The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle met up earlier today and announced their picks for the best of 2020!  Unlike most of the other regional critics groups that have so far voted, the OFCC named Minari — and not Nomadland — as best picture.  However, Nomadland still picked up awards for Best Director and Screenplay and Best Actress and it was named as one of the top ten films of the year.  In fact, Nomadland picked up even more awards than Minari did, even if Minari picked up the big prize.  Still, it’s always nice to see the love get spread around a little.

Personally, I can’t say that I’m terribly surprised that Minari picked up best picture from the Oklahoma critics.  Minari is set in Arkansas but it was filmed in Tulsa, Oklahoma so it was a bit of the favorite son candidate in this race.  I’m just curious to see if the North Texas critics are going to follow Oklahoma’s lead and give their top award to Minari as well.  Seriously, we don’t get many Oscar contenders shot around here so, when it happens, the natural tendency is to do a little bragging.

Speaking of Texas, I’m glad to see the Texas-shot The Vast of Night included in the OFCC’s top ten.  (The Vast of Night also picked up the award for Best First Feature.)  It’s also nice to see Palm Springs listed in the top 10, as it’s a film that is true a dark horse as far as Oscar recognition is concerned.  Every awards season, it’s fun to speculate about which film might surprise everyone by picking up a nomination or two.  This awards seasons, it very well could be Palm Springs.

Among the other results, Riz Ahmed and Paul Raci picked up even more honors for their performances in The Sound of Metal.  And Minari’s Yuh-jung Youn was named Best Supporting Actress.  Trent Renzor and Atticus Ross picked up two awards, for best score and best body of work for their work on Soul and Mank.  (Mank was also named one of the top ten films of the year.   It’s still a definite Oscar contender but it still hadn’t quite emerged as the awards season powerhouse that a lot of us were expecting it to be.)

Okay, that’s enough of an intro from me.  I’ve rambled on a bit, I know.  That’s what awards season does to me.  Here are the OFCC winners!

Best Picture
Minari

Top 10 Films
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
Nomadland
Palm Springs
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal
The Trial of the Chicago 7
The Vast of Night

Best Director
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Actor
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Best Actress
Frances McDormand – Nomadland

Best Supporting Actor
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal

Best Supporting Actress
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari

Best Original Screenplay
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Best Adapted Screenplay
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

Best Animated Film
Soul

Best Documentary
Boys State

Best Foreign Language Film
Martin Eden

Best First Feature
The Vast of Night (Andrew Patterson)

Best Ensemble
The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Cinematography
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank

Best Score
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Soul

Best Body of Work
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Mank and Soul