National Society of Film Critics give ‘Nomadland’ Best Pic; Raci and Bakalova continue awards run

The National Society of Film Critics’ 55th annual awards have named Nomadland the best picture of 2020. The top three films (First Cow and Never Rarely Sometimes Always) were all directed by women, a first for the NSFC.

Nomadland was also best director for Chloé Zhao, best actress for Frances McDormand and best cinematography for Joshua James Richards. Zhao’s The Rider won best picture in 2018 while she placed 3rd in best director.

Outside of that mini-sweep, the NSFC really shared the wealth as no other film won more than one award. Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) continued to storm the supporting categories, while Delroy Lindo (Da 5 Bloods) clinched another best actor win. Never Rarely Sometimes Always, which was a runner-up in best picture and best actress (Sidney Flanigan) won the group’s screenplay prize for Eliza Hittman.

Voting is conducted via a weighted ballot system. On the first ballot, members vote for their top three choices (first choice = 3 points, second choice = 2 points, third choice = 1 point). The nominee that receives the most points and appears on a majority of ballots wins. If no winner is declared on the first ballot, the category goes to a second ballot, this time without the proxies. Voting continues with as many rounds as needed until a nominee receives the most points and appears on a majority of ballots. The National Society of Film Critics used a traditional calendar year eligibility so any film that did not receive a 2020 release was not eligible for a nomination.

The Film Heritage Award went to: Women Make Movies, which, since the 1970s, has been releasing daring and distinctive female-directed movies that more conventional distributors wouldn’t touch; Film Comment, founded in 1962 and currently on hiatus, has long been the most substantial and wide-ranging American film magazine, and The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA. Among America’s premier repertory houses, showing arthouse movies steadily since 1953, and holding strong in continuing the time-honored tradition of daily double features.

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

Best Picture: Nomadland (52 points)

Runners-up: First Cow (50 points); Never Rarely Sometimes Always (41 points)

Best Director: Chloé Zhao, Nomadland (58 points)

Runners-up: Steve McQueen, Small Axe (41 points); Kelly Reichardt, First Cow (30 points)

Best Actor: Delroy Lindo, Da 5 Bloods (52 points)

Runners-up: Chadwick Boseman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (47 points); Riz Ahmed, Sound of Metal (32 points)

Best Actress: Frances McDormand, Nomadland (46 points)

Runners-up: Viola Davis, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (33 points); Sidney Flanigan, Never Rarely Sometimes Always (29 points)

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Raci, Sound of Metal (53 points)

Runners-up: Glynn Turman, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (36 points); Chadwick Boseman, Da 5 Bloods (35 points)

Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (47 points)

Runners-up: Amanda Seyfried, Mank (40 points); Youn Yuh-jung, Minari (33 points)

Best Screenplay: Eliza Hittman, Never Rarely Sometimes Always (38 points)

Runners-up: Jon Raymond and Kelly Reichardt, First Cow (35 points); Charlie Kaufman, I’m Thinking of Ending Things (29 points)

Best Cinematography: Joshua James Richards, Nomadland (47 points)

Runners-up: Shabier Kirchner, Lovers Rock (41 points); Leonardo Simões, Vitalina Varela (34 points)

Best Foreign-Language Film: Collective (38 points)

Runners-up: Bacurau and Beanpole (36 points) Vitalina Varela (32 points)

Best Nonfiction Film: Time (46 points)

Runners-up: City Hall (28 points) Collective (22 points)

FILM HERITAGE AWARD

• Women Make Movies, which, since the 1970s, has been releasing daring and distinctive female-directed movies that more conventional distributors wouldn’t touch.
• Film Comment, founded in 1962 and currently on hiatus, has long been the most substantial and wide-ranging American film magazine.
• The Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, MA. Among America’s premier repertory houses, showing arthouse movies steadily since 1953, and holding strong in continuing the time-honored tradition of daily double features.

Founded in l966, the National Society of Film Critics differs from other critical associations in a number of significant ways. Its members, which are voted on by election, include critics from major papers in Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Denver. Its members also include the critics not just of The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, and The New Yorker, but also of The Village Voice, The Boston Herald, and prominent online sites.

Nomadland image courtesy of Searchlight Pictures