I’m Jeffrey Rex Awards – Film Winners

Best Film (2013-)

Josh Brolin, left, as Gurney Halleck and Timothée Chalamet, right, as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE — Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures.
  • “Dune,” – Denis Villeneuve – 2021
  • “Druk (Another Round),” – Thomas Vinterberg – 2020
  • “Parasite,” – Bong Joon-ho – 2019
  • “You Were Never Really Here,” – Lynne Ramsay – 2018
  • “Phantom Thread,” – Paul Thomas Anderson – 2017
  • “La La Land,” – Damien Chazelle – 2016
  • “Inside Out,” – Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen – 2015
  • “Boyhood,” – Richard Linklater – 2014
  • “Gravity,” – Alfonso Cuarón – 2013

The award for Best Film (Previously known as ‘Movie of the Year.’) honors the best film of the year, but the award has previously been announced earlier than my annual Top 10 Films of the Year list has.

Therefore there have been times when my no. 1 film wasn’t the winner of the Best Film category, due to me having seen more films when I release my final list. The same thing has happened with the award for Television Show of the Year after I’ve introduced my Top 10 TV Shows of the Year lists.

Best Animated Film (2018-)

Amin in Flugt/Flee — Photo: NEON / Participant.
  • “Flee,” – 2021
  • “Soul,” – 2020
  • “Toy Story 4,” – 2019
  • “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” – 2018

Best Documentary (2016-)

Amin in Flugt/Flee — Photo: NEON / Participant.
  • “Flee,” – 2021
  • “Collective,” – 2020
  • “Apollo 11,” – 2019
  • “They Shall Not Grow Old,” – 2018
  • “Five Came Back,” – 2017
  • “O. J.: Made in America,” – 2016

As of 2017, the award for Best Documentary can be won by both documentary films and documentary series or mini-series. Also, while documentary films may be featured on my annual Top 10 Films of the Year list, documentaries cannot be nominated for Best Film. Documentary series, or mini-series, may also be featured on my annual Top 10 TV-Shows of the Year list, but aren’t eligible to win the Television Show of the Year award.

Best Non-American Film (2017-)

Sir Anthony Hopkins in Florian Zeller’s THE FATHER — Photo: Sean Gleason / Sony Pictures Classics.
  • “The Father,” – British / French – 2021
  • “Druk (Another Round),” – Danish – 2020
  • “Parasite,” – South Korean – 2019
  • “Burning,” – South Korean – 2018
  • “Dunkirk,” – British / International – 2017

Eligibility Criteria for Best Non-American Film:
– A film must have no significant creative involvement by individuals who are American. Significant creative involvement, as defined by me, signifies that you are a writer, co-writer, or director of the film. Additionally, a film made by an international creative team may still be deemed as an American film – and thus ineligible – if it only takes place in America. When a film is based on a book or a play, then that work of art must not have been created – or co-created – by an American for the film to be eligible (however, in exceptional circumstances it may still be eligible). If a person of significant creative involvement holds dual citizenship, then I will use my own best judgment. A film’s listed countries of production may ultimately have an influence on the nomination.

The criteria above were designed by Jeffrey Rex Bertelsen and inspired by BAFTA’s Outstanding British Film eligibility criteria.

Best Danish Film (2019-)

Amin in Flugt/Flee — Photo: NEON / Participant.
  • “Flugt,” – 2021
  • “Druk,” – 2020
  • “Dronningen,” – 2019

Best Sequel, Prequel, or Remake (2016-)

Josh Brolin, left, as Gurney Halleck and Timothée Chalamet, right, as Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE — Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures / Legendary Pictures.
  • “Dune,” – 2021
  • “The Invisible Man,” – 2020
  • “Avengers: Endgame,” – 2019
  • “Mission: Impossible – Fallout,” – 2018
  • “Blade Runner 2049,” – 2017
  • “Captain America: Civil War,” – 2016

For this award, I’m also considering new adaptations of previously adapted material, with Dune being a prime example of this (previously adapted into a film in 1984 and as a mini-series in 2000).

Superhero Film of the Year (2014-)

MJ (played by Zendaya) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (played by Tom Holland) trying to escape the public eye in Spider-Man: No Way Home — Photo: Matt Kennedy / Sony Pictures.
  • “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” – 2021
  • “Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn),” – 2020
  • “Avengers: Endgame,” – 2019
  • “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” – 2018
  • “Logan,” – 2017
  • “Captain America: Civil War,” – 2016
  • “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” – 2015
  • “Guardians of the Galaxy,” – 2014

The Not-Too-Shabby Award (2020-)

  • “Vacation Friends,” – 2021
  • “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga,” – 2020

The Not-Too-Shabby Award is a celebration of films that turned out much better than I thought they would. This can be a film that I was worried would be bad, or a film that I thought would be bad, but which actually surprised me quite a bit. The winner of the award may not be the best thing since sliced bread, but it’s definitely worth a watch! This also means that the winner isn’t necessarily the best film that is nominated, but it is the film that surprised me in the best way.