The Hawaii Film Critics Society stepped outside the box and named “Last Night in Soho” the Best Picture of the Year. The film also won Best Editing, Sound, and Horror Film. “CODA” won big as well, winning Best Overlooked Film, Adapted Screenplay, and both Supporting Actor and Actress. Guillermo del Toro was also named Best Director for his work on “Nightmare Alley.”
BEST PICTURE
“Last Night in Soho”
Directed by Edgar Wright
Produced by Nira Park, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, and Edgar Wright
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST DIRECTOR
Guillermo del Toro
“Nightmare Alley”
Directed by J. Miles Dale, Guillermo del Toro, and Bradley Cooper
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| Kenneth Branagh — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Jane Campion — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Destin Daniel Cretton — “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| Sian Heder — “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage
“Pig”
Directed by Michael Sarnoski
Neon
NOMINEES
| Benedict Cumberbatch — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Peter Dinklage — “Cyrano” (United Artists) |
| Andrew Garfield — “Tick, Tick, Boom!” (Netflix) |
| Will Smith — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST ACTRESS
Kristen Stewart
“Spencer”
Directed by Pablo Larraín
Neon
NOMINEES
| Jessica Chastain — “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| Emilia Jones — “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| Nicole Kidman — “Being the Ricardos” (Amazon Studios) |
| Thomasin McKenzie — “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Troy Kotsur
“CODA”
Directed by Sian Heder
Apple Original Films
NOMINEES
| Jamie Dornan — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Ciaran Hinds — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Jared Leto — “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
| Kodhi Smit- McPhee — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Marlee Matlin
“CODA”
Directed by Sian Heder
Apple Original Films
NOMINEES
| Caitriona Balfe — “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| Ariana DeBose — “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios) |
| Kirsten Dunst — “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
| Aunjanue Ellis — “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“Belfast”
Written by Kenneth Branagh
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “Don’t Look Up” — Adam McKay (Netflix) |
| “King Richard” — Zach Baylin (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Last Night in Soho” — Edgar Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns (Focus Features) |
| “Pig” — Michael Sarnoski (Neon) |
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“CODA”
Written by Sian Heder
Based on “La Famille Belier” by Victoria Bedos, Thomas Bidegain, Stanislas Carré de Malberg, and Éric Lartigau
Apple Original Films
NOMINEES
| “Dune” — Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Guillermo del Toro and Kim Morgan (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Jane Campion (Netflix) |
| “The Tragedy of Macbeth” — Joel Coen (A24) |
BEST ART DIRECTION
“Dune”
Art Direction by Patrice Vermette
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| “The Green Knight” (A24) |
| “Nightmare Alley” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix) |
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
“House of Gucci”
Costume Design by Janty Yates
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| “Dune” — Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Last Night in Soho” — Odile Dicks-Mireaux (Focus Features) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Luis Sequeira (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “West Side Story” — Paul Tazewell (20th Century Studios) |
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Dune”
Cinematography by Greig Fraser
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” — Haris Zambarloukos (Focus Features) |
| “Last Night in Soho” — Chung-hoon Chung (Netflix) |
| “Nightmare Alley” — Dan Laustsen (Neon) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Ari Wegner (Netflix) |
BEST EDITING
“Last Night in Soho”
Edited by Paul Machliss
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “Belfast” — Úna Ní Dhonghaíle (Focus Features) |
| “Dune” — Joe Walker (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Peter Sciberras (Netflix) |
| “West Side Story” — Michael Kahn & Sarah Broshar (20th Century Studios) |
BEST ANIMATED FILM
“The Mitchells vs The Machines”
Directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Luca” (Pixar Animation) |
| “Raya and the Last Dragon” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Sing 2” (Illumination) |
BEST DOCUMENTARY
“Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Searchlight Pictures
NOMINEES
| “9/11: Inside the President’s War Room” (Apple Original Films) |
| “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry” (Neon) |
| “The First Wave” (National Geographic) |
| “Val” (Amazon Studios) |
BEST MAKEUP
“Cruella”
Makeup by Nadia Stacey and Carolyn Cousins
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Cyrano” (United Artists) |
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “House of Gucci” (MGM) |
BEST SOUND
“Last Night in Soho”
Sound Design by Julian Slater, Dan Morgan, Colin Nicolson, and Tim Cavagin
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount Pictures) |
| “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
“The Harder They Fall”
Composed by Jeymes Samuel
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Don’t Look Up” — Nicholas Britell (Netflix) |
| “Dune” — Hans Zimmer (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Encanto” — Germaine Franco (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “The Power of the Dog” — Jonny Greenwood (Netflix) |
BEST SONG
“No Time to Die”
from “No Time to Die”
Music and Lyrics by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
NOMINEES
| “Down to Joy” from “Belfast” (Focus Features) |
| “Beyond the Shore” from “CODA” (Apple Original Films) |
| “Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up” (Netflix) |
| “Be Alive” from “King Richard” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Visual Effects by Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein, and Dan Sudicknhaal, Osnat Handelsman Keren, Talia Kleinhendler, and Charles Dorfman
Columbia Pictures + Marvel Studios
NOMINEES
| “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Free Guy” (20th Century Studios) |
| “No Time to Die” (MGM) |
| “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
BEST STUNT WORK
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Black Widow” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Nobody” (Universal Pictures) |
| “No Time to Die” (MGM) |
| “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
BEST NEW FILMMAKER
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
| Maggie Gyllenhaal — “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) |
| Rebecca Hall — “Passing” (Netflix) |
| Fran Kranz — “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| Lin Manuel Miranda — “Tick, Tick…Boom!” (Netflix) |
BEST FIRST FILM
“Tick, Tick…Boom!”
Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Mass” (Bleecker Street) |
| “The Novice” (IFC Films) |
| “Passing” (Netflix) |
| “Pig” (Neon) |
BEST OVERLOOKED FILM
“CODA”
Directed by Sian Heder
Apple Original Films
NOMINEES
| “The Card Counter” (Focus Features) |
| “Last Night in Soho” (Focus Features) |
| “Malignant” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “The Night House” (Searchlight Pictures) |
BEST VOCAL/MOTION CAPTURE PERFORMANCE
Kelly Marie Tran
“Raya and the Last Dragon”
Directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| Thomas Hayden Church — “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
| Olivia Colman — “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix) |
| John Leguizamo — “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| Danny McBride — “The Mitchells vs. The Machines” (Netflix) |
BEST HORROR FILM
“Last Night in Soho”
Directed by Edgar Wright
Focus Features
NOMINEES
| “Antlers” (Searchlight Pictures) |
| “Candyman” (Universal Pictures) |
| “Malignant” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount Pictures) |
BEST COMIC BOOK MOVIE
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Walt Disney Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Black Widow” (Walt Disney Pictures) |
| “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Columbia Pictures) |
| “The Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Zac Snyder’s Justice League” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST SCI-FI FILM
“Dune”
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Free Guy” (20th Century Studios) |
| “The Matrix Resurrections” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “A Quiet Place Part II” (Paramount Pictures) |
| “Reminiscence” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
“The Hand of God”
(Italy)
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
Netflix
NOMINEES
| “Benedetta” (France) (IFC Films) |
| “Drive My Car” (Japan) (Janus Films) |
| “Lamb” (Iceland) (A24) |
| “The Worst Person in the World” (Norway) (Neon) |
BEST HAWAIIAN FILM
“Our Makawao”
(Maui)
Directed by Robert Stone and Matt Yamashita
Makawao History Museum
NOMINEES
| “Finding Ohana” (Oahu) |
| “I Was a Simple Man” (dir. Christopher Makoto Yogi) (Oahu) |
| “Ka Ho’i The Return” (dir. Mitchel Viernes) (Oahu) |
| “Waterman” (dir. Isaac Halisima) (Oahu) |
WORST FILM
“Space Jam: A New Legacy”
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Warner Bros. Pictures
NOMINEES
| “Coming 2 America” (Amazon Studios) |
| “Don’t Breathe 2” (Screen Gems) |
| “The Matrix Resurrections” (Warner Bros. Pictures) |
| “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” (Columbia Pictures) |
QUICK LIST
Best Picture: “Last Night in Soho”
Best Director: Guillermo del Toro — “Nightmare Alley”
Best Actor: Nicolas Cage — “Pig”
Best Actress: Kristen Stewart — “Spencer”
Best Supporting Actor: Troy Kotsur — “CODA”
Best Supporting Actress: Marlee Matlin — “CODA”
Best Original Screenplay: “Belfast” — Kenneth Branagh
Best Adapted Screenplay: “CODA” — Sian Heder
Best Art Direction: “Dune” — Patrice Vermette
Best Costume Design: “House of Gucci” — Janty Yates
Best Cinematography: “Dune” — Greig Fraser
Best Editing: “Last Night in Soho” — Paul Machliss
Best Animated Film: “The Mitchells vs The Machines”
Best Documentary: “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)”
Best Makeup: “Cruella”
Best Sound: “Last Night in Soho”
Best Score: “The Harder They Fall” — Jeymes Samuel
Best Song: “No Time to Die” from “No Time to Die”
Best Visual Effects: “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Best Stunt Work: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Best New Filmmaker: Michael Sarnoski — “Pig”
Best First Feature: Lin-Manuel Miranda — “Tick, Tick…Boom!”
Best Overlooked Film: “CODA”
Best Vocal/Motion Capture Performance: Kelly Marie Tran — “Raya and the Last Dragon”
Best Horror Film: “Last Night in Soho”
Best Comic Book Movie: “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Best Sci-Fi Film: “Dune”
Best Foreign Language Film: “The Hand of God”
Best Hawaiian Film: “Our Makawao”
Worst Film: “Space Jam: A New Legacy”
HAWAII FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
A non-profit organization of Hawaii-based film critics who are regularly published, either in print or online, within the Hawaii island chain.
The purpose of creating this critics group is
I. To showcase Hawaii film critics, their work and output. The HFCS website will provide links to film-related articles, books, YouTube/online filmed reviews, podcasts and interviews by members of our group.
II. To encourage professional film critics, current and beginning, to hone their craft and know there is a place for them and their work, to be recognized.
III. To form and be a part of the first ever Hawaii Film Critics Society, in which our varying/shared views of film, old and new, can find greater exposure and a wide platform. At year’s end, we will vote and create our own Year’s Best list to share with the press.
Like other film critics groups, one can’t apply but must be chosen. Entrance into the HFCS is free. The criteria for admittance is simply having written a substantial amount of polished film reviews for a magazine, newspaper, blog or website.
