The New York Film Critics Circle have announced their winners for their annual awards, swinging big for Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma. Cuarón’s follow up to 2013’s Gravity was named Best Film, and won two additional prizes for Director and Cinematography. After winning the top prize at Venice Film Festival this past fall, it’s hard to not consider it the film to beat.
Other big winners include Richard E. Grant for Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Regina King (hot off her win at the National Board of Review) and Ethan Hawke (hot off his win at the Gotham Awards).
Take a look at the full list of winners (with some brief commentary) below.
Best Film: Roma
Best Director: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Cuarón and Roma are the pair to beat! This is a nice feather in their cap. But it remains to be seen how Roma will fair in post-release, where it will be placed in select theaters before arriving on Netflix. The Academy has shown they’re willing to embrace Netflix-backed films, but will they be willing to give them their top prize?
Best Actor: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed
Hawke is 2/3 with Best Actor prizes so far, but I get the sense critics are going to coalesce around him and push him squarely into the race.
Best Actress: Regina Hall, Support the Girls
Absolutely unexpected in the best way possible, as I was expecting Olivia Colman to win here. Support the Girls has seemingly flown under the radar all year, and Hall has been more than deserving of her moment in the sun. I still think Best Actress is too competitive for her to elbow her way past Glenn Close, Lady Gaga and Colman, but stranger things have happened, and I would love to be wrong here.
Best Supporting Actor: Richard E. Grant, Can You Ever Forgive Me?
I’m scared that Can You Ever Forgive Me? is going to get left out in the cold this year in terms of awards, but one person who seems to be all but locked up is Richard E. Grant. After losing the NBR to Sam Elliot (who seems to have the most momentum at this moment), this is a great win to have for a potential nominee.
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, If Beale Street Could Talk
After winning at the NBR, it’s hard to imagine King blanking as we continue to hear from more and more groups. The threat of Amy Adams and Vice looms large, but right now the momentum sits with King.
Best Screenplay: Paul Schrader, First Reformed
Best Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, Roma
Best Animated Film: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Best Foreign Language Film: Cold War, Pawel Pawlikowski
Best Documentary: Minding the Gap, Bing Liu
Best First Feature Film: Eighth Grade, Bo Burnham