The Detroit Film Critics Society is pleased to announce the BEST OF 2021 nominees and winners in thirteen categories. The Detroit Film Critics Society was founded in Spring 2007 and currently consists of a group of 12 film critics from Michigan who write or broadcast in the metro-Detroit area.
Each critic submitted their top 5 picks in the following 13 categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble, and Breakthrough in any category, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Screenplay, Best Documentary, Best Animated Feature, and Best Use of Music. From these submissions, each entry was given a point value and the top 5 in each category have been placed on the final ballot.
CYRANO had a total of 4 nominations and two wins in the categories of Best Picture and Best Actor for Peter Dinklage. KING RICHARD also received 4 nominations and finished with one win for Jon Bernthal as Best Supporting Actor. TICK, TICK…BOOM! received 4 nominations as well with one win for director Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jessica Chastain took the Best Actress award for her transforming performance in THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE. Two categories ended in a tie. FLEE and SUMMER OF SOUL tied for Best Documentary while Best Breakthrough went to Woody Norman, for his performance in C’MON C’MON and Emma Seligman, the writer and director of SHIVA BABY. See the full results below.
THE NOMINATIONS FOR 2021
PICKED BY THE DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY
WINNERS ARE BELOW IN BOLD LETTERS
(in alphabetical order)
1. BEST PICTURE
- BELFAST
- CODA
- CYRANO
- DON’T LOOK UP
- KING RICHARD
2. BEST DIRECTOR
- SEAN BAKER – RED ROCKET
- KENNETH BRANAGH – BELFAST
- DAVID LOWERY – THE GREEN KNIGHT
- ADAM MCKAY – DON’T LOOK UP
- LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA – TICK, TICK…BOOM!
Detroit Film Critics Society Press Release – continued – page 2
3. BEST ACTOR
- NICOLAS CAGE – PIG
- PETER DINKLAGE – CYRANO
- ANDREW GARFIELD – TICK, TICK…BOOM!
- OSCAR ISAAC – THE CARD COUNTER
- WILL SMITH – KING RICHARD
4. BEST ACTRESS
- JESSICA CHASTAIN – THE EYES OF TAMMY FAYE
- ALANA HAIM – LICORICE PIZZA
- JENNIFER HUDSON – RESPECT
- NICOLE KIDMAN – BEING THE RICARDOS
- KRISTEN STEWART – SPENCER
5. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- JON BERNTHAL – KING RICHARD
- TROY KOTSUR – CODA
- JARED LETO – HOUSE OF GUCCI
- RAY LIOTTA – THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK
- KODI SMIT-MCPHEE – THE POWER OF THE DOG
6. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- ARIANA DEBOSE – WEST SIDE STORY
- KIRSTEN DUNST – THE POWER OF THE DOG
- AUNJANUE ELLIS – KING RICHARD
- RITA MORENO – WEST SIDE STORY
- DIANA RIGG – LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
7. BEST ENSEMBLE
- CODA
- DON’T LOOK UP
- THE FRENCH DISPATCH
- THE HARDER THEY FALL
- HOUSE OF GUCCI
8. BEST BREAKTHROUGH
- ALANA HAIM – ACTRESS – LICORICE PIZZA
- EMILIA JONES – ACTRESS – CODA
- WOODY NORMAN – ACTOR – C’MON, C’MON
- AGATHE ROUSSELLE – ACTRESS – TITANE
- EMMA SELIGMAN – WRITER/DIRECTOR – SHIVA BABY
9. BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- JANE CAMPION – THE POWER OF THE DOG
- SIAN HEDER – CODA
- QUIARA ALEGRÍA HUDES – IN THE HEIGHTS
- STEVEN LEVENSON – TICK, TICK…BOOM!
- DAVID LOWERY – THE GREEN KNIGHT
Detroit Film Critics Society Press Release – continued – page 3
10. BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- PEDRO ALMODÓVAR – PARALLEL MOTHERS
- PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON – LICORICE PIZZA
- WES ANDERSON – THE FRENCH DISPATCH
- ADAM MCKAY – DON’T LOOK UP
- JEYMES SAMUEL, BOAZ YAKIN – THE HARDER THEY FALL
11. BEST DOCUMENTARY
- FLEE
- ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN
- THE SPARKS BROTHERS
- STREET GANG: HOW WE GOT TO SESAME STREET
- SUMMER OF SOUL
12. BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
- BELLE
- CRYPTOZOO
- ENCANTO
- FLEE
- LUCA
- THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES
13. BEST USE OF MUSIC
- CYRANO
- IN THE HEIGHTS
- LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
- TICK, TICK…BOOM!
- WEST SIDE STORY
The Detroit Film Critics Society members for the 2021-2022 season in alphabetical order are Nate Adams – The Clinton Local, George Elkind – Metro Times, Between the Lines; Becky Fixel –Week99er; Michelle Kisner – spoilerfreemoviesleuth.com; Greg Russell – WDIV-TV Detroit & Movie Show; Tom Santilli – WXYZ and Movie Show Plus; Perry Seibert – WLBY-The Lucy Ann Lance show; John Serba – Decider; MontiLee Stormer – moviereelist.com; Lee Thomas – Critic Lee Speaking, WJBK Fox 2; Mike Tyrkus – Cinemanerdz.com and Carl Wheeler – thereelgodfather.com.
