The National Society of Film Critics Awards has bestowed its marquee honor, Best Picture, upon The Rider (Sony Pictures Classics), director Chloé Zhao’s spiritual western drama. Zhao was a runner-up for Best Director, an honor that went to Alfonso Cuaron for Roma (Netflix), which topped the competition with three wins–the other two being for Best Foreign Language Film and Best Cinematography (for Cuaron).
Earning distinction as Best Non-Fiction Film was Bing Liu’s documentary Minding the Gap (Hulu, Kartemquin Films, ITVS).
Best Actor and Actress were Ethan Hawke and Olivia Colman, respectively, for First Reformed (A24) and The Favourite (Fox Searchlight).
Best Supporting Actress and Actor were Regina King and Steven Yeun, respectively, for If Beale Street Could Talk (Annapurna Pictures) and Burning (Well Go USA Entertainment).
Here’s a full rundown of award honorees:
Best Picture: The Rider
Runners-Up: Roma, Burning
Best Non-Fiction Film: Minding the Gap
Runners-Up: Shirkers, Amazing Grace
Best Foreign Language Film: Roma
Runners-Up: Cold War, Burning, Shoplifters
Best Director: Alfonso Cuaron for Roma
Runners-Up: Lee Chang-Dong (Burning), Chloe Zhao (The Rider)
Best Actress: Olivia Colman for The Favourite
Runners-Up: Regina Hall (Support the Girls), Melissa McCarthy (Can You Ever Forgive Me?)
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King for If Beale Street Could Talk
Runners-Up: Elizabeth Debicki (Widows), Emma Stone (The Favourite)
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke for First Reformed
Runners-Up: Willem Dafoe (At Eternity’s Gate), Ben Foster (Leave No Trace), John C. Reilly (The Sisters Brothers, Stan & Ollie)
Best Supporting Actor: Steven Yeun for Burning
Runners-Up: Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Brian Tyree Henry (If Beale Street Could Talk, Widows, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)
Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón for Roma
Runners-Up: James Laxton (If Beale Street Could Talk), Lukasz Zal (Cold War)
Best Screenplay: Armando Iannucci, David Schneider and Ian Martin for The Death of Stalin
Runners-Up: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (The Favourite)
Film Heritage Award: To the team of producers, editors, restorers, technicians and cineastes who labored for decades to bring Orson Welles’ The Other Side of the Wind to completion for a new generation of movie lovers.
Film Heritage Award: To the Museum of Modern Art for restoring Ernst Lubitsch’s 1923 film Rosita, starring Mary Pickford.
Special Citation for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution: A Family Tour (Ying Liang, Taiwan/Hong Kong/Singapore/Malaysia)
Droga5 Appoints Emma Montgomery As Global Chief Strategy Officer
Creative agency network Droga5 has appointed Emma Montgomery as global chief strategy officer. She is the third global appointment for the agency this year, with Pelle Sjoenell named worldwide chief creative officer this past March, and global CEO Mark Green recently appointed this fall. Montgomery will be responsible for connecting and supercharging Droga5’s strategy and creative offerings globally. She will be based in its headquarters in New York City.
“Emma is a world-class strategic leader and authority that I’ve long admired and dreamt of being partners-in-crime with,” said Sjoenell. “Her work inspires the creativity that connects people and brands in ways that move business and culture forward, so I’m excited to finally be able to work with her alongside Mark, and to see her lead and further strengthen our leadership and strategy teams around the world.”
Montgomery joins Droga5 after serving as CEO of DDB Chicago. She’s been in the industry for over 20 years, and has served in several high-level leadership positions throughout her career, including as president and CSO of Leo Burnett Chicago, global CSO of TBWA, and CEO of Leo Burnett Australia. She’s also worked across a breadth of categories and multiple global clients such as Kraft, Aldi, Diageo and Molson Coors, among many others, including challenger brands and startups.
“I’m excited to join Droga5 and have the opportunity to help carve out a new path for the brand globally, building on its tremendous legacy of creative leadership,” said Montgomery. “The potential of Droga5, combined with the possibilities of Accenture Song, was too exciting to pass up. No other agency has what they have, and as marketing shifts, the chance to make creativity a genuine... Read More