Fresh into the New Year, the North Carolina Film Critics Association has continued the praise for Jane Campion and her film “The Power of the Dog.” Not only did she win Best Director and Adapted Screenplay and the film Best Narrative Film, Benedict Cumberbatch and Kodi Smit-McPhee both won acting awards as well. “Mass” won Best Ensemble, with Ann Dowd winning Best Supporting Actress. You’ve got to wonder if this will be the Ann Dowd redemption tour after missing her rightful Oscar nomination for her supporting role in 2012’s “Compliance.” To top things off, “Dune” raked in a majority of the technical awards.
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
“The Power of the Dog”
Directed by Jane Campion
Produced by Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, and Tanya Seghatchian
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Drive My Car” (Janus Films) |
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| “Pig” (Neon) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| “The Worst Person in the World” (Neon) |
BEST DIRECTOR
Jane Campion
“The Power of the Dog”
Produced by Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Jane Campion, and Tanya Seghatchian
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Paul Thomas Anderson — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| David Lowery — “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| Steven Spielberg — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Denis Villeneuve — “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST ACTOR
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) |
BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain
“The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Directed by Michael Showalter
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| Olivia Colman — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| Alana Haim — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| Renate Reinsve — “The Worst Person in the World” (Neon) |
| Kristen Stewart — “Spencer” (Neon) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Kodi Smit-McPhee
“The Power of the Dog”
Directed by Jane Campion
Netflix
NOMINEES
| Jason Isaacs — “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| Woody Norman — “C’mon C’mon” (A24) |
| Alex Wolff — “Pig” (Neon) |
| Jeffrey Wright — “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Ann Dowd
“Mass”
Directed by Fran Kranz
Bleecker Street
NOMINEES
| Ariana DeBose — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Kirsten Dunst — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Aunjanue Ellis — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| Ruth Negga — “Passing” (Netflix) |
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“Drive My Car”
(Japan)
Directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Janus Films
NOMINEES
| “A Hero” (Iran) (Amazon Studios) |
| “Riders of Justice” (Denmark) (Magnolia Pictures) |
| “Titane” (France) (Neon) |
| “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway) (Neon) |
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Summer of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Flee” (Neon) |
| “The Sparks Brothers” (Focus Features) |
| “Val” (Amazon Studios) |
| “The Velvet Underground” (Apple Original Films) |
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“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 VOCAL PERFORMANCE IN ANIMATION OR MIXED MEDIA
Stephanie Beatriz
“Encanto”
Directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| Abbi Jacobson — “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix) |
| Danny McBride — “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix) |
| Jacob Tremblay — “Luca” (Pixar Animation) |
| Kelly Marie Tran — “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| Stephanie Beatriz — “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
“Mass”
Cast: Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton
Bleecker Street
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The French Dispatch” (Netflix) |
| “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Licorice Pizza”
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| “C’mon C’mon” — Mike Mills (A24) |
| “The French Dispatch” — Wes Anderson (Netflix) |
| “Mass” — Fran Kranz (Bleecker Street) |
| “Pig” — Michael Sarnoski (Neon) |
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“The Power of the Dog”
Written by Jane Campion
Based on “The Power of the Dog” by Thomas Savage
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Drive My Car” — Ryusuke Hamaguchi & Takamasa Oe (Janus Films) |
| “Dune” — Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, & Eric Roth (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” — David Lowery (A24) |
| “Passing” — Rebecca Hall (Netflix) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Jane Campion (Netflix) |
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“The Power of the Dog”
Cinematography by Ari Wegner
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Dune” — Greig Fraser (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Dan Laustsen (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Ari Wegner (Netflix) |
| “The Tragedy of Macbeth” — Bruno Delbonnel (A24) |
| “West Side Story” — Janusz Kamiński (20th Century Studios) |
BEST EDITING
“The French Dispatch”
Edited by Andrew Weisblum
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Dune” — Joe Walker (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Last Duel” — Claire Simpson (20th Century Studios) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Peter Sciberras (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” — Michael Kahn & Sarah Broshar (20th Century Studios) |
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
“Dune”
Special Effects by Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor, and Gerd Nefzer
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “The Matrix Resurrections” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
| “The Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST STUNT COORDINATION
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Stunt Coordinator by Andy Cheng, Peng Zhang, Bradley James Allan, Christopher Clark Cowan,
Mark Ginther, Guillermo Grispo, Isaac Hamon, Lu Junchang, Yasca Sinigaglia, Kyle Woods
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Black Widow” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “The Matrix Resurrections” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “No Time To Die” (MGM) |
| “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“Dune”
Costume Design by Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Cruella” — Jenny Beavan (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Last Night in Soho” — Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Focus Features) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Luis Sequeira (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “Spencer” — Jacqueline Durran (Neon) |
BEST HAIR & MAKE-UP
“Cruella”
Hair and Makeup by Nadia Stacey and Carolyn Cousins
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Neon) |
| “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
“Dune”
Production Design by Patrice Vermette, Richard Roberts, and Zuzsanna Sipos
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
BEST SCORE
“Dune”
Composed by Hans Zimmer
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Don’t Look Up” — Nicholas Britell (Netflix) |
| “No Time To Die” — Hans Zimmer (MGM) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Jonny Greenwood (Netflix) |
| “Spencer” — Jonny Greenwood (Neon) |
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“No Time To Die”
from “No Time To Die”
Music and Lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| “So May We Start” from “Annette” (Amazon Studios) |
| “Every Letter” from “Cyrano” (United Artists) |
| “Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix) |
| “Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall” (Netflix) |
BEST SOUND DESIGN
“Dune”
Sound Design by Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill, and Ron Bartlett
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “No Time To Die” (MGM) |
| “tick, tick… BOOM!” (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
BEST DIRECTORIAL DEBUT
Michael Sarnoski
“Pig”
Produced by Vanessa Block, Dimitra Tsingou, Joseph Restaino, Nicolas Cage, Steve Tisch,
David Carrico, Adam Paulsen, Thomas Benski, Ben Giladi, and Dori Rath
Neon
NOMINEES
| Fran Kranz — “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| Lin-Manuel Miranda — “tick, tick… BOOM!” (Netflix) |
| Maggie Gyllenhaal — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| Rebecca Hall — “Passing” (Netflix) |
BEST BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Alana Haim
“Licorice Pizza”
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| Cooper Hoffman — “Licorice Pizza” (MGM) |
| Emilia Jones — “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| Woody Norman — “C’mon C’mon” (A24) |
| Rachel Zegler — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
Jonathan Majors
“The Harder They Fall” & “Loki”
Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Netflix / Disney+
NOMINEES
| Anthony Mackie (“Falcon and the Winter Soldier” | “Synchronic” | “Outside the Wire” | “The Woman in the Window”) Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
| Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story” | “Schmigadoon”) From Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Brian Tyree Henry (“Eternals” | “The Woman in the Window” | “Godzilla vs. Kong”) From Fayetteville, North Carolina |
| Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Dune” | “Bruised”) Studied at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts |
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR SCREENWRITING
The Coen Brothers
“Raising Arizona,” “Barton Fink,” “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski,” “O Brother, Where Are Thou?,” & “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
QUICK LIST
Best Narrative Film: “The Power of the Dog”
Best Director: Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actor: Benedict Cumberbatch — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actress: Jessica Chastain — “The Eyes of Tammy Faye”
Best Supporting Actor: Kodi Smit-McPhee — “The Power of the Dog”
Best Supporting Actress: Ann Dowd — “Mass”
Best Documentary: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Best Animated Feature: “The Mitchells vs. The Machines”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Drive My Car” (Japan)
Best Vocal Performance in Animation or Mixed Media: Stephanie Beatriz — “Encanto”
Best Acting Ensemble: “Mass”
Best Original Screenplay: “Licorice Pizza” — Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Adapted Screenplay: “The Power of the Dog” — Jane Campion
Best Cinematography: “The Power of the Dog” — Ari Wegner
Best Editing: “The French Dispatch” — Andrew Weisblum
Best Special Effects: “Dune”
Best Stunt Coordination: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Best Costume Design: “Dune” — Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan
Best Hair & Makeup: “Cruella”
Best Production Design: “Dune”
Best Score: “Dune” — Hans Zimmer
Best Original Song: “No Time To Die” from “No Time To Die”
Best Sound Design: “Dune”
Best Directorial Debut: Michael Sarnoski — “Pig”
Best Breakthrough Performance: Alana Haim — “Licorice Pizza”
Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award: Jonathan Majors — “The Harder They Fall” & “Loki”
North Carolina Film Critics Association
The NCFCA was formed by Kenneth R. Morefield in 2012 to promote film journalism in North Carolina. They are comprised of film journalists who either live in North Carolina or write for outlets that serve readers in this state. The NCFCA votes annually on awards for achievements in film. We also recognize the favorites of participating critics at certain film festivals.
