The Chicago Indie Critics announced their nominees for their fifth annual film awards. 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.

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 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.

Nominees for 2020 Chicago Indie Critics 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