‘Nomadland’ and ‘The Crown’ reign supreme at Critics’ Choice Awards this year
It might look a little different from previous years, but Hollywood’s awards season is steaming ahead. A week after the Golden Globe Awards, the annual Critics’ Choice Awards feted the finest films and TV shows from the past year, with Chadwick Boseman, Carey Mulligan and Daniel Kaluuya among the night’s winners.
The ceremony, which took place largely virtually on Sunday, was hosted by actor Taye Diggs, with a number of presenters appearing in a live studio while stars accepted awards via video calls.
The Best Picture Award went to Nomadland, which tells the story of a woman (Frances McDormand) who loses her job in the recession, sells her belongings following her husband’s death and buys a van, embarking upon a journey through America. Filmmaker Chloe Zhao also took home the Best Director Award for the acclaimed drama.
The film also won Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay, confirming its Oscars front-runner status two days after the Academy voting window began.
Acting honours went to Mulligan, for her role in the thriller Promising Young Woman, while Boseman was recognised for his performance as trumpeter Levee Green in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom with the Best Actor trophy. The star died last year at the age of 43, after battling colon cancer.
Boseman’s wife, Simone Ledward Boseman, accepted the award on his behalf, appearing virtually.
“It has to be said aloud that for those of us who know Chad intimately, personally, professionally, those he taught, those he gave a word of advice, those who taught him – it is so hard to find a celebratory feeling in these moments,” she said.
“As proud as we are of him, yes for his work, but even more just for who he is as a person.
“But his work deserves this. His work in this film deserves this. He deserves this, and so he would always thank God first and foremost in everything,” Ledward Boseman said. “He would always honour his mother and his father. He would always acknowledge those who came before him, those who charted the path, those who gave him their gifts.” Ma Rainey took three awards by the end of the night, winning two more for Best Costume Design and Best Hair and Make-up.
Kaluuya was honoured with the Best Supporting Actor gong for his performance as Fred Hampton, the chairman of Chicago’s Black Panther Party, in Judas and the Black Messiah.
Maria Bakalova, meanwhile, nabbed Best Supporting Actress for her role in mockumentary Borat Subsequent
Moviefilm, alongside Sacha Baron Cohen.
One of the night’s most touching moments came courtesy of Alan Kim, 8, who plays the stoic David in Minari, and won the Best Young Actor award.
The child actor burst into tears as he accepted the accolade, before revealing he was looking “forward to being in another movie soon”.
Minari, which centres around an immigrant South Korean family in the 1980s trying to better themselves by starting a farm in the US, also won Best Foreign Language Film.
The Crown swept the TV categories, with Netflix’s royal biopic series picking up Best Drama Series for its fourth season. Gillian Anderson, who portrayed British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, was awarded Best Supporting Actress, while Josh O’Connor and Emma Corrin, who played Prince Charles and Princess Diana, walked away with Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama Series respectively.
“Thank you so much. What an incredible collection of women to be nominated with,” Corrin said.
The Critics’ Choice Awards are chosen by 400 members of North America’s largest critics’ organisation. They are traditionally seen as a precursor to the Oscars, nominations for which will be revealed on Monday, March 15, with the season-crowning ceremony pushed back this year to Sunday, April 25.
‘Nomadland’ picked up awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography