Washington DC Critics Name Belfast Best Film of 2021

The Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), of which I am a proud voting member, announced their annual awards this morning, with Sir Kenneth Branagh's Belfast taking the top prize. The film also received Best Original Screenplay (Branagh).

The awards were a little spread out, with "The Power of the Dog" winning three (Director, Adapted Screenplay, and Supporting Actor), "Dune" also winning three (Production Design, Cinematography, and Original Score), and "Tick, Tick... Boom!" winning two (Actor and Editing). The remarkable "Mass" even managed to nab Best Acting Ensemble (which will hopefully be repeated when it comes time for the SAG Awards).

Some of these wins were somewhat surprising, While I did choose Garfield for Best Actor, I very much expected Will Smith to take it, while Smit-McPhee and Ellis seemed like long-shots against "Belfast" contenders Dornan and Balfe. However, overall, there wasn't anything too far outside the realm of possibility.

Later today, Atlanta and Detroit critics will be announcing their awards, so be sure to check back for a list of winners. In the meantime, please see below for a complete list of WAFCA's honorees:

Best Film: Belfast Best Director: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) Best Actor: Andrew Garfield (tick, tick...BOOM!) Best Actress: Kristen Stewart (Spencer) Best Supporting Actor: Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog) Best Supporting Actress: Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) Best Acting Ensemble: Mass Best Youth Performance: Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon) Best Voice Performance: Awkwafina (Raya and the Last Dragon) Best Original Screenplay: Kenneth Branagh (Belfast) Best Adapted Screenplay: Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog) Best Animated Feature: The Mitchells vs. the Machines Best Documentary: Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Best International/Foreign Language Film: Drive My Car Best Production Design: Patrice Vermette, Production Designer; Richard Roberts and Zsuzsanna Sipos, Set Decorators (Dune) Best Cinematography: Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS (Dune) Best Editing: Myron Kerstein, ACE; Andrew Weisblum, ACE (tick, tick...BOOM!) Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer (Dune)

Follow me on Twitter @BeckFilmCritic.