This week on the InSession Film Podcast, we featured our 3rd annual InSession Film Awards! During Part 1, we discussed the best, and some of the worst, 2015 had to offer in terms of film. We dove into everything from movie surprises, to movie trailers, to the best acting performances and so much more!

For every category, we each listed our own nominations and winners. Winners are highlighted in bold.

Best Actor

Brendan:

• Jacob Tremblay, Room
• Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
• Abraham Attah, Beasts of No Nation
• Michael B. Jordan, Creed
• Geza Rohrig, Son of Saul

JD:

• Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
• Jacob Tremblay, Room
• Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
• Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
• Michael B. Jordan, Creed

Best Actress

Brendan:

• Brie Larson, Room
• Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
• Nina Hoss, Phoenix
• Rooney Mara, Carol
• Cate Blanchett, Carol

JD:

• Brie Larson, Room
• Nina Hoss, Phoenix
• Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
• Cate Blanchett, Carol
• Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Actor Supporting Role

Brendan:

• Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
• Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
• Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
• Tom Hardy, The Revenant
• Sylvester Stallone, Creed

JD:

• Jason Segel, The End of the Tour
• Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
• Tom Hardy, The Revenant
• Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
• Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Actress Supporting Role

Brendan:

• Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
• Jennifer Jason Lee, Anomalisa
• Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria
• Andie MacDowell, Magic Mike XXL
• Juliette Binoche, Clouds of Sils Maria

JD:

• Kristen Stewart, Clouds of Sils Maria
• Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs
• Jane Fonda, Youth
• Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
• Teyonah Parris, Chi-Raq

Best Director

Brendan:

• George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Denis Villeneuve, Sicario
• Todd Haynes, Carol
• Ryan Coogler, Creed
• Alex Garland, Ex Machina

JD:

• George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Todd Haynes, Carol
• Ryan Coogler, Creed
• Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu, The Revenant
• Denis Villeneuve, Sicario

Best Original Screenplay

Brendan:

• Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley, Inside Out
• Alex Garland, Ex Machina
• Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
• Matt Charman, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Bridge of Spies
• Taylor Sheridan, Sicario

JD:

• Pete Docter, Meg LeFauve and Josh Cooley, Inside Out
• Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
• Oren Moverman and Michael A. Lerner, Love & Mercy
• Alex Garland, Ex Machina
• Xavier Dolan, Mommy

Best Adapted Screenplay

Brendan:

• Charlie Kaufman, Anomalisa
• Emma Donaghue, Room
• Phyllis Nagy, Carol
• Donald Margulies , The End of the Tour
• Drew Goddard, The Martian

JD:

• Adam McKay and Charles Randolph, The Big Short
• Emma Donaghue, Room
• Phyllis Nagy, Carol
• Nick Hornby, Brooklyn
• Drew Goddard, The Martian

Best Cinematography

Brendan:

• Emmanuel Lubeski, The Revenant
• Ed Lachman, Carol
• Roger Deakins, Sicario
• John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Cary Fukunaga, Beasts of No Nation

JD:

• Ed Lachman, Carol
• Emmanuel Lubeski, The Revenant
• Roger Deakins, Sicario
• John Seale, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Sturia Grovlen, Victoria

Best Animated Movie

Brendan:

• Anomalisa
• Inside Out
• When Marnie Was There
• Shaun the Sheep
• The Spongebob Movie: A Sponge Out of Water

JD:

• Anomalisa
• Inside Out
• When Marnie Was There
• Shaun the Sheep
• The Good Dinosaur

Best Score

Brendan:

• Michael Giacchino, Inside Out
• Carter Burwell, Carol
• Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Johann Johannsson, Sicario
• Steven Rennicks, Room

JD:

• Carter Burwell, Carol
• Michael Giacchino, Inside Out
• Junkie XL, Mad Max: Fury Road
• Johann Johannsson, Sicario
• Steven Rennicks, Room

Best Use of Soundtrack Music (Doesn’t have to be original. Closing and Opening credits count)

Brendan:

• “Get Down It’s Saturday Night” by Oliver Cheatham, Ex Machina
• “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer, The Martian
• “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” by The Platters , 45 Years
• “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys, Magic Mike XXL
• “Diamonds” by Rihanna, Girlhood

JD:

• “Experience” by Ludovico Einaudi, Mommy
• “Love Was My Alibi” by Kristoffer Hogelmark, The Water Diviner
• “F*** the Police” by Cast, Straight Outta Compton
• “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa, Furious 7
• “I See the Light” by Sophia Boyd, Chi-Raq

Best Overlooked Movie

Brendan:

• White God
• Beasts of No Nation
• Phoenix
• Steve Jobs
• The End of the Tour

JD:

• Victoria
• Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter
• Phoenix
• What We Do in the Shadows
• The Look of Silence

Best Surprise Movie

Brendan:

• The Martian
• Magic Mike XXL
• Chi-Raq
• Trainwreck
• A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting On Existence

JD:

• The Age of Adaline
• The Duff
• Trainwreck
• Chi-Raq
• Infinitely Polar Bear

Best Surprise Actor/Actress

Brendan:

• Charlto Copley, Chappie
• Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
• Daisey Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Amy Poehler, Inside Out
• Phyllis Smith, Inside Out

JD:

• Charlto Copley, Chappie
• Daisey Ridley, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Amy Poehler, Inside Out
• Phyllis Smith, Inside Out
• Amy Schumer, Trainwreck

Best Opening/Closing Credits Sequence or Scene

Brendan:

• Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Opening)
• Carol (Opening)
• Inside Out (Closing)
• 45 Years (Closing)
• When Marnie Was There (Closing)

JD:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Opening)
• The Revenant (Opening)
• White God (Closing)
• Phoenix (Closing)
• 45 Years (Closing)

Best Movie Trailer

Brendan:

• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Big Short
• When Marnie Was There

JD:

• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Revenant
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• Creed

Worst Movie

Brendan:

• Jupiter Ascending
• Pawn Sacrifice
• Pixels
• Vacation
• Pan

JD:

• Insurgent
• The Lazarus Effect
• Pixels
• Vacation
• Knock Knock

Biggest Disappointment

Brendan:

• The Hateful Eight
• It Follows
• Brooklyn
• Jurassic World
• Tomorrowland

JD:

• The Hateful Eight
• Avengers: Age of Ultron
• Tomorrowland
• Tom at the Farm
• Spy

JD’s Individual Special Awards

Best Individual Score Track

• “Carol Main Theme” – Carter Burwell (Carol)
• “New End” – Steven Rennicks (Room)
• “Revenge” – Daniel Pemberton (Steve Jobs)
• “Bundle of Joy” – Michael Giacchino (Inside Out)
• “You’re a Creed” – Ludwig Göransson (Creed)
• “We Own the Sky” – Hans Zimmer (Chappie)

Best Performance By a Non-Human:

• Body, White God

The Year of Stellar One-Take Sequences

• Beasts of No Nation
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens
• The Tribe
• Creed
• The Revenant
• Victoria

Best Documentary

• Best of Enemies
• Amy
• Kurt Kobain: Montage of Heck
• Cartel Land
• The Look of Silence

Best Foreign Language Film

• Mommy
• White God
• Phoenix
• Victoria
• Son of Saul

Best Movie Discovery

• Alicia Vikander – Actress, Ex Machina / The Danish Girl
• Kornel Mundruco – Director, White God
• Jacob Tremblay – Actor, Room
• Xavier Dolan – Director, Mommy
• Nina Hoss – Actress, Phoenix

Best Art Direction

• Crimson Peak
• The Assassin
• Mad Max: Fury Road
• The Revenant
• Carol

Brendan’s Individual Special Awards

Best Art Direction

• The Assassin
• Brooklyn
• Carol
• Cinderella
• Macbeth

Best Documentary

• Meru
• Amy
• What Happened, Miss Simone?
• Kurt Kobain: Montage of Heck
• The Look of Silence

Best Foreign Language Film

• When Marnie Was There
• White God
• Phoenix
• Victoria
• Song of Saul

Well that’s it for our 2015 InSession Film Awards! Hopefully you all enjoyed our nominations and winners. If you agree or disagree with us, let us know in the comment section below. We would love to hear how your nominations and winners would vary from our picks above. You can also email your selections to us at [email protected] or follow us on social media.

To hear our Top 10 Movies of 2015, listen to Part 2 of Episode 152!