It’s safe to say that most of those named winners by the New York Film Critics Circle this morning will go on to get Oscar nominations. Jane Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lady Gaga, Paul Thomas Anderson, and “Flee” have to be strong contenders for the Oscars already. The one huge pleasant surprise is the Critics Circle awarding its top film of the year to the Japanese film “Drive My Car.” Already showing up on plenty of year-in-review awards in the International/Foreign Language category, it taking the spot of Best Film overall sets a precedent for the rest of the Critics Awards forthcoming.
BEST FILM
“Drive My Car”
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Sideshow / Janus Films
BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog”
Netflix
BEST ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch
“The Power of the Dog”
Directed by Jane Campion
Netflix
BEST ACTRESS
Lady Gaga
“House of Gucci”
Directed by Ridley Scott
United Artists Releasing
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kodi Smit-McPhee
“The Power of the Dog”
Netflix
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Kathryn Hunter
“The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Directed by Joel Coen
A24
BEST SCREENPLAY
“Licorice Pizza”
Paul Thomas Anderson
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“West Side Story”
Janusz Kamiński
Directed by Steven Spielberg
20th Century Studios
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Directed by Mike Rianda
Netflix
BEST NON-FICTION FILM
“Flee”
Directed by Jonas Poher Rasmussen
Neon
BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
“The Worst Person in the World”
(Norway)
Directed by Joachim Trier
Neon
BEST FIRST FILM
“The Lost Daughter”
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal
Produced by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, and Charles Dorfman
Netflix
SPECIAL AWARD
Maya Cade
for the creation of the Black Film Archive
SPECIAL AWARD
Diane Weyermann
posthumous award for supporting daring and impactful filmmaking at Sundance and Participant
SPECIAL AWARD
Marshall Fine
for his years of service as NYFCC’s General Manager and decades on the NY film scene
QUICK LIST
Best Film: “Drive My Car”
Best Director: Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actress: Lady Gaga — “House of Gucci”
Best Supporting Actor: Kodi Smit-McPhee — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Supporting Actress: Kathryn Hunter — “The Tragedy of Macbeth”
Best Screenplay: “Licorice Pizza” — Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Cinematography: “West Side Story — Janusz Kamiński
Best Animated Film: “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Best Non-Fiction Film: “Flee”
Best Foreign-Language Film: “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway)
Best First Film: “The Lost Daughter” — Maggie Gyllenhaal
Special Award: Maya Cade — Black Film Archive
Special Award: Diane Weyermann
Special Award: Marshall Fine
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE
The New York Film Critics Circle is an organization of film reviewers from New York-based publications that exists to honor excellence in U.S. and world cinema.
Founded in 1935, the Circle’s membership includes critics from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, magazines, and qualifying online general-interest publications. Every year in December the organization meets in New York to vote on awards for the previous calendar year’s films.
Among the categories: best picture, director, screenplay, actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, cinematography, animated film, and best first feature. Special standalone awards are also given to individuals and organizations that have made substantial contributions to the art of cinema, including producers, directors, actors, writers, critics, historians, film restorers, and service organizations.
The Circle’s awards are often viewed as harbingers of the Oscar nominations, which are announced each February. The Circle’s awards are also viewed, perhaps more accurately, as a principled alternative to the Oscars, honoring aesthetic merit in a forum that is immune to commercial and political pressures.
