2019 New York Film Critics Circle Awards honor The Irishman, Us
The Big Apple’s premier critics group made a big mark on the early Oscar race.
Comprising some of the city’s top film journalists — including EW’s Leah Greenblatt — the New York Film Critics Circle revealed its picks for the best in film from the past calendar year on Wednesday morning, ultimately boosting the visibility of key contenders in the Academy Awards contest.
One day after being named the National Board of Review’s best film of 2019, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman got another Oscar boost from the NYFCC, which also named it the year’s top movie.
Winners in other key categories included lead actress Lupita Nyong’o for her sublime work in Jordan Peele’s horror hit Us and Antonio Banderas for his lead performance in Pain and Glory. Best Supporting Actress contender Laura Dern also received an NYFCC honor for her work in both Greta Gerwig’s Little Women and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story, while Joe Pesci scored for his supporting performance in Scorsese’s The Irishman — his first major live-action role in nearly 10 years.
Though its membership does not cross over with the Academy’s industry-focused base, the NYFCC is regarded as one of the most reliable Oscar forecasters on the critical circuit. When it comes to Oscar overlap, each of the NYFCC’s Best Film victors across the last decade except 2015’s Todd Haynes-directed Carol has received a corresponding Oscar nomination for Best Picture. Over the same 10-year frame, a trio of NYFCC Best Actress winners — Rachel Weisz (2012’s The Deep Blue Sea), Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky), and Regina Hall (Support the Girls) — didn’t follow up with an Oscar nod. On the men’s side, the only NYFCC Best Actor champions since 2009 who didn’t receive an Oscar nomination are Robert Redford (All Is Lost), Timothy Spall (Mr. Turner), Michael Keaton (Spotlight), and Ethan Hawke (First Reformed).
Last year, the NYFCC correctly predicted the Academy’s eventual Best Director champion, Roma’s Alfonso Cuarón, while the group’s Best Supporting Actor winner, Can You Ever Forgive Me?’s Richard E. Grant, received a follow-up nomination at the Oscars.
Read on for a full list of the NYFCC’s 2019 award winners, updating live as they’re announced.
Best Film: The Irishman
Best Director: Benny and Josh Safdie – Uncut Gems
Best Actor: Antonio Banderas – Pain and Glory
Best Actress: Lupita Nyong’o – Us
Best Supporting Actor: Joe Pesci – The Irishman
Best Supporting Actress: Laura Dern – Marriage Story and Little Women
Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino – Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood
Best Cinematography: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Foreign Language Film: Parasite
Best Documentary: Honeyland
Best Animated Film: I Lost My Body
Best First Film: Atlantics
Special Awards: Randy Newman, Indie Collect
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