The Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association picked “Belfast” as the Best Film of 2021, but overall, they spread the love. Not only did “Belfast” win Best Film, it also won Best Original Screenplay. “The Power of the Dog” won Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Adapted Screenplay while “tick, tick… Boom!” won Best Actor and Best Editing. Winning three technical awards was “Dune,” with Score, Cinematography, and Production Design, a precursor to where it should likely land with nominations at the Oscars.
BEST FILM
“Belfast”
Produced by Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, and Tamar Thomas
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| “tick, tick…BOOM!” (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog”
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Kenneth Branagh — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| David Lowery — “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| Steven Spielberg — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Denis Villeneuve — “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST ACTOR
Andrew Garfield
“tick, tick…BOOM!”
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Nicolas Cage — “Pig” (Neon) |
| Benedict Cumberbatch — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Will Smith — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| Denzel Washington — “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24) |
BEST ACTRESS
Kristen Stewart
“Spencer”
Neon
NOMINEES
| Olivia Colman — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| Nicole Kidman — “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios) |
| Lady Gaga — “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| Tessa Thompson — “Passing” (Netflix) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kodi Smit-McPhee
“The Power of the Dog”
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Jamie Dornan — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Ciarán Hinds — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Troy Kotsur — “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| Jesse Plemons — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Aunjanue Ellis
“King Richard”
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| Caitríona Balfe — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Ariana DeBose — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Ann Dowd — “Mass” (Bleeker Street) |
| Kirsten Dunst — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“Mass”
Cast: Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton
Bleeker Street
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST YOUTH PERFORMANCE
Woody Norman
“C’mon, C’mon”
A24
NOMINEES
| Jude Hill — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Emilia Jones — “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| Saniyya Sidney — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| Rachel Zegler — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
BEST VOICE PERFORMANCE
Awkwafina
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| Stephanie Beatriz — “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| Abbi Jacobson — “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” (Netflix) |
| Kelly Marie Tran — “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| Jacob Tremblay — “Luca” (Pixar Animation) |
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Belfast”
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “C’mon, C’mon” — Mike Mills (A24) |
| “King Richard” — Zach Baylin (Warner Bros Pictures) |
| “Licorice Pizza” — Paul Thomas Anderson (MGM) |
| “Mass” — Fran Kranz (Bleeker Street) |
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Power of the Dog”
Written by Jane Campion
Based on “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “CODA” — Siân Heder (Apple Original Films) |
| “Dune” — Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth (Warner Bros Pictures) |
| “tick, tick…BOOM!” — Steven Levenson (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story”— Tony Kushner (20th Century Studios) |
Best Animated Feature
“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Directed by Mike Rianda
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “Luca” (Pixar Animation) |
| “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “The First Wave” (National Geographic) |
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “The Rescue” (Greenwich Entertainment) |
| “Val” (Amazon Studios) |
Best International/Foreign Language Film
“Drive My Car”
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Sideshow / Janus Films
NOMINEES
| “A Hero” (Amazon Studios) |
| “Lamb” (A24) |
| “Titane” (Neon) |
| “The Worst Person in the World” (Neon) |
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Dune”
Production Design by Patrice Vermette
Set Decorating by Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” — Jim Clay, Production Designer; Claire Nia Richards, Set Decorator (Focus Features) |
| “The French Dispatch” — Adam Stockhausen, Production Designer; Rena DeAngelo, Set Decorator (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Tamara Deverell, Production Designer; Shane Vieau, Set Decorator (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “West Side Story” — Adam Stockhausen, Production Designer; Rena DeAngelo, Set Decorator (20th Century Studios) |
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Dune”
Cinematography by Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” — Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC (Focus Features) |
| “The Green Knight” — Andrew Droz Palermo (A24) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Ari Wegner, ACS (Netflix) |
| “The Tragedy of Macbeth” — Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC (A24) |
BEST EDITING
“tick, tick…BOOM!”
Edited by Myron Kerstein, ACE and Andrew Weisblum, ACE
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” — Úna Ní Dhonghaíle, ACE, BFE (Focus Features) |
| “Dune” — Joe Walker, ACE (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The French Dispatch” — Andrew Weisblum, ACE (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Peter Sciberras (Netflix) |
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“Dune”
Composed by Hans Zimmer
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Cyrano” — Bryce Dessner & Aaron Dessner (United Artists Releasing) |
| “The French Dispatch” — Alexandre Desplat (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Jonny Greenwood (Netflix) |
| “Spencer” — Jonny Greenwood (Neon) |
QUICK LIST
Best Film: “Belfast”
Best Director: Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actor: Andrew Garfield — “tick, tick…BOOM!”
Best Actress: Kristen Stewart — “Spencer”
Best Supporting Actor: Kodi Smit-McPhee — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis — “King Richard”
Best Acting Ensemble: “Mass”
Best Youth Performance: Woody Norman — “C’mon, C’mon”
Best Voice Performance: Awkwafina — “Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Original Screenplay: “Belfast” — Kenneth Branagh
Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Power of the Dog” — Jane Campion
Best Animated Feature: “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”
Best Documentary: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Drive My Car”
Best Production Design: “Dune” — Patrice Vermette, Production Designer; Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos, Set Decorators
Best Cinematography: “Dune” — Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS
Best Editing: “tick, tick…BOOM!” — Myron Kerstein, ACE; Andrew Weisblum, ACE
Best Original Score: “Dune” — Hans Zimmer
WASHINGTON D.C. AREA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
Founded in 2002, The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA) comprises professional DC-based film critics with affiliations in television, radio, print and the internet. As of 2019, WAFCA has grown to include over 60 dedicated members from the District, Maryland and Virginia.
