On the TV side, “Succession” (HBO), “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “The Beatles: Get Back” (Disney+), “Kevin Can F**k Himself” (AMC), “Hacks” (HBO Max), and “Bob’s Burgers” (FOX) were the big winners for drama, limited series, documentary non-theatrical, multi-camera and single-camera comedy series, and non-theatrical animation, respectively. Editors Lillian E. Benson (“Eyes on the Prize”), the first woman of color to join the American Cinema Editors Society, and Richard Chew (“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” “Star Wars”) were honored with Career Achievement Awards, and the Sundance Institute earned the ACE Golden Eddie Award (accepted by Michelle Statter).
“King Richard” editor Pamela Martin distinguished herself in finding the rhythm to best convey Oscar favorite Will Smith’s powerful performance as the uncompromising Richard Williams, who, against all odds, helped propel daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) to the top of the tennis profession. While the focus is on Richard’s obsession and psychological warfare, the Williams family story always looms large. Macall Polay/Netflix Meanwhile, editors Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum found their own rhythm in conveying “Tick Tick Boom’s” meta biopic story about genius composer Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield). Director Lin-Manuel Miranda wanted to experiment with time and space in exploring Larson’s initial failure as a rite of passage before his phenomenal “Rent.” The editors succeeded in conquering the complex musical-within-a-musical structure at a breathless pace, benefiting Garfield’s bravura performance and the surreal nature of the story. In terms of the Oscar race, though, it’s still wide open for “Dune,” “The Power of the Dog,” or “Don’t Look Up” to prevail. With Denis Villeneuve’s ambitious sci-fi “Dune,” three time Oscar nominee Joe Walker balanced the epic with the intimate, mining new visual and sonic depths, and layering in the prophetic visions of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) without ever losing sight of his emotional journey.
“The Power of the Dog,” Jane Campion’s psychological western about repression, is skillfully edited by Peter Sciberras, who provides escalating tension in exploring Phil’s (Benedict Cumberbatch) sadistic behavior on the other characters: his sensitive brother George (Jesse Plemons), his vulnerable sister-in-law Rose (Kirsten Dunst), and his tender nephew Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee). Sciberras makes great use of the complex performances, the beautiful landscape, the imposing ranch house, and Jonny Greenwood’s dissonant score. The apocalyptic absurdity of director Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up” was very much in the wheelhouse of three-time Oscar nominee Hank Corwin, allowing another variation of the duo’s jazzy improv style of cutting. However, the fictional story liberated them to find new creative opportunities with their talented ensemble (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Cate Blanchett, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, and Chalamet). A full list of winners for the 72nd Annual ACE Eddie Awards follows: Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. BEST EDITED FEATURE FILM (COMEDY): “Tick Tick Boom” Myron Kerstein, ACE, Andrew Weisblum, ACE BEST EDITED ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: “Encanto” Jeremy Milton, ACE BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE): “Summer of Soul……Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised” Joshua L. Pearson BEST EDITED DOCUMENTARY (NON-THEATRICAL): “The Beatles: Get Back” “Episode 3” Jabez Olssen BEST EDITED MULTI-CAMERA COMEDY SERIES: “Kevin Can F**k Himself” “Fixed” Kenneth LaMere ACE BEST EDITED SINGLE-CAMERA COMEDY SERIES: “Hacks” “1.69 Million” Susan Vaill, ACE BEST EDITED DRAMA SERIES: “Succession” “All the Bells Say” Ken Eluto, ACE BEST EDITED LIMITED SERIES: “Mare of Easttown” “Illusions” Amy E. Duddleston, ACE BEST EDITED NON-SCRIPTED SERIES: “Formula 1: Drive to Survive” “Man on Fire” Dan Ablett, Kevin Austin, Otto Burnham, Shane McCormack, Graham Taylor BEST EDITED VARIETY TALK/SKETCH SHOW OR SPECIAL: “Bo Burnham”: “Inside” Bo Burnham BEST EDITED ANIMATION (NON-THEATRICAL): “Bobs Burgers” ” Vampire Disco Death Dance” Jeremy Reuben ANNE V. COATES AWARD FOR STUDENT EDITING: Guanqing Lin – American Film Institute
