San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 2020

The 25th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards were announced on January 11, 2021.^[1] The nominations were announced on January 8, 2021, with Sound of Metal leading the nominations with eight.^[2]

25th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
Date	January 11, 2021
Site	San Diego, California, U.S.
Highlights
Best Picture	Promising Young Woman
Most awards	The Forty-Year-Old Version / Nomadland / Promising Young Woman / Sound of Metal (2)
Most nominations	Sound of Metal (8)
← 24th San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 26th →

Winners and nominees

Winners are listed at the top of each list in bold, while the runner-ups and nominees for each category are listed under them.

Chloé Zhao, Best Director winner

Riz Ahmed, Best Actor winner

Carey Mulligan, Best Actress winner

Youn Yuh-jung, Best Supporting Actress winner

Christopher Hampton, Best Adapted Screenplay co-winner

Florian Zeller, Best Adapted Screenplay co-winner

Steve McQueen, Best Body of Work winner

Best Picture	Best Director
Promising Young Woman Runner-Up: Sound of Metal Black Bear First Cow Nomadland One Night in Miami...	Chloé Zhao – Nomadland Runner-Up: Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Darius Marder – Sound of Metal Kelly Reichardt – First Cow Florian Zeller – The Father
Best Actor	Best Actress
Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal Runner-Up: Anthony Hopkins – The Father Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Brian Dennehy – Driveways Steven Yeun – Minari	Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman Runner-Up: Frances McDormand – Nomadland Viola Davis – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman Aubrey Plaza – Black Bear
Best Supporting Actor	Best Supporting Actress
Paul Raci – Sound of Metal Runner-Up: Peter Macdissi – Uncle Frank Sacha Baron Cohen – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Frank Langella – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Bill Murray – On the Rocks	Youn Yuh-jung – Minari Runner-Up: Amanda Seyfried – Mank Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Ellen Burstyn – Pieces of a Woman Olivia Cooke – Sound of Metal
Best Adapted Screenplay	Best Original Screenplay
Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller – The Father Runner-Up: Charlie Kaufman – I'm Thinking of Ending Things Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond – First Cow Ruben Santiago-Hudson – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Chloé Zhao – Nomadland	Lee Isaac Chung – Minari Runner-Up: Emerald Fennell – Promising Young Woman Runner-Up: Darius Marder, Abraham Marder, and Derek Cianfrance – Sound of Metal Runner-Up: Aaron Sorkin – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Sofia Coppola – On the Rocks
Best Breakthrough Artist	Best Comedic Performance
Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version Runner-Up: Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Sidney Flanigan – Never Rarely Sometimes Always Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman	Radha Blank – The Forty-Year-Old Version Runner-Up: Maria Bakalova – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Runner-Up: Bill Murray – On the Rocks Sacha Baron Cohen – Borat Subsequent Moviefilm Andy Samberg – Palm Springs
Best Animated Film	Best Documentary
Wolfwalkers Runner-Up: Over the Moon Onward Soul Trolls World Tour	Time Runner-Up: The Social Dilemma Athlete A My Octopus Teacher Rewind
Best International Film	Best Ensemble
The Life Ahead Runner-Up: The Platform Another Round Martin Eden Sputnik	One Night in Miami... Runner-Up: The Trial of the Chicago 7 Da 5 Bloods Palm Springs Uncle Frank
Best Cinematography	Best Editing
Joshua James Richards – Nomadland Runner-Up: Erik Messerschmidt – Mank Christopher Blauvelt – First Cow Hoyte van Hoytema – Tenet Dariusz Wolski – News of the World	Andy Canny – The Invisible Man Runner-Up: Alan Baumgarten – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Andrew Dickler and Matthew Friedman – Palm Springs Jennifer Lame – Tenet Matthew L. Weiss – Black Bear
Best Costumes	Best Production Design
Alexandra Byrne – Emma Runner-Up: Erin Benach – Birds of Prey April Napier – First Cow Ann Roth – Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Trish Summerville – Mank	Donald Graham Burt – Mank Runner-Up: Molly Hughes – I'm Thinking of Ending Things Runner-Up: Shane Valentino – The Trial of the Chicago 7 Nathan Crowley – Tenet Kave Quinn – Emma
Best Use of Music	Best Visual Effects
Hamilton Runner-Up: David Byrne's American Utopia Runner-Up: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom Da 5 Bloods Sound of Metal	Tenet Runner-Up: The Invisible Man Birds of Prey Greyhound The Midnight Sky Sputnik
Best Body of Work
Steve McQueen – The Small Axe film series (Mangrove, Lover's Rock, Red, White and Blue, Alex Wheatle, Education)