Voiceover: “Live from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, please welcome President of The Academy David Reuben.”
David: “Good morning, and welcome to the brand new David Gethin Theatre at the Academy Museum. We’re here this morning to announce nominations for the 92nd Oscars. And now, I’m pleased to introduce this morning’s hosts: The Film Magazine.”
Hello and welcome to the official announcement of the Alternative Oscars 2020. At The Film Magazine we openly rejected the Academy’s limited approach to awards season and instead sought to recognize the critically acclaimed and popularly loved films and performances that were overlooked by the official nominations. This is our first-ever list of Official Non-Official Alternative Oscars — a celebration of the best non-nominated work of 2019.
Below are our selections for the most deserving films, performances, and creative achievements that the Academy missed. These choices highlight filmmakers, performers and craftspeople who delivered exceptional work but were excluded from the Academy’s shortlist.
And your nominees are…
Actor In a Leading Role
Robert De Niro (The Irishman)
Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewell)
George MacKay (1917)
Robert Pattinson (The Lighthouse)
Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)
Robert De Niro anchors The Irishman with a commanding presence, yet his performance was inexplicably overlooked. George MacKay in 1917 delivers a quietly heroic, immersive turn that deserved awards attention. Robert Pattinson’s work in The Lighthouse represents one of his finest and most daring performances of the year. Paul Walter Hauser’s portrayal in Richard Jewell and Adam Sandler’s raw, fearless work in Uncut Gems are both career-defining roles that went largely unrecognized by the Academy.
Actress In a Leading Role
Awkwafina (The Farewell)
Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose)
Noémie Merlant (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Lupita Nyong’o (Us)
Florence Pugh (Midsommar)
This category demonstrates the breadth of female-led storytelling in 2019. Awkwafina brings depth and vulnerability to The Farewell; Jessie Buckley shines as a determined, flawed singer in Wild Rose; Noémie Merlant’s luminous work anchors Portrait of a Lady on Fire; Lupita Nyong’o delivers an unsettling, powerful turn in Us; and Florence Pugh commands Midsommar with emotional intensity. Any of these performances could have credibly appeared among the Academy’s official nominees.
Actress In A Supporting Role
Julia Fox (Uncut Gems)
Adèle Haenel (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Jennifer Lopez (Hustlers)
Julie Walters (Wild Rose)
Shuzhen Zhao (The Farewell)
Julia Fox made a striking debut in Uncut Gems. Adèle Haenel’s painfully beautiful performance in Portrait of a Lady on Fire stands out for its emotional precision. Jennifer Lopez brought complexity and charisma to Hustlers and was one of the most notable omissions from official nominations. Julie Walters provides a layered supporting turn in Wild Rose, while Shuzhen Zhao is moving and unforgettable in The Farewell.
Actor In A Supporting Role
Christian Bale (Ford v Ferrari)
Willem Dafoe (The Lighthouse)
Song Kang Ho (Parasite)
Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy)
Jonathan Pryce (The Man Who Killed Don Quixote)
Christian Bale’s work in Ford v Ferrari is muscular and empathetic; Willem Dafoe’s performance in The Lighthouse is at once terrifying and searingly human. Song Kang Ho is a magnetic center in Parasite, while Shia LaBeouf delivers a deeply personal and cathartic performance in Honey Boy. Jonathan Pryce gives a spirited, committed turn in The Man Who Killed Don Quixote that many viewers found more deserving than his official-season recognition for other roles.
Original Score
James Newton Howard (A Hidden Life)
Mica Levi (Monos)
Mike Korven (The Lighthouse)
Bobby Krlic (Midsommar)
Daniel Lopatin (Uncut Gems)
These scores favor modern, challenging approaches over traditional orchestral conventions. James Newton Howard’s work for A Hidden Life carries an elegant, timeless weight. Mica Levi and Mike Korven create immersive, unsettling soundscapes for Monos and The Lighthouse. Bobby Krlic’s unsettling textures elevate Midsommar’s ritualistic atmosphere, and Daniel Lopatin’s score for Uncut Gems pushes rhythmic and tonal boundaries that serve the film’s manic energy.
Directing
Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Greta Gerwig (Little Women)
Benny Safdie & Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems)
Céline Sciamma (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
This directing slate intentionally includes strong work by women and visionary auteurs. Joanna Hogg, Greta Gerwig, and Céline Sciamma each delivered deeply personal, masterful films. Robert Eggers and the Safdie Brothers offered singular, auteur-driven visions that stood out against mainstream offerings and demonstrated daring directorial control.
Cinematography
Darius Khondji (Uncut Gems)
Yorick Le Saux (High Life)
Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire)
Jörg Widmer (A Hidden Life)
Jasper Wolf (Monos)
These films are visual feasts. High Life, A Hidden Life and Monos offer frame-by-frame images that could hang in a gallery. Claire Mathon’s work in Portrait of a Lady on Fire mirrors the painterly focus of the story, and Darius Khondji’s approach in Uncut Gems intensifies the film’s claustrophobic energy. Each cinematographer brings a distinct eye that elevates the storytelling.
Original Screenplay
Ronald Bronstein; Benny Safdie; Josh Safdie (Uncut Gems)
Joanna Hogg (The Souvenir)
Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy)
Paul Laverty (Sorry We Missed You)
Lulu Wang (The Farewell)
These screenplays emphasize personal voice and unconventional structure. The Souvenir is intimate and elegiac, Honey Boy is an autobiographical catharsis, and The Farewell balances warmth and heartbreak with subtlety. Uncut Gems and Sorry We Missed You push narrative and tonal boundaries, offering work that challenges mainstream storytelling norms.
Best Picture
The Farewell
Honey Boy
Hustlers
The Lighthouse
Midsommar
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The Souvenir
Uncut Gems
Our Best Picture roster features five films directed by women and a collection of movies that repeatedly appear across categories for acting, directing and technical achievement. These are not sympathy picks: they represent bold, innovative filmmaking from 2019. Some entries were even excluded from official consideration due to technical eligibility rules, yet their quality is undeniable.
The official Oscars remain influential and popular, but the awards process has well-documented flaws: inconsistent voting practices, heavy campaigning and an uneven recognition of diverse voices and unconventional work. Many exceptional films and performances are marginalized not because of quality but because of industry dynamics.
This Alternative Oscars list began as a playful critique but ultimately aims to spotlight outstanding cinema that the Academy overlooked. These films and artists demonstrate the breadth, risk-taking and artistic integrity that keep cinema vital and evolving. The Academy’s selections should not be the sole arbiter of cinematic worth; there is a wide, rich world of film beyond its plates.