SPECIAL: Nominations for the fifth annual Chicago Indie Critics Awards
Image courtesy of Netflix
NINE NOMINATIONS FOR MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM LEAD ALL FILMS AS THE CHICAGO INDIE CRITICS ANNOUNCE THEIR NOMINEES FOR THEIR FIFTH ANNUAL AWARDS
Even in this challenging year, quality cinema still lived on! The Chicago Indie Critics have announced their nominees for their fifth annual film awards. The voting members completed ballots to select nominees in 23 categories. The CIC members will commence a final round of voting ending on January 1, 2021. The 2020 CIC Award winners will be announced on the evening of January 2, 2021 in an online presentation posted on their YouTube Channel (which received more plays than many of the games on the popular フトカジ.
Leading all films with an impressive nine nominations is Netflix’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom helmed by Best Director nominee George C. Wolfe and starring acting nominees Chadwick Boseman and Viola Davis. Following next with seven nominations each was David Fincher’s Mank and Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, both also hailing from Netflix. In all, 45 different films are represented with nominations for the 2020 CIC Awards.
Two awards of special recognition and interest are the annual Trailblazer and Impact Awards. The CIC’s Trailblazer Award honors the work of an artist who truly pushed the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content. The Impact Award celebrates a person whose work during the past year or beyond made a positive influence on society. Beloved double-acting nominee Chadwick Boseman of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and Da 5 Bloods and Nomadland filmmaker Chloe Zhao are included in both fields.
The other nominees this year for 2020 Trailblazer Award include filmmakers Radha Blank (The 40-Year-Old Version), Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), and Steve McQueen (Small Axe). For the Impact Award, the late actor and female filmmaker are joined by Music Box Theatre general manager Ryan Oestreich, McHenry Outdoor Theater owner Scott H. Dehn, and documentarian Garrett Bradley (Time).
Founded in 2016, the Chicago Indie Critics (formerly known as the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle) is a creative and engaging non-for-profit organization composed of unique, dedicated, and diversified film critics. Its members are wide-ranging in experiences, backgrounds, tastes, and target audiences across both print and online platforms and publications. The CIC organized to share their personal assessments, commentaries, passions, and creativity in the vigilant effort to highlight the greatness and diversity found in both independent and mainstream films. While they originate in the Chicagoland area, the efforts of Chicago Indie Critics are to share, celebrate, and promote the rich artistic medium of film to audiences, fans, and eager minds across the nation and the world as an exemplary and upstanding pillar of intelligent print and broadcast journalism.
CIC DIRECTORS:
Emmanuel Noisette, Don Shanahan, El’Ahrai Stanek
CIC MEMBERS:
Annie Banks, Leo Brady, Mike Crowley, Jonita Davis, Jon Espino, Cati Glidewell, Ryan Jagiello, John Hammerle, Matt Kubinski, Al Lerner, Linda Lerner, Kevin McLenithan, Josh Parham, John Robinson, Andrea Thompson, Mike Vanderbilt, Kevin Wozniak, Jeffrey York
The complete list of nominees for the 2020 CIC Awards:
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (budgets under $20 million)
THE FATHER
FIRST COW
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
NOMADLAND
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
BEST STUDIO FILM (budgets over $20 million)
DA 5 BLOODS
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
MANK
SOUL
TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
ANOTHER ROUND
BACURAU
BEANPOLE
HIS HOUSE
THE LIFE AHEAD
BEST DOCUMENTARY
BOYS STATE
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
RISING PHOENIX
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
TIME
BEST ANIMATED FILM
ONWARD
OVER THE MOON
SOUL
THE WILLOUGHBYS
WOLFWALKERS
BEST DIRECTOR
Emerald Fennell, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Spike Lee, DA 5 BLOODS
George C. Wolfe, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Florian Zeller, THE FATHER
Chloe Zhao, NOMADLAND
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
MANK - Jack Fincher
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS - Eliza Hittman
PALM SPRINGS - Andy Siara
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN - Emerald Fennell
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - Aaron Sorkin
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE FATHER - Florian Zeller
FIRST COW - Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond
I’M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS - Charlie Kaufman
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM - Ruben Santiago-Hudson
NOMADLAND - Chloe Zhao
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
Nicole Beharie, MISS JUNETEENTH
Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Sidney Flanigan, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Frances McDormand, NOMADLAND
Carey Mulligan, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman, DA 5 BLOODS
Bo Burnham, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Sacha Baron Cohen, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Frank Langella, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Bill Murray, ON THE ROCKS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Olivia Colman, THE FATHER
Talia Ryder, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Amanda Seyfried, MANK
Youn Yuh-jung, MINARI
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
DA 5 BLOODS
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
MINARI
ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
DA 5 BLOODS
EMMA
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
MANK
NOMADLAND
TENET
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
EMMA
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
MANK
TENET
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
EMMA
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
MANK
SYLVIE’S LOVE
BEST MAKEUP
BIRDS OF PREY
EMMA
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
POSSESSOR
BEST EDITING
THE FATHER
NOMADLAND
TENET
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
WANDER DARKLY
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
MANK
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
MINARI
SOUL
TENET
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Husavik” - EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
“Loyal Brave True” - MULAN
“Speak Now” - ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
“This Day” - JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
“Wuhan Flu” - BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
THE INVISIBLE MAN
JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
THE MIDNIGHT SKY
TENET
WONDER WOMAN 1984
SPECIAL AWARDS
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Honors the work of an artist who truly pushes the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content
Radha Blank
Chadwick Boseman
Emerald Fennell
Steve McQueen
Chloe Zhao
IMPACT AWARD
Given to a person whose work has had a positive impact on society
Chadwick Boseman
Garrett Bradley
Scott H. Dehn
Ryan Oestreich
Chloe Zhao
CIC AWARD NOMINATIONS BY THE NUMBERS
FILMS:
9: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
7: Mank, The Trial of the Chicago 7
6: Da 5 Bloods, The Father, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, Nomadland
5: Promising Young Woman, Tenet
4: Emma, Minari, Never Really Sometimes Always
3: Soul
2: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, First Cow, The Midnight Sky, One Night in Miami
1: Another Round, Bacurau, Beanpole, Birds of Prey, Boys State, Dick Johnson is Dead, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, His House, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, The Invisible Man, The Life Ahead, Miss Juneteenth, Mulan, On the Rocks, Onward, Over the Moon, Palm Springs, Possessor, Rising Phoenix, The Social Dilemma, Soul, Sound of Metal, Sylvia’s Love, Time, Wander Darkly, The Willoughbys, Wolfwalkers, Wonder Woman 1984
LOGO DESIGNED BY MEENTS ILLUSTRATED
