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How Has COVID-19 Changed Film Fests and Award Shows?

best film critics award

As we enter a new phase of the Covid-19 pandemic, one in which experts are beginning to speculate on what endemic Covid may look like, we are also reflecting on the ways in which our world has been permanently shaped by the pandemic. Our colleagues at Reference have already reflected on how the world of work has been permanently changed , and we’ve been considering all of the ways that the entertainment industry’s adaptations might stick around.

Everything from film sets to movie releases to awards shows have refashioned themselves at times in response to the virus. Some relatively disruptive changes had to be made to preserve and promote safety — just like in other industries — and the entertainment business has created and navigated pandemic-imposed adjustments with interesting solutions. Film festivals and awards shows especially have undergone massive changes, if not outright cancellations, since the pandemic hit. But it’s left us wondering, “ do we care all that much? ” It’s possible that the changes to awards season are here to stay, not just because the virus is too, but perhaps because the pandemic has shifted our priorities and shown us the ways in which we’ve outgrown some of these events.

A Massive Cannes-cellation Put a Damper on Festivities

All the glamour in the world — all the couture gowns, the red carpets, the glitzy parties — can’t change the fact that film festivals are by nature perfect superspreader events : The conditions are just right for one or a few sick people to easily spread the virus to thousands more. Hundreds of guests, many of whom travel to these events from around the world, pack into screening rooms to sit for several hours at a time watching films or listening to Q&A sessions in extremely close proximity to one another. Then they might spend a few more hours rubbing elbows at a party, all the while potentially exposing themselves or others to the coronavirus. Repeat this every day over the course of a week or so, and you’re left with a perfect storm of transmission.

best film critics award

Before most of us knew just how much the virus would impact the world, big-name film festival organizers hoped some brief delays would suffice for mitigating any potential effects of the developing crisis. But things got worse, not better. The Cannes Film Festival, which typically takes place in France during the month of May and is one of the most prominent annual film festivals, initially announced plans to postpone the event until late June. But as the French government extended lockdowns, organizers were forced to continue adapting, with the prestigious festival eventually conceding that the 2020 event wouldn’t take place.

Although organizers explored alternative methods of holding the festival, they ultimately determined a virtual event would be “ antithetical to the spirit of the event” and that Cannes should only take place with thousands of industry professionals, spectators, photographers and members of the press physically present at a location. Instead, they released full film lineups for various categories and revealed plans to host an abbreviated, outdoor screening of just four films and several short films slated for the end of October.

In 2021 the festival returned, spending over 1 million dollars on Covid testing for attendees. Out of a total 10,000 attendees, about half attended in person. This year a similar number of attendees is expected, but 90% are expected to attend in person , and talk of testing or other mitigations is largely absent in reporting of the event. Though new variants are leading to more mild cases, they may also still lead to long-covid, which can be very serious. In addition, experts continue to tell us that public health measures still matter if we have hope for a future in which endemic Covid isn’t still very dangerous. So we’re left to wonder whether or not 1 million dollars for testing continues to be a good investment to make the event as safe as possible, or whether the event should happen at all.

Fellow Festivals Followed Suit

Cannes is one of the earlier festivals in the year — the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in late January, had already come and gone by the time the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic — and organizers of other events initially didn’t jump to follow the French fest’s lead when it came to making cancellations. But as it became clear that the pandemic was worsening instead of improving, it also became clear that hosting in-person film festivals wouldn’t be the responsible or safe thing to do. This prompted a variety of other well-known festivals to modify plans in response to the ongoing health crisis — but not all of them opted to cancel, instead choosing to get innovative with their offerings.

best film critics award

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), which is known for being one of the more accessible film fests around, initially announced in late June that it would be presenting a “reimagined physical and digital festival” that still maintained a (modified) version of the interactions people cherish when it comes to these events. What exactly did that mean? In addition to hosting some in-person screenings for limited audiences by enforcing social distancing guidelines and setting up drive-in and open-air theaters for participants, TIFF took place in a primarily virtual format. 

This included “digital screenings, virtual red carpets, press conferences, and industry talks” that were “tailored to fit the moment.” TIFF organizers opened digital venues — live-streaming webpages — where festival-goers could virtually congregate and watch films, talks and other content online throughout the event’s mid-September run. All press and industry screenings happened digitally as well, with the festival ultimately being deemed a “ slimmed-down success ” thanks to its adaptability and novel platform that still engaged visitors.

Plenty of film festivals are more relaxed and intimate than the big-name shows like Cannes and TIFF, but they still faced the similar need to modify their typical formats in response to the pandemic. The Telluride Film Festival usually involves thousands of participants descending on the small Colorado town to enjoy a weekend of screenings during Labor Day. At first, organizers announced in May that 2020’s festival would continue as planned a few days after the holiday weekend — but with safety as a top priority. 

However, two months later with COVID-19 case numbers continuing to rise, Telluride Film Festival leaders released a statement that the event would be canceled entirely. “Even the best strategy [for an in-person event] is threatened by this out of control environment,” part of the statement read, revealing that the group decided unanimously it wasn’t worth risking lives to attempt a socially distanced event or encourage participants to travel. In 2021 the festival returned with a lot of social distancing and strict vaccination and testing protocols. They have not yet announced plans for 2022 yet, but perhaps testing and vaccination requirements are part of that “new normal” that we’ve been searching for.

Award Shows Scrambled for New Formats — and Went Digital

Given the important role that festivals usually play in thrusting the year’s best movies into the spotlight — and the fact that films often have to debut at festivals to be eligible for entry in awards shows — the future of the 2020 award season became uncertain in the face of the pandemic, and the awards shows quickly went to work making changes. Eligibility usually requires potential films to play in physical theaters for a certain length of time, but that requirement was obviously a problem and was lifted, and has stayed out of the rulebook through 2022 , with CODA becoming the first film created by a streaming platform to win Best Picture.

best film critics award

The 2020 Emmys managed to become a bright spot in awards adjustments thanks to the show’s pandemic-appropriate modifications. While the 72nd annual ceremony was originally supposed to happen live at L.A.’s Microsoft Theater, organizers elected to hold it in a remote format instead of canceling. And a solution came by way of everyone’s favorite pandemic communication tool; host Jimmy Kimmel introduced awards from the Staples Center to an audience of cardboard cutouts, and award winners gave their “Pand-Emmys” acceptance speeches from home via Zoom calls. Could it get more pandemic-aligned than Zoom?

Obviously cardboard cutouts aren’t the future of awards shows, but the constant iterating on new formats has revealed a different problem for these shows. Throughout the coronavirus crisis, fans have found themselves not only wondering what will happen with these shows but also reconsidering just how much they care about the shows in general. Awards show ratings had already begun to see steep declines, even before the world was thrust into quarantine. In 2019, both the Oscars and the Emmys hit an all-time low in viewership, and in 2022 Oscars ratings rebounded from 2021, to mark their second worst year ever . Could the change in perspective that comes with living through a worldwide health crisis affect major Hollywood ceremonies even more in the future?

Are Awards Shows Headed Back for the Future?

The usual arguments could be made for the reasons that award ceremonies have been tanking. Maybe they’ve gotten too politically polarizing, maybe they haven’t recovered from accusations that the awards show is rigged , or maybe Gen Z is more into YouTube and TikTok than Hollywood culture. The other side of the COVID-19 crisis, however, may see another important argument crop up. While tabloids and Hollywood gossip may have seemed like juicy, harmless fun in a pre-COVID world, there’s nothing quite like a deadly virus to put things into perspective.

best film critics award

Some may argue that awards shows give us a little dose of escapism, a night to indulge in a bit of fun sparkle and a peek into an aspirational world that takes the focus off of reality for just a few hours. And others may claim that there are better, more philanthropic ways the millions of dollars that go into producing these shows could be spent during a time when millions of people are suffering and need help more than ever before. Whether you believe that hosting awards shows during a pandemic is a celebration of poor taste or you’re looking forward to indulging in a few hours of star-studded reverie, the one thing that’s certain is that everything is still uncertain.

Because the crisis hasn’t fully stabilized yet (as much as we maybe would like to believe it has) it’s difficult to determine how the entertainment industry will continue to be affected. The best-laid plans can become unrealistic and irresponsible almost overnight, and so while we cross our fingers that a new variant isn’t lying in wait, we’ll also have to wait with bated breath…or creeping disdain to know the fate of awards shows.

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best film critics award

‘Tár’ Wins Best Picture Award From National Society of Film Critics

The win gives Todd Field’s drama a near-sweep of the top critics awards, after recent wins from New York and Los Angeles film critics organizations

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Cate Blanchett in "Tár"

AWARDS BEAT

Todd Field’s “Tár”won another major critics award on Saturday, with the National Society of Film Critics naming the dark drama about an imperious conductor and composer the best film of 2022.

The win gave “Tár” a near-sweep of the major critics awards. The film won the top prize from the New York Film Critics Circle and tied with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” with the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. The only other films to finish first with all three groups were “Schindler’s List,” “L.A. Confidential,” “The Hurt Locker,” “The Social Network” and “Drive My Car.”

Runner-up in the NSFC best-picture voting was Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun,” followed by Jafar Panahi’s “No Bears.”

New York Film Critics 2022: ‘Tar’ Named Best Film

“Tár” also won awards for Field’s screenplay and for lead actress Cate Blanchett, who won over Michelle Yeoh for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Tilda Swinton for “The Eternal Daughter” and Michelle Williams for “The Fabelmans.”

Colin Farrell was named the year’s best actor for his performances in both “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “After Yang,” with Paul Mescal and Bill Nighy the runners-up for “Aftersun” and “Living,” respectively. Supporting awards went to Kerry Condon for “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Ke Huy Quan for “Everything Everywhere All at Once.”

“EO” won the award for Best Film Not in the English Language, while “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” took the award for Best Documentary.

The National Society of Film Critics consists of 62 critics, though some members abstain from voting if they haven’t seen enough films. The group was established in 1966, and for much of its history it made more idiosyncratic best-film choices than the Oscars. In two of the last three years, though, the NSFC winner – 2019’s “Parasite” and 2020’s “Nomadland” – went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. That gave the two organizations five matches in the last 13 years, after they only agreed four times in the previous 44.

James Cameron Apologizes for ‘Cringe-Worthy’ ‘Titanic’ Oscar Speech: ‘I Took a Lot of Heat’

The winners and runners-up, with point totals:

BEST PICTURE 1. “Tár” (61 points) 2. “Aftersun” (49 points) 3. “No Bears” (32 points)

BEST DIRECTOR 1. Charlotte Wells, “Aftersun” (60 points ) 2. Park Chan-wook, “Decision to Leave” (47 points) 3. Jafar Panahi, “No Bears” (36 points)

BEST ACTRESS 1. Cate Blanchett, “Tár” (59 points) 2. Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (38 points) 3. Tilda Swinton, “The Eternal Daughter,” and Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans” (27 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 1. Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (57 points) 2. Nina Hoss, “Tár” (43 points) 3. Dolly de Leon, “Triangle of Sadness” (35 points)

BEST ACTOR 1. Colin Farrell, “After Yang” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” (71 points) 2. Paul Mescal, “Aftersun” (55 points) 3. Bill Nighy, “Living” (33 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 1. Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (45 points) 2. Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway” (35 points) 3. Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (27 points)

BEST SCREENPLAY 1. Todd Field, “Tár” (61 points) 2. Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (42 points) 3. James Gray, “Armageddon Time” (18 points)

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1. “EO” (43 points) 2. “No Bears” (37 points) 3. “Decision to Leave” (34 points)

BEST NONFICTION FILM 1.  “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (46 points)  2. “Descendant” (40 points) 3. “All That Breathes” (27 points)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Michał Dymek, “EO” (62 points) 2. Hoyte van Hoytema, “Nope” (37 points) 3. Kim Ji-yong, “Decision to Leave” (34 points)

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS 1. Jeanine Basinger , one of our most esteemed and important film scholars, whose work at Wesleyan University and beyond has continually bridged the divide between Hollywood and academia, film studies and movie love.

2. Screen Slate , published and edited by Jon Dieringer, an essential daily online publication that has done much to build and sustain the filmmaking, theatrical exhibition and film critical communities of New York City and by extension the world at large.

3. Turner Classic Movies , for a rich array of programming that ranges deep and wide in the history of cinema, a service too easily taken for granted by audiences and worthy of the utmost care and attention from its corporate owners.

DEDICATION We dedicate our awards to Sheila Benson, an esteemed Society member and the warmest, most gracious of colleagues. As film critic for the Los Angeles Times and other publications, she wrote about movies with infectious joy and enviable skill. We miss her dearly.

Cate Blanchett Can’t Drive, Viola Davis Gives Awesome Speeches and Other Lessons From the 2023 Palm Springs Film Awards

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‘TÁR’ and ‘Aftersun’ Win Big at National Society of Film Critics Awards (Complete Winners List)

America's film critics convened in new york and los angeles today to vote on their annual awards..

Intern

Christian Zilko

Jan 7, 2023 12:59 pm

Aftersun

“Aftersun”

Courtesy of A24

The National Society of Film Critics convened in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday to vote on their annual film awards, with some of the top prizes going to “TÁR” and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” Todd Field’s classical music saga won Best Picture, Best Actress for Cate Blanchett, and Best Screenplay for Field himself. “Banshees” took home Best Actor for Colin Farrell while Kerry Condon won Best Supporting Actress. Both films were already expected to be Oscar frontrunners, but today’s vote certainly helped their cause.

Another film to notch a major win, albeit a more unexpected one, was “Aftersun,” as Charlotte Wells won Best Director for her debut feature.

Per usual, voting was being conducted via a weighted ballot system. In each category, critics submitted ballots containing their top three picks. Their first choice received three points, their second received two, and their third choice received a single point. The film that accumulates the most points in each category is declared the winner. If no winner is declared on the first ballot, the committee keeps voting until a consensus is reached (where else have we seen that this week?)

Last year’s awards were dominated by Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Murakami adaptation “Drive My Car,” which won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Actor for Hidetoshi Nishijima. Penélope Cruz was awarded Best Actress for her performance in Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers,” and Ruth Negga and Anders Danielsen Lie won the supporting actress and actor categories for “Passing” and “The Worst Person in the World.”

Prior to voting today, the National Society of Film Critics tweeted: “We dedicate our awards to Sheila Benson, an esteemed Society member and the warmest, most gracious of colleagues. As film critic for the Los Angeles Times and other publications, she wrote about movies with infectious joy and enviable skill. We miss her dearly.”

Keep reading for the complete list of winners.

Best Picture: ‘TÁR’ Runners-up:  ‘Aftersun,” “No Bears,”

Best Nonfiction Film: “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” Runners-up: “Descendant,” “All That Breathes”

Best Film Not in the English Language: “EO” Runners-up: “No Bears,” “Decision to Leave”

Best Director:  Charlotte Wells, “Aftersun” Runners-up:  Park Chan-wook, “Decision to Leave,” Jafar Panahi, “No Bears”

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, “TÁR” Runners-up:  Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans,” Tilda Swinton, “The Eternal Daughter,” Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once”

Best Actor:  Colin Farrell, “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “After Yang” Runners-up:  Paul Mescal, “Aftersun,” Bill Nighy, “Living”

Best Supporting Actress : Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” Runners-up: Nina Hoss, “TÁR,” Dolly de Leon, “Triangle of Sadness”

Best Supporting Actor:  Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Runners-up:  Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway,” Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin”

Best Screenplay:  Todd Field, “TÁR” Runners-up:  Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin,” James Gray, “Armageddon Time”

Best Cinematography:  Michal Dymek, “EO” Runners-up:  Hoyte van Hoytema, “Nope,” Kim Ji-yong, “Decision to Leave”

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This Article is related to: Awards and tagged National Society of Film Critics

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The 365-days-a-year awards season of the Oscars, Emmys and more

2022/2023 Awards Tracker Leaderboard – The Critics

best film critics award

This is the 2022/2023 Awards Tracker Leaderboard – The Critics, detailing the wins for dozens of critics’ groups, including National Board of Review, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, African American Critics Association, The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics and more in all categories throughout the season.

The Gothams announced their winners first, followed quickly by the New York Film Critics Circle (see links to all individual group wins below).

Keep on top of what’s coming up with the 2022/2023 Film Awards Calendar right  here  and bookmark both pages for the season. See below for the acronym legend and links to each group’s winner announcement. If you want a more fun, color-coded version pop on over  here  and check it out.

Best Film/Feature/Picture

Best Director

Breakthrough/Debut Director/New Filmmaker / First Film/Feature

Lead Actor/Performance

Lead Actress/Performance

Supporting Actor/Performance

Supporting Actress/Performance

Breakthrough Performance

Young Actor/Actress

Adapted Screenplay

Original Screenplay

Animated Feature

Documentary Feature

International Feature

Score/Use of Music

Film Editing

Cinematography

Production Design

Costume Design

Makeup and Hair

Visual Effects

ACRONYM LEGEND

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National Society of Film Critics

The National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023, chose “Tár” as Best Picture of the Year 2022. See the following pages for all votes in Best Picture and other categories for outstanding film achievement.

The Society, which is made up of 62 of the country’s most prominent movie critics, held its 57th annual awards voting meeting online using a weighted ballot system. Fifty-four members participated in the vote.

BEST PICTURE 1. “Tár” (61 points) 2. “Aftersun” (49 points) 3. “No Bears” (32 points)

BEST DIRECTOR 1. Charlotte Wells, “Aftersun” (60 points) 2. Park Chan-wook, “Decision to Leave” (47 points) 3. Jafar Panahi, “No Bears” (36 points)

BEST ACTRESS 1. Cate Blanchett, “Tár” (59 points) 2. Michelle Yeoh, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (38 points) 3. Tilda Swinton, “The Eternal Daughter,” and Michelle Williams, “The Fabelmans” (27 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS 1. Kerry Condon, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (57 points) 2. Nina Hoss, “Tár” (43 points) 3. Dolly de Leon, “Triangle of Sadness” (35 points)

BEST ACTOR 1. Colin Farrell, “After Yang” and “The Banshees of Inisherin” (71 points) 2. Paul Mescal, “Aftersun” (55 points) 3. Bill Nighy, “Living” (33 points)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR 1. Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (45 points) 2. Brian Tyree Henry, “Causeway” (35 points) 3. Barry Keoghan, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (27 points)

BEST SCREENPLAY 1. Todd Field, “Tár” (61 points) 2. Martin McDonagh, “The Banshees of Inisherin” (42 points) 3. James Gray, “Armageddon Time” (18 points)

BEST FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE 1. “EO” (43 points) 2. “No Bears” (37 points) 3. “Decision to Leave” (34 points)

BEST NONFICTION FILM 1.  “All the Beauty and the Bloodshed” (46 points)  2. “Descendant” (40 points) 3. “All That Breathes” (27 points)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY 1. Michał Dymek, “EO” (62 points) 2. Hoyte van Hoytema, “Nope” (37 points) 3. Kim Ji-yong, “Decision to Leave” (34 points)

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS

1. Jeanine Basinger , one of our most esteemed and important film scholars, whose work at Wesleyan University and beyond has continually bridged the divide between Hollywood and academia, film studies and movie love.

2. Screen Slate , published and edited by Jon Dieringer, an essential daily online publication that has done much to build and sustain the filmmaking, theatrical exhibition and film critical communities of New York City and by extension the world at large.

3. Turner Classic Movies , for a rich array of programming that ranges deep and wide in the history of cinema, a service too easily taken for granted by audiences and worthy of the utmost care and attention from its corporate owners.

The Society dedicated this meeting to Sheila Benson, an esteemed Society member and the warmest, most gracious of colleagues. As film critic for the Los Angeles Times and other publications, she wrote about movies with infectious joy and enviable skill. We miss her dearly.

BEST PICTURE:

*1. “Drive My Car” (48)

2. “Petite Maman” (25)

3. “The Power of the Dog” (23)

Per our rules, because this year’s Best Picture is not in the English language, there is no award for Best Foreign-Language Film.

BEST DIRECTOR:

*1. Ryusuke Hamaguchi (46)  – “Drive My Car” and “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy”

2. Jane Campion (36) – “The Power of the Dog”

3. Céline Sciamma (28) – “Petite Maman”

BEST SCREENPLAY:

*1. “Drive My Car” (46) –  Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe

2. “Parallel Mothers” (22) – Pedro Almodóvar

3. “Licorice Pizza” (20) – Paul Thomas Anderson

BEST NONFICTION FILM:

*1.  “Flee” (41)

2. “Procession” (28)

2. “The Velvet Underground” (28)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

*1. “The Green Knight” (52) – Andrew Droz Palermo

2. “The Power of the Dog” (40) – Ari Wegner

3. “Memoria” (35) – Sayombhu Mukdeeprom

BEST ACTRESS:

*1. Penélope Cruz (55) – “Parallel Mothers”

2. Renate Reinsve (42) – “The Worst Person in the World”

3. Alana Haim (32) – “Licorice Pizza”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

*1. Ruth Negga (46) – “Passing”

2. Ariana DeBose (22) – “West Side Story”

3. Jessie Buckley (21) – “The Lost Daughter”

BEST ACTOR:

*1. Hidetoshi Nishijima (63) – “Drive My Car”

2. Benedict Cumberbatch (44) – “The Power of the Dog”

3. Simon Rex (30) – “Red Rocket”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: 

*1. Anders Danielsen Lie (54) – “The Worst Person in the World”

2. Vincent Lindon (33) – “Titane”

3. Mike Faist (26) – “West Side Story”

3. Kodi Smit-McPhee (26) – “The Power of the Dog”

SPECIAL CITATION for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution: Jean-Gabriel Périot’s documentary “Returning to Reims”

FILM HERITAGE AWARDS:

1. Maya Cade for founding the Black Film Archive, which expands knowledge of and access to Black films made between 1915 and 1979, and includes her critical essays that define the project and consider the films in relation to each other and to the cinema overall.

2. The late Bertrand Tavernier and Peter Bogdanovich, distinguished critic-filmmakers who never lost their passion for other people’s movies and film history. Both crowned their careers with invaluable chronicles of their engagement with the cinema: Tavernier with the with the documentary “My Journey Through French Cinema” and the books “50 Years of American Cinema” and “American Friends,” and Bogdanovich with the books “Who the Devil Made It” and “Who the Hell’s In It.”

DEDICATIONS:

We dedicate this year’s awards to the memory of two esteemed colleagues and longtime members who are no longer with us. Morris Dickstein brought warmth, enthusiasm and prodigious analytic skills as a literary critic and cultural historian to writing about movies in journals like Dissent and Partisan Review and in books like “Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History of the Great Depression.” Michael Wilmington wrote beautifully and passionately about cinema as a critic for many publications, including the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times, and co-authored the critical study “John Ford.” They will both be deeply missed.

We also dedicate our awards, with deepest appreciation and gratitude, to Liz Weis , who is stepping down after serving 47 years as Executive Director of the National Society of Film Critics. For her decades of extraordinary leadership and tireless service to the organization, we owe her an immeasurable debt.

AWARDS FOR THE YEAR 2020

*1. Nomadland – 52

2. First Cow – 50

3. Never Rarely Sometimes Always — 41

*1. Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) – 58

2. Steve McQueen (Small Axe) – 41

3. Kelly Reichardt (First Cow) – 30

*1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Eliza Hittman) – 38

2. First Cow (Jon Raymond and Kelly Reichardt) – 35

3. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman) – 29

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM:

*1. Collective – 38

2. Beanpole and Bacurau – tied at 36

*1.  Time – 46

2. City Hall — 28

3.  Collective – 22

*1.  Nomadland (Joshua James Richards) – 47

2. Lovers Rock (Shabier Kirchner) – 41

3. Vitalina Varela (Leonardo Simões) – 34

*1. Frances McDormand (Nomadland) – 46 points

2. Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) – 33

3. Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always) – 29

*1. Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) – 47

2. Amanda Seyfried (Mank) – 40

3. Youn Yuh-jung (Minari) – 33

*1. Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) – 52

2. Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) – 47

3. Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) – 32

*1.  Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) – 53

2. Glynn Turman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) – 36

3. Chadwick Boseman (Da 5 Bloods) – 35

We dedicated this meeting to our beloved friend and colleague William Wolf, who died in April of COVID-19. Bill was a longtime NSFC member whose career spanned Cue and New York magazines as well as his online Wolf Entertainment Guide. We miss him dearly.

The National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, January 4th, 2020, chose The South Korean film PARASITE  as Best Picture of the Year 2019.  The Society, which is made up of 60 of the country’s most prominent movie critics, held its 54th annual awards voting meeting as guests of Film at Lincoln Center in New York City, using a weighted ballot system.  For the fourth year the Society enabled members across the country to vote live over the internet.

*1. Parasite – 44

*1. Greta Gerwig (Little Women) – 39

*1.  Mary Kay Place (Diane) – 40

*1.  Laura Dern (Marriage Story, Little Women) – 57

*1.  Antonio Banderas (Pain and Glory) – 69

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

*1.  Brad Pitt (Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood) – 64

*1. Claire Mathon (Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Atlantics) – 41

*1.  Bong Joon Ho and Han Jin Won (Parasite) – 37

*1.  Honeyland – 33

“Private Lives, Public Spaces” at the Museum of Modern Art :  Curated by Ron Magliozzi, this exhibit makes visible MOMA’s collection of over one hundred years of vernacular moving images, most of them home movies by the famous and the unknown. Shown on multiple screens in the lobbies of MoMA’s Titus theaters, they form a crazy quilt of personal and cultural history.

Rialto Pictures :  We honor Rialto Pictures, in its 22 nd year, both for distributing 4K restorations of beloved classics like Kind Hearts and Coronets and for presenting neglected work by international masters, such as Federico Fellini’s The White Sheik , and, for the first time, the uncut version of Francesco Rosi’s Christ Stopped at Eboli , with restored prints and upgraded subtitles.

The National Society of Film Critics on Saturday, January 5th, 2019, chose THE RIDER as Best Picture of the Year 2018.

The Society, which is made up of 60 of the country’s most prominent movie critics, held its 53nd annual awards voting meeting as guests of the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City, using a weighted ballot system.

Here are the results.

*1. Olivia Colman (The Favourite) – 36 points

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS :

*1. Regina King (If Beale Street Could Talk) – 47

BEST ACTOR :

*1. Ethan Hawke (First Reformed) – 58

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR :

*1. Steven Yeun (Burning) – 40

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY :

*1. Roma (Alfonso Cuarón) – 70

BEST SCREENPLAY :

*1. The Death of Stalin (Armando Iannucci, David Schneider, Ian Martin) – 47

BEST PICTURE :

*1. The Rider – 44

BEST DIRECTOR :

*1. Alfonso Cuarón (Roma) – 60

*1. Roma – 44

BEST NON-FICTION FILM:

*1. Minding the Gap – 35

FILM HERITAGE AWARD :

To the team of producers, editors, restorers, technicians, and cineastes who labored for decades to bring Orson Welles’s The Other Side of the Wind to completion for a new generation of movie lovers.

  SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: A Family Tour (Ying Liang, Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Malaysia).

*1. Sally Hawkins – 49 (The Shape of Water, Maudie)

*1. Laurie Metcalf – 74 (Lady Bird)

*1. Daniel Kaluuya – 44 (Get Out)

*1. Willem Dafoe – 62 (The Florida Project)

*1. Blade Runner 2049 – 40 (Roger Deakins)

*1. Lady Bird – 50 (Greta Gerwig)

*1. Lady Bird – 41

*1. Greta Gerwig – 37 (Lady Bird)

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

*1. Graduation – 35 (Cristian Mungiu)

BEST NON-FICTION FILM

*1. Faces Places – 70 (Agnès Varda)

BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM:  Good Luck, by Ben Russell

FILM HERITAGE AWARD:

SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: Spoor (Pokot), by Agnieska Holland.

This year’s National Society of Film Critics awards are dedicated to Richard Schickel, the legendary film critic and historian, author of 37 books and director of 37 documentaries, and a founding member of the Society.

A STATEMENT FROM THE LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION, THE NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE, THE BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS AND THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS

Nov. 7, 2017 — The members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the New York Film Critics Circle, the Boston Society of Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics jointly denounce the Walt Disney Company’s media blackout of the Los Angeles Times. Furthermore, all four critics’ organizations have voted to disqualify Disney’s films from year-end awards consideration until said blackout is publicly rescinded.

On Nov. 3, The Times published a statement that its writers and editors had been blocked from attending advance screenings of Disney films, in response to The Times’ news coverage of Disney’s business arrangements with the City of Anaheim. Disney’s actions, which include an indefinite ban on any interaction with The Times, are antithetical to the principles of a free press and set a dangerous precedent in a time of already heightened hostility toward journalists.

It is admittedly extraordinary for a critics’ group, let alone four critics’ groups, to take any action that might penalize film artists for decisions beyond their control. But Disney brought forth this action when it chose to punish The Times’ journalists rather than express its disagreement with a business story via ongoing public discussion. Disney’s response should gravely concern all who believe in the importance of a free press, artists included.

The New York Film Critics Circle will vote on its annual awards Thursday, Nov. 30; the Los Angeles Film Critics Association will vote Sunday, Dec. 3; the Boston Society of Film Critics will vote Sunday, Dec. 10; and the National Society of Film Critics will vote Saturday, Jan. 6.

Claudia Puig President, Los Angeles Film Critics Association [email protected]

Eric Kohn Chair, New York Film Critics Circle [email protected]

Tom Meek President, Boston Society of Film Critics [email protected]

Liz Weis Executive Director, National Society of Film Critics [email protected]

SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting U.S. distribution: Sieranevada (Romania) Cristi Puiu

FILM HERITAGE AWARD : Kino Lorber’s 5-disc collection “Pioneers of African-American Cinema”

*1. Casey Affleck (65) – Manchester by the Sea

BEST ACTRESS

*1. Isabelle Huppert (55) – Elle and Things to Come

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

*1. Mahershala Ali (72) – Moonlight

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

*1. Michelle Williams (58) – Manchester by the Sea

BEST SCREENPLAY

*1. Manchester by the Sea (61) – Kenneth Lonergan

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

*1. Moonlight (52) – James Laxton

BEST PICTURE

*1. Moonlight (54)

BEST DIRECTOR

*1. Barry Jenkins (53) – Moonlight

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM

*1. Toni Erdmann (52)

3. Things to Come (19) tied

*1. O.J.: Made in America (64)

The National Society of Film Critics has been advancing the cause of great filmmaking and criticism for half a century.

To celebrate, member critics have teamed up with curators from Boston to L.A. to choose from among the group’s fifty Best Pictures in order to present screenings with talks.

Presentations have included Blue Velvet, Stranger Than Paradise, There Will Be Blood, and Life is Sweet. The complete list of Best Pictures is provided below.

Here is a list of the events and venues:

March – Film Forum, New York City

May and June – the Music Box Theatre, Chicago

November/December – American Cinemateque, Los Angeles.

January 2017 – Brattle Theatre, Boston

BEST PICTURES:

*1. Michael B. Jordan (Creed) 29 points

*1. Charlotte Rampling (45 Years) 57

*1. Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies) 56

*1. Kristen Stewart (Clouds of Sils Maria) 53

*1. Spotlight (Josh Singer and Tom McCarthy) 21

*1. Carol (Ed Lachman) 25

*1. Spotlight (Tom McCarthy) 23

*1.Todd Haynes (Carol) 21

*1. Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako) 22

*1. Amy (Asif Kapadia) 23

Film Society of Lincoln Center and the programmers Jake Perlin and Michelle Materre, for the series Tell It Like It Is: Black Independents in New York, 1968-1986

The Criterion Collection and L’Immagine Ritrovata for the restoration and packaging of the reconstructed version of The Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray

Lobster Films and Fondazione Cineteca di Bologna/L’Immagine Ritrovata for the restoration of Charlie Chaplin’s Essanay Films

SPECIAL CITATION for a film awaiting American distribution:   One Floor Below, a Romanian film directed by Radu Muntean.

This meeting was dedicated to the late Richard Corliss, longtime critic at TIME magazine, not just a writer of extraordinary intelligence, wit, and energy, but also a generous friend and colleague.

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Todd Field's 'TÁR' Wins Best Picture at National Society of Film Critics Awards

See the full list of winners chosen by the National Society of Film Critics.

The National Society of Film Critics met in New York and Los Angeles on Saturday, January 7, for the 57th annual awards. This year saw Todd Field 's TÁR take home the Best Picture and come away with the most total awards at 3.

TÁR was the first film directed by Field since his 2006 drama, Little Children , and it tells the story and downfall of the titular Lydia Tár ( Cate Blanchett ) — an extremely talented and famous composer-conductor. The National Society of Film Critics also gave Blanchett the award for Best Actress and TÁR also won Best Screenplay with the film also being written by Field. The film was also featured as a Runner-up in Best Supporting Actress for Nina Hoss ' performance. Other notable winners include The Banshees of Inisherin and the Polish film EO , both winning two awards each. The former saw Colin Farrell win Best Actor for his role in the Martin McDonagh film as well as After Yang, and Kerry Condon won Best Supporting Actress. EO won Best Film Not in the English Language and saw Michał Dymek take home Best Cinematography.

Last year's awards from the National Society of Film Critics were dominated by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and his acclaimed drama feature Drive My Car which won the award for Best Picture with Hamaguchi winning Best Director for his work on both the Drive My Car and fellow 2021 film Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy . Drive My Car lead Hidetoshi Nishijima also won the Best Actor award at last year's event. That film went on to be nominated for 5 Academy Awards — including Best Picture — and went on to win Best International Feature Film. We will need to wait to see if this success follows TÁR into this awards season.

RELATED: More Documentaries Should Be Nominated for Best Editing Oscars

Here's the full list of winners and runner-ups for the 2023 National Society of Film Critics Awards:

Best Picture: TÁR (61 points)

Runners-up: Aftersun (49 points), No Bears (32 points)

Best Director: Charlotte Wells, Aftersun (60 points)

Runners-up: Park Chan-wook ( Decision to Leave , 49 points), Jafar Panahi ( No Bears , 32 points)

Best Actor: Colin Farrell, After Yang and The Banshees of Inisherin (71 points)

Runners-up: Paul Mescal ( Aftersun , 55 points), Bill Nighy ( Living , 33 points)

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett, TÁR (59 points)

Runners-up: Michelle Yeoh ( Everything Everywhere All at Once , 38 points), Tilda Swinton ( The Eternal Daughter , 27 points), and Michelle Williams ( The Fabelmans , 27 points)

Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All at Once (45 points)

Runners-up: Brian Tyree Henry ( Causeway , 35 points), Barry Keoghan ( The Banshees of Inisherin , 27 points)

Best Supporting Actress: Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin (57 points)

Runners-up: Nina Hoss ( TÁR , 43 points) , Dolly de Leon ( Triangle of Sadness , 35 points)

Best Screenplay: Todd Field, TÁR (61 points)

Runners-up: Martin McDonagh ( The Banshees of Inisherin , 42 points), James Gray ( Armageddon Time , (18 points)

Best Cinematography: Michał Dymek, EO (62 points)

Runners-up: Hoyte van Hoytema ( Nope , 37 points) , Kim Ji-yong, ( Decision to Leave , 34 points)

Best Film Not in the English Language: EO (43 points)

Runners-up: No Bears (37 points) , Decision to Leave (34 points)

Best Nonfiction Film: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (46 points)

Runners-up: Descendant (40 points) , All That Breathes (27 points)

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Nominations Announced for the 3rd Annual Critics Choice Super Awards honoring Superhero, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Horror, and Action Movies and Series

“The Batman” leads this year’s film nominees, earning six nominations including Best Superhero Movie. “Evil,” “House of the Dragon,” “The Boys,” and “What We Do in the Shadows” tied for the most television nominations, with each project garnering four nods.

best film critics award

“EMILY,” “HARLEM” and “MARVEL’S MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR” receive the Critics Choice Association’s Seal of Female Empowerment in Entertainment (SOFEE) 

“alice, darling” and “fleishman is in trouble” to receive the critics choice association’s seal of female empowerment in entertainment (sofee).

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The Winners of the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards

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