Roll out the red carpet! Dry clean your tuxedos! Stock up on trophy polish! The 21st annual Jameson Empire Awards, the antidote to mainstream film awards, are coming, and the nominations – voted for by readers – have been revealed.
Mad Max: Fury Road comes out on top of the pack, with 10 nominations including Best Film, Best Director for George Miller, and acting noms for both Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. Star Wars: The Force Awakens is not far behind, with nine nominations, including Best Newcomer nods for its young breakout stars, Daisy Ridley and John Boyega.
As usual, the Empire Awards also recognises some of the films overlooked by other awards ceremonies. Creed’s Michael B. Jordan, notably snubbed by the Oscars, earns a Best Actor nomination, while Room’s incredible child star Jacob Tremblay, picks up a Best Newcomer nom. The Best Newcomer categories also see recognition for The Diary Of A Teenage Girl’s Bel Powley, Beasts Of No Nation's Abraham Attah, and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation’s Rebecca Ferguson.
Recognising the genres usually ignored by awards shows, there’s tip-of-the-hats to the likes of It Follows and The Hallow in the Best Horror category, with Spy, Ant-Man and Inside Out picking up Best Comedy nominations. There’s also a clutch of new categories added this year, including Best TV Series (congrats, Jessica Jones, This Is England ‘90 and Game Of Thrones), and Best Game (bravo, Fallout 4 and Bloodborne).
Terri White, Empire’s editor-in-chief, commented on the nominations thusly: “2015 was an absolutely cracking year for film and entertainment, evidenced by the strength of the actors, filmmakers, movies and TV shows fighting it out for gongs this year. I can’t wait to see who walks away with the Empire trophies on the night. It’d take a braver woman than me to bet against any of them.”
The winners will be announced in a glitzy, star-studded, and Jameson-fuelled ceremony on March 20, with David Walliams as master of ceremonies. You can decide who wins – and be in with a chance of attending the ceremony – by casting your votes here.
Full list of nominations:
BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Abraham Attah (Beasts Of No Nation)
John Boyega (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Thomas Mann (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl)
Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton)
Jacob Tremblay (Room)
BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Olivia Cooke (Me And Earl And The Dying Girl)
Rebecca Ferguson (Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation)
Maika Monroe (It Follows)
Bel Powley (The Diary Of A Teenage Girl)
Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
BEST SCI-FI/FANTASY
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST COMEDY presented by Absolute Radio
Ant-Man
Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
Spy
Trainwreck
Inside Out
BEST HORROR
Crimson Peak
The Hallow
Insidious: Chapter 3
It Follows
Krampus
BEST THRILLER presented by Corinthia Hotel London
Bridge Of Spies
The Gift
Mission: Impossible — Rogue Nation
Sicario
Spectre
BEST BRITISH FILM presented by The Hollywood Reporter
45 Years
Legend
Macbeth
Spectre
Suffragette
JAMESON BEST ACTOR
Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant)
Matt Damon (The Martian)
Michael Fassbender (Macbeth/Steve Jobs)
Tom Hardy (Legend/Mad Max: Fury Road)
Michael B. Jordan (Creed)
BEST ACTRESS
Emily Blunt (Sicario)
Brie Larson (Room)
Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2)
Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)
BEST DIRECTOR
J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens)
Ryan Coogler (Creed)
Alejandro González Iñárritu (The Revenant)
George Miller (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Ridley Scott (The Martian)
BEST FILM presented by Sky Movies
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST TV SERIES
Marvel’s Daredevil
Fargo
Game Of Thrones
Marvel’s Jessica Jones
This Is England ’90
BEST SCREENPLAY
The Big Short — Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
The Hateful Eight – Quentin Tarantino
Spotlight — Tom McCarthy, Josh Singer
Steve Jobs – Aaron Sorkin
Trainwreck — Amy Schumer
BEST ANIMATED FILM
Inside Out
Minions
Shaun The Sheep The Movie
Song Of The Sea
The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Amy
Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief
He Named Me Malala
The Jinx: The Life And Deaths Of Robert Durst
Making A Murderer
BEST SOUNDTRACK
The Hateful Eight
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Sicario
Straight Outta Compton
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Carol
Cinderella
Crimson Peak
Mad Max: Fury Road
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING
Crimson Peak
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Ant-Man
Jurassic World
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST SHORT FILM presented by Jameson Irish Whiskey
Kung Fury
Lava
Sanjay’s Super Team
Stutterer
World Of Tomorrow
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Crimson Peak
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
BEST GAME
Batman: Arkham Knight
Bloodborne
Fallout 4
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt