"Saint Maud" also scores a trio of honors; Chadwick Boseman lauded for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom"
Nomadland won three top honors including Film of the Year, at the 41st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, which were held in a virtual ceremony on Sunday (2/7) night. The film’s lead Frances McDormand was named Actress of the Year, while writer-director ChloĆ© Zhao won Screenwriter of the Year. Acclaimed British dramatic horror Saint Maud also won three awards: British/Irish Film of the Year, British/Irish Actress of the Year for Morfydd Clark, and Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for writer-director Rose Glass.
Double winners included Sarah Gavron’s London coming-of-age drama Rocks, with lead actress Bukky Bakray named Young British/Irish Performer of the Year and Lucy Pardee given the Technical Achievement Award for casting. Steve McQueen was presented with Director of the Year for his five Small Axe films, while Shaun Parkes won Supporting Actor of the Year for the first drama in the collection, Mangrove. Riz Ahmed was named British/Irish Actor of the Year for his work in Sound of Metal and Mogul Mowgli. And the short that Ahmed wrote, produced and starred in, The Long Goodbye directed by Aniel Karia, was named British/Irish Short Film of the Year.
The late Chadwick Boseman won Actor of the Year for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and his award was accepted in a moving video message from costar Colman Domingo. Maria Bakalova also appeared virtually to accept Supporting Actress of the Year for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In addition, Alexander Nanau’s Collective won Documentary of the Year, while Thomas Vinterberg’s black comedy Another Round was named Foreign-Language Film of the Year.
“As always, the critics have spread the love around among a range of films this year, particularly recognising female filmmakers and a diverse range of talent both behind and in front of the cameras,” said Film Section chair Rich Cline. “This year, our 160 members watched an unusually large number of films, both theatrical and streaming releases, and they’ve sifted out the best of the best for our awards. We look forward to holding a party in-person, and of course getting back into cinemas, as soon as it’s safe to do so.”
The event was held on the Critics’ Circle’s YouTube channel for the first time, with awards presented by member critics who serve on the event’s organising committee and acceptance videos from almost all of the winners. An in-person celebration with nominees and winners is planned for later in the year.
Here’s a rundown of winners:
FILM OF THE YEAR
Nomadland
FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Another Round
DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Collective
The Attenborough Award:
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
Saint Maud
DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Steve McQueen – Small Axe
(Small Axe is a collection of five films: Alex Wheatle; Education; Lovers Rock; Mangrove; Red, White and Blue.)
SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
ChloĆ© Zhao – Nomadland
ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Shaun Parkes – Mangrove
BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (for body of work)
Morfydd Clark – Eternal Beauty, Saint Maud
BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR (for body of work)
Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli, Sound of Metal
The Philip French Award:
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM
The Long Goodbye
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Rocks – Lucy Pardee, casting
“Heretic” and “Maria” Set As Red Carpet Premieres At AFI Fest
The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that Heretic, the psychological thriller starring Hugh Grant, and Maria, based on the life of opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, will round out the Red Carpet Premieres section at this yearās AFI Fest. The Heretic Gala Screening will take place on Thursday, October 24, and the Maria Gala Screening will be held on Saturday, October 26. The complete Red Carpet Premieres section includes the world premieres of Music By John Williams, Robert Zemeckisā Here, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Clint Eastwoodās Juror #2. All Red Carpet Premieres will take place at the historic TCL Chinese Theatre. The full lineup for AFI Fest 2024 will be unveiled on October 1.
āAt the heart of AFI Fest is an unwavering dedication to celebrating the best in global cinema--together,ā said Bob Gazzale, AFI president and CEO. āWe look forward to uniting artists and audiences once again to be inspired by the art form in a powerful sense of community.ā
Heretic follows two young missionaries (Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East) who are forced to prove their faith when they knock on the wrong door and are greeted by a diabolical Mr. Reed (portrayed by Grant), becoming ensnared in his deadly game of cat-and-mouse. The film is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods and produced by Stacey Sher, Beck, Woods, Julia Glausi and Jeanette Volturno. The film will be released nationwide by A24 on November 8.
Directed by Pablo LarraĆn, Maria presents a tumultuous and beautiful depiction of one of the worldās most renowned artists and reimagines the legendary soprano in her final days in Paris, as Callas (Jolie)... Read More