BAM Award Winners: Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

This is a newly-siphoned off post from the original Young Actors post. This category came into being in the 2011 BAM Awards. After adding an Ensemble Award the next logical step was to end the unisex nature of the Youth Lead Categories. The final step was complete this year with the inclusion of Supporting categories for young actors. The Lead Youth Acting winners from 1996-2010 can be found in a separate post.

2023 Milo Machado Graner Anatomy of a Fall

2022 Walker Scobell The Adam Project

2021 Woody Norman C’mon C’mon

2020 Noah Schnapp Abe

2019 Jackson Robert Scott The Prodigy

2018 Noah Jupe A Quiet Place 

2017 Oakes Fegley Wonderstruck and Jaeden Lieberher It 

2016 Daniel Huddlestone London Town

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2015 Kodi Smit-McPhee All the Wilderness

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2014 Antoine L’Écuyer The Custody

The Custody (2014, Attraction Media)

2013 Asa Butterfield Ender’s Game

Ender's Game (2013, LionsGate)

2012 Rick Lens Kauwboy

Kauwboy (2012, Waterland Film)

2011 Joel Courtney Super 8

BAM Award Winners: Best Youth Ensemble

This is a newly-siphoned off post from the original Young Actors post. This category came into being in the 2010 BAM Awards to recognize Ensemble work, but only among young actors within a cast, which differentiates it from Best Cast. The inception of this category was the first step toward parity between youth-specific and open categories.

2023 Isaiah Russell-Bailey, McKenna Grace, Barratt, Orson Hong, Thomas Boyce, Hero Hunter, Carson Minniear, Brady Noon Crater

crater.jpeg

2022 Mason Thames, Madeline McGraw, Miguel Cazarez Mora, Rebecca Clarke, J. Gaven Wilde, Spencer Fitzgerald, Jordan Isaiah White, Brady Ryan, Tristan Pravong, Jacob Moran, Brandy Hepner, Banks Repeta The Black Phone

2021 Kevin Vechiatto, Gabriel Moreira, Laura Roseo, and Giulia Benite Turma da Mônica Laços

turma_da_monica_lacos

2020 Alivia Clark, Ashling Doyle, Tanner Flood, James Freedson-Jackson, Oliver Gifford, Nolan Lyons, Sam McCathy, Ivy Mille, Taylor Richardson, and Eric Schuett  18 to Party

2019 Jack Dylan Grazer, Jaeden Martell, Finn Wolfhard, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Luke Roesseler, Jackson Robert Scott, Sladen Peltier, Sophia Lillis, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, It: Chapter 2

2018 Storm Reid, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, and Rowan Blanchard A Wrinkle in Time

2017 Jaeden Lieberher, Jack Dylan Grazer, Wyatt Oleff, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Sophia Lillis, Finn Wolfhard, Jackson Robert Scott and Nicholas Hamilton It

2016 Thor Braun, Rick Lens, Thijn Brobbel, Luciano Hiwat, Dylan Pijper, Joes Brauers, Maas Bronkhuyzen, and Dennis Reinsma De Boskampi’s

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2015 Oscar Dietz, Samuel Ting Graf, Astris Juncher-Benzon, Amalie Kruse Jensen, Marcus Jess Petersson, Johannes Jeffries Sørensen and Hectores Brøgger Andersen Antboy 2: Revenge of the Red Fury

Antboy 2: Revenge of the Red Fury (2014, Attraction Distribution)

2014 Spencer Bogaert, Felix Maesschalck, Emma Verlinden, Nell Cattrysse and Pommelien Tijs Labyrinthus

Labyrinthus (2014, Attraction Media)

2013 Siam Yu, Colton Stewart, Gage Munroe, Michael Friend, Aidan Gouveia, Mackenzie Munro, Alex Cardillo, Dyson Fyke, Spencer Howes, Andy Reid, Richard Nguyen, Eric Hanson, and Alex Wall in I Declare War

I Declare War (2012, Drafthouse Films)

2012 Ben Van den Heuvel, Nathan Naenen, Noor Ben Taouet, Jelle Florizoone, Nina Marie Kortekaas, Mathias Vergels North Sea Texas

North Sea Texas (2011, Strand Releasing)

2011 Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Gabriel Basso and Riley Griffiths Super 8

2010 Oscar Steer, Asa Butterfield, Lil Woods, Eros Vlahos and Rosie-Taylor Ritson in Nanny McPhee Returns

Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)

BAM Award Winners: Best Visual Effects

So here is the eye candy award. As always there are a few things to note: first, among my favorite winners are the back-to-back tandem of Jurassic Park: The Lost World and Small Soldiers simply because I like to award combined efforts whenever possible. Combined efforts meaning many techniques were used to create the effects of a film like robotics, prosthetic, models in tandem with CGI. Had I known how some effects were achieved for Inception it may have swayed my 2010 vote, having said that I was glad it won the Oscar. Second, one curious thing to note is that you have at times here streaks like 20th Century Fox is on a run as a studio and the Narnia series is 3-for-3 as they always up the ante in combining their work with real elements.

Lastly, I must’ve learned something about how certain shots in The Patriot were achieved in 2000 that influenced my vote but I honestly cannot recall what but as I have stated before I am not revisiting these awards merely posting them for posterity. I, of course, could never have predicted my fatigue of disaster films in 1996 or how much more unsavory that White House shot in Independence Day would grow over the years.

Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy the winners as much as I have.

2023 Oppenheimer

oppenheimer-071723-2-b381da3f9c314ca7b2325ba2056c50c3

2022 Avatar: The Way of Water

avatar-2-whale

2021 Ghostbusters: Afterlife

ghostbusters-afterlife

2020 Color Out of Space

2019 Pokémon: Detective Pikachu

2018 Annihilation

2017 Bladerunner 2049

2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

tarkin-palpatine-and-vader-in-revenge-of-the-sith

2015 Mad Max: Fury Road

9e513e79-10fb-4f48-b87e-9ac67d057f0f

2014 The Boxtrolls

Boxtrolls (2014, Laika)

2013 Gravity

Gravity (2013, Warner Bros.)

2012 Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas (2012, Warner Bros.)

2011 Real Steel

Real-Steel-Hugh-Jackman-011824-48ec2f2e405f404db2f8ba625c5a1dfb

2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010, 20th Century Fox)

2009 Avatar

2008 The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

2007 The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep

2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest

2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, Disney)

2004 The Polar Express

2003 Peter Pan

Peter Pan (2003, Universal)

2002 Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones

2001 Artificial Intelligence: A.I.

Artificial Intelligence: A.I. (2001, DreamWorks)

2000 The Patriot

The Patriot (2000, Columbia)

1999 The Matrix

The Matrix (1999, Warner Bros.)

1998 Small Soldiers

Small Soldiers (1998, Universal/DreamWorks)

1997 Jurassic Park: The Lost World

1996 Independence Day

Independence Day (1996, 20th Century Fox)

BAM Award Winners: Best Cast

A few notes worth mentioning when it comes to the Best Cast category: First, I did borrow this concept from the SAG Awards. I just love the idea of honoring an entire cast from top to bottom and just wish they’d list and/or invite more people. There have been years when, if I was patient enough, I listed many of the players in the cast. Needless to say if one cast member wins they all do whether listed or not.

Second, there is one statistical oddity I noticed while assembling this list is that only four of the winners of Best Cast also were awarded my Best Picture prize. This kind of illustrates my point that acting is very important in a film but a film is so collaborative that its success does not necessarily hinge on its players’ ability.

Also interesting to note is that the Harry Potter series has two wins here whereas it has not captured Best Picture in a rather Susan Lucci-like fashion. Lastly, when looking closely enough you’ll note some actors played parts, whether lead, supporting or tertiary, in multiple Best Casts. One such case would be Trevor Morgan, who only really had one major scene in The Sixth Sense wherein he bullies Haley Joel Osment but then plays a much more significant part in Mean Creek. I have not yet verified it but then there’s also the odd case of Hugh Mitchell, who was Colin Creevey in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Boy Nicholas Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby and thus, is to my knowledge, the only actor to ever get nominated twice in the same year for the Best Cast category.

Were I to dig deep enough I’m sure there’d be other interesting stats to find like Alan Rickman’s three wins but alas here are the winners…

2020 We Can Be Heroes

2019 It: Chapter 2

2018 Black Panther

2017 Wind River

2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

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2015 Krampus

still-of-toni-collette,-conchata-ferrell,-david-koechner,-allison-tolman-and-emjay-anthony-in-krampus-(2015)-large-picture

2014 Into the Woods

Into the Woods (2014, Disney)

2013 Time of My life

Time of My Life (2012, Strand Releasing)

2012 North Sea Texas

North Sea Texas (2011, Strand Releasing)

2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2010 The White Ribbon

The White Ribbon (2009, Sony Pictures Classics)

2009 A Single Man

2008 Let the Right One In

2007 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2006 Little Miss Sunshine

2005 Saraband

2004 Mean Creek

Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan, Carly Schroeder, Scott Mechlowicz, Ryan Kelley and Josh Peck in Mean Creek (Paramount Classics)

Rory Culkin, Trevor Morgan, Carly Schroeder, Scott Mechlowicz, Ryan Kelley and Josh Peck in Mean Creek (Paramount Classics)

2003 Love Actually

2002 Nicholas Nickleby

2001 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

2000 Pay it Forward

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1999 The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense (1999, Touchstone Pictures)

1998 As Good as it Gets

1997 Hijacking Hollywood

MSDHIHO EC006

1996 Mulholland Falls

BAM Award Winners: Best Documentary

In many ways this category exists now because of Waiting for ‘Superman’. As I intimate in the review linked below, I have come full circle with regards to documentary films. I can embrace them as a separate but equal entity to narrative film. I will strive to qualify this category annually but while I can appreciate documentaries fully now I acknowledge my proclivity for fiction whereas when I’m given a choice between which two to watch at a given time I will invariably choose the narrative. Having said that the category is, of course, valid and proved it can threaten to be the best of the year.

2023 Not Awarded 

2022 Not Awarded 

2021 Not Awarded 

2020 Not Awarded 

2019 The Village Detective: A Song Cycle

the-village-detective

2018 Not Awarded

2017 Not Awarded 

2016 O.J.: Made in America

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2015 Not Awarded

2014  Not Awarded

2013 The Short Game

The Short Game (2013, Netflix)

2012 Not Awarded

2011 Senna

2010 Waiting for ‘Superman’

This one may have been a bit lacking in the drama department because Superman did make my Top 10 and no other doc crashed the Top 15, however it is truly an amazing experience but none of these others should be missed either. They are all on Netflix (the nominees being: Prodigal Sons, Killing Kasztner, Waiting for ‘Superman‘, Best Worst Movie, The Art of the Steal)

Waiting For Superman  (2011, Paramount Vantage)

BAM Award Winners: Worst Picture

I’ll try and make my commentary on these films brief but there are several noteworthy selections that deserve some preface.

Firstly, I slam the Razzies on an annual basis because they never pick anything low budget. Birdemic became infamous due to its cheesy nature, it was “snubbed” conversely Alice in Wonderland was reviled by many critics but due to the fact that it was nominated for a handful of technical Oscars it was left out. Now I do have some widely seen films down below but my mandate is not to find and slam the worst of the worst. I try and seek out that which I will like and comment on what I find to be the worst. Mind you I do not choose some of the more popular titles for shock effect either. I literally fell asleep during the Pirates film “honored” below and liked others in the series.

As I said in my Overrated category there are people who participated in, and in some cases made, the films below that I really like and it pains me to have to include them on this list. However, I find it hilarious that Charlie Sheen is in one of them. He’d call that winning even if I don’t.

Anyway, just a few more caveats, yes, here, like in other categories, Made for TV Movies are not expressly forbidden so a few will be of that nature and a few will be direct-to-video I believe. I knock them because I didn’t like them, though, not because of the distribution path. Straight-to-video and Made for TV have earned nominees in positive categories also.

In 2002 I skipped the Award, I believe I brought it back the next year and in reconstructing ’03 (lost records) I added a “winner.”

My 2006 film was one I saw at a film festival that doesn’t have a one-sheet up anywhere. I have included a YouTube clip of the opening.

2012 Award Discontinued. This post will remain for archival. Please check 2012 winners post, which is linked here for the reasoning.

2011 The Darkest Hour

2010 Paranormal Activity 2

2009 Orphan

2008 The Happening

2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End

2006 The Babysitter

2005 Cyber Seduction: His Secret Life

2004 Pixel Perfect

Pixel Perfect (2004, Disney Channel)

2003 George of the Jungle 2

2002 Not Awarded

2001 Believe

2000 Stigmata

Stigmata (2000, MGM)

1999 Durango Kids

1998 The Secret Kingdom

1997 Bad Day on the Block (aka Under Pressure)

1996 Fever Lake

BAM Award Winners: Young Actors

From 19962009 I had been satisfied with having but one category in which to honor the talented youths on film. This was one of the only places to honor them alongside their counterparts who are of age. In 2011, and perhaps more so in 2012, the nominating process became more difficult than ever as the talent pool seemed to be, if not the deepest ever, then one of them. Suddenly, I realized that I would have been eliminating people based on the size of their role and not on the quality of their performance. People like Janina Fautz in The White Ribbon and Billy Unger in You Again would be shutout of the nominating process. One of the benefits of creating your own awards is the ability to improvise.

Looking at the films and performances I’d seen I was able to create two new categories: I was able to make unisex categories for lead and supporting performances and one for ensemble work by youths, which seemed equally overdue. The goal in the 2011 awards was parity, meaning male and female lead and supporting categories and ensemble. This was achieved.

These categories have always been of great importance to me, not just because I was 15 when I started picking these awards but because youth performers are and have been greatly overlooked and under-appreciated and deserve some recognition. Especially when you consider that the Academy used to have a Juvenile Award and stopped awarding it.

UPDATE 2012: To venture even further away from negative connotations, I have decided to rename this post to remove the ‘child actor’ moniker, which to some can be seen as a slight. It’s a symbolic and semantical gesture, but no less significant for that. The group of categories and individual category names will be adjusted as necessary in the 2012 awards. Previous year will retain the same verbiage, but this post and future winners will not.

UPDATE 2013: To give each of the Youth Categories their due and for browsing convenience this post will act as a jump station to the new posts created for each of five youth categories, plus an additional post for the 1996-2009 winners.

Best Youth Ensemble

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Leading Role

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Leading Role

Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Supporting Role

Best Performance by a Young Actor in a Supporting Role

Best Performance by a Child Actor 1996-2010

BAM Award Winners: Best Original Screenplay

So here you have the dreamer category; those who want to bring an entirely new conception to the big screen. It is not inherent that the winner must present the most unique concept unleashed on the cinematic landscape but just the fact that something not pre-sold is being done is enough and when that film is great it’s even better. Here are the winners for Best Original Screenplay:

2023 Justine Triet, Arthur Harari Anatomy of a Fall

anatomy_2

2022 Tom Gormican, Kevin Etten The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

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2021 Vanessa Block and Michael Sanorski Pig

nicolas-cage-pig

2020 Jeffrey Roda 18 to Party

2019 Jordan Peele Us

2018 Bo Burnham Eighth Grade

2017 Jordan Peel Get Out

2016 Nikias Chryssos Der Bunker

img_3441

2015 Krampus Todd Casey, Michael Dougherty and Zach Shields

krampus_movie

2014 Locke Stephen Knight

Locke (2013, A24 Films)

2013 Blue Jasmine Woody Allen

Blue Jasmine (2013, Sony Pictures Classics)

2012 In the Family Patrick Wang

In the Family (2011, In the Family)

2011 Super 8 J.J. Abrams

2010 Inception Christopher Nolan

2009 Inglourious Basterds Quentin Tarantino

inglourious-basterds-cast11

2008 Son of Rambow Garth Jennings

2007 Hot Fuzz Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

2006 Little Miss Sunshine Michael Arndt

2005 Saraband Ingmar Bergman

2004 Mean Creek Jacob Aaron Estes

Mean Creek (2004, Paramount Classics)

2003 Love Actually Richard Curtis

Love Actually (2003, Universal)

2002 Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones George Lucas and Jonathan Hales

star_wars_attack_of_the_clones

2001 Spy Kids Robert Rodriguez

Spy Kids (2001, Troublemaker Studios)

2000 Bowfinger Steve Martin

1999 Arlington Road Ehren Kruger

1998 Central Station (Central do Brasil) Marcos Bernstein, João Emanuel Carneiro and Walter Salles

Central Station (1998, Sony Pictures Classics)

1997 Highjacking Hollywood Neil Mandt and Jim Rossow

1996 Everyone Says I Love You Woody Allen

BAM Award Winners: Best Adapted Screenplay

As I have stated in a series of articles not yet transcribed to this blog, a good adaptation is not necessarily a literal one but a vital and cinematically compelling and vibrant one. In these winners I feel there is communicated more story than is written on the screenplay’s page, hints at other avenues and imbues within its narrative a spirit of a story that was not originally written for the screen but was made so through much thought, love and skill.

2023 Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach Barbie

barbie-movie-margot-robbie-2023-billboard-1548.jpg

2022 David Cronenberg Crimes of the Future

ap22145556090961c.jpg

2021 Claudia Llosa and Samanta Schweblin Fever Dream

1353837_feverdream_283412

2020 Richard Stanley, Scarlett Amaris, and H.P. Lovecraft Color Out of Space 

2019 Gary Dauberman and Stephen King It: Chapter 2

2018 Jan Švankmajer and Karel Čapek and Josef Čapek Insect

2017 Chase Palmer & Cary Fukunaga and Gary Dauberman, and Stephen King It

2016  David Lowery & Toby Holbrooks, Malcolm Marmostein, Seton I. Miller and S.S. Field Pete’s Dragon

img_3434

2015 Aferim! Radu Jude and Florin Lazarescu

aferim-berlin-film-festival-review

2014 The Drop Dennis Lehane

The Drop (2014, Fox Searchlight)

2013 Broken Mark O’ Rowe and Daniel Clay

Broken (2012, Film Movement)

2012 North Sea Texas Bavo Dafurne and André Sollie

North Sea Texas (2011, Strand Releasing)

2011 Hugo John Logan and Brian Selznick

2010 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and Michael Petroni and C.S. Lewis

2009 Where the Wild Things Are Spike Jonze, David Eggers and Maurice Sendak

 

2008 Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) Johan Ajvide Lindqvist

2007 Day Watch (Dnevno bazar) Timur Bekmambetov, Alexander Talal, Vladimir Vasiliev and Sergei Luyanenko

2006 Running with Scissors Ryan Murphy and Augusten Burroughs

2005 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Anne Peacock and Andrew Adamson, Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely and C.S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, Disney)

2004 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Steven Kloves and J.K. Rowling

2003 Peter Pan PJ Hogan and Michael Goldenberg

2002 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Steven Kloves and J.K. Rowling

2001 Artificial Intelligence: A.I. Ian Watson, Steven Spielberg and Brian Aldiss

2000 Titus Julie Taymor and William Shakespeare

1999 The Butcher Boy Neil Jordan and Patrick McCabe

1998 The Mighty Charles Leavitt and Rodman Philbrick

1997 Contact James V. Hart and Michael Goldenberg, Anne Druyan and Carl Sagan

Contact (1997, Warner Bros.)

1996 Harriet the Spy Greg Taylor and Julie Talen, Douglas Petrie and Theresa Rebeck and Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy (1996, Nickelodeon/Paramount)

BAM Awards: Best Supporting Actor Winners

Here in this category there are a few things that may not be noticed if looking at it on a year-by-year basis. Namely not only are there two two-time winners (Osment and Robbins) but also four cross-over winners (Meaning they won both Lead and Supporting prizes).

Without much further ado The Best Supporting Actor Winners:

2023 Robert Downey, Jr. Oppenheimer 

robert-downey-jr-in-oppenheimer

2022 Ke Huy Quan Everything Everywhere All At Once

ke-huy-quan-everything-everywhere-02.jpg

2021 Kodi Smit-McPhee The Power of the Dog

kodi-smit-mcphee-the-power-of-the-dog.png

2020 Dean-Charles Chapman 1917

2019 Samuel L. Jackson Captain Marvel 

2018 Michael B. Jordan Black Panther

2017 Sam Rockwell Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

2016 Daniel Fripan Der Bunker

img_3441

2015 Sonny Young Still

still

2014 Robert Duvall The Judge

The Judge (2014, Warner Bros.)

2013 Ben Kingsley Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013, Marvel)

2012 Leonardo DiCaprio Django Unchained

Django Unchained (2012, The Weinstein Company)

2011 Alan Rickman Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2

2010 Will Poulter The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

2009 Christoph Waltz Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds (2010, The Weinstein Company)

2008 Robert Downey, Jr. Tropic Thunder

Tropic Thunder (2008, DreamWorks)

2007 Jack Nicholson The Departed

The Departed (2007, Warner Bros.)

2006 Gabriel Byrne Wah-Wah

2005 Erland Josephson Saraband

2004 Rodrigo Santoro Carandiru

2003 Tim Robbins Mystic River

2002 Haley Joel Osment Edges of the Lord

2001 Jude Law Artificial Intelligence: A.I.

2000 Haley Joel Osment Pay it Forward

1999 Tim Robbins Arlington Road

1998 Nick Nolte U Turn

U-Turn (1997, TriStar Pictures)

1997 Lucas Black Sling Blade

1996 Chazz Palminteri Mulholland Falls