Barbie was the big winner at the 2024 Astra Film Awards, winning eight prizes including best picture and best original song. But the winning song was not Billie Eilish’s hypnotic ballad “What Was I Made For?,” which appears to be the Oscar front-runner, or Dua Lipa’s hit “Dance the Night,” both of which were also nominated, but rather Ryan Gosling’s big production number, “I’m Just Ken.” The song was written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. For good measure, Gosling also won best supporting actor.
The award for best original score went to Ludwig Göransson’s score for Oppenheimer, which is shaping up as the Oscar front-runner. The late Robbie Robertson was also nominated for his work on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon.
The ASTRA Film Awards, presented by the Hollywood Creative Alliance, were held on Saturday (Jan. 6) at the Biltmore Los Angeles and hosted by comedian Rick Glassman. The ceremony live-streamed on KNEKTtv and the HCA YouTube Channel.
Though Barbie beat Oppenheimer to take best picture, Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan beat Barbie director Greta Gerwig to take best director. And neither film won best cast ensemble. That award went to The Color Purple.
Gerwig and her husband, Noah Baumbach, won best original screenplay for Barbie, though the Academy announced last week that the script will compete for best adapted screenplay at the Oscars. Oscar nominations will be revealed on Jan. 23.
Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie won best documentary feature, beating three music-based films — Taylor Swift’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, which made history as the top-grossing concert film of all time; American Symphony, about Jon Batiste; and Little Richard: I Am Everything, about the flamboyant rock legend.
Oppenheimer was second to Barbie in the awards tally with four wins, ahead of John Wick: Chapter 4 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, with three each.
Daniel Pemberton, the composer of Spider-Man: Across the Spider: Verse, received an honorary award, the Artisan Achievement Award. Other honorary awards went to Abby Ryder Fortson (Star on the Rise Award), Danielle Brooks (Breakthrough Performer Award), Glenn Howerton (Game Changer Award), J.A. Bayona (Filmmaking Achievement Award), Jeffrey Wright (Acting Achievement Award), John Wick: Chapter 4 (Spotlight Award), and Willem Dafoe (Excellence in Artistry Award).
Here are nominees for the 2024 Astra Film Awards in 14 selected categories, with winners marked:
Best Original Song
“Camp Isn’t Home” from Theater Camp, Written by Ben Platt, Noah Galvin, Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman, and Mark Sonnenblick – Performed by Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Alexander Bello, Bailee Bonick, Donovan Colan, Jack Sobolewski, Kyndra Sanchez, Luke Islam, Madisen Lora and Quinn Titcomb (Searchlight Pictures)
“Dance the Night” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson, Andrew Wyatt, Dua Lipa, and Caroline Ailin – Performed by Dua Lipa (Warner Bros. Pictures)
WINNER: “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie, Written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt – Performed by Ryan Gosling (Warner Bros. Pictures)
“Peaches” from The Super Mario Bros Movie, Written by Jack Black, Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Eric Osmond, and John Spiker – Performed by Jack Black (Universal Pictures)
“This Wish” from Wish, Written by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe – Performed by Ariana DeBose (Walt Disney Pictures)
“What Was I Made For?” from Barbie, Written By Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell – Performed by Billie Eilish (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Score
Elemental, Thomas Newman (Disney/Pixar)
Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson (Apple Original Films)
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson (Universal Pictures)
Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix (Searchlight Pictures)
Saltburn, Anthony Willis (Amazon MGM Studios)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Daniel Pemberton (Sony Pictures)
Best Documentary Feature
20 Days in Mariupol (PBS Distribution)
American Symphony (Netflix)
Beyond Utopia (Roadside Attractions)
Little Richard: I Am Everything (Magnolia Pictures)
WINNER: Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple Original Films)
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (AMC Theatres Distribution)
Best Animated Feature
The Boy and The Heron (GKids)
Elemental (Disney/Pixar)
Nimona (Netflix)
WINNER: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Suzume (Sony Pictures/Crunchyroll)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem (Paramount Pictures)
Best Voice-Over Performance
Ariana DeBose – Wish (Walt Disney Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney/Marvel)
Daniel Kaluuya – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
WINNER: Hailee Steinfeld – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Jack Black – The Super Mario Bros Movie (Universal Pictures)
Shameik Moore – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)
Best Cast Ensemble
Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
WINNER: The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actress
America Ferrera – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
WINNER: Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Julianne Moore – May December (Netflix)
Rachel McAdams – Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret (Lionsgate)
Viola Davis – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Best Supporting Actor
Charles Melton – May December (Netflix)
Colman Domingo – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Glenn Howerton – BlackBerry (IFC Films)
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
WINNER: Ryan Gosling – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – Maestro (Netflix)
Emma Stone – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Greta Lee – Past Lives (A24)
WINNER (TIE): Lily Gladstone – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
WINNER (TIE): Margot Robbie – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Best Actor
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Colman Domingo – Rustin (Netflix)
Jeffrey Wright – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
WINNER: Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Best Original Screenplay
Air, Written by Alex Convery (Amazon MGM Studios)
Anatomy of a Fall, Written by Justine Triet & Arthur Harari (NEON)
WINNER: Barbie, Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Past Lives, Written by Celine Song (A24)
Saltburn, Written by Emerald Fennell (Amazon/MGM Studios)
The Holdovers, Written by David Hemingson (Focus Features)
Best Adapted Screenplay
WINNER: American Fiction, Screenplay by Cord Jefferson (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Screenplay by Kelly Fremon Craig (Lionsgate)
Killers of the Flower Moon, Screenplay by Eric Roth & Martin Scorsese (Apple Original Films)
Oppenheimer, Screenplay by Christopher Nolan (Universal Pictures)
Poor Things, Screenplay by Tony McNamara (Searchlight Pictures)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Dave Callaham (Sony Pictures)
Best Director
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Ben Affleck – Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
Bradley Cooper – Maestro (Netflix)
Celine Song – Past Lives (A24)
WINNER: Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Cord Jefferson – American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
Emerald Fennell – Saltburn (Amazon MGM Studios)
Greta Gerwig – Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Martin Scorsese – Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Yorgos Lanthimos – Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures)
Best Picture
Air (Amazon MGM Studios)
American Fiction (Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios)
WINNER: Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Color Purple (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Holdovers (Focus Features)
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple Original Films)
Maestro (Netflix)
Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures)
Past Lives (A24)
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony Pictures)