Friday, January 17, 2025

Dorian Film Award Nominations Include "Challengers," "I Saw the TV Glow" and "Will & Harper"

I Saw the TV Glow (c) A24

Friday Jan. 17, 2025 - Los Angeles - GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, consisting of over 500 entertainment critics, journalists and media icons, today announced the group’s democratically chosen nominees for its 16th Dorian Film Awards. The Dorians go to both mainstream and LGBTQ-themed content, celebrating what the group calls “the expert Q+ eye on entertainment.” 


Leading with an impressive nine nominations is writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s thought-provoking horror tale I Saw the TV Glow, a film overlooked by many other kudos groups considering 2024’s theatrical and digital releases. Star Demi Moore’s thriller of a comeback The Substance is a close second, with 8 Dorian nods. 


From there, the genre-defying trans mobster musical Emilia Pérez and tense ménage-à-trois drama Challengers each hold six nominations, and Dorian-nominated director Brady Corbet’s artful epic The Brutalist makes more than good with five. Other movies GALECA anointed with multi-nominations: Anora, Nickel Boys and Wicked all with four nods each, and Problemista and Queer with three apiece. 


In the per-studio counts, A24 has a whopping 25 nominations. Other outfits posting impressive scores: Amazon MGM with 13 nominations, Netflix: (11) and Mubi (10). 


Some notable titles in the group’s trademark races include the inventive slapstick comedy Hundreds of Beavers vying for Unsung Film of the Year, Madame Web and Trap looking at Campiest Flick honors, and The Brutalist, Nosferatu and Dune: Part Two among the cinematic dazzlers aiming for Visually Striking Film. 


The group’s Timeless Star career achievement honoree will be named when the winners are announced Thursday Feb. 13. GALECA’s members are tentatively scheduled to toast winners and nominees in a brunch the following Sunday. 


Along with its film nominations, GALECA announced it is donating $1000 to The Los Angeles Press Club’s emergency relief fund, the amount earmarked for entertainment journalists directly affected by the historically devastating wildfires that have destroyed vast swaths LA, leaving thousands of residents homeless. 


“Entertainment journalists are an obviously integral part of the Hollywood ecosystem, and we want to make sure they aren’t forgotten in what’s already a very tough environment for those in our profession,” said GALECA Executive Director John Griffiths. Added Vice President Diane Anderson-Minshall: “We applaud our friends at the Press Club and its sister organization the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards for coming to our brethren’s need.” 


Professional journalists whose main livelihood involves entertainment criticism, editing and/or reportage can apply for help at lapressclub.org. Additional donations may be made there as well. 


The Substance (c) MUBI


GALECA: THE SOCIETY OF LGBTQ ENTERTAINMENT CRITICS 
16TH DORIAN FILM AWARDS  


FILM OF THE YEAR 

Anora 
Challengers
I Saw the TV Glow
Nickel Boys  
The Substance 


LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR 

Challengers 
Emilia Peréz 
I Saw the TV Glow 
Love Lies Bleeding 
Queer 


DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR

Brady Corbet, The Brutalist 
Coralie Fargeat, The Substance 
Luca Guadagnino, Challengers 
RaMell Ross, Nickel Boys 
Jane Schoenbrun, I Saw the TV Glow 


SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR

Anora 
Challengers 
Conclave 
I Saw the TV Glow 
The Substance 


Challengers (c) Amazon MGM Studios


LGBTQ SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR 

Challengers
I Saw the TV Glow 
Love Lies Bleeding 
Problemista 
Queer 



NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR 

All We Imagine as Light
Emilia Pérez
Flow 
I’m Still Here 
The Seed of the Sacred Fig 


Crossing (c) MUBI

LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH FILM OF THE YEAR 

Crossing 
Emilia Pérez
Queendom 
Vermiglio 
All Shall Be Well 


UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR 
—To an exceptional movie worthy of greater attention 

Dídi 
Hundreds of Beavers 
My Old Ass 
Problemista 
Thelma 


UNSUNG LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR 

Femme 
My Old Ass
National Anthem 
The People’s Joker 
Problemista


Queer (c) A24


FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR 

Adrien Brody, The Brutalist 
Daniel Craig, Queer
Colman Domingo, Sing Sing 
Karla Sofía Gascón, Emilia Pérez 
Cynthia Erivo, Wicked 
Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hard Truths 
Nicole Kidman, Babygirl 
Mikey Madison, Anora 
Demi Moore, The Substance 
Justice Smith, I Saw the TV Glow 


SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR 

Michele Austin, Hard Truths 
Yura Borisov, Anora 
Kieran Culkin, A Real Pain 
Ariana Grande, Wicked 
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Nickel Boys 
Brigette Lundy-Paine, I Saw the TV Glow 
Clarence Maclin, Sing Sing 
Guy Pearce, The Brutalist 
Margaret Qualley, The Substance 
Zoe Saldaña, Emilia Pérez 


DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR 

Dahomey 
Daughters 
The Remarkable Life of Ibelin 
Sugarcane 
Will & Harper 


Will & Harper (c) Netflix

LGBTQ DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR 

Chasing Chasing Amy 
Frida 
Merchant Ivory 
Queendom 
Will & Harper 


ANIMATED FILM OF THE YEAR 

Flow 
Inside Out 2 
Memoir of a Snail 
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl 
The Wild Robot 


Nosferatu (c) Focus Features


GENRE FILM OF THE YEAR 
For excellence in science fiction, fantasy and horror 

Dune: Part Two 
I Saw the TV Glow 
Nosferatu 
The Substance
Wicked 


FILM MUSIC OF THE YEAR 

The Brutalist 
Challengers 
Emilia Pérez
I Saw the TV Glow
Wicked 


VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR 

The Brutalist 
Dune: Part Two 
Nosferatu 
Nickel Boys 
The Substance 


Hundreds of Beavers (c) Cineverse, Vinegar Syndrome

CAMPIEST FLICK 

Hundreds of Beavers 
Madame Web 
Megalopolis 
The Substance
Trap 


“WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!” RISING STAR AWARD 

Jonathan Bailey 
Vera Drew 
Karla Sofía Gascón 
Brigette Lundy-Paine 
Mikey Madison 
Katy O’Brian 
Drew Starkey 


WILDE ARTIST AWARD 
To a truly groundbreaking force in entertainment 

Colman Domingo 
Luca Guadagnino 
Coralie Fargeat 
Jane Schoenbrun 
Tilda Swinton 


GALECA LGBTQIA+ FILM TRAILBLAZER 
For creating art that inspires empathy, truth and equity 

Vera Drew 
Cynthia Erivo 
Luca Guadagnino 
Jane Schoenbrun 
Julio Torres 



About GALECA & The Dorian Awards Formed in 2009, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics honors the best in film, television and Broadway/Off Broadway, mainstream to LGBTQIA+, via the Dorian Awards. A 501 c 6 nonprofit, GALECA serves to remind bigots, bullies and our own beleaguered communities that the world looks to the informed Q+ eye on entertainment. The organization also advocates for better pay, access and respect for its members, especially those in our most underrepresented and vulnerable segments.  GALECA’s efforts also include the Crimson Honors, a college film/TV criticism contest for LGBTQ women or nonbinary students of color. 


See our members' latest reviews, commentary and interviews, along with looks at entertainment’s past, on Bluesky and elsewhere @DorianAwards. GALECA’s YouTube channel features the group's past Dorians film and TV Toast awards specials, video chats with filmmakers and performers, plus talks with members about their latest books and more. 


Find out more at GALECA.org. GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment journalists is a core member of CGEM: Critics Groups for Equality in Media, an alliance of underrepresented entertainment journalists organizations. 


Contact galeca@smithhousestrategy.com