In a departure from the consensus, the Portland Critics Association named “The Green Knight” the Best Picture of the year. Despite most awards going to “The Power of the Dog,” “Dune,” and “The French Dispatch,” David Lowery’s medieval tale took the top prize.
Best Picture
“The Green Knight”
Directed by David Lowery
Produced by Toby Halbrooks, James M. Johnston, David Lowery, Tim Headington, and Theresa Steele Page
A24
NOMINEES
| “The Last Duel” (20th Century Studios) |
| “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
| “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
Best Director
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog”
Produced by Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, and Tanya Seghatchian
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Maggie Gyllenhaal — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| David Lowery — “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| Guillermo del Toro — “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| Denis Villeneuve — “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| Edgar Wright — “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
Best Male Leading Role
Benedict Cumberbatch
“The Power of the Dog”
Directed by Jane Campion
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Nicolas Cage — “Pig” (Neon) |
| Andrew Garfield — “tick tick… BOOM!” (Netflix) |
| Dev Patel — “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| Will Smith — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| Denzel Washington — “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24) |
Best Female Leading Role
Kristen Stewart
“Spencer”
Directed by Pablo Larraín
Neon
NOMINEES
| Jessica Chastain — “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| Lady Gaga — “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| Alana Haim — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| Renate Reinsve — “The Worst Person in the World” (Neon) |
| Tessa Thompson — “Passing” (Netflix) |
Best Male Supporting Role
Jeffrey Wright
“The French Dispatch”
Directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, and Charles Dorfman
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| Bradley Cooper — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| Mike Faist — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Jared Leto — “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| Kodi Smit-McPhee — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
Best Female Supporting Role
Ariana DeBose
“West Side Story”
Directed by Steven Spielberg
20th Century Studios
NOMINEES
| Cate Blanchett — “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| Jessie Buckley — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| Kirsten Dunst — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Ruth Negga — “Passing” (Netflix) |
Best Ensemble Cast
“The French Dispatch”
Cast: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Christoph Waltz, Henry Winkler, Edward Norton, Liev Schreiber, Willem Dafoe, Saoirse Ronan, Elisabeth Moss, Jason Schwartzman, Fisher Stevens, and Stephen Park
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix) |
| “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
Best Animated Feature
“The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
Directed by Michael Rianda
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “Luca” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
Best Documentary Feature
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” (Apple Original Films) |
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “Kurt Vonnegut: Unstuck in Time” (IFC Films) |
| “The Sparks Brothers” (Focus Features) |
| “The Velvet Underground” (Apple Original Films) |
Best Film Not in the English Language
“The Worst Person in the World”
Directed by Joachim Trier
Neon
NOMINEES
| “Drive My Car” (Janus Films) |
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “Lamb” (A24) |
| “Petite Maman” (Canal+) |
| “Titane” (Neon) |
Best Comedy Feature
“The French Dispatch”
Directed by Wes Anderson
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar” (Lionsgate) |
| “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix) |
| “Shiva Baby” (Utopia) |
Best Horror Feature
“Titane”
Directed by Julia Ducournau
Neon
NOMINEES
| “Candyman” (Universal) |
| “Fear Street Part One: 1994” (Netflix) |
| “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
| “Malignant” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Night House” (Searchlight Pictures) |
Best Science Fiction Feature
“Dune“
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Eternals” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Godziłla vs Kong” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Oxygen” (Netflix) |
| “The Tomorrow War” (Amazon Studios) |
Best Oregon Feature
“Pig”
Directed by Michael Sarnoski
Neon
NOMINEES
| “Everything in the End” (Hello Charles Productions) |
| “Lorelei” (Vertical Entertainment) |
| “Luz” (Lake Productions) |
Best Screenplay
“The Power of the Dog”
Written by Jane Campion
Based on “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “The French Dispatch” — Wes Anderson (A24) |
| “The Green Knight” — David Lowery (A24) |
| “Licorice Pizza” — Paul Thomas Anderson (Neon) |
| “The Lost Daughter” — Maggie Gyllenhaal (Netflix) |
Best Cinematography
“Dune“
Cinematography by Greig Fraser
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “The Green Knight” — Andrew Droz Palermo (A24) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Dan Laustsen (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Ari Wegner (Netflix) |
| “The Tragedy of Macbeth” — Bruno Delbonnel (A24) |
Best Original Score
“Dune“
Composed by Hans Zimmer
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
| “No Time to Die” (MGM) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| “Spencer” (Neon) |
Best Costume Design
“Dune“
Costume Design by Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| “The Last Duel” (20th Century Studios) |
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “Spencer” (Neon) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
Best Production Design
“Dune“
Production Design by Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsi Sipos
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Tragedy of Macbeth” (A24) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
Best Sound Design
“Dune“
Sound Design by Mark Mangini
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| “tick tick… BOOM!” (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
Best Visual Effects
“Dune”
Visual Effects by Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Eternals” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Godzilla vs Kong” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “No Time to Die” (MGM) |
Best Stunts or Action Choreography
“No Time to Die”
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix) |
| “The Last Duel” (20th Century Studios) |
| “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
Top 10 Films of 2021
1. “The Green Knight”
(A24)
2. “The Power of the Dog”
(Netflix)
3. “Dune”
(Warner Bros Pictures)
4. “The French Dispatch”
(Searchlight Pictures)
5. “West Side Story”
(20th Century Studios)
6. “Last Night in Soho”
(Focus Features)
7. “Licorice Pizza”
(MGM)
8. “The Worst Person in the World”
(Neon)
9. “The Lost Daughter”
(Netflix)
10. “The Last Duel“
(20th Century Studios)
QUICK LIST
Best Picture: “The Green Knight”
Best Director: Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Male Leading Role: Benedict Cumberbatch — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Female Leading Role: Kristen Stewart — “Spencer”
Best Male Supporting Role: Jeffrey Wright — “The French Dispatch”
Best Female Supporting Role: Ariana DeBose — “West Side Story”
Best Ensemble Cast: “The French Dispatch”
Best Animated Feature: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
Best Documentary Feature: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Best Film Not in the English Language: “The Worst Person in the World”
Best Comedy Feature: “The French Dispatch”
Best Horror Feature: “Titane”
Best Science Fiction Feature: “Dune”
Best Oregon Feature: “Pig”
Best Screenplay: “The Power of the Dog” — Jane Campion
Best Cinematography: “Dune” — Greig Fraser
Best Original Score: “Dune” — Hans Zimmer
Best Costume Design: “Dune”
Best Production Design: “Dune”
Best Sound Design: “Dune”
Best Visual Effects: “Dune”
Best Stunts or Action Choreography: “No Time to Die”
Portland Critics Association
The Portland Critics Association is founded as a group of writers, reviewers, broadcasters and cinema historians, dedicated to amplifying public awareness and appreciation of the cinematic arts.
Established in 2021, our objective is to support and promote the local film community, encourage the progression and preservation of films, and recognize extraordinary achievements in filmmaking — local, national and global — through the administration of our annual awards.
