The (Belated) Fourth Annual Rough Cut Awards

The halfway mark of the year is a great time to take stock of what we've been watching. But if you're all caught up on this year's movies, it's also a great time to fill in anything you missed from last year's films. So before Barbenheimer weekend kicks off the back half of 2023, Rough Cut's Carson Cook and Jonny Diaz put their heads together to look back and highlight some of our favorites from the cinematic year that was 2022.

As 2023's fall festival season remains in flux due to the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, let these movies serve as a reminder that the work of these writers and performers (alongside their other collaborators) is absolutely vital, and more than merits a fair and equitable deal from the studios.

Letterboxd

winners in bold**

runners-up underlined*

Best Picture

Aftersun

The Banshees of Inisherin

Both Sides of the Blade

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Fabelmans**

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

RRR

Tár*

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Top Gun: Maverick

Best Director

James Cameron, Avatar: The Way of Water

The Daniels, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Todd Field, Tár**

S.S. Rajamouli, RRR

Steven Spielberg, The Fabelmans*

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Tár** (tie)

Anna Diop, Nanny

Park Ji-Min, Return to Seoul** (tie)

Tang Wei, Decision to Leave

Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best Actor

Ram Charan, RRR

Colin Farrell, The Banshees of Inisherin**

Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans

Paul Mescal, Aftersun*

Park Hae-il, Decision to Leave

Best Supporting Actor

Brian Tyree Henry, Causeway*

Judd Hirsch, The Fabelmans

Anthony Hopkins, Armageddon Time

Barry Keoghan, The Banshees of Inisherin**

Marc Maron, To Leslie

Best Supporting Actress

Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin

Dakota Johnson, Cha Cha Real Smooth*

Lashana Lynch, The Woman King**

Jean Smart, Babylon

Sigourney Weaver, Avatar: The Way of Water

Michelle Williams, The Fabelmans

Best Original Screenplay

The Banshees of Inisherin - Martin McDonaugh

Decision to Leave - Park Chan-wook and Chung Seo-kyung

Everything Everywhere All At Once - The Daniels** (tie)

The Fabelmans - Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner** (tie)

Tár - Todd Field

Best Adapted Screenplay

Both Sides of the Blade - Claire Denis and Christine Angot

based on the novel Un tournant de la vie by Angot

Fire Island - Joel Kim Booster

inspired by the novel Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Rian Johnson

based on characters from Knives Out, written by Johnson

Happening - Audrey Diwan, Marcia Romano, and Anne Berest

based on the novel L'événement by Annie Ernaux

Top Gun: Maverick - Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, Christopher McQuarrie, Peter Craig, and Justin Marks*

based on characters from Top Gun,

written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps, Jr.

Women Talking - Sarah Polley**

Based on the novel by Miriam Toews

Best Cinematography

Athena - Matias Boucard

Decision to Leave - Kim Ji-yong

The Fabelmans - Janusz Kamiński**

Nope - Hoyte van Hoytema*

Top Gun: Maverick - Claudio Miranda

Best Film Editing

Everything Everywhere All At Once - Paul Rogers*

The Fabelmans - Michael Kahn and Sarah Broshar

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - Bob Ducsay

Tár - Monika Willi

Top Gun: Maverick - Eddie Hamilton**

Best Production Design

After Yang

Avatar: The Way of Water**

Mad God

Neptune Frost*

Three Thousand Years of Longing

Best Costume Design

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever - Ruth E. Carter**

Elvis - Catherine Martin

Everything Everywhere All At Once - Shirley Kurata

Three Thousand Years of Longing - Kym Barrett*

The Woman King - Gersha Phillips

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

The Batman*

Everything Everywhere All At Once

The Northman

Three Thousand Years of Longing**

X

Best Visual Effects

All Quiet on the Western Front

Avatar: The Way of Water**

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Mad God

Top Gun: Maverick*

Best Original Score

Babylon - Justin Hurwitz

The Batman - Michael Giacchino

Empire of Light - Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Stars at Noon - Tindersticks

Three Thousand Years of Longing - Tom Holkenborg

Best Original Song

"Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick

Written by: Lady Gaga and Michael Tucker

Performed by: Lady Gaga

"I Ain't Worried" from Top Gun: Maverick

Written by: Ryan Tedder, Brent Kutzle, Tyler Spry,

Peter Morén, Björn Yttling, and John Eriksson

Performed by: OneRepublic

"Naatu Naatu" from RRR**

Written by: M.M. Keeravani and Chandrabose

Performed by: Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava

"Nobody Like U" from Turning Red*

Written by: Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell

Performed by: Jordan Fisher, Josh Levi, Grayson Villanueva,

Topher Ngo, and Finneas O'Connell (as 4*Town)

"Vegas" from Elvis

Written by: Amala Dlamini, Rogét Chahayed, David Sprecher,

Jerry Lieber, and Mike Stoller

Performed by: Doja Cat and Shonka Dukureh

Best Sound

Avatar: The Way of Water** (tie)

The Batman

Nope

Tár

Top Gun: Maverick** (tie)

Best International Film

Both Sides of the Blade (France)

Broker (Japan / South Korea)

Decision to Leave (South Korea)

Return to Seoul (Cambodia / France / South Korea)*

RRR (India)**

Best Documentary Feature

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed**

Descendant

Fire of Love

Good Night Oppy*

Three Minutes: A Lengthening

Best Animated Feature

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio**

Mad God

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

Turning Red*

Wendell & Wild

Best Casting

Everything Everywhere All At Once*

The Fabelmans**

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Top Gun: Maverick

The Woman King

Women Talking

Best Stunt Coordination/Choreography

Athena

Everything Everywhere All At Once*

The Northman

RRR**

Top Gun: Maverick

The Woman King

Best First Feature

Aftersun - Charlotte Wells**

Happening - Audrey Diwan

Hit the Road - Panah Panahi

Nanny - Nikyatu Jusu*

Pleasure - Ninja Thyberg

Breakthrough Performance

Samir Benssalaeh - Athena

Austin Butler - Elvis*

Frankie Corio - Aftersun

Stephanie Hsu - Everything Everywhere All At Once**

Thuso Mbedu - The Woman King

Top Ten Scenes of the Year (Spoiler-Free)

1. Naatu Naatu - RRR

2. Swimming Lesson - Avatar: The Way of Water

3. Hallway Confrontation - The Fabelmans

4. Rocks - Everything Everywhere All At Once

5. Maverick runs the course - Top Gun: Maverick

6. Opening Credits - After Yang

7. Final Concert - Tár

8. Opening Sequence - Athena

9. "There Goes That Dream" - The Banshees of Inisherin

10. "Hello College" - Babylon