The North Carolina Film Critics Honor Minari!


The North Carolina Film Critics Association has announced their picks for the best of 2020 and, in something of a shock for anyone who has following the awards season up to this point, they did not give the best picture award to Nomadland.

Instead, they honored Minari!

And, to be honest, I couldn’t be more thrilled.  Don’t get me wrong.  It’s not that I have anything against Nomadland or that I think Minari is the best picture of the year.  I haven’t seen either film (though I hope to correct that soon) so I really don’t have an opinion on what deserves what.  Instead, I’m just happy that the precursor love is getting spread around a little.  Nomadland winning every single precursor contest was getting boring.

It’s a bit like the 2010 awards season, when The Social Network just kept winning over and over again.  When one of the precursor groups gave their price to The Kids Are All Right instead, I was like, “Finally!  Something different!”  It didn’t matter what I personally didn’t care much for The Kids Are All Right.  What was important was that we had at least gotten some variety.

You can see North Carolina’s nominees by clicking here.  And you can find the winners below!

Best Narrative Film — Minari

Best Documentary Film — Dick Johnson is Dead

Best Animated Film — Soul

Best Foreign Language Film — Another Round

Best Director — Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Best Cinematography — Joshua James Richards for Nomadland

Best Actor — Delroy Lindo in Da 5 Bloods

Best Actress — Frances McDormand in Nomadland

Best Supporting Actor — Sacha Baron Cohen in The Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Supporting Actress — Youn Yuh-jung in Minari

Best Original Screenplay — Lee Isaac Chung for Minari

Best Adapted Screenplay — Chloe Zhao for Nomadland

Best Special Effects — Tenet

Best Music — Soul

Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award — Will Patton (actor, Minari)

Best Restoration — The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Warner Bros.)

Here Are The 2020 North Carolina Film Critics Nominations!


The regional film critics continue to chime in with their picks for the best of 2020.  Below, you’ll find the nomination of the North Carolina Film Critics.  The winners will be announced on January 3rd, 2021.  That sounds like a long wait but actually, it’s just means that the winners will be announced on Sunday.

Anyway, here’s the nominations.  You’ll notice that there’s no nominations for Small Axe, so I guess that moment has passed now that Amazon has made it clear that they’re still going for Emmys as opposed to Oscars for Steve McQueen’s five films.  That’s kind of a shame since the whole Small Axe thing was at least providing some suspense as far as these awards go.

BEST NARRATIVE FILM
Da 5 Bloods
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial Of The Chicago 7

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
All In: The Fight for Democracy
Boys State
David Byrne’s American Utopia
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Time

BEST ANIMATED FILM
The Croods: A New Age
Onward
Over The Moon
Soul
Wolfwalkers

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Another Round
Bacurau
Beanpole
La llorona
Night of Kings

BEST DIRECTOR
Emerald Fennel – Promising Young Woman
David Fincher – Mank
Regina King – One Night In Miami…
Spike Lee – Da 5 Bloods
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Hoyte Van Hoytema – Tenet
Erik Messerschmidt – Mank
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland
Newton Thomas Sigel – Da 5 Bloods
Dariusz Wolski – News of the World

BEST ACTOR
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Steven Yeun – Minari

BEST ACTRESS
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Elisabeth Moss – The Invisible Man
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Bill Murray – On the Rocks
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal
David Strathairn – Nomadland

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Toni Colette – I’m Thinking Of Ending Things
Olivia Colman – The Father
Amanda Seyfried – Mank
Youn Yuh-jung – Minari

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Da 5 Bloods – Danny Bilson, Paul De Meo, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee
Mank – Jack Fincher
Minari – Lee Isaac Chung
Promising Young Woman – Emerald Fennell
The Trial Of The Chicago 7 – Aaron Sorkin

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
First Cow – Jon Raymond & Kelly Reichardt
I’m Thinking Of Ending Things – Charlie Kaufman
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Nomadland – Chloé Zhao
One Night In Miami… – Kemp Powers

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
The Invisible Man
The Midnight Sky
Mulan
Tenet
Wonder Woman 1984

BEST MUSIC
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
Soul
Tenet

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
This award recognizes a film, artists, or performer with a special connection to North Carolina. In 2017, the Tar Heel Award was dedicated to longtime North Carolina film critic Ken Hanke.

The Dancin’ Bulldogs – Film
Will Patton (Minari) – Performer
Gary Wheeler – Producer/Industry Professional

BEST RESTORATION
To honor the special role that streaming has played in 2020 due to the global pandemic, the NCFCA added a category to this year’s awards: Best Restoration. This intends to acknowledge the cultural significance of the film in addition to the quality of the restoration.

Beau Travail (The Criterion Collection)
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Warner Bros.)
Mädchen in Uniform (Kino Lorber)
Native Son (Kino Lorber)
Roman Holiday (Paramount Home Entertainment)