‘Minari’ Wins Big With North Carolina Film Critics Association, Chloé Zhao’s Directing Winning Streak Continues

The North Carolina Film Critics Association has announced this year’s winners, with A24’s “Minari” nabbing best picture — its first prize of the awards season. The film took four awards overall, including best supporting actress (Youn Yuh-jung), original screenplay (Lee Isaac Chung) and the Ken Hanke Memorial Tarheel Award for actor Will Patton.

“Nomadland” filmmaker Chloé Zhao continued her winning streaking, taking best director, in addition to adapted screenplay. At this current state, the Searchlight Pictures feature is the one to beat in the top categories, including best picture, although there are many other movies that could rival it down the line.

Sacha Baron Cohen won his first award for best supporting actor for his work in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Although fellow nominee Paul Raci leads in critics’ prizes for “Sound of Metal,” five different actors have picked up supporting actor statuettes from the 10 awards announced thus far. This underlines how wide open the category is, with no real frontrunner yet to emerge.

Delroy Lindo (“Da 5 Bloods”) and Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) tacked another pair of wins for their acclaimed performances. Their road to an Oscar nomination feels more likely by the day, but with an extended season, anything could happen over the next four months.

Check out the full list of winners below and go to the Awards Circuit winners chart to see who leads in the categories.

Best Narrative Film

• “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
• “Minari” (A24) – WINNER
• “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)
• “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
• “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix)

Best Director

• Emerald Fennell, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)
• David Fincher, “Mank” (Netflix)
• Regina King, “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios)
• Spike Lee, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
• Chloé Zhao, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER

Best Actor

• Riz Ahmed, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
• Chadwick Boseman, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)
• Anthony Hopkins, “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – WINNER
• Steven Yeun, “Minari” (A24)

Best Actress

• Jessie Buckley, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
• Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix)
• Frances McDormand, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – WINNER
• Elisabeth Moss, “The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures)
• Carey Mulligan, “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features)

Best Supporting Actor

• Chadwick Boseman, “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
• Sacha Baron Cohen, “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – WINNER
• Bill Murray, “On the Rocks” (A24/Apple TV Plus)
• Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal” (Amazon Studios)
• David Strathairn, “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures)

Best Supporting Actress

• Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (Amazon Studios)
• Toni Collette, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix)
• Olivia Colman, “The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics)
• Amanda Seyfried, “Mank” (Netflix)
• Youn Yuh-jung, “Minari” (A24) – WINNER

Best Original Screenplay

• “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott, Spike Lee
• “Mank” (Netflix) – Jack Fincher
• “Minari” (A24) – Lee Isaac Chung – WINNER
• “Promising Young Woman” (Focus Features) – Emerald Fennell
• “The Trial of the Chicago 7” (Netflix) – Aaron Sorkin

Best Adapted Screenplay

• “First Cow” (A24) – Jonathan Raymond, Kelly Reichardt
• “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” (Netflix) – Charlie Kaufman
• “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” (Netflix) – Ruben Santiago-Hudson
• “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Chloé Zhao – WINNER
• “One Night in Miami” (Amazon Studios) – Kemp Powers

Best Cinematography

• “Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – Hoyte Van Hoytema
• “Mank” (Netflix) – Erik Messerschmidt
• “Nomadland” (Searchlight Pictures) – Joshua James Richards – WINNER
• “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix) – Newton Thomas Sigel
• “News of the World” (Universal Pictures) – Dariusz Wolski

Best Music

• “Da 5 Bloods” (Netflix)
• “Mank” (Netflix)
• “Minari” (A24)
• “Soul” (Pixar) – WINNER
• “Tenet” (Warner Bros.)

Best Special Effects

• “The Invisible Man” (Universal Pictures)
• “The Midnight Sky” (Netflix)
• “Mulan” (Disney Plus)
• “Tenet” (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
• “Wonder Woman 1984” (HBO Max/Warner Bros.)

Best Foreign Language Film

• “Another Round” – WINNER
• “Bacurau”
• “Beanpole”
• “La Llorona”
• “Night of the Kings”

Best Animated Film

• “The Croods: A New Age” (DreamWorks Animation)
• “Onward” (Pixar)
• “Over The Moon” (Netflix)
• “Soul” (Pixar) – WINNER
• “Wolfwalkers” (Apple TV Plus/GKIDS)

Best Documentary

• “All In: The Fight for Democracy” (Amazon Studios)
• “Boys State” (Apple TV Plus”
• “David Byrne’s American Utopia” (HBO)
• “Dick Johnson is Dead” (Netflix) – WINNER
• “Time” (Amazon Studios)

Best Restoration (film or home video release)

• Beau Travail (The Criterion Collection)
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Warner Bros.) – WINNER
• Mädchen in Uniform (Kino Lorber)
• Native Son (Kino Lorber)
• Roman Holiday (Paramount Home Entertainment)

Ken Hanke Memorial Tarheel Award

• The Dancin’ Bulldogs — Film
• Will Patton (“Minari”) — Performer – WINNER
• Gary Wheeler — Producer/Industry Professional