AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the twentieth category of the 13th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions: Stav Strashko (Flawless), Nicholas Alexander (Adam), Emily Granin (Redemption), Isabelle Barbier (CRSHD), Mckenna Grace (Troop Zero)

The winner:
Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit) brought such energy and delightful zeal to his role as an eager young Nazi that his transformation into something better was a wonder to watch.

Other nominees:
Lucas Jaye (Driveways)
Luke Doyle (The Song of Names)
Honor Swinton Byrne (The Souvenir)
Avigail Kovari (Red Cow)

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the twentieth 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions:
Ben Spence (Breath), Jessie Buckley (Beast), Jyo Kairi (Shoplifters), Leo James Davis (A Kid Like Jake), Maggie Mulubwa (I Am Not a Witch), Mahour Jabbari (Ava), Miyu Sasaki (Shoplifters)

The winner:
Zain al Rafeea (Capernaum) embodied a child who understood much more of what was going on in his life than even the adults did, determined to protect those he cared for above all.

Other nominees:
Isabelle Nélisse (The Tale) was mesmerizing as a young girl so seemingly mature yet so prone to being taken advantage of by those who treated her as an equal. Elvire Emanuelle (First Match) demonstrated a fierce determination to succeed, not willing to let anyone else tell her how to be or what to do. Mariam Al Ferjani (Beauty and the Dogs) was vulnerable yet incredibly strong as a victim fully aware that those she needed to convince were the very ones responsible for hurting her. Samson Coulter (Breath) displayed a youthful energy and sense of wonder that helped to carry his film.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the seventeenth category of the 11th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions:
Valerica Cotto (The Florida Project), Rachel Crow (Deidra and Laney Rob a Train), Ashleigh Murray (Deidra and Laney Rob a Train), Christopher Rivera (The Florida Project)

The winner:
Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) was full of boundless energy as she explored her own little corner of the world and didn’t let anyone tell her what she could or couldn’t do.

Other nominees:
Ruben Niborski (Menashe) displayed emotional maturity in a very believable and compelling turn as a son who idolized his imperfect father. Jessie Pinnick (Princess Cyd) was quiet and subdued in her portrayal of a teenager exploring what her life could be in a different setting. Nadia Alexander (Blame) was mean and immensely watchable as a student determined to be the talk of the school. Bria Vinaite (The Florida Project) felt real and raw as a single mother who wasn’t going to let anyone to tell her how to parent or how to live.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the seventeenth category of the 10th 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.

*In an effort to recognize more talented performers, this year I’m including only those not nominated in other categories here.

The winner:
Alex R. Hibbert (Moonlight) was the first of three incredible actors playing one character in what could well be termed the story of the year, imbuing him with a quiet strength and very observational nature, taking in everything the world around him had to offer.

Other nominees:
Ashton Sanders (Moonlight) continued the evolution of a protagonist unsure of how he fit into the world, starting to explore and experiment more but still not ready to take on its challenges in a way that would best benefit him. Neel Sethi (The Jungle Book) achieved a marvelous feat, acting with an entire cast that wasn’t actually there, representing humanity and what it means in a computer-generated animal kingdom. Lucas Jade Zumman (20th Century Women) was surrounded by more knowledgeable women with greater life experience, and he played his part to perfection. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo (Sing Street) presented a bright outlook in an unexciting universe, making music to impress a girl because there was nothing else to do.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the seventeenth category of the 9th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions:
Hannah Murray (Bridgend), Giulia Salerno (Misunderstood), Yanet Mojica (Sand Dollars), Joséphine Japy (Breathe), Lou de Laâge (Breathe)

The winner:
Jacob Tremblay (Room) truly inhabited the role of a boy who had never been outside of one small room, and demonstrated maturity and promise well beyond his few years.

Other nominees:
Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) were such vital parts of their film as two of the title characters, each so marvelously suited for their particular roles and their distinct perceptions of the world. Günes Sensoy (Mustang) demonstrated such an incredible sense of longing and dreaming for something more complex and rewarding than her lot in life, guiding her film through its miserable reality. Brooke Bloom (She’s Lost Control) kept her film’s title in check with a revealing and insightful lead performance.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the twentieth category of the 8th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions:
Ashley Aufderheide (Infinitely Polar Bear), Deke Garner (Hellion), Fabio Audi (The Way He Looks), Imogene Wolodarsky (Infinitely Polar Bear), Lorelei Linklater (Boyhood), Tess Amorim (The Way He Looks)

The winner:
Josh Wiggins (Hellion) played a child seemingly intent on skipping over his childhood and ensuring a rough future for himself despite his intelligence and potential, a complex and mesmerizing performance from a teenager.

Other nominees:
Tizita Hagere (Difret) starred in Ethiopia’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Film, delivering a mature and heartfelt portrayal of a young girl caught in an impossible situation. Jack O'Connell (Starred Up) was on fire as a convict set on making his time in prison brutal, a stark contrast to two other worthwhile performances in “Unbroken” and 2015’s “’71,” which just opened. Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood) doesn’t need a blurb to explain why his performance was a breakthrough, demonstrating massive range and growth over the course of twelve years. Ghilherme Lobo (The Way He Looks) was sweet, gentle, and extremely grown up as a blind teenager trying to navigate his possibilities for the future.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the twentieth category of the 7th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category. Nominees are pictured in the order I’ve ranked them.

The winner:
Adèle Exarchupoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color) displayed an incredible natural comfort with being on screen, delivering an intimate and honest lead performance opposite a much more experienced actress.

Other nominees:
Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) went head-to-head with Tom Hanks and commanded the screen. Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland (Mud) were the indisputable stars of their film, imbuing infinite maturity and endless curiosity. Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave), who is deservedly reserving plenty of awards attention, truly inhabited her heartbreaking role as an enslaved woman desperate not to be noticed.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the seventeenth category of the 6th 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.

The winner:
Quvenzhané Wallis (Beasts of the Southern Wild) was indisputably this year’s breakout star, completely carrying her film at a young age with boundless energy.

Other nominees:
Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward (Moonrise Kingdom) were wonderfully mature and endearing as two star-crossed young romantics. Samantha Barks (Les Miserables) stole the show from a handful of stars with her passion and spirit. Carrie MacLemore (Damsels in Distress) was a bundle of blissful, naïve cheeriness in an ensemble populated with other charming women.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the twentieth category of the 5th 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.

The winner:
Thomas Horn (Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close) went from winning Jeopardy Kids Week to delivering a mature, genuine performance of a grieving child.

Other nominees:
William Johnk Nielsen and Markus Rygaard (In a Better World) were exceptional as two young boys struggling in their situations. Harmony Santana (Gun Hill Road) was passionate and heartfelt in her portrayal of someone lost in society. Jeremy Dozier (Dirty Girl) was funny and considerably more three-dimensional than his familiar loser character might otherwise have been.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the nineteenth category of the 4th 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

Honorable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Jessica Barden (Tamara Drewe), Alison Barry (Ondine), Charlotte Christie (Tamara Drewe), Shane Curry (Kisses), Kelly O’Neill (Kisses), Sarah Steele (Please Give), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

The winner:
Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank) burst onto the screen with a fierce intensity and enormous opposition to authority.

Other nominees:
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone) played a child taking on the role of an adult and was unflinching in her dedication to the part. Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) believably conveyed the transformation of a fresh young man in prison into a hardened, smart convict. Madeline Carroll (Flipped) stole a film away from all of her elders while managing to play a character who, for once, acted exactly her age. Portia Doubleday (Youth in Revolt) seduced Michael Cera’s character and made his quest to be with her a perfectly understandable, reasonable one.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the nineteenth category of the 3rd 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. Click here to see previous years of this category.

The winner:
Carey Mulligan (An Education) was effortlessly charming and absolutely marvelous a young girl enchanted by a mystery men and the promise of excitement.

Other nominees:
Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Road) conveyed how much the tragedy in his bleak world had forced him to grow up at a monstrously accelerated pace. Christian McKay (Me and Orson Welles) stole the show and out-acted his entire cast in a tour de force performance. Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) handled a tough role with true strength and made the character feel unbelievably real. Leonie Benesch (The White Ribbon) brought light and enthusiasm to an otherwise gloomy, colorless village.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the nineteenth category of the 2nd 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.

The winner:
Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) had an insanely big debut in the (arguably) most popular movie of the year and hopefully we’ll see a lot more of her soon.

Other nominees:
AnnaSophia Robb (Sleepwalking) was a revelation in a devastatingly poor movie, and at only fifteen years old, I hope we haven’t seen the last of her. Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (Slumdog Millionaire) was one of the youngest players in his cast, and was just as terrific as all the older ones. Summer Bishil (Towelhead) took on a lead role in a heavyweight cast and stood her own ground; I’m curious to see her play her own age in future films. Mila Kunis (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) shed all of the goofiness accumulated on “That 70s Show” and delivered a truly surprising adult performance.

AFT Awards: Best Breakthrough Performance

This is the fifteenth category of the 1st 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 listed in alphabetical order by film title. Winners will be announced in late February.

This category contains nominees with their first major film roles. I have excluded Saoirse Ronan because she has some previous work and Michael Cera, who has done a whole lot of stuff before this year.

The nominees:
NIKKI BLONSKY, HAIRSPRAY
I hesitate to nominate Blonsky here because I am worried that her excitement might kill her after seeing her reaction to receiving a Golden Globe nomination and winning this trophy at the Critics’ Choice Association Awards. But I must admit that I enjoyed her buoyant performance as the immutable, energetic Tracy Turnblad. She was the main reason that this film worked so well.

MARCUS CARL FRANKLIN, I’M NOT THERE
I wrote about Franklin’s performance in my Best Supporting Actor post. It's really all there. No pun intended.

TANG WEI, LUST, CAUTION
You would never believe this was a debut performance. Wei carries this film and holds her own against veteran actor Tony Leung. Additionally, she fits into the time period so smoothly and really makes you root for her in her espionage efforts. I look forward to seeing her future work.

CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE, SUPERBAD
“I am…McLovin!” Within moments of his entrance on screen (that fantastic walking-down-the-hall scene), his performance becomes eternally classic. His fake ID and name adds to the hilarity, and his ease at shamelessly embarrassing himself is astounding. The fact that Mintz-Plasse is probably just like Fogell does not take away from his performance; it makes it even funnier.

ED SANDERS, SWEENEY TODD
Moments before Sacha Baron Cohen upstages Johnny Depp, Sanders pops up as the energetic, sympathetic young indentured servant of sorts whose charm stems from his ability to stretch out the word “please” over a few syllables. He is a terrific singer and his role is far too small for his talent. He works marvelously with Cohen, Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter.