January 3, 2021:
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM AND THE LATE CHADWICK BOSEMAN LEAD ALL WINNERS AT THE 5TH ANNUAL FILM AWARDS FROM CHICAGO INDIE CRITICS
The 17 dedicated and talented members of Chicago Indie Critics cast their final ballots this week to declare the winners of 23 categories for their fifth annual film awards. Recorded for video presentation on the group’s YouTube channel, the CIC film critics came together to celebrate the year and recognize the best in film for 2020.
Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, directed by George C. Wolfe and adapted from August Wilson’s stage play, dominated this year’s CIC Awards, winning seven of its nine nominations. Topmost, the Netflix original film was named the Best Studio Film in a tie with another offering from the streaming leader, Best Director winner Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom also won awards for adapted screenplay, lead actor, lead actress, ensemble cast, costume design, and makeup.
Starring in both of those victorious films, beloved late actor Chadwick Boseman was prominently honored by the CIC. Boseman won posthumous awards for Best Actor (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), Best Supporting Actor (Da 5 Bloods), and special recognition as the recipient of the group’s Impact Award celebrating a person whose work during the past year or beyond made a positive influence on society. Also of note, Chloe Zhao’s Nomadland won Best Independent Film and Small Axe anthology filmmaker Steve McQueen won the CIC’s Trailblazer Award honoring the work of an artist who truly pushed the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content.
The complete list of the winners of the 2020 CIC Awards:
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (budgets under $20 million)
NOMADLAND
Producers: Frances McDorman, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, and Chloe Zhao
BEST STUDIO FILM (budgets over $20 million)
DA 5 BLOODS (tie)
Producers: John Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin, and Lloyd Levin
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM (tie)
Producers: Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
HIS HOUSE
Producers: Aidan Elliott, Martin Gentles, Arnon Milchan, Ed King, and Roy Lee
BEST DOCUMENTARY
BOYS STATE
Producers: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss
BEST ANIMATED FILM
SOUL
Producers: Dana Murray
BEST DIRECTOR
Spike Lee, DA 5 BLOODS
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN – Emerald Fennell (tie)
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 – Aaron Sorkin (tie)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM – Ruben Santiago-Hudso
BEST ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Chadwick Boseman, DA 5 BLOODS
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Maria Bakalova, BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Donald Graham Burt, MANK
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Joshua James Richards, NOMADLAND
BEST EDITING
Alan Baumgarten, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, SOUL
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Speak Now” – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Written by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth, Performed by Leslie Odom Jr
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Jonathan Dearing and Dan Oliver, THE INVISIBLE MAN
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Ann Roth, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
BEST MAKEUP
Matiki Anoff, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, and Mia Neal, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
SPECIAL AWARDS
TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Honors the work of an artist who truly pushes the boundaries of the medium in terms of form and content
Steve McQueen
IMPACT AWARD
Given to a person whose work has had a positive impact on society
Chadwick Boseman
CIC AWARD WINS BY THE NUMBERS
7: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
3: Da 5 Bloods
2: Nomadland, Soul, The Trial of the Chicago 7
1: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Boys State, His House, The Invisible Man, Mank, One Night in Miami, Promising Young Woman
2020 CIC AWARD NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCEMENT
December 28, 2020:
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.
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.
The complete list of nominees for the 2020 CIC Awards:
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM (budgets under $20 million)
THE FATHER
Producers: David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi, Philippe Carcassone, Christophe Spadone, Simon Friend
FIRST COW
Producers: Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani
NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS
Producers: Adele Romanski, Sara Murphy
NOMADLAND
Producers: Frances McDorman, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Chloe Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN
Producers: Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell
BEST STUDIO FILM (budgets over $20 million)
DA 5 BLOODS
Producers: John Kilik, Spike Lee, Beatriz Levin, and Lloyd Levin
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Producers: Denzel Washington, Todd Black, and Dany Wolf
MANK
Producers: Cean Chaffin, Eric Roth, Douglas and Urbanski
SOUL
Producers: Dana Murray
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Producers: Stuart M. Besser, Matt Jackson, Marc Platt, and Tyler Thompson
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
ANOTHER ROUND
Producers: Sisse Graum Jorgensen
BACURAU
Producers: Emilie Lesclaux, Said Ben Said, and Michel Merkt
BEANPOLE
Producers: Alexander Rodnyansky, Sergey Melkumov, and Natalia Gorina
HIS HOUSE
Producers: Aidan Elliott, Martin Gentles, Arnon Milchan, Ed King, and Roy Lee
THE LIFE AHEAD
Producers: Carlo Degli Esposti, Nicola Serra, Regina K. Scully, and Jamie Wolf
BEST DOCUMENTARY
BOYS STATE
Producers: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss
DICK JOHNSON IS DEAD
Producers: Katy Chevigny and Marilyn Ness
RISING PHOENIX
Producers: John Battsek and Greg Hugent
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA
Producers: Larissa Rhodes
TIME
Producers: Garrett Bradley, Kellen Quinn, and Lauren Domino
BEST ANIMATED FILM
ONWARD
Producers: Kori Rae
OVER THE MOON
Producers: Gennie Rim and Peilin Chou
SOUL
Producers: Dana Murray
THE WILLOUGHBYS
Producers: Brenda Gilbert and Luke Carroll
WOLFWALKERS
Producers: Paul Young, Nora Twomey, Tomm Moore, Stephan Roelants, and Brian Grazer
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
Newton Thomas Sigel, DA 5 BLOODS
Christopher Blauvelt, EMMA.
Remi Adefarasin, JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Erik Messerschmidt, MANK
Joshua James Richards, NOMADLAND
Hoyte Van Hoytema, TENET
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
Kave Quinn, EMMA.
Gavin Bocquet, JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY,
Mark Ricker, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Donald Graham Burt, MANK
Nathan Crowley, TENET
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alexander Byrne, EMMA.
Michael Wilkinson, JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Ann Roth, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Trish Summerville, MANK
Phoenix Mellow, SYLVIE’S LOVE
BEST MAKEUP
Deborah La Mia Denaver, BIRDS OF PREY: AND THE FANTABULOUS EMANCIPATION OF ONE HARLEY QUINN
Marese Langan, EMMA.
Sharon Martin, JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Matiki Anoff, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
Dan Martin, POSSESSOR
BEST EDITING
Yorgos Lamprinos, THE FATHER
Chloe Zhao, NOMADLAND
Jennifer Lame, TENET
Alan Baumgarten, THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7
Tamara Meem and Alex O’Flinn, WANDER DARKLY
BEST MUSICAL SCORE
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, MANK
Alexandre Desplat, THE MIDNIGHT SKY
Emile Mosseri, MINARI
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, SOUL
Ludwig Goransson, TENET
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
“Husavik” – EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA
Written by Fat Max Gsus, Rickard Goransson, and Kotecha, Performed by Will Ferrell and Molly Sanden
“Loyal Brave True” – MULAN
Written by Jame Hartman, Harry Gregson-Williams, Rosi Golan, and Billy Crabtree, Performed by Christina Aguilera
“Speak Now” – ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI
Written by Leslie Odom Jr. and Sam Ashworth, Performed by Leslie Odom Jr.
“This Day” – JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Written by Philip Lawrence, Davy Nathan, Michael Diskint, and John Legend, Performed by Justin Cornwell and Sharon Rose
“Wuhan Flu” – BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM
Written by Sacha Baron Cohen and Erran Baron Cohen, Performed by Sacha Baron Cohen
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Jonathan Dearing and Dan Oliver, THE INVISIBLE MAN
Brad Parker, Carlos Monzon, Nordin Ranhali, and Stefano Pepin, JINGLE JANGLE: A CHRISTMAS JOURNEY
Mark Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, Graham Page, and David Watkins, THE MIDNIGHT SKY
Andrew Jackson and Scott R. Fisher, TENET
John Moffatt and Mark Holt, 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 and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn , 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
Chicago Indie Critics 