Pat Yourself on the Back...
Or at least that's what a lot of these groups do. I hate award shows -- I never watch the Academy Awards. And I'll never understand Hollywood politics. But they may help you figure out your own list. Hence, my compilation of group awards for 1996 movies. If you're looking for the critics' groups awards, I've moved them to their own page.

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- click on an organization name to go the detailed listing -
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences	International Press Academy
American Cinema Editors	Motion Picture Sound Editors
American Society of Cinematographers	National Association of Theater Owners
Cinema Audio Society	Producers' Guild of America
Directors' Guild of America	Publicists' Guild of America
Film Information Council	Screen Actors Guild
Golden Raspberry Awards	USC Scripter Guild
Hollywood Foreign Press Association	Writers' Guild of America
Independent Features Project

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - Biggest and baddest of Hollywood association awards known by a couple of other obscure names (Academy Awards, Oscars). The AMPAS is a nebulous group of industry professionals including directors, producers, actor, screenwriters, and other professional. 5,137 AMPAS members did the actual voting. Winners:
  

  Best Film - The English Patient
  Best Director - Anthony Minghella (The English Patient)
  Best Actor - Geoffrey Rush (Shine)
  Best Actress - Frances McDormand (Fargo)
  Best Supporting Actor - Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire)
  Best Supporting Actress - Juliette Binoche (The English Patient)
  Best Foreign Film - Kolya (Czech Republic)
  Best Original Screenplay - Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo)
  Best Adapted Screenplay - Billy Bob Thornton (Sling Blade)
  Best Cinematography - John Seale (The English Patient)
  Best Art Direction - Stuart Craig (The English Patient)
  Best Film Editing - Walter Murch (The English Patient)
  Best Costume Design - Anna Roth (The English Patient)
  Best Makeup - The Nutty Professor (Rick Baker and David Leroy Anderson)
  Best Original Dramatic Score - Gabriel Yared (The English Patient)
  Best Original Musical or Comedy Score - Rachel Portman (Emma)
  Best Original Song - "You Must Love Me" - Andew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice (Evita)
  Best Sound - Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker and Chris Newman (The English Patient)
  Best Sound Effects Editing - Bruce Stambler (The Ghost and the Darkness)
  Best Visual Effects - Volker Engel, Douglas Smith, Clay Pinney and Joseph Viskocil (Independence Day)
  Best Documentary Feature - When We Were Kings (A DASFilms Ltd. Production, Leon Gast and David Sonenberg)
  Best Documentary Short Subject - Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien (An Inscrutable Films/Pacific News Service Production, Jessica Yu)
  Best Animated Short Film - Quest (Tyron Montgomery and Thomas Stellmach)
  Best Live-Action Short Film - Dear Diary (David Frankel and Barry Jossen)
  

  Click here for the complete list of nominees and winners.
• American Cinema Editors - Editors' association. Winners of the 47th Annual ACE Eddie Awards were presented on March 15, 1997 in Beverly Hills:
  

  Best Feature Film Editor of 1996 - Walter Murch (The English Patient)
  Golden Eddie Filmaker of the Year - Roger Corman
  
  Nominees for the best film of 1996 (announced on February 6, 1997):
  - Gerry Hambling (Evita)
  - Walter Murch (The English Patient) WINNER!
  - Roderick James (aka Joel and Ethan Coen) (Fargo)
  - Richard Francis-Bruce (The Rock)
  - Pip Karmel (Shine)
  

• American Society of Cinematographers - Association of accredited cinematographers. The ASC presented their annual awards on February 23, 1997. Awards in feature film and special award categories for 1996:
  

  Best Feature Film Photography - John Seale (The English Patient)
  Lifetime Achievement Award - Owen Roizman (ASC President)
  International Award - Raoul Coutard
  Board of Governors Award - Robert Wise
  President's Award - Robert Duvall
  
  Nominees for Best Feature Film Photography of 1996 (announced 1/22/97):
  - John Seale (The English Patient) WINNER!
  - Roger Deakins (Fargo)
  - Caleb Deschanel (Fly Away Home)
  - Darius Khondki (Evita)
  - Chris Menges (Michael Collins)
  - Vilmos Zsigmond (The Ghost and the Darkness)

• Cinema Audio Society - Association of approximately 350 Sound mixers and associates from both film and television industries. Winners were announced on March ?, 1997:
  

  Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture - The English Patient
  (Re-recording Mixers: Walter Murch, Mark Berger, David Parker; Production Mixer: Chris Newman)
  
  Nominees for Best Film of 1996:
  - The Birdcage
  - The English Patient WINNER!
  - Independence Day
  - The Rock
  - Twister

  Check out the Cinema Audio Society's home page.
• Directors Guild of America - Association of Directors (Unit Production Managers, First Assistant Directors, Second Assistant Directors, Tape Associate Directors, Stage Managers,and Production Associates too.) Announced on March 8, 1997, the DGA picks were:
  

  Outstanding Achievement in a Feature Film - Anthony Minghella (The English Patient); Franco Ballati and Lynn Kamern (unit production managers); Steve Andrews (first assistant director); Emma Schofield (second assistant director)
  Outstanding Achievement in a Documentary Film - Al Pacino (Looking for Richard)
  D.W. Griffith Award (Highest Artistic Award) - Stanley Kubrick
  
  Nominees for Outstanding Feature Film Director of 1996 (announced on January 20, 1997):
  - Joel Coen (Fargo)
  - Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire)
  - Scott Hicks (Shine)
  - Mike Leigh (Secrets & Lies)
  - Anthony Minghella (The English Patient) WINNER!
  
  Nominees for Outstanding Documentary Director:
  - Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky (Paradise Lost)
  - Leon Gast (When We Were Kings)
  - Jeanne Jordan and Steve Ascher (Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern)
  - Isaac Mizrahi (Slaughter, The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century)
  - Al Pacino (Looking for Richard) WINNER!

  Check out the DGA home page to find out more about the Guild.
• Film Information Council - Association of theatrical film marketing, public relations and promotional executives. They awarded their Charles M. Powell Award for Best Marketed Theatrical Motion Picture of 1996 to Indepedence Day on February 19, 1997.
  

  Nominees:
  - 101 Dalmations
  - The Birdcage
  - Independence Day WINNER!
  - Mission: Impossible
  - The Nutty Professor
  

• Golden Raspberry Awards - The Golden Raspberry Awards Foundation (GRAF) announced their 17th Annual awards on March 23, 1997. Click here for their full list of nominees.
  

  Worst Film of the Year - Striptease
  Worst Actor - (tie) Tom Arnold (Big Bully, Carpool, and The Stupids)
     (tie) Pauly Shore (Bio-Dome)
  Worst Actress - Demi Moore (Striptease)
  Worst Supporting Actor - Marlon Brando (The Island of Dr. Moreau)
  Worst Supporting Actress - Melanie Griffith (Mulholland Falls)
  Worst Screen Couple - Demi Moore and Burt Reynolds (Striptease)
  Joe Eszterhas Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million Award - Twister
  Worst Director - Andrew Bergman (Striptease)
  Worst Screenplay - Andrew Bergman (Striptease)
  Worst New Star - Pamel Anderson Lee (Barb Wire)
  Worst Song - "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy (Whose Kitty Cat are You?), from Striptease
  

  Check out the Razzies home page for more info.
• Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Another nebulous group, this of "foreign" and not-so-foreign press members. Their Golden Globe Award nominations were announced on December 19, 1996 and awarded (see below) on January 19, 1997 at their 54th annual ceremony in Beverly Hills.
• Independent Features Project - Association of independent film professionals. Their 12th Annual 'Independent Spirit Awards' were presented on March 22, 1997. Eligible films must must have been American made, have demonstrated "economy of means" (i.e. had a low budget), shown "original, provocative subject matter and uniqueness of vision," and must have either shown in an American commercial theater during 1996 or have played at one of six major film festivals in the US. Winners for 1996:
  

  Best Picture - Fargo
  Best Director - Joel Coen (Fargo)
  Best Actor - William H. Macy (Fargo)
  Best Actress - Frances McDormand (Fargo)
  Best Supporting Actor - Benicio Del Toro (Basquiat)
  Best Supporting Actress - Elizabeth Pena (Lone Star)
  Best Screenplay - Joel and Ethan Coen (Fargo)
  Best Cinematography - Roger Deakins (Fargo)
  Best Debut Performance - Heather Mantarazzo (Welcome to the Dollhouse)
  Best First Feature Film - Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton)
  Best First Screenplay - Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci (Big Night)
  

  Click here to see the full list of nominees.
• International Press Academy - This splinter group from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association started their own group last year and gave out their first awards (the Golden Satellites) this year on January 15, 1997. The group claims a membership of about 150 press members and is headed by former HFPA head Mirjana Van Blaricom. They give awards in Drama and Comedy/Musical categories like their brethren HFPA. See the table below for their picks.
• Motion Picture Sound Editors - Association of movie and television sound editors. They caused a ruckus this year because in their initial picks, they missed several notable films including 'Independence Day' and 'Twister.' This caused many members to complain, so the MPSE made the unprecedented move of adding four more nominees.
  

  Golden Reel Sound Editor of the Year Award: Daylight (Richard Anderson and David Whittaker)
  
  Original Nominees (announced 2/10/97):
  - Courage Under Fire
  - Daylight WINNER!
  - The English Patient
  - Eraser
  - Executive Decision
  - The Ghost and the Darkness
  - The Rock
  
  Additional 'Oops, sorry we overlooked you the first time' Nominees:
  - Dragonheart
  - Independence Day
  - Mission: Impossible
  - Twister

• National Association of Theater Owners - Theater owners? Hey, without 'em those of us without home theaters would have no place to see all these movies. They will present their "Marquee" awards at their Sho West conference in Las Vegas on March 6, 1997. They're beginning to annoy me, though, because they don't announce all their nominees at once. But I'm on to their ruse and have ceased giving them banner space in the "The Latest News" section. Nominees announced so far:
  

  - Actor of the Year - Denzel Washington
  - Actress of the Year - Winona Ryder
  - Supporting Actor of the Year - Cuba Gooding Jr.
  - Director of the Year - Joel Schumacher
  - Producer of the Year - Arnon Milchan
  - Humanitarian of the Year - Arnold Schwarzenegger
  - Screenwriter of the Year - Albert Brooks and Monica Johnson (Mother)
  - International Box Office Achievement - Will Smith
  

• Producers' Guild of America - Association of accredited producers. Their 'Golden Laurel Awards' were presented on March 12, 1997 at the Universal City Hilton & Towers in Los Angeles:
  

  - Darryl F. Zanuck Award (Producer of the Year): Saul Zaentz (The English Patient)
  Special Awards:
  - Nova Award (Best New Producer) - Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner (Mission Impossible)
  - David O. Selznick Lifetime Achievement Award- Billy Wagner
  - Eastman-Kodak Vision Award - Saul Zaentz (The English Patient)
  
  Nominees for Producer of the Year (announced January 22, 1997):
  - Ethan Coen (Fargo)
  - David Barron (Hamlet)
  - Oliver Stone, Janet Yang and Michael Hausman (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
  - Saul Zaentz (The English Patient) WINNER!
  - Jane Scott (Shine)

• Publicists' Guild of America - National amalgamation of publicist-types. Their 'Maxwell Weignberg Publicists Showmanship Awards' will be announced at their 34th annual show on March 21, 1997 in Beverly Hills. The nominees for best motion picture marketing campaign for 1996 are:

  - 101 Dalmations
  - Beavis and Butt-head do America
  - Evita
  - Independence Day
  - Twister

• Screen Actors Guild - Actors' association. The nominating committee of 4,200 randomly selected SAG members announced the nominees on January 23, 1997 and from these the 86,000 members picked the winners. Winners were announced at the Third Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on February 22, 1997 at the Shrine Exposition Hall in Los Angeles:

  - Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Geoffrey Rush (Shine)
  - Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Frances McDormand (Fargo)
  - Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Cuba Gooding Jr. (Jerry Maguire)
  - Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Lauren Bacall (The Mirror Has Two Faces)
  - Best Cast in a Motion Picture - The Birdcage
  

  Click here to see the full list of nominees.


• USC Scripter Award - The English Patient won this award. Sounds obscure except to those who matter most, screenwriters who like books. Yup, the USC Scripter Award, announced on January 8, 1997, honors the year's best film adaptation of a book. In this case, writer-director Anthony Minghella adapted Michael Ondaatje's Booker-Prize winning book The English Patient.
• Writers' Guild of America - Writers' association. Nominees announced February 6, 1997. Winners were announced at their 49th annual awards ceremony in Beverly Hills on March 16, 1997. Check out the WGA web site for the full list of non-film nominees.

  Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen - Fargo (Joel and Ethan Coen)
  Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published - Sling Blade (Screenplay by Billy Bob Thornton, based on his stage playe)
  
  Nominees for Best Original Screenplay:
  - Fargo (Joel and Ethan Coen) WINNER!
  - Jerry Maguire (Cameron Crowe)
  - Lone Star (John Sayles)
  - Secrets & Lies (Mike Leigh)
  - Shine (John Sardy and Scott Hicks)
  
  Nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay:
  - The Birdcage (Elaine May, based on the stage play "La Cage Aux Folles" by Joen Poiret)
  - Emma (Douglas McGrath, based on the novel by Jane Austen)
  - The English Patient (Anthony Minghella, based on the novel by Michael Ondaatje)
  - Sling Blade (Billy Bob Thornton, based on his stage play) WINNER!
  - Trainspotting (John Hodge, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh)

  Special Awards announced:
  Paul Selvin Award - Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski (The People vs. Larry Flynt)
  (Script which best embodies the spirit of the constitution, civil rights and liberties)
  
  Screen Laurel Award - Robert Towne
  Highest honor for screenwriting, honors the writer's body of work. Towne's writing achievements include Bonnie and Clyde (1967), The Last Detail (1973), Chinatown (1974), Personal Best (1982), Tequila Sunrise (1988), The Two Jakes (1990), The Firm (1993), and Mission Impossible (1996). Hmmm...then again, he was also involved in Orca (1977), Heaven Can Wait (1978), Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984), Swing Shift (1984), and Days of Thunder (1990).