Gymnastics abuse documentary 'Athlete A' honored by Indiana film critics on year-end list

'Athlete A," the documentary about the sexual abuse scandal that shook the gymnastics world and The Indianapolis Star journalists who broke the story, was awarded the Hoosier Award by the Indiana Film Journalists Association in its year-end awards.

“We congratulate The Indianapolis Star investigative team, the filmmakers and especially the survivors for having the bravery and persistence to speak an uncomfortable truth and tell a story that needed to be told," the IFJA wrote in a statement. "‘Athlete A’ represents the finest achievement in both journalism and documentary filmmaking."

The stories behind the story:'Athlete A' tells part of the Nassar investigation. This is what you didn't see.

The IFJA's Hoosier Award recognizes work by artists with roots in Indiana or a film that depicts Indiana locales and stories.

"Nomadland," the story of a woman who roams the American West in her van after losing everything in the Great Recession, was the IFJA's big winner with four prizes, including Best Film, Best Actress for Frances McDormand and Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Chloé Zhao.

Pixar's "Soul," arriving Christmas Day on the Disney+ streaming service, took home Best Animated Feature and Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance for Jamie Foxx. Maira Bakalova was named Best Supporting Actress and Breakout of the Year for her role as Borat's daughter in "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm."

Chadwick Boseman, the "Black Panther" star who died from colon cancer Aug. 28, was named runner-up in both male acting categories. He finished second in Best Supporting Actor for "Da 5 Bloods" to Leslie Odom Jr. in "One Night in Miami," and in Best Actor for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" to his "Da 5 Bloods" co-star Delroy Lindo.

Since the IFJA's inaugural awards in 2009, about half of each year's 10 finalists for Best Film have gone on to receive Best Picture nominations at the Academy Awards, with four IFJA winners going on to claim the Oscars' big prize. Two other Oscar Best Picture winners were awarded Runner-Up prizes at the IFJA awards.

The IFJA, established in 2009, awards prizes in 16 competitive categories in addition to the Hoosier Prize.

IFJA-honored films and personnel for 2020

Best Film 

• Winner: "Nomadland"

• Runner-Up:  "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Other Finalists (listed alphabetically):

"Another Round"

"The Assistant"

"Da 5 Bloods"

"First Cow"

"i'm thinking of ending things"

"Never Rarely Sometimes Always"

"Minari"

"The Twentieth Century"

Best Animated Feature

• Winner: "Soul"

• Runner-Up: "Wolfwalkers

Best Foreign Language Film 

• Winner: "Another Round"

• Runner-Up: "Song Without a Name" 

Best Documentary

• Winner: "Dick Johnson is Dead"

• Runner-Up: "Athlete A"

Best Original Screenplay

• Winner: Eliza Hittman, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"

• Runner-Up: Matthew Rankin, "The Twentieth Century"

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Winner: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

• Runner-Up: Charlie Kaufman, "i'm thinking of ending things"

Best Director 

• Winner: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"

• Runner-Up:  Regina King, "One Night in Miami"

Best Actress

• Winner: Frances McDormand, "Nomadland"

• Runner-Up: Jessie Buckley, "i'm thinking of ending things"

Best Supporting Actress

• Winner: Maria Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"

• Runner-Up: Youn Yuh-jung, "Minari"

Best Actor

• Winner:  Delroy Lindo, "Da 5 Bloods"

• Runner-Up: Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

Best Supporting Actor

• Winner: Leslie Odom Jr., "One Night in Miami"

• Runner-Up: Chadwick Boseman, "Da 5 Bloods"

Best Vocal / Motion Capture Performance 

• Winner: Jamie Foxx, "Soul"

• Runner-Up: Sean Bean, "Wolfwalkers"

Best Ensemble Acting

• Winner: "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"

• Runner-Up: "One Night in Miami"

Best Musical Score

• Winner: Ludwig Göransson "Tenet"

• Runner-Up: Emile Mosseri, "Minari"

Breakout of the Year

• Winner: Maira Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" 

• Runner-Up: Andrew Patterson, "The Vast of Night"

Original Vision Award

• Winner: "The Twentieth Century"

• Runner-Up: "Dick Johnson is Dead"

Contact IndyStar digital producer Channing King at 317-444-8073 or channing.king@indystar.com. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter: @ChanningKing.