The Alliance of Women Film Journalists Names 'The Hurt Locker' Best Film

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ), of which I'm a proud member, has revealed their choices for the best in films of 2009. The Hurt Locker and its director, Kathryn Bigelow, were this year's big winners, netting six awards for her work on the dramatic film about a team of bomb disposal experts deployed in Iraq. The 2009 EDA* Awards also recognized the work of Carey Mulligan, with the British actress earning top honors for her performance in An Education and the group's Breakthrough Performance award.

EDA Award Winners

Best Film:
The Hurt Locker

Best Animated Film:
Up

Best Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Best Screenplay, Original:
(500) Days of Summer - Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber

Best Screenplay, Adapted:
Up In The Air - Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Best Documentary:
The Cove

Best Actress:
Carey Mulligan - An Education

Best Actress in a Supporting Role:
Mo'Nique - Precious

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart

Best Actor in a Supporting Role:
Christopher Waltz - Inglorious Basterds

Best Ensemble Cast:
The Hurt Locker

Best Editing:
Sally Menke - Inglorious Basterds

Most Beautiful Film:
Bright Star

Best Non-English-Language Film:
Summer Hours

EDA Female Focus Awards

Best Woman Director:
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker

Best Woman Screenwriter:
Jane Campion - Bright Star

Best Animated Female:
Coraline in Coraline

Best Breakthrough Performance:
Carey Mulligan - An Education

Women's Image Award:
Kathryn Bigelow

Perseverance Award:
Agnes Varda

Actress Defying Age and Ageism:
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia and It's Complicated

Sexist Pig Award:
Robert Luketic for The Ugly Truth

This Year's Outstanding Achievement By a Woman In The Film Industry:
Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Agnes Varda

AWFJ Award For Humanitarian Activism:
Rebecca Cammisa for Which Way Home

EDA Special Mention Awards

AWFJ Hall off Shame Award:
Robert Luketic - The Ugly Truth

Actress Most in Need of a New Agent:
Hilary Swank

Movie You Wanted to Love But Just Couldn't
Amelia

Unforgettable Moment Award (Tie):
Inglorious Basterds - Shoshanna (Melanie Laurent) burns down the theater
Precious - Mary (Mo'Nique) admits the abuse

Best Depiction Of Nudity, Sexuality, or Seduction (Tie):
An Education - Carey Mulligan and Peter Saarsgard
It's Complicated - Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin

Sequel That Shouldn't Have Been Made Award:
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen

The Remake That Shouldn't Have Been Made Award:
Land of the Lost

Cultural Crossover Award:
District 9

Bravest Performance Award:
Mo'Nique in Precious

Most Egregious Age Difference Between The Leading Man and The Love Interest Award:
Whatever Works - Larry David and Evan Rachel Wood (40 years difference)

* * * * * *

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists, Inc. (AWFJ), a not-for-profit corporation, is an association of professional female movie critics, reporters and feature writers working in print, broadcast and online media, dedicated to supporting work by and about women - both in front of and behind the cameras - through intra-group promotional activities, outreach programs and by presenting awards in recognition of outstanding accomplishments (the best and worst) by and about women in the movies.

AWFJ was founded in 2006 by Jennifer Merin (About.com's Guide to Documentaries), Maitland McDonagh, Joanna Langfield and Jenny Halper. AWFJ members include Thelma Adams (US Weekly), Nikki Finke (LA Weekly/DeadlineHollywood.com), Claudia Puig (USA Today), and Anne Thompson (The Hollywood Reporter).

* - EDA stands for Excellent Dynamic Activism, and the awards are named for actress Eda Reiss Merin, one of the founders of AFTRA and mother of AWFJ co-founder Jennifer Merin. Jennifer says her mother was "a terrific foot soldier in the film industry." The annual AWFJ awards are presented to honor Eda's life's work.