North Carolina Film Critics Association announces 2019 winners

The North Carolina Film Critics Association announced the winners of its eighth annual Film Awards on Friday, and “Parasite” was the big winner.

The film by South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho took home four awards, including Best Narrative Film and Best Foreign Language Film, as well as recognition for Bong for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.

Heading into Friday’s announcement, Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” led the way with eight nominations, but only walked away with two wins: Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor as well as Best Music.

Other notable winners included Adam Driver for Best Actor for his work in “Marriage Story,” Lupita Nyong’o for Best Actress for “Us,” and Florence Pugh for Best Supporting Actress for “Little Women.”

The NCFCA awards are voted on by 47 professional critics who live in the state or whose work contributes to an outlet based in North Carolina. The organization includes Inside The Film Room members Zach Goins and Josh Martin.

Full list of winners and nominees:

BEST NARRATIVE FILM

Winner: “Parasite”

• “The Irishman”
• “Jojo Rabbit”
• “Marriage Story”
• “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM

Winner: “Apollo 11”

• “American Factory”
• “Hail Satan?”
• “Knock Down the House”
• “One Child Nation”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Winner: “Toy Story 4”

• “Frozen II”
• “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World”
• “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part”
• “Missing Link”

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Winner: “Parasite”

• “Atlantics”
• “The Farewell”
• “Pain and Glory”
• “Portrait of a Lady on Fire”
• “Transit”

BEST DIRECTOR

Winner: Bong Joon Ho – “Parasite”

• Sam Mendes  – “1917”
• Martin Scorsese – “The Irishman”
• Quentin Tarantino – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
• Taika Waititi – “Jojo Rabbit”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Winner: Roger Deakins – “1917”

• Jarin Blaschke – “The Lighthouse”
• Kyung-pyo Hong – “Parasite”
• Hoyte van Hoytema – “Ad Astra”
• Robert Richardson – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

BEST ACTOR

Winner: Adam Driver – “Marriage Story”

• Leonardo DiCaprio – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
• Eddie Murphy – “Dolemite is My Name”
• Joaquin Phoenix – “Joker”
• Adam Sandler – “Uncut Gems”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Winner: Brad Pitt – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

• Willem Dafoe – “The Lighthouse”
• Tom Hanks – “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
• Shia LaBeouf  – “Honey Boy”
• Joe Pesci  – “The Irishman”

BEST ACTRESS

Winner: Lupita Nyong’o – “Us”

• Awkafina – “The Farewell”
• Scarlett Johansson – “Marriage Story”
• Saoirse Ronan – “Little Women”
• Charlize Theron – “Bombshell”
• Renée Zellweger – “Judy”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Winner: Florence Pugh – “Little Women”

• Laura Dern – “Marriage Story”
• Jennifer Lopez – “Hustlers”
• Margot Robbie – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
• Zhao Shuzhen  – “The Farewell”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Winner: Bong Joon Ho; Han Jin-won – “Parasite”

• Noah Baumbach – “Marriage Story”
• Rian Johnson – “Knives Out”
• Quentin Tarantino – “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
• Lulu Wang – “The Farewell”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Winner: Greta Gerwig – “Little Women”

• Micah Fitzerman Blue; Noah Hapster – “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
• Anthony McCarten – “The Two Popes”
• Taika Waititi – “Jojo Rabbit”
• Steven Zaillian – “The Irishman”

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS

Winner: “Avengers: Endgame”

• “1917”
• “Ad Astra”
• “The Irishman”
• “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

BEST MUSIC

Winner: “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”

• “1917”
• “Jojo Rabbit”
• “Marriage Story”
• “Us”

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.

Winner: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz – “The Peanut Butter Falcon” co-directors and co-screenwriters

• “Best of Enemies” – film set in Durham, N.C. and chronicling the integration of North Carolina schools.
• Jonathan Majors (formerly from UNC School of the Arts) – “The Last Black Man in San Francisco”
• Joshua Overbay – Director of “Luke & Jo” and professor of film at Western Carolina University.

For more on the North Carolina Film Critics Association, visit their website, here.