41st London Film Critics' Circle Awards
7 February 2021
Film of the Year:
Nomadland
British/Irish Film of the Year:
Saint Maud
The 41st London Film Critics' Circle Awards honoured the best in film of 2020, as chosen by the London Film Critics' Circle. The event was held virtually on the Critics' Circle's YouTube channel for the first time on 7 February 2021, with awards presented by member critics who serve on the event's organising committee and acceptance videos from almost all of the winners. An in-person celebration with nominees and winners occurred later in the year along with long-time sponsors The May Fair Hotel and Audi. [1] [2] [3] The nominations were announced on 12 January 2021; due to the then-rising COVID-19 pandemic, more films released directly to streaming services were made eligible, and the qualifying release dates were extended into March 2021, as long as films had been screened in 2020 to critics or at festivals. [4] [5] [6]
Winners are listed first and highlighted with boldface.
Florian Zeller is a French novelist, playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, and film director. He has written over a dozen plays, that have been staged worldwide and have made him one of the most celebrated contemporary playwrights.
Morfydd Clark is a Welsh actress. Her appearances include Love & Friendship (2016), Interlude in Prague (2017), and The Personal History of David Copperfield (2019). Also on television, she played Mina Harker in Dracula (2020) and Sister Clara in His Dark Materials (2019).
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Eliza Hittman. It stars Sidney Flanigan, Talia Ryder, Théodore Pellerin, Ryan Eggold, and Sharon Van Etten. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2020. It was also selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize. The film was released in the United States on March 13, 2020, by Focus Features. It received widespread acclaim from critics, with praise for Flanigan's performance and Hittman's direction and screenplay.
Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is a 2020 American historical drama film directed by George C. Wolfe and written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, based on the 1982 play of the same name by August Wilson. The film stars Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman, Colman Domingo, and Michael Potts. Inspired by the career of Ma Rainey, an influential blues singer and the title character, the film dramatizes a turbulent recording session in 1920s Chicago.
Collective is a 2019 documentary film directed, written, produced and edited by Alexander Nanau. The film centers on the 2016 public health scandal following the Colectiv nightclub fire. The film follows dual stories of investigative journalists at the Romanian newspaper Gazeta Sporturilor uncovering public healthcare corruption and maladministration, and the government's response to the crisis at the Ministry of Health.
Sidney Jeanne Flanigan is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Flanigan made her acting debut with the acclaimed independent drama film Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), for which she received nominations for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead.
Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Two episodes of the series were selected into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised by Bob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".
Time is a 2020 American documentary film produced and directed by Garrett Bradley. It follows Sibil Fox Richardson and her fight for the release of her husband, Rob, who was serving a 60-year prison sentence for engaging in an armed bank robbery.
Bukky Bakray is a British actress and writer. She is known for her debut role in the film Rocks (2019). At 18, she became the youngest BAFTA Rising Star Award recipient as well as one of the youngest Best Actress in a Leading Role nominees. She appeared on the 2021 Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
The 42nd London Film Critics' Circle Awards honoured the best in film of 2021, as chosen by the London Film Critics' Circle. All films released in a UK cinema and direct to premiere streaming services between February 2021 and February 2022 were all eligible to be nominated. For the second year in a row, the event took place virtually on the London Critics' Circle YouTube channel, this time with critics presenting awards remotely from the ceremony's usual home at The May Fair Hotel.
The 44th London Film Critics' Circle Awards honoured the best in film of 2023, as chosen by the London Film Critics' Circle. All films are automatically eligible if they are released in UK cinemas or premiere via streaming service between mid-February 2023 and mid-February 2024. The ceremony was held on 4 February 2024 at The May Fair Hotel in London. The nominations were announced on 20 December 2023 by actors Jing Lusi and Ényì Okoronkwo. All of Us Strangers received the most nominations with nine, followed by Oppenheimer with seven.