The Hollywood Critics Association announced its nominations for the 4th Annual HCA Film Awards on Tuesday where Promising Young Woman, One Night in Miami and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom topped the lists. The virtual awards ceremony will stream on the official HCA Facebook page and YouTube channel on Friday, March 5, 2021, beginning at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.
Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman topped the list with a total of nine nominations. The film, which received rave reviews after its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Female Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Cast Ensemble, Best Hair & Makeup, and Best Film Editing.
Regina King’s One Night in Miami, which was picked up by Amazon Studios before its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, earned a total of eight nominations. Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Mank tied with a total of seven nominations each. Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland scored a total of six nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Female Director. Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, Darius Marder’s Sound of Metal, and Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari all scored six nominations each.
“2020 was a challenging year for the film industry. As movie theaters worldwide were forced to close due to a global pandemic, studios began to explore new ways to release their films to audiences. As critics, we missed the experience of watching movies on the big screen, but like the studios, we embraced the new normal as we consumed films through various streaming links, apps, and virtual screening platforms,” notes HCA Chairman Scott Menzel.
Keeping up with tradition, the Hollywood Critics Association members continue to embrace and support a wide array of films each year. Among the nominations are several indie titles such as Miss Juneteenth, Black Bear, Class Action Park, First Cow, The Forty-Year-Old Version, and The Personal History of David Copperfield. Also making multiple appearances on the nomination list are Cathy Yan’s Birds of Prey, Max Barbakow’s Palm Springs, and Leigh Whannell’s The Invisible Man.
“Even though cinemas were closed for most of the year, 2020 was a groundbreaking year for film in many ways. Streaming became the norm and prompted many studios to shift their focus to creating content for their digital platforms. Also, a good portion of the films released in 2020 were directed by women or people of color. We, as an organization, hope this continues to happen as we move into the future. We are looking forward to seeing more inclusivity on-screen, hopefully not just in awards films, but in movies in general,” noted HCA Co-Chair Ashley Menzel.
Previously announced special award honorees were:
Timeless Award: Dante Spinotti Inspire Award: Lin-Manuel Miranda Acting Achievement Award: Aubrey Plaza, Black Bear Game-Changer Award: Nicole Beharie, Miss Juneteenth Artisan Achievement Award: Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, Mank and Soul Breakthrough Performance Actor: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal Breakthrough Performance Actress: Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs Standout Performance by an Actor or Actress 23 or Under Award: Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always Spotlight Award: Kiera Allen, Run Filmmaker on the Rise Award: Emerald Fennell, Promising Young Woman Star on the Rise Award: Ellen Pellman, The Prom Artisan on the Rise Award: Emile Mosseri, Minari
In total, the Hollywood Critics Association nominated 58 films, which included a mixture of independents, streamers, and studio releases.
Here is the complete list of nominations and totals by film and studio.
Best Picture
Da 5 Bloods
Judas and The Black Messiah
Minari
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal
The Father
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Actor
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Kingsley Ben-Adir – One Night in Miami
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Best Actress
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Elisabeth Moss – The Invisible Man
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Zendaya – Malcolm & Marie
Best Supporting Actor
Bo Burnham – Promising Young Woman
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah
Leslie Odom Jr. – One Night in Miami…
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
Best Supporting Actress
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Glenn Close – Hillbilly Elegy
Olivia Colman – The Father
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari
Best Animated or VFX Performance
Ben Schwartz – Sonic the Hedgehog
Cathy Ang – Over the Moon
Honor Kneafsey – Wolfwalkers
Jamie Foxx – Soul
Tina Fey – Soul
Best Male Director
Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
David Fincher – Mank
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Shaka King – Judas and the Black Messiah
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods
Best Female Director
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Eliza Hittman – Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Regina King – One Night In Miami
Sofia Coppola – On the Rocks
Best Original Screenplay
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of The Chicago 7
Abraham Marder & Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Andy Siara – Palm Springs
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Lee Isaac Chung – Minari
Best Adapted Screenplay
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Christopher Hampton & Florian Zeller – The Father
Jonathan Raymond & Kelly Reichardt – First Cow
Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami
Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Best Cast Ensemble
Da 5 Bloods
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
The Prom
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best First Feature
Channing Godfrey Peoples – Miss Juneteenth
Darius Marder – Sound of Metal
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Radha Blank – The 40-Year-Old Version
Regina King – One Night In Miami
Best Animated Film
Onward
Over The Moon
Soul
The Croods: A New Age
Wolfwalkers
Best International Film
Another Round
Bacurau
I’m No Longer Here
La Llorona
Two of Us
Best Documentary
All In: The Fight For Democracy
Boys State
Class Action Park
Dick Johnson is Dead
Time
Best ActionFilm
Bad Boys for Life
Birds of Prey
Extraction
Tenet
The Old Guard
Best BlockbusterFilm
Birds of Prey
Sonic the Hedgehog
Tenet
The Old Guard
Wonder Woman 1984
Best Comedy/MusicalFilm
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
On the Rocks
Palm Springs
The Personal History of David Copperfield
The Prom
Best HorrorFilm
Freaky
His House
Host
Relic
The Invisible Man
Best Indie Film
Black Bear
First Cow
Minari
Miss Juneteenth
Palm Springs
Best Short Film
Burrow
Canvas
Cops And Robbers
If Anything Happens, I Love You
The Heart Still Hums
Best Cinematography
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank
Dariusz Wolski – News of The World
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland
Hoyte van Hoytema – Tenet
Martin Ruhe – The Midnight Sky
Best Stunts
Birds of Prey
Extraction
Tenet
The Old Guard
Wonder Woman 1984
Best Score
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Mank
Emile Mosseri – Minari
James Newton Howard – News of The World
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross and Jon Batiste – Soul
Alexandre Desplat – The Midnight Sky
Best Original Song
Husavik (My Hometown) – Eurovision Song Contest
Rocket to the Moon – Over the Moon
Speak Now – One Night in Miami
Turntables – All In: The Fight for Democracy
Wear Your Crown – The Prom
Best Hair & Makeup
Deborah La Mia Denaver and Adruitha Lee – Birds of Prey
Eryn Krueger, Mekash Patricia Dehaney, and Matthew Mungle – Hillbilly Elegy
Kimberley Spiteri, Colleen LaBaff, Gigi Williams, and Michelle Audrina Kim – Mank
Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal, Larry M. Cherry, Sian Richards, Deidra Dixon and Jamika Wilson – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Angela Wells and Daniel Curet – Promising Young Woman
Best Costume Design
Erin Benach – Birds of Prey
Alexandra Byrne – Emma
Trish Summerville – Mank
Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Suzie Harman – The Personal History of David Copperfield
Best Production Design
Kave Quinn – Emma
Donald Graham Burt – Mank
Mark Ricker – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Cristina Casali – The Personal History of David Copperfield
Jamie Walker McCall – The Prom
Best Film Editing
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Frédéric Thoraval – Promising Young Woman
Yorgos Lamprinos – The Father
Andy Canny – The Invisible Man
Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Best Visual Effects
Greg Steele and Annemarie Griggs – Birds of Prey
Ged Wright – Sonic the Hedgehog
Andrew Jackson – Tenet
Jonathan Dearing – The Invisible Man
Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Dave Watkins, and Max Solomon – The Midnight Sky
Number of Nominations by Film (in alphabetical order)
All In: The Fight for Democracy – 2
Another Round – 1
Bacurau – 1
Bad Boys For Life – 1
Birds of Prey – 6
Black Bear – 1
Boys State – 1
Burrow – 1
Canvas – 1
Class Action Park – 1
Cops And Robbers – 1
Da 5 Bloods – 5
Dick Johnson is Dead – 1
Emma – 2
Eurovision Song Contest – 2
Extraction – 2
First Cow – 2
Freaky – 1
Hillbilly Elegy – 2
His House – 1
Host -1
I’m No Longer Here – 1
If Anything Happens I Love You – 1
Judas and The Black Messiah – 3
La Llorona – 1
Malcolm & Marie – 1
Mank – 7
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – 7
Minari – 6
Miss Juneteenth – 2
Never Rarely Sometimes Always – 1
News of The World – 2
Nomadland – 6
One Night in Miami – 8
On the Rocks – 2
Onward – 1
Over the Moon – 3
Palm Springs – 3
Pieces of a Woman – 2
Promising Young Woman – 9
Relic – 1
Sonic The Hedgehog – 3
Soul – 5
Sound of Metal – 6
Tenet – 5
The Croods: A New Age – 1
The Father – 5
The Forty-Year Old Version – 2
The Heart Still Hums – 1
The Invisible Man – 4
The Midnight Sky – 3
The Old Guard – 3
The Personal History of David Copperfield – 3
The Prom – 4
The Trial of the Chicago 7 – 4
Time – 1
Two of Us – 1
Wolfwalkers – 2
Wonder Woman 1984 – 2
Number of nominations by Studio (in alphabetical order)
A24 – 11
Amazon Studios – 17
Apple – 5
Disney – 7
Focus Features – 12
HBO Max – 1
IFC Films – 1
Kino Lorber – 1
Magnolia Pictures – 1
Momentum Pictures – 1
Neon – 4
Netflix – 53
Paramount – 3
Samuel Goldwyn Films – 1
Searchlight – 9
Shudder – 2
Sony Pictures – 1
Sony Pictures Classics – 5
Universal Pictures – 8
Vertical Entertainment – 2
Warner Brothers – 16
Images courtesy of David Lee / Netflix; Amazon Studios; Merie Weismiller Wallace / Focus Features
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.
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.