RELEASE DATE: JAN. 2, 2017
La La Land Earns Four North Carolina Film Critics Awards
Hell or High Water Also Wins Multiple Awards
In close voting, La La Land emerged as the critics’ choice for Best Narrative Film at the Fifth Annual North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) Awards. The musical romance also earned recognition for director Damien Chazelle, cinematographer Linus Sandgren, and star Emma Stone (Best Actress).
Hell or High Water won two awards, one for Jeff Bridges (Best Supporting Actor) and one for writer Taylor Sheridan (Best Original Screenplay). Other notable winners include Viola Davis (Best Supporting Actress), Casey Affleck (Best Actor), and O.J. : Made in America (Best Documentary).
Zootopia won for Best Animation and The Handmaiden (with four nominations) was honored for Best Foreign Language Film. Four films received six nominations this year (Hell or High Water, La La Land, Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight).
This year the NCFCA renamed its Tar Heel Award, given to a film or artist with a special connection to North Carolina, after deceased critic and colleague Ken Hanke. Director Jeff Nichols was selected to receive the Ken Hanke Memorial Tar Heel Award. An alumnus of the UNC School of Arts, Nichols released two films in 2016, Midnight Special and Loving.
NCFCA members actively engage in cinematic evaluation and critical analysis.
This year, the NCFCA honored 14 film categories. The full list of nominations and winners can be found below:
BEST NARRATIVE FILM
**La La Land** (winner)
Arrival
Hell or High Water
Manchester by the Sea
Moonlight
BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
**O.J.: Made in America** (winner)
13th
I Am Not Your Negro
Life, Animated
Weiner
BEST ANIMATED FILM
**Zootopia** (winner)
Finding Dory
Kubo and the Two Strings
Moana
Sausage Party
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
**The Handmaiden** (winner)
Elle
A Man Called Ove
Toni Erdmann
Things to Come
BEST DIRECTOR
**Damien Chazelle — La La Land** (winner)
Barry Jenkins — Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan — Manchester by the Sea
David Mackenzie — Hell or High Water
Chan-woo Park — The Handmaiden
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
**Linus Sandgren — La La Land** (winner)
Chung-hoo Chung — The Handmaiden
James Laxton — Moonlight
Giles Nuttgens — Hell or High Water
Bradford Young — Arrival
BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS
**Doctor Strange** (winner)
Arrival
Captain America: Civil War
Jungle Book
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
BEST ACTOR
**Casey Affleck — Manchester by the Sea** (winner)
Joel Edgerton — Loving
Ryan Gosling — La La Land
Viggo Mortensen — Captain Fantastic
Denzel Washington — Fences
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
**Jeff Bridges — Hell or High Water** (winner)
Mahershala Ali — Moonlight
Ben Foster — Hell or High Water
Lucas Hedges — Manchester by the Sea
Sam Neill — Hunt for the Wilderpeople
BEST ACTRESS
**Emma Stone — La La Land** (winner)
Annette Bening — 20th Century Women
Kate Beckinsale — Love & Friendship
Ruth Negga — Loving
Natalie Portman — Jackie
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
**Viola Davis — Fences** (winner)
Greta Gerwig — 20th Century Women
Naomie Harris — Moonlight
Nicole Kidman — Lion
Michelle Williams — Manchester by the Sea
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
**Taylor Sheridan — Hell or High Water** (winner)
Damien Chazelle — La La Land
Barry Jenkins — Moonlight
Kenneth Lonergan — Manchester by the Sea
Mike Mills — 20th Century Women
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
**Eric Heisserer — Arrival** (winner)
Tom Ford — Nocturnal Animals
Seo-kyeong Jeong and Chan-wook Park — The Handmaiden
Whit Stillman — Love & Friendship
Taika Waititi — Hunt for the Wilderpeople
KEN HANKE MEMORIAL TAR HEEL AWARD
(To an artist or film with a special connection to North Carolina.)
**Jeff Nichols** (winner)
Anthony Mackie
Starving the Beast
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Films with Multiple Wins
La La Land – 4
Hell or High Water – 2
Films with Multiple Nominations
Hell or High Water – 6
La La Land – 6
Manchester by the Sea – 6
Moonlight – 6
Arrival – 4
The Handmaiden –4
20th Century Women -3
Fences –2
Hunt for the Wilderpeople – 2
Love & Friendship -2
Loving –2
*Most Nominations without a Win:
Moonlight -6
20th Century Women -3
Additional Notes: This was Emma Stone’s first win and second acting nomination. In 2014, she was nominated for her work in Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
The Handmaiden becomes the most nominated foreign language film for the NCFCA (with four).
About the NCFCA
The North Carolina Film Critics Association (NCFCA) was formed by Kenneth R. Morefield in 2012 to promote film journalism in North Carolina. Membership consists of film critics/journalists established in North Carolina or those serving North Carolina-based outlets.
