AWARD SEASON NEWS

Film critics are beginning to announce their selections for the best in cinema in 2020. The LA Film Critics Association selected yesterday "Small Axe", a collection of five films directed by Oscar-winner Steve McQueen, as Best Picture and Best Cinematography for Shabier Kirchner who filmed all five parts. While last week, The New York Film Critics Circle picked "First Cow", Kelly Reichardt's 19th century drama about a cook heading out West seeking his fortune, as Best Film while the Boston Society of Film Critics selected as their Best Picture, "Nomadland", which stars Frances McDormand as a woman who leaves her small town to travel around the American West from Chloé Zhao, who also won Best Director here and with New York.

Other films being recognized by these groups and generating some early buzz are the film adaptation of August Wilson's play, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom" and it's stars, Viola Davis, Glynn Turman and the late, Chadwick Boseman; writer/director, Emerald Fennell's feature film debut, "Promising Young Woman" which stars Carey Mulligan; "Never Rarely Sometimes Always", a drama from writer/director, Eliza Hittman, that follows a teenager making the difficult decision to end her unplanned pregnancy and "Wolfwalkers", the hand-drawn animated feature film about the unlikely friendship between an apprentice wolf hunter and a mysterious young girl who has the ability to transform into a wolf by night.

And the European Film Awards selected their winners with Thomas Vinterberg's "Another Round" sweeping the major awards with Best European Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter (for Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm) and Best Actor for star, Mads Mikkelsen.

Winners from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association:

Best Picture: "Small Axe" (all five films)
Best Director: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Emerald Fennell, "Promising Young Woman"
Best Actress: Carey Mulligan, "Promising Young Woman"
Best Actor: Chadwick Boseman, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Supporting Actress: Yuh-jung Youn, "Minari"
Best Supporting Actor: Glynn Turman, "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction: "Time"
Best Foreign Language Film: "Beanpole"
Best Animated Film: "Wolfwalkers"
Best Cinematography: Shabier Kirchner, "Small Axe" (all films)
Best Editing: Yorgos Lamprinos, "The Father"
Best Production Design: Donald Graham Burt, "Mank"
Best Music/Score: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, "Soul"
New Generation Prize: Radha Blank, "The Forty-Year-Old Version"

Winners from the New York Film Critics Circle:

Best Film: "First Cow"
Best Director: Chloé Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Actress: Sidney Flanagan, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Actor: Delroy Lindo, "Da 5 Bloods"
Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova, "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm"
Best Supporting Actor: Chadwick Boseman, "Da 5 Bloods" 

Best First Film: "The 40 Year Old Version"
Best Foreign-Language Film: "Bacurau"
Best Non-Fiction Film: "Time"
Best Animated Film: "Wolfwalkers"
Best Cinematography: Shabier Kirchner, "Small Axe" (all films)

Winners from the Boston Society of Film Critics:

Best Picture: "Nomadland"
Best Director: Chloe Zhao, "Nomadland"
Best Screenplay: Charlie Kaufman, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"
Best New Filmmaker: Florian Zeller, "The Father"
Best Actor: Anthony Hopkins, "The Father"
Best Actress: Sidney Flanigan, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always"
Best Supporting Actor: Paul Raci, "Sound of Metal"
Best Supporting Actress: Youn Yuh-jung, "Minari"
Best Ensemble Cast: "Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom"
Best Documentary: "Collective"
Best Non-English Language Film: "La Llorona"
Best Animated Film: "The Wolf House"
Best Cinematography: Joshua James Richards, "Nomadland"
Best Film Editing: Robert Frazen, "I’m Thinking of Ending Things"
Best Original Score: Emile Mosseri, "Minari"

Winners of the 2020 European Film Awards:

Best European Film: "Another Round"
Best European Director: Thomas Vinterberg, "Another Round"
Best European Screenwriter: Thomas Vinterberg and Tobias Lindholm, "Another Round"
Best European Actress: Paula Beer, "Undine"
Best European Actor: Mads Mikkelsen, "Another Round"
Best European Discovery (Prix Fipresci): Carlo Sironi, "Sole"
Best European Comedy: "The Big Hit"
Best European Documentary: "Collective"
Best European Animated Feature: "Josep"
Best European Short Film: "All Cats Are Grey in the Dark"
Best European Cinematography: Matteo Cocco, "Hidden Away"
Best European Editing: Maria Fantastica Valmori, "Once More Unto the Breach"
Best European Production Design: Cristina Casali, "The Personal History of David Copperfield"
Best European Costume Design: Ursula Patzak, "Hidden Away"
Best European Make-Up & Hair: Yolanda Piña, Félix Terrero and Nacho Diaz, "The Endless Trench"
Best European Original Score: Dascha Dauenhauer, "Berlin Alexanderplatz"
Best European Sound: Yolande Decarsin, Kristian Selin and Eidnes Andersens, "Little Girl"
Best European Visual Effects: Inaki Madariaga, "The Platform"
EFA Award for Innovative Storytelling: Mark Cousins, "Women Make Films"