WOMEN POWER HIGH AT CRITICS’ CHOICE
The recently held Critics’ Choice Awards saw women entertainers bag the maximum number of trophies. Even stories that received the most accolades had female protagonists
It was a good night for women at the Critics’ Choice Awards. Big Little Lies was the biggest winner, with four awards, and The Handmaid’s Tale won three. Wonder Woman was named best action movie and its star Gal Gadot accepted a special award for challenging gender stereotypes.
Big Little Lies was named best limited series and won acting awards for Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard and Laura Dern. Kidman thanked the entertainment community, “who show up to make really fantastic films and TV and let us do what we love”. The 50-year-old further said, “I love being an actor. Thank you for letting me do it all the way through to this age and beyond.”
Stories about women also won in comedy categories. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel was named best comedy series, and star Rachel Brosnahan won Best Actress in a Comedy.
As she accepted her award, Brosnahan noted that even though women aren’t wearing black like most did at the Golden Globe Awards, earlier in the week, she said the fight to eradicate sexual harassment continues. “Let’s not lose focus,” she said, urging viewers to support the Time’s Up initiative. “Let’s keep this going.”
Actor Olivia Munn hosted the ceremony at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California. At one point, Munn, who has spoken publicly about her own experiences with sexual misconduct, led the audience in a toast. Joined by actors Niecey Nash, they raised a glass “to all the good guys in Hollywood,” who held meetings in conference rooms rather than hotel rooms. “Congratulations for doing what you’re supposed to do!” Nash said.
Guillermo del Toro, who directed quadruple winner The Shape of Water, closed the show by shouting that he’s always believed in the equality of women. “Let me tell you one thing, if you don’t do that, you don’t know what you’re missing,” he said. His fantasy love story, which led all nominees with 14 bids, claimed the Best Picture prize, along with Director, Score and Production Design honors.
Presenter Chris Hemsworth noted that women have had a stellar year at the box office. “The three biggest movies of 2017 in North America were Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Beauty and the Beast and Wonder Woman, all of which feature female protagonists,” he said. AP
ACTOR JAMES FRANCO, WHO RECENTLY FACED SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS, WAS ABSENT AT THE EVENT. HE WON THE BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY AWARD