Nomadland Wins Best Picture and Best Director in Phoenix Film Critics Society 2020 Awards

So honored to be part of the voting process and nice to see many of my picks ended up as winners.

Nomadland Wins Best Picture and Best Director in Phoenix Film Critics Society 2020 Awards

In a difficult year where Americans have struggled to prove their resilience, it only seems right that a film like “Nomadland,” a story of aging citizens determined to stand on their own two-feet despite any obstacles put in their way, would take the top honors in the Phoenix Film Critics Society’s 2020 awards.

“Nomadland” received the Phoenix Film Critics Society awards for Best Picture, Best Cinematography and Best Director, Chloe Zhao. PFCS President Gayle Bass says, “This is another example of a vision of America as seen through eyes of the foreign born. What Chloe Zhao created is a quintessentially American epic of the West and the American struggle.”

Other PFCS awards went to the late Chadwick Boseman as Best Actor for his role in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Carey Mulligan as Best Actress in “Promising Young Woman,” Daniel Kaluuya as Best Actor in a Supporting Role for “Judas and the Black Messiah,” and to Yuh-Jung Youn as Best Supporting Actress for “Minari.”

Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Ensemble Acting went to “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” while Best Screenplay Adapted from Other Material went to “One Night in Miami.” “Soul” was 2020’s Best Animated film and it also won for Best Original Score.

“Boys State” won for Best Documentary and “Tenet” won for Best Visual Effects. The 2020 Breakthrough Performance was awarded to Maria Bakalova for “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and Helena Zengel won the award for Best Performance by a Youth for “News of the World.”

A complete list of winners is provided below.

The Phoenix Film Critics Society presents an entire slate of awards each year. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic our 2020 screening rules became more flexible and the films must have opened in theaters or been intended for theaters and streamed prior to our screening deadline ( Friday, Feb. 26, 2021) in order to be eligible for awards consideration. Only critic members of the Society may vote.

The 2020 Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Winners:

PFCS TOP TEN (in alphabetical order)
Judas and The Black Messiah
Minari
News of the World
Nomadland
One Night in Miami
Promising Young Woman
Soul
Sound of Metal
The Dig
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST PICTURE
Nomadland

BEST DIRECTOR
Chloe Zhao – Nomadland

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Daniel Kaluuya – Judas and the Black Messiah

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Yuh-Jung Youn – Minari

BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST SCREENPLAY ADAPTED FROM OTHER MATERIAL
One Night in Miami

THE OVERLOOKED FILM OF THE YEAR
Palm Springs

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Soul

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Another Round

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Boys State

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Speak Now – One Night in Miami

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Soul

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nomadland

BEST FILM EDITING
The Trial of the Chicago 7

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Mank

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Tenet

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm

BEST PERFORMANCE BY A YOUTH
Helena Zengel – News of the World

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If you would like more information about the Phoenix Film Critics Society or the 2020 awards please contact PFCS President, Gayle Bass at [email protected]