The Chicago Film Critics Association has named Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland” as this year’s big winner, netting five prizes, including best picture, director, actress (Frances McDormand), adapted screenplay and cinematography. Leading the CFCA nominations with seven, the Searchlight Pictures drama has performed astoundingly with the half dozen critics awards that have been announced thus far. Zhao is currently 6/6 for critics wins.
With two awards, Focus Features’ “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” walked away with best original screenplay for writer Eliza Hittman and most promising performer for Sidney Flanigan.
The rest of the honorees won a single mention for their respective films. Chadwick Boseman won best actor for “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” while Paul Raci netted another trophy for “Sound of Metal.” Maria Bakalova’s work in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” was also rewarded, marking her third win this season thus far.
The full list of winners are below:
Best Picture
- “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
- “First Cow” (A24)
- “Lovers Rock” (Prime Video)
- “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER
- “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
Best Director
- Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
- Spike Lee, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
- Steve McQueen, “Lovers Rock” (Prime Video)
- Kelly Reichardt, “First Cow” (A24)
- Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER
Best Actor
- Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
- Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) – WINNER
- Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
- Delroy Lindo, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
- Steven Yeun, “Minari” (A24)
Best Actress
- Jessie Buckley, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
- Carrie Coon, “The Nest” (IFC Films)
- Viola Davis, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)
- Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER
- Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
Best Supporting Actor
- Chadwick Boseman, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
- Bill Murray, “On the Rocks” (A24/Apple TV Plus)
- Leslie Odom, Jr., “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
- Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios) – WINNER
- David Strathairn, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
Best Supporting Actress
- Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios) – WINNER
- Toni Collette, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
- Amanda Seyfried, “Mank” (Netflix)
- Letitia Wright, “Mangrove” (Prime Video)
- Yuh-Jung Youn, “Minari” (A24)
Best Original Screenplay
- “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
- “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features) – Eliza Hittman – WINNER
- “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Emerald Fennell
- “Soul” (Pixar) – Pete Docter, Mike Jones & Kemp Powers
- “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Aaron Sorkin
Best Adapted Screenplay
- “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics) – Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller
- “First Cow” (A24) – Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt
- “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix) – Charlie Kaufman
- “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Chloé Zhao – WINNER
- “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Kemp Powers
Best Animated Film
- “Onward” (Pixar)
- “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon” (Netflix)
- “Soul” (Pixar)
- “The Wolf House” (Kimstim Films)
- “Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS) – WINNER
Best Art Direction
- “Birds of Prey” (Warner Bros.)
- “Emma.” (Focus Features)
- “First Cow” (A24)
- “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
- “Mank” (Netflix) – WINNER
Best Cinematography
- “First Cow” (A24) – Christopher Blauvelt
- “Lovers Rock” (Prime Video) – Shabier Kirchner
- “Mank” (Netflix) – Erik Messerschmidt
- “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Joshua James Richards – WINNER
- “The Vast of Night” (Amazon Studios) – Miguel Ioann Littin Menz
Best Costume Design
- “Birds of Prey” (Warner Bros.) – Erin Benach
- “Emma.” (Focus Features) – Alexandra Byrne – WINNER
- “First Cow” (A24) – April Napier
- “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) – Ann Roth
- “Mank” (Netflix) – Trish Summerville
Best Editing
- “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix) – Robert Frazen – WINNER
- “Lovers Rock” (Prime Video) – Chris Dickens & Steve McQueen
- “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Chloé Zhao
- “Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Jennifer Lame
- “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Alan Baumgarten
Best Use of Visual Effects
- “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
- “The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures) – WINNER
- “The Midnight Sky” (Netflix)
- “Possessor” (Neon)
- “Tenet” (Warner Bros.)
Best Original Score
- “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – Terence Blanchard
- “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) – Branford Marsalis
- “Mank” (Netflix) – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
- “Soul” (Pixar) – Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste – WINNER
- “Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Ludwig Goransson
Best Documentary
- “Collective” (Magnolia Pictures and Participant)
- “David Byrne’s American Utopia” (HBO Films)
- “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix) – WINNER
- “The Social Dilemma” (Netflix)
- “Time” (Amazon Studios)
Best Foreign Language Film
- “Another Round” – WINNER
- “Bacurau”
- “Beanpole”
- “Collective”
- “La Llorona”
- “Vitalina Varela”
Milos Stehlik Award for Promising Filmmaker
- Radha Blank, “The Forty-Year-Old Version” (Netflix)
- Lee Isaac Chung, “Minari” (A24)
- Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – WINNER
- Darius Marder, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
- Andrew Patterson, “The Vast of Night” (Amazon Studios)
Most Promising Performer
- Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
- Kingsley Ben-Adir, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
- Sidney Flanigan, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” (Focus Features) – WINNER
- Kelly O’Sullivan, “Saint Frances” (Oscilloscope Pictures)
- Helena Zengel, “News of the World” (Universal Pictures)