This is perhaps the most crucial category to the filmmaking process that was absent from these awards for a large period of time. However, until one edits, learns to edit both in theory and in practice it is very difficult to start to interpret the edit of a film. The editing choice ultimately is always an aesthetic choice because the technical aspects, what was removed, how scenes were improved due to judicious cuts or how the whole was bettered by losing a scene or a shot can only truly be evaluated if one has seen all the footage. Nevertheless, it’s here and here to stay. The decision in this category is very difficult year after year. Here are the films that have shown themselves to be the most impressive thus far.

2020 Claudia Castello, Bruno Lasevicius, and Suzanne Spangler Abe

2019 Nicholas Monsour Us

2018 Andrew Wehde Eighth Grade

2017 Jason Ballantine It 

2016 Brett Granato, Maya Mumma, and Ben Sozanski O.J.: Made in America

2015 Margaret Sixel Mad Max: Fury Road

2014 Bernard Beets The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears

2013 Victoria Boydell Broken

2012 Joe Bini We Need to Talk About Kevin

2011 Hank Corwin, Jay Rabinowitz, Daniel Rezende, Billy Weber and Mark Yoshikawa The Tree of Life

2010 Trevor Waite Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1983

2009 Mark Day Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2008 Thomas Alfredson and Daniel Jonsäter Let the Right One In

2007 Chris Dickens Hot Fuzz

2006 Jim Mol The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things

2005 Andy Blumenthal and David Finfer Waiting…

2004 Steven Weisberg Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2003 Peter Boyle The Hours