London Film Critics winners: ‘Nomadland’ is Film of the Year, Maria Bakalova wins again
The London Film Critics Circle have named Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland the best film of 2020, also awarding Zhao Screenwriter of the Year and star Frances McDormand Actress of the Year.
Rose Glass’s unholy horror Saint Maud led the field with eight mentions, winning the Philip French Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker for Glass and British/Irish Actress of the Year for star Morfydd Clark.
Sarah Gavron’s Rocks, about a young teenage girl who finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother after being abandoned by their single mother, was next with six nominations and for its casting.
Joining McDormand in acting wins were Chadwick Boseman (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Actor of the Year. Boseman’s co-star Colman Domingo accepted on behalf of the late actor, quoting from Boseman himself saying “You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking.” Maria Bakalova picked up another supporting actress win for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, beating out Ellen Burstyn in Pieces of a Woman and Amanda Seyfried in Mank, among others.
Steve McQueen was named Director of the Year for his five-film series Small Axe, which also won Shaun Parkes the supporting actor prize over Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Chadwick Boseman in Da 5 Bloods, among others.
Here is the full list of winner, in bold.
Film of the Year
About Endlessness
Collective
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Lovers Rock
The Mauritanian
Minari
Nomadland – WINNER
Promising Young Woman
Rocks
Saint Maud
Foreign Language Film of the Year
About Endlessness
Another Round – WINNER
Collective
Les Misérables
Minari
Documentary of the Year
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Collective – WINNER
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Time
The Truffle Hunters
The Attenborough Award for British/Irish Film of the Year
The Father
Lovers Rock
Mangrove
Rocks
Saint Maud – WINNER
Director of the Year
David Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Kevin Macdonald – The Mauritanian
Steve McQueen – Small Axe – WINNER
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland
Screenwriter of the Year
Jack Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Charlie Kaufman – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland – WINNER
Actress of the Year
Morfydd Clark – Saint Maud
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland – WINNER
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman
Actor of the Year
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – WINNER
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian
Supporting Actress of the Year
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm – WINNER
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Essie Davis – Babyteeth
Jennifer Ehle – Saint Maud
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Supporting Actor of the Year
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Aldis Hodge – Clemency
Ben Mendelsohn – Babyteeth
Shaun Parkes – Mangrove – WINNER
British/Irish Actress of the Year (for body of work)
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Misbehaviour
Morfydd Clark – Eternal Beauty, Saint Maud – WINNER
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman, The World to Come
Carey Mulligan – The Dig, Promising Young Woman
British/Irish Actor of the Year (for body of work)
Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli, Sound of Metal – WINNER
Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Trial of the Chicago 7
John Boyega – Red, White and Blue
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Cosmo Jarvis – Calm With Horses, Nocturnal
The Philip French Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker
Henry Blake – County Lines
Fyzal Boulifa – Lynn + Lucy
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Rose Glass – Saint Maud – WINNER
Remi Weekes – His House
Young British/Irish Perfomer
Kosar Ali – Rocks
Bukky Bakray – Rocks – WINNER
Millie Bobby Brown – Enola Holmes
Conrad Khan – County Lines
Molly Windsor – Make Up
British/Irish Short Film
Filipiñana – Rafael Manuel, director
Hungry Joe – Paul Holbrook, director
Lizard – Akinola Davies Jr, director
The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia, director – WINNER
The Shift – Laura Carreira, director
Technical Achievement
Ammonite – Stéphane Fontaine, cinematography
Birds of Prey – Deborah Lamia Denaver & Adruitha Lee, makeup & hair
Lovers Rock – Mica Levi, music
Mank – Donald Graham Burt, production design
Nomadland – Joshua James Richards, cinematography
Rocks – Lucy Pardee, casting – WINNER
Soul – Pete Docter, animation
Sound of Metal – Nicolas Becker, sound design
Tenet – Jennifer Lame, film editing
WolfWalkers – Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart, animation
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.
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