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Women Film Critics Circle 2020/21 award winners announced


Carey Mulligan and Adam Brody in Emerald Fennell's Promising Young Woman
Carey Mulligan and Adam Brody in Promising Young Woman

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.​

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