Paddy Mulholland
Mar 8, 20213 min
The Women Film Critics Circle does this every year. Not just announces a slate of award winners and nominees (which I managed to miss... again), but announces a very odd slate. Very odd. Anyway, while not all female film critics have been so receptive to Promising Young Woman, it takes the most prizes from the WFCC this year, with four awards including Best Movie About Women.
BEST MOVIE ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: Promising Young Woman
Runner Up: Never Rarely Sometimes Always
Ammonite
Antebellum
BEST MOVIE BY A WOMAN
WINNER: Nomadland - Chloe Zhao
Runner-up: Promising Young Woman - Emerald Fennell
Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Eliza Hittman
One Night in Miami - Regina King
BEST WOMAN STORYTELLER (Screenwriting Award)
WINNER: Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Eliza Hittman
Runner-up: Promising Young Woman - Emerald Fennell
Nomadland - Chloe Zhao
The United States vs. Billie Holiday - Suzan-Lori Parks
BEST ACTRESS
WINNER: Carey Mulligan - Promising Young Woman
Runner-up: Vanessa Kirby - Pieces of a Woman
Runner-up: Frances McDormand - Nomadland
Andra Day - The United States vs. Billie Holiday
BEST ACTOR
WINNER: Chadwick Boseman - Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Runner-up: Anthony Hopkins - The Father
Riz Ahmed - Sound of Metal
Tahar Rahim - The Mauritanian
BEST FOREIGN FILM BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: La Llorona
Runner-up: True Mothers
The Truth
Two of Us
BEST DOCUMENTARY BY OR ABOUT WOMEN
WINNER: Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story
Runner-up: Time
All In: The Fight for Democracy
I Am Greta
BEST EQUALITY OF THE SEXES
WINNER: Emma.
Runner-up: I Care a Lot
Malcolm & Marie
Radioactive
BEST ANIMATED FEMALE
WINNER: Fei Fei - Over the Moon
Runner-up: Mebh Og MacTire - Wolfwalkers
Libba - Soul
Robyn Goodfellowe - Wolfwalkers
BEST SCREEN COUPLE
WINNER: Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan - Ammonite
Runner-up: Tom Hanks and Helena Zengel - News of the World
Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti - Palm Springs
Barbara Sukowa and Martine Chevallier - Two of Us
ADRIENNE SHELLY AWARD – For a film that most passionately opposes violence against women
WINNER: Promising Young Woman
Runner-up: The Invisible Man
The Assistant
I’m Your Woman
JOSEPHINE BAKER AWARD – For best expressing the woman of color experience in America
WINNER: Miss Juneteenth
Runner-up: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Antebellum
The Forty-Year-Old Version
KAREN MORLEY AWARD – For best exemplifying a woman's place in history or society, and a courageous search for identity
WINNER: The United States vs. Billie Holiday
Runner-up: Shirley
The Glorias
Radium Girls
ACTING AND ACTIVISM AWARD
Regina King - The first celebrity to commit to the Time’s Up '4% Challenge' which urges the industry to hire more women directors, the award winning actress has also pledged to have women make up fifty percent of the crews for her films.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Julie Andrews
WFCC PAULINE KAEL SPECIAL JURY AWARDS 2020
BEST FEMALE ACTION HERO
WINNER: Janelle Monae - Antebellum
Runner-up: Jodie Foster - The Mauritanian
COURAGE IN FILMMAKING
WINNER: Emerald Fennell - Promising Young Woman
Runner-up: Eliza Hittman - Never Rarely Sometimes Always
COURAGE IN ACTING (Taking on unconventional roles that radically redefine the images of women on screen)
WINNER: Janelle Monae - Antebellum
Runner-up: Elisabeth Moss - The Invisible Man
WOMEN'S WORK - BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
WINNER: Radium Girls
Runner-up: The Glorias
THE INVISIBLE WOMAN AWARD (Supporting performance by a woman whose exceptional impact on the film dramatically, socially or historically, has been ignored)
WINNER: Cicely Tyson - A Fall from Grace
Runner-up: Dianne Wiest - I Care a Lot
BEST KEPT SECRET - Overlooked Challenging Gems
WINNER: Ammonite
Runner-up: Swallow
WOMEN SAVING THEMSELVES AWARD
WINNER: Clare Dunne - Herself
Runner-up: Elisabeth Moss - The Invisible Man
MOMMIE DEAREST WORST SCREEN MOM OF THE YEAR
WINNER: Sarah Paulson - Run
HALL OF SHAME
Rudy Giuliani - For removing any doubt about the kind of creepy predator he is, in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Of course there were no consequences for his behavior, even though it was captured on film and broadcast worldwide.
Dennis Harvey - in his Variety review for Promising Young Woman, stating Carey Mulligan is not 'hot enough' for the role. Not to mention perpetuating the lie that rape is about sex and not violence against women. And, why we need women film critics more than ever...
The Prom - for casting straight actors in queer roles in the most anticipated lesbian movie of the year, and making it seem like overcoming homophobia is as simple as singing a song.
Dallas Sonnier and Adam Donaghey - For sexual harassment and abuse at Cineaste Magazine, and the cover-up.