The 2026 Gold Digger Mid Year Awards
After two weeks of voting, this session’s voting body membership nominated over 45 films while voting for our 2026 Gold Diggers Mid-Year Awards ballot. We’d like to start by mentioning that, this spring our Admin Board decided to adapt our eligibility criteria. Meaning, films that had an Academy-sponsored qualifying release for the previous year’s Academy Awards are now carried over and made eligible in the year they received a proper US Commercial release. A number of 2025 Qualified Releases, made there way onto this summer’s Mid-Year Awards, after being snubbed last winter.
Olivia Wilde’s The Invite, a of Cesc Gay’s 2020 film Sentimental, leads our nominations with 10, including for Best Feature Film. A massive achievement for a contemporary chamber piece. The film is a comedy of manners, following two couples, Angela and Joe (Wilde doing double duty and Seth Rogen) as a domesticated married couple on the verge of divorce inviting their bohemian neighbours Hawk and Pĩna (Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz) over for dinner. Their evening goes sideways, once Hawk and Pĩna make an invitation of their own. Screwball comedy ensues, testing everyone’s relationships and sexual dynamics. The film received three individual acting nominations, for Wilde in Best Leading Performance and Cruz and Norton both receiving Best Supporting Performances. Don’t be too sad for Seth Rogen though, he too was nominated as part of The Invite’s Ensemble Cast. The film was also nominated for Best Directing for Olvia Wilde once again, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design.
Two blockbusters, Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary and Nia DaCosta’s 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple trailed behind with 8 nominations each. Project Hail Mary is an adaptation of Andy Weir’s science fiction novel, following Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling)’s deep space mission with Rocky, his rock crusted alien friend, to save Earth’s sun from a mysterious substance. As you might remember, The Bone Temple’s predecessor, Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later also received 8 nominations at last summer’s 2025 Gold Digger Mid-Year Awards. As expected, both films dominated our craft categories with both films landing nominations in Best Cinematography, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Effects Editing and Best Use of Music. Both films also received Best Supporting Performance nominations for Sandra Hüller and Jack O’Connell, respectively.
Despite it’s nomination haul, Project Hail Mary missed our Best Feature Film lineup, in one tonight’s most surprising snubs. This is mostly due to the onslaught of passion for international cinema this year. Out of our 10 Feature Film nominees, only 3 American films managed to make our lineup, a record low in our group’s history. The Aforementioned The Invite and 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, as well as Kristoffer Borgli’s polarizing social satire The Drama. Just north of the US border, we have two Canadian productions nominated: Rophy Romvari’s autobiographical film Blue Heron, detailing her family life growing up as first generations Hungarian-Canadian immigrants and Matt Johnson’s feature film adaptation of his cult webseries turned television series Nirnanna the Band the Show the Movie. Our most lauded international film Silent Friend, from another Hungarian filmmaker Ildikó Enyedi, is a generational spanning epic of the gravitational center of a ginkgo tree located in Marburg, Germany. Silent Friend received 6 nominations. Asian cinema is also having a banner with Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s queer science fiction rumination of genocidal truths and reconciliation A Useful Ghost from Thailand Lav Diaz’s epic mood poem of Ferdinand Magellan’s conquest of the Philippines, Magellan, a Portuguese-Filippino co-production were also nominated for Best Feature Film. The Icelandic surrealist domestic family drama, Hlynur Pálmason’s The Love That Remains and the Nigerian-British co-production Akinola Davies Jr.’s My Father’s Shadow, a searing love letter to father’s father, as two young brothers navigate the city of Largos with their father, as the city falls under political unrest. We’d like to single out that 3 of our Feature Film nominees are also first-time directorial debuts. The next generation of filmmakers are all right.
Elsewhere, Kenji Tanigaki’s rescue film cue martial arts extravaganza The Furious, was the sole Best International Film nominee to miss our Best Feature Film lineup. The film was also a Best Choreography nominee. Two of these summer sleeper horror zeitgeist hits Curry Barker’s Obssession and Kane Parsons’ Backrooms were also nominees this year, with 3 nominations apiece. The summer’s rising starlet Inde Navarrette took two of Obssession’s nominations, in both the Best Leading Performance and Best Acting Newcomer categories. Aleshaa Harris’s Is God Is, , a Blaxploitation revenge thriller and another directorial debut, was this summer’s little steam engine that could, overperforming with 5 nominations.
This year, all of our Best Animated Film and Best Non-Fiction Nominees were all sole nominees, despite being shortlisted on a carious of other categories. Expanding our Mid-Year Best Animated from 3 nominees to 5 nominees, paved a way from a mixture of Disney, Daniel Chong’s Hoppers, Andrew Stanton’s Toy Story 5, international animated auteurs, Sylvain Chomet’s A Magnificent Life, and yet again, animated films from first time directors. Orian Barkri and Bennami’s Bouchra, a queer Moroccan filmmaker living in New York City, coming to terms with her mother’s reaction to her coming out, and Ryuya Suzuki’s Jinsei, a metaphysical chronicling of the 100 year life of fictional J-pop Idol Se-chan.
Despite all this influx of international fare, USA still leads our nominations count 81 nominations. American films also received the same amount of nominations last summer at our 2025 Mid-Year Awards. Canada trails with 31 nominations, followed by France with 26 and the UK with 23. After ceding the position to Warner Bros. (RIP!) last summer, A24 is once again our most lauded distributer with 25 nominations, followed by Janus Films with 15 and Amazon MGM Studios with 14.
The Winners will be announced later this month.
1. Best Feature Film
Blue Heron
Janus Films
Ryan Bobkin & Gábor Osváth & Sophy Romvari & Sara Wylie (Producers)
The Drama
A24
Tyler Campellone & Lyne Knudsen & Ari Aster (Producers)
The Invite
A24
Ben Browning & Megan Ellison & David Permut (Producers)
The Love That Remains
Janus Films
Katrin Pors & Anton Máni Svansson (Producers)
Magellan
Janus Films
Joaquim Sapinho & Albert Serra & Paul Soriano & Montse Triola & Mark Victor & Marta Vieira Alves (Producers)
My Father’s Shadow
MUBI
Rachel Dargavel & Funmbi Ogunbanwo (Producers)
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie
Neon
Matt Greyson & Matthew Miller (Producers)
Silent Friend
1-2 Special
Reinhard Brundig & Nicolas Elghozi & Mónika Mécs & Morgane Olivier & Meng Xie (Producers)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Columbia Pictures – Sony Pictures
Bernard Bellew & Danny Boyle & Alex Garland & Andrew MacDonald & Peter Rice (Producers)
A Useful Ghost
Cineverse
Cattleya Paosrijeroen & Soros Sukhum (Producers)
2. Best Directing:
Lav Diaz, Magellan
Ildikó Enyedi, Silent Friend
Alexandre Koberidze, Dry Leaf
Sophy Romvari, Blue Heron
Olivia Wilde, The Invite
3. Best International Film:
The Furious [Huo zhe yan]
Hong Kong / China
Frank Hui & Bill Kong & Shan Tam (Producers)
Magellan [Magalhães]
Portugal / Philippines / Spain / France / Taiwan
Joaquim Sapinho & Albert Serra & Paul Soriano & Montse Triola & Mark Victor & Marta Vieira Alves (Producers)
My Father’s Shadow
UK / Nigeria / Ireland
Rachel Dargavel & Funmbi Ogunbanwo (Producers)
Silent Friend [Stille Freundin]
Germany / Hungary / France / China
Reinhard Brundig & Nicolas Elghozi & Mónika Mécs & Morgane Olivier & Meng Xie (Producers)
A Useful Ghost [Pee chai dai ka]
Thailand / France / Singapore / Germany
Cattleya Paosrijeroen & Soros Sukhum (Producers)
4. Best Animated Film:
Bouchra
Filippo Fante (Producer)
Hoppers
Nicole Paradis Grindle (Producer)
Jinsei
Kenji Iwaisawa (Producer)
A Magnificent Life
Lilian Eche & Ashargin Poiré & Valérie Puech & Aton Soumache (Producers)
Toy Story 5
Jessica Choi & Lindsey Collins (Producers)
5. Best Non-Fiction Film:
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert
Jeremy Castro & Matthew Gross & Baz Luhrmann & Tom Mackay & Colin Smeeton & Schuyler Weiss (Producers)
Ghost Elephants
Werner Herzog & Ariel Leon Isacovitch (Producers)
Our Land
Joslyn Batnes & Julio Chavezmontes & Benjamín Domenech & Sanriago Gallelli & Javier Leoz & Matias Roveda (Producers)
Time and Water
Jameka Autry & Shane Boris & Sara Dosa & Elijah Stevens (Producers)
With Hasan in Gaza
Kamal Aljafari (Producer)
6. Best Directorial Debut
Backrooms
Kane Parsons (Director); Kori Adelson & Peter Chermin & Michael Clear & Dan Cohen & Chris Ferguson & Dan Levine & Shawn Levy & Roberto Patino & Osgood Perkins & Jenno Topping & James Wan (Producers)
Blue Heron
Sophy Romvari (Director-Producer); Ryan Bobkin & Gábor Osváth & Sara Wylie (Producers)
Is God Is
Aleshea Harris (Director-Producer); Riva Marker & Kishori Rajan & Janicza Bravo & Tessa Thompson (Producers)
My Father’s Shadow
Akinola Davies Jr. (Director); Rachel Dargavel & Funmbi Ogunbanwo (Producers)
A Useful Ghost
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke (Director); Cattleya Paosrijeroen & Soros Sukhum (Producers)
7. Best Ensemble Cast:
The Drama
Kate Antognini & Kharmel Cochrane (Casting Directors); Michael Abbott Jr., Mamoudou Athie, Anna Baryshnikov, Doria Bramante, Ken Cheesemen, Jordyn Curet, Hailey Gates, Hannah Gross, Damon Gupton, Alana Haim, Sydney Lemmon, Dee Nelson, Robert Pattinson, Jordan Raf, Celia Rowlson-Hall, Zoë Winters, Zendeya (Cast)
The Invite
Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton, Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde (Cast)
Is God Is
Avy Kaufman (Casting Director); Erika Alexander, Navali Barnes, Nuri Barnes, Sterling K, Brown, Josiah Cross, Vivica A. Fox, Mallori Johnson, Xavier Mills, Janelle Monae, Justen Ross, Mykelti Williamson, Kara Young (Cast)
Romería
María Rodrigo (Casting Director); Sara Casasnovas, Toño Casais, José Ángel Egido, Miryam Gallego, Llúcia Garcia, Helena Gonzàlez, Alberto Gracia, Antòn Lemos, Mitch Martin, Lia Mora, Laura Nuñez, Hans Romagosa, Gala Rodríguez, León Romagosa, Marina Troncoso, Celine Tyll, Tristán Ulloa (Cast)
Silent Friend
Nina Haun (Casting Director); Peter Benedict, Bernd Birkhahn, Rainer Bock, Enzo Brumm, Marlene Burow, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Erwin Giese, Sylvester Groth, Johannes Hegemann, Sky Hofmann, Yun Huang, Léa Seydoux, Bettina Stucky, Luna Wedler, Martin Wuttke (Cast)
8. Best Leading Performance
Reed Birney, Blue Film
Emily Blunt, Disclosure Day
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, My Father's Shadow
John Early, Maddie’s Secret
Gael Garcia Bernal, Magellan
Rachel McAdams, Send Help
Kieron Moore, Blue Film
Inde Navarette, Obsession
Robert Pattinson, The Drama
Olivia Wilde, The Invite
9. Best Supporting Performance
Mohammed Bakri, All That’s Left Of You
Sterling K. Brown, Is God Is
Penélope Cruz, The Invite
Aleksandr Filippenko, Two Prosecutors
Courtney Grace, Disclosure Day
Alana Haim, The Drama
Sandra Hüller, Project Hail Mary
Edward Norton, The Invite
Jack O’Connell, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Tahar Rahim, Alpha
10. Best Acting Newcomer
Eylul Guven, Blue Heron
Mallori Johnson, Is God Is
Kieron Moore, Blue Film
Inde Navarette, Obsession
Ubeimar Rios, A Poet
11. Best Choreography (Stunts, Dance or Other):
The Furious
Kensuke Sonomura (Action Choreogtapher); Pradit Seeluem (Car Stunt Coordinator); Phanuwan Wongsitthickakul (Stunt & SFX Coordinator); Shun Yamashita (Stunt Rigging Coordinator)
Mother Mary
Dani Vitale (Dance Choreographer); Ita O’Brien & Veniece Zuri (Intimacy Coordinators); Christoph Knobloch (Stunt Coordinator)
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie
Jamie Hodgins (Choreographer); Derrick Rabethge (Stunt Coordinator);
They Will Kill You
Èmil Haarhoff (Intimacy Coordinator); Kerry Gregg (Stunt Coordinator); Russ McCarroll (Fight Coordinator)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Vanessa Coffey & Olivia Heggs & Robbie Taylor Hunt (Intimacy Coordinators); Shelley Maxwell (Choreographer); Clive Mendus (Movement Coach); Julian Spencer (Stunt Coordinator)
12. Best Screenplay:
Sophie Romvari, Blue Heron
Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama
Will McCormack & Rashinda Jones, The Invite, based on the Characters written by Cesc Gay
Hlynur Pálmason, The Love that Remains
Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, A Useful Ghost
13. Best Cinematography:
The Invite
Adam Newport-Berra (Director of Photography)
Magellan
Lav Diaz & Artut Tort (Cinematographers)
Project Hail Mary
Graig Fraser (Director of Photography)
Silent Friend
Gergely Pálos (Cinematographer)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Sean Bobbitt (Director of Photographer)
14. Best Editing:
The Drama
Kristoffer Borgli & Joshua Raymond Lee (Editors)
The Invite
Anthony Boys & Yorgos Mavropsaridis (Editors)
My Father’s Shadow
Omar Guzmán Castro (Editor)
Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie
Curt Lobb & Robert Upchurch (Editors)
Silent Friend
Károly Szalai (Editor)
15. Best Production Design:
“Wuthering Heights”
Suzie Davies (Production Designer); Charlotte Dirickx (Set Decorator)
Backrooms
Danny Vermette (Production Designer); Trevor Johnston (Set Decorator)
I Love Boosters
Christopher Glass (Production Designer); Lizbeth Ayala (Set Decorator)
The Invite
Jade Healy (Production Designer); Adam Willis (Set Decorator)
Project Hail Mary
Charles Wood (Production Designer); John Bush (Set Decorator)
16. Best Costume Design:
“Wuthering Heights”
Jacqueline Durran (Costume Desginer)
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Molly Rogers (Costume Designer)
I Love Boosters
Shirley Kurata (Costume Designer)
Magellan
Célia Fernandez & Kim Perez & Praxedes de Viallonga (Costume Designers)
Mother Mary
Bina Daigeler (Costume Designer)
17. Best Makeup & Hairstyling:
Alpha
Stéphanie Guillon (Key Makeup Artist); Linda Hidra (Key Hair Stylist)
The Bride!
Kay Georgiou (Hair Designer); Nicki Ledermann (Makeup Designer); Nadia Stacey (Makeup & Prosthetics Designer); Vanessa Anderson & Jimmy Goode (Key Hair Stylists); Jane DiPersio (Key Makeup Artists); Jason Collins (Special Makeup Effects & Prosthetics Supervisor); Chris Gallaher & Scott Stoddard (Special Effects Makeup Designer)
I Love Boosters
Jessi Dean (Hair Designer); Jeremy Dell (Makeup Designer); Autumn McKenney (Key Makeup Artist); Dawn White (Key Hair Stylist); Vincent Van Dyke (Prosthetic Makeup Designer); Barry Reynolds (Hair Background Coordinator)
Is God Is
Nell B. Ratler (Hair Department Head); Richard Redlefsen (Prosthetics Department Head); Seekie Simon (Makeup Department Head); Vincent Bam Dyke (Prosthetic Designer); Kimbalyn Bazil (Key Hair Stylist); Lauren Bazil (Key Hair Stylist);
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Rebecca Cole (Hair & Makeup Supervisor); Flora Moody (Hair & Makeup Designer); John Nolan (Special Makeup Effects Creative Supervisor); Joe Carlyle (Special Makeup Effects Coordinator); David Bardy (HOD Sculptor – Lead Concept Designer)
18. Best Visual Effects
Backrooms
Edward J. Douglas & Calvin Romeyn (Visual Effects Supervisors); Ole Vezina (Special Effects Coordinator); Jeffrey Kennett (Special Effects Set Supervisor)
Disclosure Day
Joel Behrens & Espen Nordahl & Guy Williams (Visual Effects Supervisors); Conrad V. Brink Jr. & Daniel Sudick (Special Effects Coordinators); Lindsay Macgowan (Special Effects Supervisor);
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie
Graham Houston (CG Supervisor); Tristan Zerafa (VFX Supervisor); James Soares (VFX Coordinator); Mike Stadnyckyj (Compositing Supervisor)
Project Hail Mary
Elliott Brennan & Patrick Heinen & Tristan Myles & Karen M. Nichols & Stuart Penn & Vincent Poitras & Jeremiah Sweeney & Stephane Vogel & Chris Waegner & Edson Williams & Robert Winter (Visual Effects Supervisors); Derek Arnold (Animatronic & Performance Coordinator); Hollie Clancy (Special Effects Coordinator); Chris Corbould (Special Effects Supervisor); Jason Leinster (Special Effects Design Supervisor); Sherri Hazard & Ivan Manzella (Senior Special Effects Designers); Tim Berry & David Farrow & Matt Hart & Joshua Lee & Matt Macmurray & Ashton Mccarthy-Gardner & Gerard Moore (Animatronic Designers); Louise Wiltshire (Senior Creature Concept Designer)
The Sheep Detective
Graham Page (Visual Effects Supervisor); Lucy Thompson (Special Effects Coordinator); Mark Holt (Special Effects Supervisor); Lee Hales (Special Effects Floor Supervisor)
19. Best Sound Mixing:
Mother Mary
Johnny Marshall (Re-recording Mixer – Sound Designer); Christopher Barnett (Re-recording Mixer)
Project Hail Mary
Erik Aadahl & Maite Bieler & Nia Hansen & Shannon Mills & Ethan Van der Ryn & Dave Whitehead (Sound Designers); Juan Peralta & Michael Semanick (Re-recording Mixers)
Rose of Nevada
Mark Jenkin (Sound Designer); Ian Wilson (Re-recording Mixer)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Ben Barker & Glenn Freemantle (Sound Designers); Howard Bargroff & Richard Spooner (Re-recording Mixers)
Undertone
Steph Copeland & David Gertsman (Sound Designers); Jon Lawless (Re-recording Mixer)
20. Best Sound Effects Editing:
Disclosure Day
Brian Chumney & Gary Rydstrom (Supervising Sound Editors)
Project Hail Mary
Erik Aadahl & Shannon Mills & Ethan Van der Ryn (Supervising Sound Editors)
Silent Friend
Jérôme Wiciak (Supervising Sound Editor)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Ben Barker & Glenn Freemantle (Supervising Sound Editors)
Undertone
David Gertsman (Sound Effects Editor)
21. Best Original Score:
Disclosure Day
John Williams (Composer)
Dry Leaf
Giorgi Koberidze (Composer)
I Love Boosters
Merill Garbus & Nate Brenner [As Tune-Yards] (Composers)
Obsession
Rock Burwell (Composer)
Project Hail Mary
Daniel Pemberton (Composer)
22. Best Use of Music
“Wuthering Heights”
Nicolette Di Dia (Music Supervisor); Charli XCX (Musician-Lyricist); Finn Keane (Music Production and Arrangement – Soundtrack Producer); Nathan Klein & Justin Raisen & Lewis Pesacov (Soundtrack Producers)
Mother Mary
John Michael Rouchel (Music Producer); Jack Antonoff & FKA Twigs & Charli XCX (Musicians-Lyricists)
Project Hail Mary
Kier Lehman (Music Supervisor); Lori Silfen (Executive in Charge of Music)
Tuner
Steven Gizicki (Music Supervisor); Kait Dunton (Piano Arrangement); Simon J. Li (Arranger – Music Programmer); Jacob Masters & Matt Robertson & Connor Schon (Music Programmers)
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Simon Astall (Music Supervisor)
Nomination Summary:
Per Film:
The Invite – 10
Project Hail Mary – 8
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – 8
Silent Friend – 7
The Drama – 6
Magellan – 6
Blue Heron – 5
Disclosure Day – 5
Is God Is -- 5
My Father’s Shadow – 5
I Love Boosters -- 4
Mother Mary – 4
Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie – 4
A Useful Ghost – 4
“Wuthering Heights” – 3
Backrooms – 3
Blue Film –3
Obsession – 3
Alpha – 2
Dry Leaf – 2
The Furious -- 2
The Love That Remains – 2
Undertone -- 2
All That’s Left Of You – 1
Bouchra – 1
The Bride! – 1
The Devil Wears Prada 2 -- 1
EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert – 1
Ghost Elephants -- 1
Hoppers – 1
Jinsei – 1
Maddie’s Secret -- 1
A Magnificent Life –1
A Poet -- 1
Our Land –1
Romería –1
Rose of Nevada -- 1
Send Help –1
The Sheep Detectives – 1
They Will Kill You – 1
Time and Water -- 1
Toy Story 5 – 1
Tuner –1
Two Prosecutors -- 1
With Hasan in Gaza -- 1
Per Distributor:
A24 – 25
Janus Films –15
Amazon MGM Studios – 14
Neon -- 11
1-2 Special – 10
Columbia / Sony Pictures --8
MUBI -- 5
Universal Pictures – 5
Warner Bros. – 5
Cineverse –4
Walt Disney Motion Pictures – 4
The Cinema Guild -- 3
Focus Features -- 3
Obscured Releasing -- 3
Lionsgate – 2
National Geographic Documentary Films – 2
Black Bear -- 1
Greenwich Entertainment -- 1
Film Movement – 1
Magnolia Pictures –1
Sony Pictures Classics –1
Strand Releasing – 1
Watermelon Pictures -- 1
By Country:
USA – 81
Canada –31
France –26
UK—23
Germany – 22
Hungary -- 12
China – 9
Spain – 7
Japan – 6
The Philippines – 6
Portugal – 6
Taiwan – 6
Ireland --5
New Zealand –5
Nigeria -- 5
Thailand – 5
Finland –4
Signapore -- 4
Belgium – 3
Denmark – 3
Iceland – 3
Sweden – 3
Argentina -- 2
Georgia – 2
Hong Kong – 2
Netherlands – 2
Qatar – 2
Australia – 1
Colombia – 1
Cyprus – 1
Greece – 1
Italy -- 1
Jordan – 1
Latvia – 1
Lithuania -- 1
Luxembourg – 1
Mexico -- 1
Morocco – 1
Occupied Palestinian Territory – 1
Romania – 1
South Africa – 1
Ukraine – 1