The National Society of Film Critics named drive my car as his best photo of 2021 at the 56th annual meeting, which was held virtually on Saturday.
drive my car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy Ryusuke Hamaguchi was selected as Best Director, while Penélope Cruz won Best Actress for her performance in Parallel mothers and drive my carHidetoshi Nishijima won in the Best Actor category. Due to drive my car winning Best Film, the group did not vote for Best Foreign Language Film this year.
Special citation from the company for a film awaiting US distribution to Jean-Gabriel Périot’s documentary Back to Reims. This year, the Cinematographic Heritage Prize was awarded to the late Bertrand Tavernier and Peter Bogdanovich, “distinguished critic-filmmakers who have never lost their passion for the films and cinematic history of others”.
Maya Cade was also honored as the winner of this year’s Film Heritage Awards for the Black Film Archive, “which expands knowledge and access to black films made between 1915 and 1979”.
This year, the NSFC dedicated the ceremony to Morris Dickstein and Michael Wilmington, “two esteemed colleagues and longtime members” who have written about films in reviews, essays and books “with wit, warmth, passion and skill. , and we will both miss them deeply.” They also announced that Liz Weis, who served as executive director of the National Society of Film Critics for 47 years, is stepping down.
“For his decades of extraordinary leadership and tireless service, we owe him an immeasurable debt,” said the NSFC tweeted.
Critic Justin Chang, who serves as the group’s president, tweeted the winners live via the @NatSocFilmCrix Twitter account.
Voting meetings typically take place at the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually for the second year in a row and is not will be no awards night.
Previous year’s winners include Chloe Zhao’s drama nomadland and Bong Joon Ho’s dark comedy thriller Parasite were among recent NSFC Best Photo winners.
Founded in 1966, the NSFC comprises 59 elected and eligible members from major newspapers and outlets across the country, including The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, The New Yorker, The Christian Science Monitor and NPR. The company annually awards the best in acting, directing, writing, cinematography and more across screen and streaming releases in the United States.
Best Picture: drive my car
Finalists: Little mom
The power of the dog
Best actor: Hidetoshi Nishijima, drive my car
Finalists: Benedict Cumberbatch, The power of the dog
Simon Rex, red rocket
Best Actress: Penelope Cruz, Parallel mothers
Finalists: Renate Reinsve, The worst person in the world
Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza
Best Supporting Actress: Ruth Nega, Who passed
Finalists: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Jesse Buckley, The lost girl
Best Supporting Actor: Anders Danielsen Lie, The worst person in the world
Finalists: Vincent Lindon, Titanium
Mike Faist, West Side Story
Kodi Smit-McPhee, The power of the dog
Best Director: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, drive my car and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
Finalists: Jeanne Campion, The power of the dog
Celine Sciamma, Little momnot
Best Screenplay: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, drive my car
Finalists: Pedro Almodóvar, Parallel mothers
Paul Thomas Anderson, Licorice Pizza
Best Cinematography: Andrew Droz Palermo, The green knight
Finalists: Ari Wegner, The power of the dog
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, Memory
Best non-fiction film: TO FLEE
Finalists: Procession
The Velvet Underground
