‘The Power of the Dog’ Leads Chicago Film Critics Awards with Honors for Campion, Cumberbatch

The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) today announces their 2021 award winners. Claiming the organization’s top honors is Jane Campion’s masterful THE POWER OF THE DOG, which earned a leading seven awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Benedict Cumberbatch), Best Supporting Actor (Kodi Smit-McPhee), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. Kristen Stewart was named Best Actress for her role as Princess Diana in SPENCER; Ruth Negga was named Best Supporting Actress for PASSING.

Three films earned two awards: THE FRENCH DISPATCH (Best Editing; Best Art Direction/Production Design); LICORICE PIZZA (Best Original Screenplay; Most Promising Performer – Alana Haim); and SPENCER (Best Actress (Stewart); Best Costume Design).

Here is your first look at Kristen Stewart’s winning performance in SPENCER…

Other highlights among the winners this year include: FLEE named Best Animated Feature; SUMMER OF SOUL named Best Documentary; DRIVE MY CAR named Best Foreign Language Film; and Michael Sarnoski, writer/director of PIG, named recipient of the Milos Stehlik Breakthrough Filmmaker Award. 

The complete list of 2021 Chicago Film Critics Award winners is as follows:

BEST PICTURE: The Power of the Dog

BEST DIRECTOR: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTOR: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Here’s your preview of The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTRESS: Kristen Stewart, Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Ruth Negga, Passing

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: Licorice Pizza by Paul Thomas Anderson

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: The Power of the Dog by Jane Campion

BEST ANIMATED FILM: Flee

Here is your first look at Flee…

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Summer of Soul

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM: Drive My Car

BEST ART DIRECTION/PRODUCTION DESIGN: The French Dispatch

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: The Power of the Dog, Ari Wegner

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: Spencer, Jacqueline Durran

BEST EDITING: The French Dispatch, Andrew Weisblum

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: The Power of the Dog, Jonny Greenwood

BEST USE OF VISUAL EFFECTS: Dune

MOST PROMISING PERFORMER: Alana Haim, Licorice Pizza

MILOS STEHLIK BREAKTHROUGH FILMMAKER: Michael Sarnoski, Pig

A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) was founded in 1990 to support and celebrate quality filmmaking that has something to say about our world, our lives, and our society. Every December, the CFCA votes on and announces their selections for best films of the year, contributing to the annual national discourse on cinema. Learn more at www.chicagofilmcritics.org.