The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) voted on the best achievements in film in 2021 on Saturday, announcing its award winners through its Twitter account.
The LAFCA’s best film winner has won the Oscar for Best Picture 11 times in the 47 years the organization has been giving out awards, including four times in the last 12 years: The Hurt Locker in 2009, Spotlight in 2015, Moonlight in 2016 and Parasite in 2019.
Last year, the LAFCA named director Steve McQueen’s Small Axe best picture. Chloé Zhao won best director for Nomadland, which went on to earn her two Academy Awards, for best director and best picture. Chadwick Boseman and Carey Mulligan won for their lead performances in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Promising Young Woman,” respectively.
This year, the critics association named Japanese writer-director Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s drama Drive My Car as the best film of the year, with Netflix’s The Power of the Dog voted runner-up. In the category of best director, Power of the Dog helmer Jane Campion took the top slot with Hamaguchi as the runner-up.
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With its best picture win, Drive My Car has become one of fourteen films to win the top prize from the LAFCA and New York Film Critics Circle. Each of these films has gone on to become a best picture nominee. Power of the Dog won the best picture category at The Chicago Critics Awards as reported by Reel Chicago.
See the full LACFA winners list below:
Best Picture: “Drive My Car”
Runner-up: “The Power of the Dog”
Best Director: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog”
Runner-up: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”
Best Actor: Simon Rex, “Red Rocket”
Runner-up: Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”
Best Actress: Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers”
Runner-up: Renate Reinsve, “The Worst Person in the World”
Best Supporting Actor: Vincent Lindon, “Titane” and Kodi Smit-McPhee, “The Power of the Dog” (TIE)
Best Supporting Actress: Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story”
Runner-up: Aunjanue Ellis, “King Richard”
Best Animated Film: “Flee”
Runner-up: “Belle”
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction: “Summer of Soul”
Runner-up: “Procession”
Best Foreign Language Film: “Petite Maman”
Runner-up: “Quo vadis, Aida?”
Best Screenplay: “Drive My Car,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe
Runner-up: “Licorice Pizza,” Paul Thomas Anderson
Best Cinematography: “The Power of the Dog,” Ari Wegner
Runner-up: “Dune,” Greig Fraser
Best Editing: “Summer of Soul,” Joshua L. Pearson
Runner-up: “Licorice Pizza,” Andy Jurgensen
Best Music/Score: “Parallel Mothers,” Alberto Iglesias
Runner-up: “The Power of the Dog” and “Spencer,” Jonny Greenwood
Best Production Design: “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” Steve Saklad
Runner-up: “Nightmare Alley,” Tamara Deverell
New Generation Prize: Shatara Michelle Ford, “Test Pattern” and Tatiana Huezo, “Prayers for the Stolen” (TIE)
Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Award: The Works and Days (of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)
Career Achievement: Mel Brooks
