ago, when Bennett was at Friends of the Earth, people thought that letting the grass grow long on roadside verges was madness, he recalls.

But in recent years, helped by campaigns and scientific research extolling the benefits of biodiversity for nature and our mental health, people are coming around strongly to the idea that messy is good.

This conversion has prompted a growing interest in rewilding essentially, letting nature take its course from the environmental fringes towards the mainstream.

While the first rewilding schemes took place in the depths of the countryside, milder forms are starting to crop up in urban areas.

More recently, Covid has hugely increased the publics appreciation of nature as they sought solace in green space when restrictions often left them with little else to do.

And because they couldnt travel easily, they focused on that park they may have overlooked for years even though it was just down the road.

The result is an increased interest in local, rewilded, nature, however low-key, according toBennett.

Thousands of UK households took part in No Mow May this year, letting their lawns grow wild, while the Royal Entomological Society reported record numbers of enquiries from people in the UK and overseas over the summer about insects they had spotted.

Meanwhile, in the US, 26 per cent of people visiting parks and natural areas in the early months of the pandemic had rarely and often never been in nature in the previous year, according to a study published in the journal Plos One last week.

Against this backdrop, it is perhaps not surprising that an ambitious proposal to rewild Nottingham city centre, made this month by the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust, received a lot of attention and the city council is seriously considering it.

We have seen a real change in the zeitgeist in the British public in the past 10 years people are starting to understand now that messy is good. Its good for wildlife and it makes you feel more connected to nature, says Bennett.

There is a big reframing of the conservation movement from the way its been for the past 100 years. Nature is often talked about as though its distant and sometimes even foreign, such as rainforests, and as a result thousands of people charge to those kind of honey pot sites every year.

Now, people are getting excited about local nature, where they live or can walk or cycle to. People are starting to celebrate and understand, not perhaps the most spectacular nature, but the nature close to where they are. I think thats a definite shift, and that then leads to that massive interest in urban rewilding.

Mr Bennett expects this new-found love of local, messy nature to transform the look of UK city centres and other urban spaces in the coming years.

There is a move towards having big areas of rewilding in the country, but also having rewilding around our towns and cities. There is a lot of excitement about what it could look like in 10 or 15 years we could fundamentally change what it looks like to travel round this country, he says.

People are very excited about this change. I think its the one that can surprise us over the next decade about just how much progress we can make on it.

Only 10 years ago, when campaigners talked about allowing roadside verges to grow a little bit wild or putting wildflowers into public spaces, people thought we were mad. It was absolutely normal at the time to see manicured lawns absolutely everywhere. These days, people get it when they see roadside verges that have been left to grow wild.

And wild areas in our towns and cities are incredibly popular among members of the public.

The publics personal love of nature notwithstanding, arguably an even more significant development in recent years concerns money.

It wasnt so long ago that it was environment versus economy, says Bennett. Youre not hearing that now.

Whats great about that Nottingham rewilding story is that local business, the council and the people are saying it will be good for their local economy the idea that we need to rewild parts of Nottingham city centre because we need good-qualitygreen space to make it an attractive place to live and work and for people to invest.

Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust has challenged the city of Nottingham to rewild the site of Broadmarsh shopping centre once its demolition is completed.

It has reimagined the space transformed with wildlife habitats reflecting the sites history as a wetland alongside the ancient course of the River Leen and long-lostgardens.

The vision for the site includes accessible walkways based on a centuries-old city street plan to reconnect key parts of the city.

It hopes this could help to reconnect the city to Sherwood Forest and invoke the spirit of Robin Hood bringing wildlife to nature-poor city dwellers and the millions of visitors it attracts. The council is considering the proposal, along with others for the Broadmarsh site.

The River Sherbourne might run through Coventry, but it is mostly culverted and almost forgotten. Warwickshire Wildlife Trusts new project aims to reconnect people who live in the city with the river and restore it for wildlife. In the city centre, the lid will be taken off a section of the culverted river, which will also be brought to the surface in other ways, through virtual reality, listening posts, glass floors and a blue line marking the route it takes beneath the feet of passers-by.

Meanwhile, the Government will be guilty of speaking a lot of hot air on climate change if it fails to produce a detailed action plan to hit its emissions targets by the time it hosts the crucial COP26 global warming summit next December, Bennett warned.

The UK is on course to miss its various climate change targets and lacks the policies needed, he says.

Last month, the Government announced a 10-point green revolution plan. This included pledges to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars by 2030, to quadruple offshore wind power within a decade and to boost hydrogen production.

A 165-page White Paper published this week adds further proposals.

However, there is still no detailed analysis laying out the specific measures that need to be taken to meet our carbon goals and showing how much they add up to achieve them, Bennett says.

Meanwhile, an in-depth analysis of the White Paper by the Carbon Brief climate science and policy website concluded: Even with the wealth of additional detail in the White Paper, there remains a significant gap between proposed emissions cuts and those required under the UKs climate targets.

Mr Bennett said: If we were hosting the Olympics in 2030, youd expect us to have a clear plan of how wed deliver it, with Gantt charts, project plans and milestones through to delivery.

We need exactly the same way of delivering on these climate targets, and, despite all the good talk, at the moment we dont have that detailed plan.

We surely need that to be in place, adopted as policy by the Government and supported by Parliament, before we host COP26. Without it, those targets will prove to be a lot of hot air.

COP26 has been billed as a crucial summit for international leaders to agree how to limit global warming to the Paris Agreement target of1.5C.

A Government spokesman said: This is nonsense. Building on the Prime Ministers ambitious 10-point plan, the energy White Paper sets out specific steps we take to fully decarbonise our electricity system and slash emissions from industry, transport and buildings as we transition to net-zero [for electricity] by 2025.

This is part of a suite of bold plans across key sectors of the economy which the government will be publishing in the run up to COP26, culminating with a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy.

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Covid pandemic prompts a surge in appreciation for local nature and rewilding cities - iNews

Is Silicon Valley Sinking?

The founder of Silicon Valley is leaving the hallowed ground and departing for Texas. Is this the first nail in the coffin?

We have been hearing about high-profile moves out of Silicon Valley. HPE was the first major company to announce a move to Texas, noteworthy because HP was the first unicorn in SV. Other major departures that have been announced include Oracle and Palantir Technologies, and venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Keith Rabois who are also leaving Silicon Valley for a better political fit.

Silicon Valley has dominated the world of unicorns from the 1960s with the emergence of Intel in semiconductors (HP was influential but did not start the trend) to PCs and biotech in the 1970s, telecom in the 1980s, Internet 1.0 in the 1990s, Internet 2.0 in the 00s, and Internet 3.0 in the 10s. So it is noteworthy when there is movement out of Silicon Valley. Is this the start of a trend or an aberration?

So far, the moves seem to be of three kinds.

1. Business Stage & Financial Moves

HPEs move is normal from a business and financial perspective. From the 1970s to the 1990s, a number of manufacturing plants moved out of urban areas for a simple reason survival. Urban costs were growing. Urban labor was unionized and expensive. Combined, these factors made it difficult for most midsized, and some large, manufacturers to find the right employees and to compete with national and global competitors. So they moved to small towns where they were the primary employer and had the pick of the best employees at a competitive rate.

HPE's move follows this pattern. Given that SV has matured and costs there have gone through the roof, it is not surprising that companies like HPE are moving. What is surprising in this case is that HPE did not retain its headquarters in SV and move just its plants to Texas for lower-cost labor. But when you consider the fact that the senior executives can enjoy a higher net pay in Texas which has no income tax, it is not surprising that the whole company is moving.

Musks personal move also follows the same plan. With his massive paydays, the allure of Texas is too great when you can add a few billion more. So, hello Texas.

2. Political Moves

Some of the moves seem to be political with conservatives moving from the hotbed of liberalism having taken advantage of the Silicon Valley culture of fearless venture development in emerging industries. Will these moves start a trend and reduce SV's dominance?

3. Technology-Enabled Moves: The Hollowing of the Corporate Headquarters.

Oracles move seems to be a combination of the above. Since the pandemic has forced employees to work out of their homes, they have started moving out of Silicon Valley, some to lower-cost areas. This allows mature companies to reduce costs and taxes by moving the hollowed-out headquarters to a lower-cost state as they can now recruit their talent from anywhere.

Is this the Harbinger of Permanent Change: Is Silicon Valleys Heyday Over?

The business stage and financial moves seem to follow the normal course of business development. When they start ventures, entrepreneurs want to locate their ventures in areas that can help them take-off and grow. When they get rich, reducing their taxes and preserving net worth becomes important. The political moves are not likely to harm Silicon Valley.

Technology-Enabled Moves: Can Silicon Valley Attract the Best of the Tech?

The technology-enabled moves are more important and could cause Silicon Valley to lose its current lead unless Silicon Valley finds a way to keep attracting the best of tech. The fact that the Internet has allowed employees to work out of anywhere means that many young, aggressive, talented, trained and skilled tech entrepreneurs our future Kalanicks and Cheskys may not be in SV eager to start their venture. The techies will be in Texas or Arizona or Florida or North Dakota wherever talent can be trained and nourished. That is where the future Amazons can be. Smart economic developers and politicians of those states will take advantage of this move and build future unicorns there.

Even Rome fell. So will Silicon Valley. But when? How? To whom? That remains to be seen.

MY TAKE: Economic developers outside Silicon Valley, wear your track shoes, build your unicorn-infrastructure, and get going. You will not get a better chance. Most unicorn entrepreneurs make their fortune by jumping on an emerging trend. That is how most states will succeed also.

As for Silicon Valley, its zeitgeist was to be fearless in emerging industries. Other areas, such as Minnesota (which was #3 in venture development in the 1970s ancient history, I know) have been more cautious, and have paid the price. If Silicon Valley stays fearless, it will do fine. If it does not, watch out below.

Read more:

Is Silicon Valley Sinking And How Can You Benefit? - Forbes

PLEASE NOTE: This forecast, assembled by The Hollywood Reporter's awards columnist Scott Feinberg, reflects his best attempt to predict the behavior of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, not his personal preferences. He arrives at these standings by drawing upon consultations with voters and awards strategists, analysis of marketing and awards campaigns, results of awards ceremonies that precede the Oscars, and the history of the Oscars ceremony itself. There will be regular updates to reflect new developments.

*BEST PICTURE*

FrontrunnersNomadland (Searchlight)The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)Minari (A24)Mank (Netflix)Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)The Father (Sony Classics)Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Netflix)One Night in Miami (Amazon)Promising Young Woman (Focus)Sound of Metal (Amazon)

Major Threats Soul (Pixar)News of the World (Universal)Tenet (Warner Bros.)Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (Amazon)

PossibilitiesPalm Springs (Hulu/Neon)The Invisible Man (Universal) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Focus)The Midnight Sky (Netflix)

Long Shots Let Them All Talk (HBO Max)On the Rocks (A24/Apple) Ammonite (Neon)The Prom (Netflix)The Personal History of David Copperfield (Searchlight)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Another Round (Samuel Goldwyn Films)Cherry (Apple TV+)I Carry You With Me (Sony Classics)Joe Bell (Solstice)Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.)The Little Things (Warner Bros.)Malcolm & Marie (Netflix)Martin Eden (Kino Lorber)Our Friend (Gravitas/Roadside)Palmer (Apple TV+)Supernova (Bleecker Street)The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Paramount)Wild Mountain Thyme (Bleecker Street)

*BEST DIRECTOR*

FrontrunnersChlo Zhao (Nomadland)David Fincher (Mank)Aaron Sorkin (The Trial of the Chicago 7) podcastLee Isaac Chung (Minari)Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods) podcast

Major ThreatsPaul Greengrass (News of the World)Florian Zeller (The Father)George C. Wolfe (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)Regina King (One Night in Miami) podcastEmerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman)

PossibilitiesChristopher Nolan (Tenet)Pete Docter & Kemp Powers (Soul)Eliza Hittman (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)George Clooney (The Midnight Sky) podcast

Long Shots Steven Soderbergh (Let Them All Talk)Sofia Coppola (On the Rocks)Max Barbakow (Palm Springs)Leigh Whannell (The Invisible Man)Ryan Murphy (The Prom) podcast

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Our Friend)Lee Daniels (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)Heidi Ewing (I Carry You With Me)Kevin Macdonald (The Mauritanian)Reinaldo Marcus Green (Joe Bell)John Lee Hancock (The Little Things)Shaka King (Judas and the Black Messiah)Sam Levinson (Malcolm & Marie)Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden)Anthony Russo & Joe Russo (Cherry)John Patrick Shanley (Wild Mountain Thyme)Fisher Stevens (Palmer)Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)

*BEST ACTOR*

FrontrunnersChadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom) podcastAnthony Hopkins (The Father)Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) podcastDelroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) podcastSteven Yeun (Minari) podcast

Major ThreatsGary Oldman (Mank)Ben Affleck (The Way Back)Tom Hanks (News of the World) podcast [one and two]Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami)

Possibilities Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) podcastTahar Rahim (The Mauritanian)George Clooney (The Midnight Sky) podcastDev Patel (The Personal History of David Copperfield) podcast

Long ShotsAndy Samberg (Palm Springs)Eli Goree (One Night in Miami)Adarsh Gourav (The White Tiger)Peter Gerety (Working Man)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Casey Affleck (Our Friend) podcastClayne Crawford (The Killing of Two Lovers)Jamie Dornan (Wild Mountain Thyme)Armando Espitia (I Carry You With Me)Colin Firth (Supernova)Tom Holland (Cherry)Jude Law (The Nest)John Magaro (First Cow)Luca Marinelli (Martin Eden)Mads Mikkelsen (Another Round)Viggo Mortensen (Falling)Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Farewell Amor)Jim Parsons (The Boys in the Band)Trevante Rhodes (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah)Justin Timberlake (Palmer)Mark Wahlberg (Joe Bell)Denzel Washington (The Little Things) podcastJohn David Washington (Malcolm & Marie)

*BEST ACTRESS*

FrontrunnersFrances McDormand (Nomadland)Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman) podcastViola Davis (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom)Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman)Meryl Streep (The Prom) podcast

Major ThreatsMeryl Streep (Let Them All Talk) podcastSophia Loren (The Life Ahead) podcastKate Winslet (Ammonite) podcast [one and two]Michelle Pfeiffer (French Exit)Elisabeth Moss (The Invisible Man) podcast

PossibilitiesRachel Brosnahan (I'm Your Woman) podcastHan Yeri (Minari)Julia Garner (The Assistant) podcastSidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)Rashida Jones (On the Rocks) podcast

Long ShotsCristin Milioti (Palm Springs)Charlize Theron (The Old Guard)Amy Adams (Hillbilly Elegy) podcastRosamund Pike (Radioactive) podcast

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Nicole Beharie (Miss Juneteenth)Haley Bennett (Swallow)Emily Blunt (Wild Mountain Thyme)Carrie Coon (The Nest)Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)Clare Dunne (Herself)Dakota Johnson (Our Friend)Diane Lane (Let Him Go)Sienna Miller (Wander Darkly)Julianne Moore (The Glorias)Eliza Scanlen (Babyteeth)Katherine Waterston (The World to Come)Evan Rachel Wood (Kajillionaire)Zendaya (Malcolm & Marie)

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR*

FrontrunnersSacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7) podcastBill Murray (On the Rocks)David Strathairn (Nomadland)Paul Raci (Sound of Metal)Leslie Odom Jr. (One Night in Miami) podcast

Major ThreatsAldis Hodge (One Night in Miami)Mark Rylance (The Trial of the Chicago 7)Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (The Trial of the Chicago 7)Eddie Redmayne (The Trial of the Chicago 7) podcast

PossibilitiesFrank Langella (The Trial of the Chicago 7)Chadwick Boseman (Da 5 Bloods) podcastBilly Crystal (Standing Up, Falling Down) podcastWill Patton (Minari)

Long Shots Brian Dennehy (Driveways)J.K. Simmons (Palm Springs)Bo Burnham (Promising Young Woman) podcastLucas Hedges (French Exit) podcast

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Ryder Allen (Palmer)Lance Henriksen (Falling)Daniel Kaluuya (Judas and the Black Messiah)Jared Leto (The Little Things)Rami Malek (The Little Things) podcastReid Miller (Joe Bell)Jesse Plemons (Judas and the Black Messiah) podcastJason Segel (Our Friend) podcastGary Sinise (Joe Bell)Stanley Tucci (Supernova)Christopher Walken (Wild Mountain Thyme)

*BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS*

FrontrunnersOlivia Colman (The Father) podcastAmanda Seyfried (Mank) podcastYoun Yuh-jung (Minari)Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm)Olivia Cooke (Sound of Metal)

Major Threats Jodie Foster (The Mauritanian)Candice Bergen (Let Them All Talk)Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy) podcastEllen Burstyn (Pieces of a Woman)

PossibilitiesSaoirse Ronan (Ammonite) podcastHelena Zengel (News of the World)Talia Ryder (Never Rarely Sometimes Always)

Long ShotsMarsha Stephanie Blake (I'm Your Woman)Marisa Tomei (The King of Staten Island)Swankie (Nomadland)Linda May (Nomadland)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Ciara Bravo (Cherry)Connie Britton (Joe Bell)Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah)Vanessa Kirby (The World to Come)Natasha Lyonne (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The United States vs. Billie Holiday)Juno Temple (Palmer)Alicia Vikander (The Glorias) podcastVanessa Williams (Bad Hair)

*BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY*

FrontrunnersNomadland (Chlo Zhao)The Father (Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller)Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (Ruben Santiago-Hudson)One Night in Miami (Kemp Powers)News of the World (Luke Davies & Paul Greengrass)

Major ThreatsI'm Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman) podcastBorat Subsequent Moviefilm (Peter Baynham, Sacha Baron Cohen, Jena Friedman, Anthony Hines, Lee Kern, Dan Mazer, Erica Rivinoja & Dan Swimer) podcast [Cohen]The Midnight Sky (Mark L. Smith)

Possibilities Emma (Eleanor Catton)The Personal History of David Copperfield (Armando Iannucci)The Life Ahead (Edoardo Ponti)The Prom (Chad Beguelin & Bob Martin)

Long ShotsShirley (Sarah Gibbons)The White Tiger (Ramin Bahrani) podcastThe Outpost (Eric Johnson & Paul Tamasy)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Cherry (Jessica Goldberg & Angela Russo-Otstot)First Cow (Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt)The Glorias (Sarah Ruhl & Julie Taymor)Martin Eden (Maurizio Braucci)Our Friend (Brad Ingelsby)The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Suzan-Lori Parks)Wild Mountain Thyme (John Patrick Shanley)

*BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY*

FrontrunnersThe Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin) podcastMinari (Lee Isaac Chung)Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)Mank (Jack Fincher)Sound of Metal (Derek Cianfrance, Abraham Marder & Darius Marder)

Major Threats Soul (Pete Docter, Mike Jones & Kemp Powers)Da 5 Bloods (Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee) podcast [Lee]Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman)

PossibilitiesPalm Springs (Andy Siara)The Forty-Year-Old Version (Radha Blank)On the Rocks (Sofia Coppola)The King of Staten Island (Judd Apatow) podcast

Long ShotsLet Them All Talk (Deborah Eisenberg)I'm Your Woman (Julia Hart & Jordan Horowitz)Ammonite (Francis Lee)Tenet (Christopher Nolan)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)Bad Hair (Justin Simien)The Climb (Michael Angelo Covino & Kyle Marvin)Herself (Malcolm Campbell & Clare Dunne)Joe Bell (Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana)Judas and the Black Messiah (Will Berson, Shaka King, Keith Lucas & Kenny Lucas)Kajillionaire (Miranda July)The Little Things (John Lee Hancock)Malcolm & Marie (Sam Levinson)Miss Juneteenth (Channing Godfrey Peoples)Palmer (Cheryl Guerriero)

*BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE*

FrontrunnersTime (Amazon)Crip Camp (Netflix)Collective (Magnolia/Participant)Welcome to Chechnya (HBO)The Truffle Hunters (Sony Classics)

Rest of ShortlistDick Johnson Is Dead (Netflix)The Dissident (Briarcliff) podcast [Bryan Fogel]MLK/FBI (IFC)City Hall (Zipporah) podcast [Frederick Wiseman]Boys State (Apple)On the Record (HBO Max)The Way I See It (Focus)The Social Dilemma (Netflix)The Human Factor (Sony Classics)My Octopus Teacher (Netflix)

Possibilities Acasa, My Home (Kino Lorber/Zeitgeist)The Mole Agent (Gravitas)Totally Under Control (Neon) podcast [Alex Gibney]I Am Not Alone (Netflix)I Am Greta (Hulu)Kingdom of Silence (Showtime)The Fight (Magnolia/Topic)Athlete A (Netflix)John Lewis: Good Trouble (Magnolia/Participant)All In: The Fight for Democracy (Amazon)Rebuilding Paradise (Nat Geo) podcast [Ron Howard]

Long ShotsMiss Americana (Netflix)Be Water (ESPN)Francesco (still seeking U.S. distribution)Dear Mr. Brody (still seeking U.S. distribution)Oliver Sacks: His Own Life (Zeitgeist)Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado (Netflix) podcast [Cristina Costantini]A Secret Love (Netflix)Circus of Books (Netflix)Red Penguins (Universal) podcast [Gabe Polsky]American Selfie (MTV)Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band (Magnolia)

Still to See or Embargoed (alphabetically)40 Years a Prisoner (HBO)76 Days (MTV)Apocalypse '45 (Discovery)Assassins (Greenwich)Beautiful Something Left Behind (MTV)The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (HBO)Belly of the Beast (PBS)Belushi (Showtime)Coded Bias (PBS Independent Lens)Crock of Gold (Magnolia)Desert One (Greenwich)Disclosure (Netflix)The Earth Is Blue as an Orange (still seeking U.S. distribution)Father Soldier Son (Netflix)Feels Good Man (Wavelength Productions/PBS Independent Lens)Finding Yingying (MTV)The Forbidden Reel (still seeking U.S. distribution)Giving Voice (Netflix)The Go-Go's (Showtime)Gunda (Neon)I Walk on Water (Grasshopper)Kiss the Ground (self-distributed)Mayor (Film Movement)Me and the Cult Leader (still seeking U.S. distribution)The Metamorphosis of Birds (still seeking U.S. distribution)A Most Beautiful Thing (still seeking U.S. distribution)Mr. SOUL! (self-distributed)My Psychedelic Love Story (Showtime)Nasrin (Virgil Films & Entertainment)Notturno (still seeking U.S. distribution)Olympia (still seeking U.S. distribution)Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (still seeking U.S. distribution)The Painter and the Thief (Neon)The Reason I Jump (Kino Lorber)Reunited (still seeking U.S. distribution)Rewind (Grizzly Creek)Rising Phoenix (Netflix)Softie (Icarus)Stars and Strife (self-distributed)The State of Texas vs. Melissa (Filmrise)Stray (Magnolia)A Thousand Cuts (PBS)'Til Kingdom Come (still seeking U.S. distribution)To See You Again (still seeking U.S. distribution)Transhood (HBO)Unapologetic (still seeking U.S. distribution)The Viewing Booth (Roco)Vivos (still seeking U.S. distribution)Wild Daze (Cinemidgm)Wintopia (still seeking U.S. distribution)With Drawn Arms (Starz)Zappa (Magnolia)

*BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE*

Official Submissions (alphabetical)Agnes Joy (Iceland)And Tomorrow the Entire World (Germany)Another Round (Denmark)Apples (Greece)Asia (Israel)Atlantis (Ukraine)The Auschwitz Report (Slovakia)Beginning (Georgia)Blizzard of Souls (Latvia)Bulado (Netherlands)Causa Justa (Panama)Charlatan (Czech Republic)Charter (Sweden)Collective (Romania)Dara of Jasenovac (Serbia)Dear Comrades! (Russia)Emptiness (Ecuador)The Endless Trench (Spain)Exile (Kosovo)Extracurricular (Croatia)The Father (Bulgaria)Funny Boy (Canada)Gaza Mon Amour (Palestine)Heliopolis (Algeria)Hope (Norway)I'm No Longer Here (Mexico)Impetigore (Indonesia)Jallikattu(India)La Llorona (Guatemala)Land of Ashes (Costa Rica)The Last Ones (Estonia)Leap (China)The Letter (Kenya)Lunana a Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)The Man Standing Next (South Korea)Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Turkey)The Mole Agent (Chile)My Little Sister (Switzerland)Never Gonna Snow Again (Poland)Night of the Kings (Ivory Coast)Notturno (Italy)Nova Lituania (Lithuania)Once Upon a Time in Venezuela (Venezuela)Open Door (Albania)Quo Vadis, Aida? (Bosnia and Herzegovina)River Tales (Luxembourg)Roh (Malaysia)Song Without a Name (Peru)Stories From the Chestnut Woods (Slovenia)A Sun (Taiwan)Sun Children (Iran)This Is Not a Burial (Lesotho)Tove (Finland)True Mothers (Japan)Two of Us (France)What We Wanted (Austria)Working Girls (Belgium)

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Feinberg Forecast: The Oscars Landscape Heading Into the Holidays - Hollywood Reporter