The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards are being announced today and we’re updating the list live.
The organization has arguably a better record of syncing up with Oscar’s ultimate Best Picture winner than some New York awards orgs, i.e. some recent examples of their Best Picture Winners lining up with AMPAS include 2019’s Parasite, 2016’s Moonlight, 2015’s Spotlight, 2009’s The Hurt Locker.
‘Brazil’, courtesy of Universal
However, one thing about LAFCA — they’re not afraid to go rogue: I.E. 1985 when they anointed Terry Gilliam’s carnivalesque, trippy epic Brazil Best Picture and Best Director; the filmmaker having made his war with Universal over the film, fresh meat for the trades. Brazil was Oscar nominated for Art Direction and Original Screenplay. Other examples of when LAFCA went against the grain in Best Picture was with 2003’s American Splendor, the comedy biopic about cartoonist Harvey Pekar and Steve McQueen’s collection of five films, Small Axe, which wasn’t even up for Oscars in 2020; that pic relegating Nomadland to Runner-Up in the category — which was the ultimate Best Picture at the Oscars.
Last year, LAFCA gave Best Pictures to Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car, which was in the Oscar mix with four Oscar noms, including Best Picture and Director, winning Best International Feature Film.
It will not be surprising if filmmaker Todd Field’s return to the big screen after 16 years, Tar, comes up big today. LAFCA named his movie In the Bedroom back in 2001 Best Picture. Tar won Best Film at New York Film Critics Circle as well as Best Actress for Cate Blanchett as well as one of AFI’s top pics of the year.
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Actress
Best Actor
Best Documentary
Best Screenplay
Best Animation
Best Supporting Actress
Best Supporting Actor
Best Editing
Best Production Design
Best Music/Score
Best Cinematography
Winner: Michael Dymek, EO