By Matt Neglia
The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) have announced their nominations representing the best in film for 2021. The winners will be announced January 11th 2022.
Click below to see the nominees.
Best Film
Dune
The Green Knight
Licorice Pizza
Pig
The Power of the Dog
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Ryûsuke Hamaguchi – Drive My Car
David Lowery – The Green Knight
Denis Villeneuve – Dune
Best Actress
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Penelope Cruz – Parallel Mothers
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Agathe Rouselle – Titane
Best Actor
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Andrew Garfield – Tick Tick… Boom!
Simon Rex – Red Rocket
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Kathryn Hunter – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Ruth Negga – Passing
Best Supporting Actor
Bradley Cooper – Licorice Pizza
Colman Domingo – Zola
Vincent Lindon – Titane
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog
Jeffrey Wright – The French Dispatch
Best Ensemble
Dune
The French Dispatch
The Harder they Fall
Licorice Pizza
Mass
Best Original Screenplay
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Wes Anderson – The French Dispatch
Vanessa Block and Michael Sarnoski – Pig
Fran Kranz – Mass
Mike Mills – C’mon C’mon
Best Adapted Screenplay
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Ryusuke Hamagucki and Takamasa Oe – Drive My Car
Sian Heder – CODA
David Lowery – The Green Knight
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth – Dune
Best Cinematography
Bruno Delbonnel – The Tragedy of Macbeth
Greig Fraser – Dune
Janusz Kaminski – West Side Story
Andrew Droz Palermo – The Green Knight
Ari Wegner – The Power of the Dog
Best Editing
Andy Jurgensen – Licorice Pizza
Peter Sciberras – The Power of the Dog
Claire Simpson – The Last Duel
Michael Kahn & Sarah Broshar – West Side Story
Joe Walker – Dune
Best Original Score
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood – Spencer
Daniel Hart – The Green Knight
Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe – Candyman
Hans Zimmer – Dune
Best International Film
Drive My Car
Lamb
Parallel Mothers
Titane
The Worst Person in the World
Best Documentary
Flee
The Rescue
The Sparks Brothers
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
The Velvet Underground
Best Animated Film
Belle
Encanto
Flee
Luca
The Mitchells vs the Machines
Best Voice Acting/Animated/Digital Performance
Stephanie Beatriz – Encanto
Abbi Jacobson – The Mitchells vs the Machines
John Leguizamo – Encanto
Danny McBride – The Mitchells vs the Machines
Kaho Nakamura – Belle
Best Stunts
Dune
No Time to Die
Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Spiderman: No Way Home
Raging Fire
Best First Film
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Rebecca Hall – Passing
Fran Kranz – Mass
Michael Samoski – Pig
Emma Seligman – Shiva Baby
The Robert R. “Bobby” McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – CODA
Agathe Rousselle – Titane
Rachel Sennott – Shiva Baby
As part of the organization’s annual voting, the Austin Film Critics Association awards titles with local ties — works made by directors who live in Austin. This award is distinct to our group of critics, recognizing the talent of Austin filmmakers as we celebrate the best films of the year.
In alphabetical order, the five nominees for Best Austin Film 2021 are:
The Carnivores (dir. Caleb Michael Johnson)
The Get Together (dir. Will Bakke)
Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (co-dir. Robert Rodriguez)
Queens of Pain (co-dir. Cassie Hay)
Without Getting Killed or Caught (dirs. Tamara Saviano and Paul Whitfield)
You can follow Matt and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @NextBestPicture
