This morning we joined Darci Shaw (Judy, The Irregulars) and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (Killing Eve, The Irregulars) as they announced virtually this year’s nominations for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards, hosted by Chair Rich Cline. Since the first edition in 1980, the Critics’ Circle Film Awards has become an anticipated and respected event in the annual film calendar. As we all know, it’s been an unusual, testing time for everyone (including the entertainment industry), so this is a welcome moment to celebrate some of the best films released between February 2020 and February 2021, and that’s both those who made it to UK cinemas and the titles that went directly to streaming services.

The duo opened with a warm discussion about upcoming The Irregulars, which is based on the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and features a nice twist on the world of Sherlock and Watson. It sounded fascinating and something different to look forward to. Lloyd-Hughes and Shaw also had a brief chat about their careers, so far, for these talented young actors, so definitely keep an eye out for both in 2021!

For the nominations themselves, there’s some impressive titles and it includes a host of superb British and Irish filmmakers, with female filmmakers leading the way, for a possible award next month (February 7th). In fact, Rose Glass, Sarah Gavron, Chloé Zhao and Emerald Fennell earned the most nominations, with the full list below. Acting nominations went to the likes of Riz Ahmed, John Boyega, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Jessie Buckley, Bukky Bakray, Vanessa Kirby, Carey Mulligan and Morfydd Clark. Plus numerous nominations for The Father, Promising Young Woman, Lovers Rock, Rocks, Mangrove, Nomadland and Saint Maud plus, notably, Steve McQueen for all five tremendous Small Axe films.

Here’s your full rundown, it’s been great to finally take some normality forward this early in 2021:

FILM OF THE YEAR
About Endlessness
Collective
I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Lovers Rock
The Mauritanian
Minari
Nomadland
Promising Young Woman
Rocks
Saint Maud

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
About Endlessness
Another Round
Collective
Les Misérables
Minari

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets
Collective
Dick Johnson Is Dead
Time
The Truffle Hunters

The Attenborough Award
BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
The Father
Lovers Rock
Mangrove
Rocks
Saint Maud

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
David Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Kevin Macdonald – The Mauritanian
Steve McQueen – Small Axe
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Jack Fincher – Mank
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Charlie Kaufman – I’m Thinking of Ending Things
Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chloé Zhao – Nomadland

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Morfydd Clark – Saint Maud
Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
Frances McDormand – Nomadland
Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods
Tahar Rahim – The Mauritanian

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman
Essie Davis – Babyteeth
Jennifer Ehle – Saint Maud
Amanda Seyfried – Mank

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7
Chadwick Boseman – Da 5 Bloods
Aldis Hodge – Clemency
Ben Mendelsohn – Babyteeth
Shaun Parkes – Mangrove

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR (for body of work)
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Jessie Buckley – I’m Thinking of Ending Things, Misbehaviour
Morfydd Clark – Eternal Beauty, Saint Maud
Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman, The World to Come
Carey Mulligan – The Dig, Promising Young Woman

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR OF THE YEAR (for body of work)
Riz Ahmed – Mogul Mowgli, Sound of Metal
Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, The Trial of the Chicago 7
John Boyega – Red, White and Blue
Anthony Hopkins – The Father
Cosmo Jarvis – Calm With Horses, Nocturnal

The Philip French Award
BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER
Henry Blake – County Lines
Fyzal Boulifa – Lynn + Lucy
Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman
Rose Glass – Saint Maud
Remi Weekes – His House

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Kosar Ali – Rocks
Bukky Bakray – Rocks
Millie Bobby Brown – Enola Holmes
Conrad Khan – County Lines
Molly Windsor – Make Up

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM
Filipiñana – Rafael Manuel, director
Hungry Joe – Paul Holbrook, director
Lizard – Akinola Davies Jr, director
The Long Goodbye – Aneil Karia, director
The Shift – Laura Carreira, director

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Ammonite – Stéphane Fontaine, cinematography
Birds of Prey – Deborah Lamia Denaver & Adruitha Lee, makeup & hair
Lovers Rock – Mica Levi, music
Mank – Donald Graham Burt, production design
Nomadland – Joshua James Richards, cinematography
Rocks – Lucy Pardee, casting
Soul – Pete Docter, animation
Sound of Metal – Nicolas Becker, sound design
Tenet – Jennifer Lame, film editing
WolfWalkers – Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart, animation

The 41st London Critics’ Circle Film Awards will be announced at a virtual event on Sunday, 7th February. The awards are voted on by the 160-member Film Section of the Critics’ Circle, the UK’s longest-standing and most prestigious critics’ organisation.