'The Irishman,' Safdie Brothers, Zhao Shuzhen are San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) winners

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood led the San Diego Film Critics Society’s nominations but it was The Irishman who came out on top, winning the group’s Best Picture award. It’s only other win was in Supporting Actor where Joe Pesci tied with OUATIH’s Brad Pitt.

Best Actor produced another tie, between Marriage Story’s Adam Driver and Joker’s Joaquin Phoenix. Lupita Nyong’o (Us) won another Best Actress prize and The Farewell’s Zhao Shuzhen won her first for Supporting Actress. The Safdie Brothers, Josh and Benny, were named Best Director(s) for Uncut Gems.

Here is the complete list of winners and runners-up of the San Diego Film Critics Society for 2019.

Best Picture
Winner: THE IRISHMAN
Runner Up: MARRIAGE STORY

Best Director
Winner: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, UNCUT GEMS
Runner Up: Noah Baumbach, MARRIAGE STORY

Best Actor
Tie: Adam Driver, MARRIAGE STORY, Joaquin Phoenix, JOKER

Best Actress
Winner: Lupita Nyong’o, US
Runner Up: Renée Zellweger, JUDY

Best Supporting Actor
Tie: Joe Pesci, THE IRISHMAN, Brad Pitt, ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Zhao Shuzhen, THE FAREWELL
Runner Up: Laura Dern, MARRIAGE STORY

Best Comedic Performance
Winner: Wesley Snipes, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
Runner Up: Taika Waititi, JOJO RABBIT

Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Noah Baumbach, MARRIAGE STORY
Runner Up: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, UNCUT GEMS

Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: J.C. Lee, Julius Onah, LUCE
Runner Up: Steven Zaillian, THE IRISHMAN

Best Documentary
Runner Up: LOVE, ANTOSHA
Winner: ONE CHILD NATION

Best Animated Film
Winner: I LOST MY BODY
Runner Up: TOY STORY 4

Best Foreign-language Film
Winner: PARASITE
Runner Up: TRANSIT

Best Costume Design
Winner: Ruth E. Carter, DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
Runner Up: Anna Robbins, DOWNTON ABBEY

Best Editing
Winner: Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker & Dirk Westervelt, FORD V FERRARI
Runner Up: Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein, UNCUT GEMS

Best Cinematography
Winner: Jarin Blaschke, THE LIGHTHOUSE
Runner Up: Roger Deakins, 1917

Best Production Design
Winner: Dennis Gassner, 1917
Runner Up: Jess Gonchor, LITTLE WOMEN

Best Visual Effects
Winner: AD ASTRA
Runner Up: 1917

Best Use of Music
Winner: ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
Runner Up: JOJO RABBIT

Best Ensemble
Winner: KNIVES OUT
Runner Up: THE IRISHMAN

Breakthrough Artist
Winner: Florence Pugh, LITTLE WOMEN, MIDSOMMAR
Runner Up: Kelvin Harrison Jr., LUCE, WAVES

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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.

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