Regional Critics Groups Round 1: Belfast, Cyrano, Dune

by Nathaniel R

First three regional critics groups to announce follow. Washington DC, Detroit, and some California critics have now had their say with Belfast, Cyrano, and Dune picking up Best Film prizes. Since NBR went with Licorice Pizza and NYFCC with Drive My Car we're off to a wild start with no repeats for the top prize. This is the way we always hope it will be since there's no point in multiple orgs and associations if they all agree. The full list of winners from three groups after the jump...

WAFCA 
Washington DC Area Film Critics Association. Established in 2002. 64 members.
Unfortunately like the Critics Choice Awards, they like to tout the Oscar predictiveness of their awards. Which should not be the point of awards; That's what punditry is for --different things! So, given that, the place where their passion and personality showed up was that they embraced the moody medieval The Green Knight and threw an odd curveball by nominating Oscar buzzless Tessa Thompson but not presumed Oscar contender Ruth Negga for Passing.

Film Belfast
(the other nominees were: The Green Knight, Power of the Dog, tick tick BOOM, and West Side Story)
Director Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Andrew Garfield, tick tick...BOOM!
Supporting Actress Aunjaniue Ellis, King Richard
Supporting Actor, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Ensemble Mass
Youth Performance Woody Norman, C'mon C'mon
Voice Performance Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon
Original Screenplay Belfast
Adapted Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary Summer of Soul
International Film Drive My Car
Production Design Dune
Cinematography Dune
Editing tick tick...BOOM!
Score Dune

SUNSET CIRCLE
California based critics group established in 2020. Their membership list is not available
Their website is the most bare bones site imaginable. They don't even list last year's inaugural prizes! So take it with a grain of salt. No offense to their members but we just don't like secretiveness when it comes to awards groups.

Film Dune
(rest of top ten in alpha order: Being the Ricardos, Belfast, CODA, Cyrano, Don't Look Up, French Dispatch, King Richard, Power of the Dog, Spencer)

Director Denis Villeneuve, Dune
Actress Kristen Stewart, Spencer
Actor Andrew Garfield, tick tick...BOOM!
Supporting Actress Caitríona Balfe, Belfast
Supporting Actor, Jamie Dornan, Belfast
Scene Stealer, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Dune
Ensemble Dune
Screenplay Being the Ricardos
Cinematography Dune
Score Dune
Horror Film Candyman
Family Film Free Guy
Fire Directors [TIE] Nia DaCosta Candyman and Lin-Manuel Miranda, tick...tick...BOOM!

DFCS
Detroit Film Critics Society. Established in 2007. 12 Members. 
As I was raised in Detroit I feel the love for them. They sometimes go their own way though they usually stay firmly in the Oscar wheelhouse, taste-wise, for the top prize awarding either the eventual Best Picture winner or the eventual (assumed) runner-up their top prize. But they got a little frisky for a couple of years there giving their top prize to Florida Project and Eighth Grade so they can definitely surprise. And they did again this year embracing the mostly buzz-free Cyrano. On the other hand maybe Cyrano can surprise with a last minute surge since it's delightful.

Film Cyrano
(the other nominees were: Belfast, CODA, Don't Look Up, and King Richard)

Director Lin Manuel Miranda, tick tick BOOM!
Actress Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Actor Peter Dinklage, Cyrano
Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Supporting Actor, Jon Bernthal, King Richard
Breakthrough [TIE] Woody Norman in C'mon C'mon and Emma Seligman for Shiva Baby
Ensemble The French Dispatch
Original Screenplay Don't Look Up
Adapted Screenplay The Power of the Dog
Animated Feature The Mitchells vs the Machines
Documentary [TIE]  Flee and Summer of Soul
Music/Sound Last Night in Soho

Comments

[Edwin]

I think the variety of Best Film picks will continue all throughout the season, as there really doesn’t seem to be that one consensus choice this year. Jane Campion will likely get the most Best Director prizes, but Best Film will be all over the place. And I could definitely see Best Picture being competitive all the way up through Oscar night, which is an exciting prospect.

Power of the Dog is in an interesting position in that Jane Campion could easily become close to a sure thing in Best Director even if the film itself doesn’t seem to be in serious contention for a Best Picture victory. I know it’s never a safe prediction, but I’m really starting to feel a Picture/Director split this year. I actually think King Richard might even stand a chance at winning Best Picture even though I’m not sure it’ll even be nominated for Best Director.

[Joe G.]

Very happy to see Lin Manuel Miranda pick up a directing prize. While that's not something I thought I'd say at the start of this season, his work on tick tick...BOOM! is pretty astonishing when you consider the work he's adapting. I hope he sticks around this season.

[Mr Ripley79]

I too am pleased for MIranda,i'd never seen anything by him until tick tick boom and am rooting for him and Garfield to be nominated just for that musical swimming sequence.

[Frank Zappa]

Cyrano looks to be the film this season where I'll be yelling WTF whenever it gets a Best Actor or Best Picture prize. I thought it was Dinklage's worst screen performance in years and the music is forgettable at best. (Bennett and Harrison were delightful, but that only goes so far.) It also doesn't help that the National Theatre production of the Jamie Lloyd Company's adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac with James McAvoy is still fresh in my mind.

[TomG]

I agree with Edwin that we are looking toward a picture/director split. It kind of feels like a Roma situation, where everyone wanted to give out best director but was hesitant on best picture. However, if there is no consensus and several movies split the vote, it could win. POTD has a growing fanbase. Netflix will only allow more people to see it.

[Peggy Sue]

Horrified.