KEY POINTS

  • "Nomadland" won best picture at the National Society of Film Critics awards Saturday
  • Maria Bakalova and Paul Raci took home the trophies for best supporting actress and actor, respectively
  • Chloe Zhao nabbed the best director prize

Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" is turning out to be one of the most successful movies of 2020 when it comes to award ceremonies. The film won best picture at the National Society of Film Critics awards Saturday.

The movie edged out Kelly Reichardt's "First Cow" and Eliza Hittman's "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" to win the accolade. "Nomadland" received 52 votes, while "First Cow" and "Never Rarely Sometimes Always" garnered 50 and 41 votes, respectively.

Zhao also won the best director prize, while Steve McQueen for "Small Axe" (41 votes) and Reichardt for "First Cow" (30 points) were the runners-up.

Meanwhile, Maria Bakalova bagged another best supporting actress trophy for "Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm." Bakalova's brilliant portrayal of Tutar in the movie has garnered a plethora of awards recently and makes her case for an Oscar nomination really strong.

The 24-year-old Belgian actress was one of the most talked-about stars of 2020, and her role in the second "Borat" movie has taken her popularity to a whole new level. Sacha Baron Cohen, in an interview, said it would be a travesty if Bakalova doesn't get a nomination at the 2021 Oscars.

Frances McDormand ("Nomadland") and Delroy Lindo ("Da 5 Bloods") won the best actress and actor awards, respectively. Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman from "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" were the runners-up in the respective categories.

The award for the best foreign-language film went to "Collective" with 38 votes. "Bacurau" was the first runner-up with 36 votes and "Vitalina Varela" was the second runner-up with 32 votes.

Other notable winners include Paul Raci (best supporting actor, "Sound of Metal"), Joshua James (best cinematography, "Nomadland") and Eliza Hittman (best screenplay, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always").

Here's the complete list of winners of this year's National Society of Film Critics awards:

Best Picture: “Nomadland”

Best Director: Chloé Zhao

Best Actor: Delroy Lindo, “Da 5 Bloods”

Best Actress: Frances McDormand, “Nomadland”

Best Supporting Actor: Paul Raci, “Sound of Metal”

Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bakalova, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”

Best Cinematography: Joshua James Richards, “Nomadland”

Best Screenplay: Eliza Hittman, “Never Rarely Sometimes Always”

Best Foreign-Language Film: “Collective”

Best Nonfiction Film: “Time”

Film Heritage Awards: Women Make Movies, Film Comment, the Brattle Theatre (Cambridge, MA)

Nomadland
1. "Nomadland" (directed by Chloe Zhao) - Zhao's idea of immersing herself in a rural American subculture seems to have done wonders for the filmmaker. "Nomadland" follows the story of a woman named Fern (played by Frances McDormand) who has lost everything during the Great Recession. Fern embarks on a journey and starts living as a modern-day nomad. The film makes you strongly empathize with its characters and manages to encourage viewers to consider a nomadic life. McDormand is pure genius and blends into her character so well that viewers don't feel like they are watching a fictional character on the screen. The movie is a masterclass in the art of filmmaking and all its aspects.  Nomadland/ Searchlight Pictures
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