DUNE, CODA, AND BELFAST LEAD THE 5TH ANNUAL HCA FILM AWARDS NOMINATIONS

Thursday, December 2, 2021 (Los Angeles, CA) – ​​The Hollywood Critics Association is pleased to announce the nominees for the 5th Annual HCA Film Awards.

“2021 was the year that the world returned to cinemas, and we are absolutely delighted to be highlighting such a wide variety of films,” adds HCA Founder Scott Menzel. “We are looking forward to celebrating a remarkable year in cinema at our awards ceremony on January 8, 2022. While we will have a few more announcements in the weeks leading up to our ceremony, I think I speak on behalf of all the members when I say that we are the most excited about being back together in person celebrating our love of all things film.”

Denis Villeneuve’s Dune topped the nomination list with a total of 10 nominations. The film, which premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, as well as several Artisan categories including Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, and Best Hair and Makeup.

Siân Heder’s CODA and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast each earned a total of 9 nominations each. CODA’s nominations include Best Picture, Best Actress for Emilia Jones, Best Supporting Actor for Troy Kotsur, and Best Supporting Actress for Marlee Matlin. Belfast’snominations include Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds, Best Supporting Actress for Caitriona Balfe, and Best Director for Kenneth Branagh.

Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story and Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley, which only recently started to screen, also received some attention. Spielberg’s remake of the 1961 film of the same name received a total of four nominations including Best Comedy or Musical and Best Director. Del Toro’s Nightmare Alley received two nominations for Best Director and Best Production Design.

In regards to the total number of overall nominations, Netflix led the way with 27, followed by Warner Brothers in second place with 18, and Focus Features in third with 17.

“As we commemorate our fifth year as an organization, we have decided to combine our Best Female Director and Best Male Director categories into a single category with a total of ten nominees,” notes HCA Co-Founder, Ashley Menzel. “When the organization was created in 2016, we made a concerted effort to highlight and embrace male and female filmmakers equally with their own category. Over these past five years, the industry has begun to make progress as more underrepresented voices are being given the opportunity to tell their stories on-screen. We as an organization couldn’t be happier to see this change, which is why we have decided to change our approach to the director category and allow for even more voices to be heard and celebrated.”

The winners of the HCA Film Awards will be revealed during the 5th Annual HCA Film Awards Ceremony which will be taking place at the Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles on January 8, 2022. The ceremony will also be streamed live on the HCA’s Official YouTube Channel.

Below is a full list of all the nominated films for 2021: