As 2018 nears its end, Backstage is looking ahead to a new year’s awards season. Which films and performances have the most buzz? We’re rounding up the selections of film critics’ groups throughout North America to see if any big-screen contenders have a clear path to awards glory. The Academy Award nominations loom over the entertainment industry for the next month until they are announced on Jan. 22. Do the opinions of critics around the country hold the key to a coveted Oscar nomination?
Netflix’s “Roma” has received quite a bit of attention and praise in the past few months, making it undoubtedly the closest the streaming service has come to a Best Picture nomination. Alfonso Cuarón’s semiautobiographical Mexican epic took the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival back in August, and was declared Best Picture by the Chicago Film Critics Association, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), the New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC), the New York Film Critics Online, the San Francisco Film Critics Circle, Seattle Film Critics Society, Toronto Film Critics Association, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, and the Vancouver Film Critics Circle. “Roma” is currently up for a Critics’ Choice Award, a Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe, and the Best International Film Independent Spirit Award.
Not since 2012’s “Amour” has a foreign language film also been nominated in the Best Picture category, but if film critics’ voices have anything to do with it, “Roma” may break that six-year dry spell. Only one other movie received a Best Picture win from a critics group, the Boston Society of Critics: Annapurna Pictures’ Barry Jenkins drama “If Beale Street Could Talk.”
READ: Barry Jenkins, KiKi Layne, & Stephan James Can Stare Right Into Your Soul
Best director solidly points to Cuarón for “Roma” with five out of the below 10 critics’ organizations picking the Mexican director for the honor. Cuarón already has a directing Oscar for 2014’s “Gravity.” Lynne Ramsay’s Amazon Studios thriller “You Were Never Really Here,” Debra Granik’s Bleecker Street drama “Leave No Trace,” Spike Lee’s Focus Features period piece “BlacKkKlansman,” and Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed” from A24 all earned direction awards from critics’ groups this year.
Ethan Hawke’s leading performance as a conflicted priest in “First Reformed” also received wide praise, with eight out of these 10 groups awarding him best actor. John C. Reilly and Bradley Cooper each received an acting accolade for their performances in Sony Pictures Classics’ “Stan & Ollie” and Warner Brothers’ “A Star Is Born,” respectively. Best actress proved less consistent, with Melissa McCarthy’s performance in Fox Searchlight Pictures’ “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” along with Toni Collette in A24’s horror hit “Hereditary” and Olivia Colman as Queen Anne in Fox Searchlight’s “The Favourite” all receiving multiple awards from critics’ groups.
Will the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and Oscars follow in the footsteps of this year’s critics? Check out the full breakdown below. And stay tuned with Backstage’s year-round coverage of film awards!
Boston Society of Film Critics
The Boston Society of Film Critics was formed in 1981 to make Boston’s unique critical perspective heard, only awarding films that have a theatrical release in Boston.
Best Picture: “If Beale Street Could Talk”
Best Director: Lynne Ramsay, “You Were Never Really Here”
Best Actor: John C. Reilly, “Stan & Ollie”
Best Actress: Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Chicago Film Critics Association
Founded in 1990, The Chicago Film Critics Association boasts the only film festival entirely programmed by a critics’ group.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Toni Collette, “Hereditary”
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
Comprised of Los Angeles-based professional film critics and founded in 1975, this group is also known for including a Career Achievement Award and New Generation Award.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Debra Granik, “Leave No Trace”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
New York Film Critics Circle
The New York Film Critics Circle Awards are the oldest given by film critics in the country, and are considered a significant harbinger of recognition by the Academy Awards.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Regina Hall, “Support The Girls”
New York Film Critics Online
Founded in 2005, this organization is solely comprised of internet, NYC-based critics of film.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
This organization is comprised of local Bay Area publications’ critics and was founded in 2002.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Spike Lee, “BlacKkKlansman”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”
Seattle Film Critics Society
Newly founded in 2016, The Seattle Film Critics Society supports local efforts in critically engaging cinematic arts and represent print, radio, television, and online critics based in Seattle and throughout Washington.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Toni Collette, “Hereditary”
READ: Your Official 2018–19 Film Awards Calendar
Toronto Film Critics Association
Established in 1997, the Toronto Film Critics Association is affiliated with the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). Its Toronto-based journalists and broadcasters comprise the membership and they also present the Clyde Gilmour Award to a Canadian who has enriched the understanding of film in Canada.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actress: Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
Founded in 2002 and comprised of over 50 professional D.C.–based film critics, this organization works to advocate freedom of expression in film and film criticism.
Best Film: “Roma”
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, “Roma”
Best Actor: Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Vancouver Film Critics Circle
The Vancouver Film Critics Circle was founded in 2000 in order to help promote Canadian films and the British Columbia film and television industry. In their honors they include both international and Canada-specific categories.
Best Picture: “Roma”
Best Director: Paul Schrader, “First Reformed”
Best Actor, Male: Ethan Hawke, “First Reformed”
Best Actor, Female (Tie): Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”, Olivia Colman, “The Favourite,” Regina Hall, “Support the Girls”
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