‘Moonlight’ Leads Nominations for Critics Circle Film Awards

Moonlight and Love & Friendship lead the nominations for the London Critics’ Circle Film Awards with seven nominations each.

The Barry Jenkins drama, Moonlight, which has received nominations for Film of the Year, Supporting Actor of the Year for Mahershala Ali, Supporting Actress of the Year for Naomie Harris, Director of the Year for Barry Jenkins, Screenwriter of the Year for Barry Jenkins, Best British/Irish Actress for Naomie Harris, and Technical Achievement for Nat Sanders and Joi McMillon’s editing work – will go up against the Whit Stillman comedy, Love & Friendship, which as been nominated for Film of the Year, British/Irish Film of the Year, Actress of the Year for Kate Beckinsale, Supporting Actor of the Year for Tom Bennett, Screenwriter of the Year for Whit Stillman, Best British/Irish Actor for Tom Bennett, and Best British/Irish Actress for Kate Beckinsale.

Following closely behind the two leading pictures, German comedy Toni Erdmann received six nominations including both Film of the Year and Foreign-Language Film of the Year, whilst Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling starr film La La Lan picked up five nominations, including Actress of the Year for Emma.

La La Land is also a contender for Film of the Year – which both Moonlight and Love & Friendship have been nominated for – alongside the likes of American Honey, Nocturnal Animals and Manchester By The Sea.

Chair of the Critics’ Circle Film Awards Rich Cline said of the nominations: “Our critics nominated more than 160 titles for Film of the Year alone, representing the range of wide opinions and the sheer number of movies critics watch each year.

“Making it onto that final list of nominees is never easy.”

Elsewhere, Casey Affleck, Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Peter Simonischek will battle it out for Actor of the Year, whilst Amy Adams, Kate Beckinsale, Sandra Hüller, Isabelle Huppert, and Emma Stone go head to head for Actress of the Year.

The gala ceremony for the awards will be held on January 22.

The full list of nominees for the 37th London Critics’ Circle Film Awards:

FILM OF THE YEAR
American Honey
Fire at Sea
I, Daniel Blake
La La Land
Love & Friendship
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
Nocturnal Animals
Son of Saul
Toni Erdmann

FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
Fire at Sea
Son of Saul
Things to Come
Toni Erdmann
Victoria

DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years
Cameraperson
The Eagle Huntress
Fire at Sea
Life, Animated

BRITISH/IRISH FILM OF THE YEAR
American Honey
High-Rise
I, Daniel Blake
Love & Friendship
Sing Street

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Casey Affleck – Manchester by the Sea
Adam Driver – Paterson
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge
Jake Gyllenhaal – Nocturnal Animals
Peter Simonischek – Toni Erdmann

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Amy Adams – Arrival
Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
Sandra Hüller – Toni Erdmann
Isabelle Huppert – Things to Come
Emma Stone – La La Land

SUPPORTING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Mahershala Ali – Moonlight
Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship
Jeff Bridges – Hell or High Water
Shia LaBeouf – American Honey
Michael Shannon – Nocturnal Animals

SUPPORTING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Viola Davis – Fences
Greta Gerwig – 20th Century Women
Naomie Harris – Moonlight
Riley Keough – American Honey
Michelle Williams – Manchester by the Sea

DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR
Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
László Nemes – Son of Saul

SCREENWRITER OF THE YEAR
Maren Ade – Toni Erdmann
Damien Chazelle – La La Land
Barry Jenkins – Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan – Manchester by the Sea
Whit Stillman – Love & Friendship

BRITISH/IRISH ACTOR
Tom Bennett – Love & Friendship, Life on the Road
Andrew Garfield – Hacksaw Ridge, Silence
Hugh Grant – Florence Foster Jenkins
Dave Johns – I, Daniel Blake
David Oyelowo – A United Kingdom, Queen of Katwe

BRITISH/IRISH ACTRESS
Kate Beckinsale – Love & Friendship
Rebecca Hall – Christine
Naomie Harris – Moonlight, Our Kind of Traitor, Collateral Beauty
Ruth Negga – Loving, Iona
Hayley Squires – I, Daniel Blake

YOUNG BRITISH/IRISH PERFORMER
Ruby Barnhill – The BFG
Lewis MacDougall – A Monster Calls
Sennia Nanua – The Girl With All the Gifts
Anya Taylor-Joy – The Witch, Morgan, Split
Ferdia Walsh-Peelo – Sing Street

BREAKTHROUGH BRITISH/IRISH FILMMAKER
Babak Anvari – Under the Shadow
Mike Carey – The Girl With All the Gifts
Guy Hibbert – Eye in the Sky, A United Kingdom
Peter Middleton & James Spinney – Notes on Blindness
Rachel Tunnard – Adult Life Skills

BRITISH/IRISH SHORT FILM
Isabella – Duncan Cowles & Ross Hogg
Jacked – Rene Pannevis
Sweet Maddie Stone – Brady Hood
Tamara – Sofia Safonova
Terminal – Natasha Waugh

TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
American Honey – Robbie Ryan, cinematography
Arrival – Sylvain Bellemare, sound design
High-Rise – Mark Tildesley, production design
Jackie – Mica Levi, music
Jason Bourne – Gary Powell, stunts
La La Land – Justin Hurwitz, music
Moonlight – Nat Sanders & Joi McMillon, editing
Sing Street – Gary Clark & John Carney, music
Rogue One – Neal Scanlan, visual effects
Victoria – Sturla Brandth Grovlen, cinematography