Discussing Film Critics winners: ‘Minari’ named Best Picture; ‘Promising Young Woman’ nabs Best Actress, Original Screenplay

Erik Anderson January 11, 2021

The 2nd Discussing Film Critics Awards, comprised of a diverse range of critics from publications including Variety, The Independent, and more, have named Lee Isaac Chung’s intimate Korean-American dream story Minari the best film of 2020. Youn Yuh-jung was named Best Supporting Actress and young Alan Kim was the runner-up in Best Supporting Actor.

Promising Young Woman was also well received, earning runner-up status in Best Picture and Best Use of Music and winning Best Actress (Carey Mulligan) and Best Original Screenplay (Emerald Fennell).

Here is the full list of winners and runners-up.

Best Motion Picture

Da 5 Bloods
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Mank
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Minari (WINNER)
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman (RUNNER UP)
Sound of Metal
Tenet

Best Director

Chloé Zhao, Nomadland (WINNER)
David Fincher, Mank (RUNNER UP)
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari
Regina King, One Night in Miami
Spike Lee, Da 5 Bloods

Best Film Actor

Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (WINNER)
Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods (RUNNER UP)
Gary Oldman, Mank
Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal
Steven Yeun, Minari

Best Film Actress

Carrie Mulligan, Promising Young Woman (WINNER)
Frances McDormand, Nomadland
Jessie Buckley, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Vanessa Kirby, Pieces of a Woman (RUNNER UP)
Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Kim, Minari (RUNNER UP)
Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods
Lesley Odom Jr., One Night in Miami (WINNER)
Paul Raci, Sound of Metal
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Supporting Actress

Amanda Seyfried, Mank (RUNNER UP)
Ellen Burstyn, Pieces of a Woman
Olivia Colman, The Father
Toni Collette, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Youn Yuh-jung, Minari (WINNER)

Best Foreign Film

And Then We Danced (RUNNER UP)
Another Round (WINNER)
Collective
I’m No Longer Here
Summer of 85

Best Film Ensemble

Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
One Night in Miami (WINNER)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (RUNNER UP)

Best Original Screenplay

Aaron Sorkin, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman (WINNER)
Jack Fincher, Mank
Lee Isaac Chung, Minari (RUNNER UP)
Spike Lee, Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo & Kevin Willmott, Da 5 Bloods

Best Adapted Screenplay

Charlie Kaufman, I’m Thinking of Ending Things (WINNER)
Chloé Zhao, Nomadland
Florian Zeller & Christopher Hampton, The Father
Kemp Powers, One Night in Miami (RUNNER UP)
Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Cinematography

Erik Messerschmidt, Mank (RUNNER UP)
Hoyte Van Hoytema, Tenet
Joshua James Richards, Nomadland (WINNER)
Łukasz Żal, I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Newton Thomas Sigel, Da 5 Bloods

Best Original Score

Emile Mosseri, Minari
Ludwig Göransson, Tenet (RUNNER UP)
Terence Blanchard, Da 5 Bloods
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mank
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Soul (WINNER)

Best Costume Design

Alexandra Byrne, Emma. (WINNER)
Ann Roth, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Erin Benach, Birds of Prey (RUNNER UP)
Suzie Harman & Robert Worley, The Personal History of David Copperfield
Trish Summerville, Mank

Best Production Design

Donald Graham Burt, Mank (WINNER)
Kave Quinn, Emma. (RUNNER UP)
Mark Ricker, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Nathan Crowley, Tenet
Page Buckner, One Night In Miami

Best Film Editing

Adam Gough, Da 5 Bloods
Alan Baumgarten, The Trial of the Chicago 7
Jennifer Lame, Tenet (WINNER)
Kirk Baxter, Mank
Robert Frazen, I’m Thinking of Ending Things (RUNNER UP)

Best Sound

Da 5 Bloods
The Invisible Man
Mank
Sound of Metal (WINNER)
Tenet (RUNNER UP)

Best Use of Music

“Angel of the Morning,” Promising Young Woman (RUNNER UP)
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” Birds of Prey
“Got to Give it U” Da 5 Bloods
“Silly Game” Lovers Rock
“What a Life” Another Round (WINNER)

Best Original Song

“Boss Bitch,” Birds of Prey (RUNNER UP)
“Only the Young,” Miss Americana
“The Plan,” Tenet
“Rocket to the Moon,” Over the Moon
“Speak Now,” One Night in Miami (WINNER)

Best Visual Effects

Birds of Prey
The Invisible Man (RUNNER UP)
Mank
Tenet (WINNER)
Wonder Woman 1984

Best Animated Film

Onward
Over the Moon
Soul (WINNER)
Trolls World Tour
Wolfwalkers (RUNNER UP)

Minari image courtesy of A24; Promising Young Woman image courtesy of Focus Features

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.