Best in Cinema 2020: Part 2 – Individual Achievement

My list does exclude a few awards season films that are being included due to the extended award season, yet are still 2021 releases. Judas & The Black Messiah, for example, is expected to have a presence at the Oscars this year, but is technically a 2021 film, so expect that to show up round this time next year, but not on this list.

Best Director

Regina King – One Night in Miami

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland; Aaron Sorkin – Trial of the Chicago 7; Emerald Fennel – Promising Young Woman

Best Actress

Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman

Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman; Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Frances McDormand – Nomadland

Best Actor

Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal

Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; Andy Samberg – Palm Springs; Delroy Lindo – Da 5 Bloods

Best Supporting Actress

Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman

Olivia Cooke – Sound of Metal; Christin Milioti – Palm Springs; Amanda Seyfried – Mank

Best Supporting Actor

Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7

Paul Raci – Sound of Metal; David Strathairn – Nomadland; J.K. Simmons – Palm Springs

Best Ensemble Cast

One Night In Miami

Trial of the Chicago 7; Da 5 Bloods

Best Original Screenplay

Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman

Aaron Sorkin – Trial of the Chicago 7; Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, Derek Cianfrance – Sound of Metal

Best Adapted Screenplay

Kemp Powers – One Night in Miami

Chloé Zhao – Nomadland; Rueben Santiago – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Original Score

Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, Jon Batiste – Soul

Alexandre Desplat – Midnight Sky; Ludwig Goransson – Tenet

Best Original Song

“Speak Now” – One Night In Miami

“Green” – Sound of Metal; “Husavik” – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

Best Editing

Frédéric Thoraval – Promising Young Woman

Frédéric Thoraval – Sound of Metal; Alan Baumgarten – Trial of the Chicago 7

Best Cinematography

Hoyte van Hoytema – Tenet

Newton Thomas Sigel – Da 5 Bloods; Tobias A. Schliessler – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Stunts

Rocky Dickey, Jr., Jonathan Eusebio, Scott Rogers, Jon Valera – Birds of Prey

Stuart Clark, Rob Inch, Florian Robin, C.C. Smiff – Wonder Woman 1984; Ben Cooke, Clint Elvy, Scott Rogers – Mulan

Best Costumes

Michael Wilkinson – Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Bina Daigeler – Mulan; Ann Roth – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

Best Sound

Phillip Bladh, Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michelle Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés, Carolina Santana – Sound of Metal

Randy Thom, Dan Hiland, Todd Beckett, Danny Hambrook, Bjorn Schroeder – The Midnight Sky; Skip Lievsay, Paul Urmson, Dane Lonsdale – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom