Chalk another one up for “Parasite,” this time winning the Best Independent Film from the Chicago Indie Critics. It also won Best Supporting Actor, tied for Best Director, and Best Foreign Language Film. Winning the Best Studio Film was “Knives Out,” which also won Best Ensemble Cast and Best Original Screenplay.
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
(budgets under $20 million)
“Parasite”
NOMINEES
- “Booksmart”
- “The Farewell”
- “Jojo Rabbit”
- “Marriage Story”
BEST STUDIO FILM
(budgets over $20 million)
“Knives Out”
NOMINEES
- “1917”
- “The Irishman”
- “Little Women”
- “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
BEST DIRECTOR
(TIE)
Greta Gerwig
“Little Women”
&
Bong Joon-Ho
“Parasite”
NOMINEES
- Sam Mendes — “1917”
- Céline Sciamma — “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
- Lulu Wang — “The Farewell”
BEST ACTOR
Adam Driver
“Marriage Story”
NOMINEES
- Antonio Banderas — “Pain And Glory”
- Eddie Murphy — “Dolemite Is My Name”
- Joaquin Phoenix — “Joker”
- Adam Sandler — “Uncut Gems”
BEST ACTRESS
Lupita Nyong’o
“Us”
NOMINEES
- Awkwafina — “The Farewell”
- Scarlett Johansson — “Marriage Story”
- Elisabeth Moss — “Her Smell”
- Florence Pugh — “Midsommar”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Song Kang-ho
“Parasite”
NOMINEES
- Tom Hanks — “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
- Al Pacino — “The Irishman”
- Joe Pesci — “The Irishman”
- Brad Pitt — “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Zhao Shuzhen
“The Farewell”
NOMINEES
- Laura Dern — “Marriage Story”
- Jennifer Lopez — “Hustlers”
- Florence Pugh — “Little Women”
- Octavia Spencer — “Luce”
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Parasite”
NOMINEES
- “Birds of Passage”
- “Monos”
- “Pain And Glory”
- “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Apollo 11”
NOMINEES
- “Hail, Satan?”
- “Honeyland”
- “The Kingmaker”
- “One Child Nation”
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Knives Out”
Rian Johnson
NOMINEES
- “The Farewell” — Lulu Wang
- “Marriage Story” — Noam Baumbach
- “Parasite” — Bong Joon-Ho and Jin Won-Han
- “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” — Céline Sciamma
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“Little Women”
Greta Gerwig
NOMINEES
- “The Irishman” — Steve Zaillian
- “Jojo Rabbit” — Taika Waititi
- “Luce” — J.C. Lee and Julius Onah
- “The Two Popes” — Anthony McCarten
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“I Lost My Body”
NOMINEES
- “How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
- “The LEGO Movie Part 2: The Second Part”
- “Missing Link”
- “Toy Story 4”
BEST ENSEMBLE
“Knives Out”
NOMINEES
- “Avengers: Endgame”
- “The Irishman”
- “Little Women”
- “Marriage Story”
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“1917”
Roger Deakins
NOMINEES
- “Ad Astra” — Hoyte Van Hoytema
- “Ford v Ferrari” — Phedon Papamichael
- “The Lighthouse” — Jarin Blaschke
- “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” — Robert Richardson
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Knives Out”
NOMINEES
- “1917”
- “Ad Astra”
- “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood”
- “Parasite”
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Dolemite Is My Name”
Ruth E. Carter
NOMINEES
- “Knives Out” — Jenny Eagan
- “Little Women” — Jacqueline Durran
- “Midsommar”- Andrea Flesch
- “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” — Arianne Phillips
BEST MAKEUP
“Bombshell”
NOMINEES
- “Dolemite Is My Name”
- “The Irishman”
- “Joker”
- “Us”
BEST EDITING
“1917”
Lee Smith
NOMINEES
- “Ford v Ferrari” — Andrew Buckland, Michael McCusker, & Dirk Westervelt
- “Knives Out” — Bob Ducsay
- “Little Women” — Nick Houy
- “Parasite” — Jinmo Yang
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
“Us”
Michael Abels
NOMINEES
- “1917” — Thomas Newman
- “Avengers: Endgame” — Alan Silvestri
- “Little Women” — Alexandre Desplat
- “Marriage Story” — Randy Newman
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“I Punched Keanu Reeves” from “Always Be My Maybe”
Performed by Randall Park
NOMINEES
- “Catchy Song” from “The LEGO Movie Part 2: The Second Part ” — (performed by Dillion Francis featuring T-Pain and That Girl Lay Lay)
- “Glasgow (No Place Like Home)” from “Wild Rose” — (performed by Jessie Buckley)
- “Not Evil” from “The LEGO Movie Part 2: The Second Part ” — (performed by Tiffany Haddish
- “Speechless” from “Aladdin” — (performed by Naomi Scott)
- “Stand Up” from “Harriet” — (performed by Cynthia Erivo)
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“1917”
NOMINEES
- “Ad Astra”
- “Avengers: Endgame”
- “The Irishman”
- “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
(Honors the work of an artist who pushes the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content)
Greta Gerwig
NOMINEES
- Rian Johnson
- Sam Mendes
- Martin Scorsese
- Lena Waithe
- Taika Waititi
IMPACT AWARD
(Given to a person whose work has had a positive impact on society)
Lulu Wang
NOMINEES
- Pedro Almodovar
- Bong Joon-Ho
- Martin Scorsese
- Milos Stehlik
QUICK LIST
Best Independent Film: “Parasite”
Best Studio Film: “Knives Out”
Best Director (TIE): Greta Gerwig — “Little Women” & Bong Joon-Ho — “Parasite”
Best Actor: Adam Driver — “Marriage Story”
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o — “Us”
Best Supporting Actor: Song Kang-ho — “Parasite”
Best Supporting Actress: Zhao Shuzhen — “The Farewell”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Parasite”
Best Documentary: “Apollo 11”
Best Original Screenplay: “Knives Out” — Rian Johnson
Best Adapted Screenplay: “Little Women” — Greta Gerwig
Best Animated Film: “I Lost My Body”
Best Ensemble Cast: “Knives Out”
Best Cinematography: “1917” — Roger Deakins
Best Production Design: “Knives Out”
Best Costume Design: “Dolemite Is My Name” — Ruth E. Carter
Best Makeup: “Bombshell”
Best Editing: “1917” — Lee Smith
Best Musical Score: “Us” — Michael Abels
Best Original Song: “I Punched Keanu Reeves” from “Always Be My Maybe”
Best Visual Effects: “1917”
Trailblazer Award: Greta Gerwig
Impact Award: Lulu Wang
Chicago Indie Critics
Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) is a creative and engaging non-for-profit organization composed of unique, dedicated, and diversified film critics. Our members are wide-ranging in experiences, backgrounds, tastes, diversities, and target audiences across both print and online platforms and publications. We have organized to share our personal assessments, commentaries, passions, and creativity in the vigilant effort to highlight the greatness and diversity found in both independent and mainstream films. While we originate in the Chicagoland area, the efforts of Chicago Indie Critics are to share, celebrate, and promote the rich artistic medium of film to audiences, fans, and eager minds across the nation and world as an exemplary and upstanding pillar of intelligent print and broadcast journalism.
