North Carolina Film Critics Association announces 2020 winners

The Oscars may not be for another four months, but that hasn’t stopped guilds from recognizing their favorite films and performances from 2020, and the North Carolina Film Critics Association is the latest to announce its winners.

The day’s big winners were “Minari” and “Nomadland,” which each took home four wins, but it was “Minari” that earned the guild’s top prize, Best Narrative Film. “Minari” beat out the other nominees “Da 5 Bloods,” “Nomadland,” “Promising Young Woman” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

“Nomadland’s” Chloé Zhao earned the guild’s Best Director award, becoming the first female to ever win the prize in the NCFCA’s nine-year history. Zhao was joined by “Nomadland” star Frances McDormand, who won Best Actress. The film also took home Best Cinematography and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Delroy Lindo was named Best Actor for his performance in Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods,” while Sacha Baron Cohen won Best Supporting Actor for “The Trial of the Chicago 7” and Youn Yuh-jung won Best Supporting Actress for “Minari.”

Inside The Film Room’s Zach Goins, Johnny Sobczak, Joel Winstead and Josh Martin are voting members in the NCFCA.

FULL LIST OF WINNERS:

BEST NARRATIVE FILM
*Minari*
Da 5 Bloods
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
The Trial of the Chicago 7

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

BEST ANIMATED FILM
*Soul*
The Croods 2: A New Age
Onward
Over the Moon
Wolfwalkers

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

BEST DIRECTOR
*Chloé Zhao (Nomadland)*
Emerald Fennel (Promising Young Woman)
David Fincher (Mank)
Regina King (One Night in Miami)
Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods)

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

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

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

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

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

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
*Minari (Lee Isaac Chung)*
Da 5 Bloods (Danny Bilson; Paul De Meo; Kevin Willmott; Spike Lee)
Mank (Jack Fincher)
Promising Young Woman (Emerald Fennell)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Aaron Sorkin)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
*Nomadland (Chloé Zhao)*
First Cow (Jon Raymond; Kelly Reichardt)
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman)
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Ruben Santiago-Hudson)
One Night in Miami (Kemp Powers)

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

BEST MUSIC
*Soul*
Da 5 Bloods
Mank
Minari
Tenet

KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
*Will Patton (Minari) – Attended North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem*
The Dancin’ Bulldogs – The Gardner-Webb University basketball team’s 2018-2019 season.
Gary Wheeler (Blue Ridge; The Warrant) – North Carolina based film producer; Appalachian State University Alum.

BEST RESTORATION
(A special award to acknowledge a previously released film that was restored and/or rereleased theatrically or on DVD.)
*Lord of the Rings Trilogy (Warner Bros.)*
Beau travail (The Criterion Collection)
Mädchen in Uniform (Kino Lorber)
Native Son (Kino Lorber)
Roman Holiday (Paramount Home Entertainment)