AFT Awards: Best Actress in a Leading Role

This is the second category of the 12th Annual AFT Film Awards to be announced. The AFT Awards are my own personal choices for the best in film of each year and the best in television of each season. The AFT Film Awards include the traditional Oscar categories and a number of additional specific honors. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them and drawn from a pool of approximately 200 films. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions:
Alia Shawkat (Duck Butter), Cami Morrone (Never Goin' Back), Daniela Vega (A Fantastic Woman), Elvire Emanuelle (First Match), Glenn Close (The Wife), Maia Mitchell (Never Goin' Back), Vera Farmiga (Boundaries)

Runners-up:
Keira Knightley (Colette)
Rose Byrne (Juliet, Naked)
Lady Gaga (A Star is Born)
Jessica Barden (The New Romantic)
Kiersey Clemons (Hearts Beat Loud)

The winner:
Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace) conveyed exceptional maturity as a young girl raised by a father eager to be removed from society, negotiating natural impulses for human companionship with a loyalty to her parent.

Other nominees:
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (All About Nina) grabbed the microphone in her film and took full control, inviting audiences along to watch the incredible rollercoaster of her professional and personal life. Rachel Weisz (The Favourite), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), and Emma Stone (The Favourite) shared the spotlight as three women who all used each other for different things, fashioning the hilarious and wicked environment around them with their truly terrific turns.