The 27th annual Critics’ Choice Awards were held on a Sunday on 13th March 2022. This award ceremony was initially scheduled to be held on 9th January however it had to be rescheduled due to the ongoing situation with the pandemic. The award ceremony was held in California in Fairmount Century Plaza located in Century City and it was hosted yet again by Taye Diggs along with Nicole Byer as his co-host. These awards are often used as a benchmark and reference point for the upcoming Oscars.
The films and TV shows that are nominated and receive this prestigious award are all chosen by a 500+ member academy known as the Critics Choice Association. The awards are given to not just the actors, writers, and directors but also the technical staff and to the people who tirelessly do the groundwork on set to ensure everything looks impeccable. Following is the list of awards along with the nominations and also the winner.
Best Picture
The nomination for best picture includes the following movies – CODA, Nightmare Alley, Belfast, tick, tick…Boom!, Dune, Don’t Look Up, West Side Story, King Richard, The Power of the Dog, and Licorice Pizza.
The award for best picture was given to The Power of the Dog.
Best Actor
Following were the actors whose stellar acting performances secured them a nomination for the Best Actor award: Nicolas Cage for Pig, Benedict Cumberbatch for The Power of the Dog, Andrew Garfield for tick, tick…Boom!, Will Smith for King Richard, Peter Dinklage for Cyrano, and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Will Smith, who was met with a roar of applause by the audience, ended up winning the Best Actor for King Richard.
Best Actress
The leading ladies nominated for The Best Actress award were Kristen Stewart for Spencer, Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter, Nicole Kidman for Being the Ricardos, Jessica Chastain for The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Lady Gaga for House of Gucci, and Alana Haim for Licorice Pizza.
Jessica Chastain was the one who claimed victory for the award for Best Actress.
Best Supporting Actor
Following were the actors nominated for the Best Supporting Actor award: Jamie Dornan for Belfast, Ciarán Hinds for Belfast, J.K. Simmons for Being the Ricardos, Troy Kotsur for CODA, Kodi Smit-McPhee for The Power of the Dog, and Jared Leto for House of Gucci.
As much anticipated, the award was won by Troy Kotsur for CODA.
Best Supporting Actress
The nominees for Best Supporting Actress were Caitríona Balfe for Belfast, Aunjanue Ellis for King Richard, Kirsten Dunst for The Power of the Dog, Rita Moreno for West Side Story, Ann Dowd for Mass, and Ariana DeBose for West Side Story.
The winner of the award was Ariana DeBose for West Side Story.
Best Young Actor/Actress
The nominations for Best Young Actor/ Actress included Jude Hill for Belfast, Woody Norman for C’mon C’mon, Saniyya Sidney for King Richard, Emilia Jones for CODA, and Cooper Hoffman for Licorice Pizza.
Jude Hill won this award for her exceptional performance and role in Belfast.
Best Director
The directors that made it to the nominations for the prestigious award of Best Director award were Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza, Guillermo del Toro for Nightmare Alley, Kenneth Branagh for Belfast, Steven Spielberg for West Side Story, Denis Villeneuve for Dune, and Jane Campion for The Power of the Dog.
Jane Campion won the Best Director Award.
Best Original Screenplay
The movies nominated for this award include Paul Thomas Anderson for Licorice Pizza, Aaron Sorkin for Being the Ricardos, Kenneth Branagh for Belfast, Zach Baylin for King Richard, Adam McKay, and David Sirota for Don’t Look Up.
Kenneth Branagh won the Best Original Screenplay award for Belfast.
Best Cinematography
The movies nominated for Best Cinematography were Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog, Greig Fraser for Dune, Janusz Kaminski for West Side Story, Dan Laustsen for Nightmare Alley, Bruno Delbonnel for The Tragedy of Macbeth, and Haris Zambarloukos for Belfast.
Ari Wegner for The Power of the Dog won the Best Cinematography award
Best Production Design
The nominations for this award include Jim Clay, Claire Nia Richards for Belfast; Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo for West Side Story; Adam Stockhausen, Rena DeAngelo for The French Dispatch; Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos for Dune; and Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau for Nightmare Alley.
Patrice Vermette and Zsuzsanna Sipos won this award for Dune.
The Critics’ Choice award is one of the most sought-after awards primarily because a jury of well-known and renowned film critics mutually agree upon the winners. As long as movies are made and Hollywood thrives, such award ceremonies will always prove to be a huge driving and motivational force for all of the film fraternity.